22
May
motorola_droid_x1

Google And Motorola's Shotgun Wedding Is Final - And It's Definitely Going To Change Things For Android

Posted by in Android OS, Editorials, Google, Legal, Motorola, News

Today, Google announced that its acquisition of Motorola Mobility had officially closed. Make no mistake, this merger is something of a shotgun arrangement - and the offspring conceived out of wedlock is Android. So, how did we get here, two and a half years after the first DROID?

A Brief History Of Motorola And Android

Motorola was once Google's model manufacturer partner. At least in the US, it produced what was the most popular "first generation" Android smartphone, the original Motorola DROID. The OG DROID was responsible for "hooking" many people on the operating system, whether through endlessly modifying and tweaking the device, or simply for its stellar build quality and reliability (those things were little tanks), it was truly the work-horse that first brought Android into the hands of a large number of people here in the US.

18
May
top_header

Microsoft Wins Order To Ban Import Of (Some) Undisclosed Motorola Android Smartphones Into US

Posted by in Android OS, Legal, Motorola, News

According to an exclusion order issued by the ITC, some of Motorola Mobility's smartphone devices are in violation of four claims in a Microsoft patent related to scheduling meetings in a calendar. The specifics really aren't important - basically, the ITC found that Motorola infringed a Microsoft patent related to mobile software for creating and sending meeting invitations.

Motorola and Google had argued that an exclusionary order banning the import of offending Motorola devices wasn't in the public interest, but the judge didn't buy it. More importantly, it's unclear exactly which Motorola devices fall under the scope of the exclusionary order, which should go into effect roughly 60 days from now.

18
May
motorola-logo

Motorola Updates ICS Timeline, Droid RAZR/MAXX And VZW XOOM Should Get It Before The End Of June

Posted by in Motorola, News

Motorola has been pretty transparent about the update process to Ice Cream Sandwich, keeping users in the loop regarding when updates for newer devices should be available. In that light, It just posted an updated to its Upgrade News page with a whole slew of new information, including which devices should see ICS before the end of Q2:

2012-05-18_14h28_02

Considering it's the only one in the "testing" phase, I wouldn't be surprised if we see the Verizon XOOM get its update first, with the Droid RAZR/MAXX twins following after that. It also looks like Moto has a handful of other devices slated for a Q2 release (which ends in a month and a half), including the international RAZR and XOOM WiFi, as well as the Chinese MT917 and XT928 handsets.

04
May
26-Motorola-Droid-3

Verizon Motorola Droid 3 Getting Updated To Version 5.7.905, No Ice Cream Sandwich In Sight

Posted by in Droid 3, News, Verizon Wireless

Owners of the Motorola Droid 3 are getting a hefty over the air system update that addresses a number of concerns with the firmware and included apps. Firmware version 5.7.905 clocks in at 224.8MB in size, so make sure you allow at least an hour on Verizon's 3G to pull down the file.

VZW Update

As for system bugs, the Droid 3 is getting a few Google security patches, a fix for mysterious device power ons, better camera autofocus, improved call quality, and a few stability improvements around HDMI and Bluetooth. You can also enjoy using a wired headset without any annoying feedback after the update.

04
May
cliq 2

CLIQ 2 Finally Receives An Update To Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), Makes Us Nostalgic For Waiting On Gingerbread

Posted by in CLIQ 2, News

Gingerbread may have been out for nearly a year and a half now, but did you know there are some phones out there that have been living on nothing but Froyo this whole time? It's sad and it's true. Today, though, one abandoned phone is finding a new home on Gingebread: the CLIQ 2. Finally rolling out the 2.3 update, after launching back in January 2011 with Android 2.2 on board. How quickly these short 16 months roll by.

2012-05-04 14h52_28

The update, like several unfortunate software upgrades before it, requires a Windows desktop, a micro USB cable and Motorola's own update app.

01
May
8200-lg

Motorola's MOTOACTV Watch Gets An Update To Version 6.12/6.13, But Not All Devices Are Equal

Posted by in MOTOACTV, News

Motorola has released a pair of updates for the MOTOACTV Android-based sports watch. The last round of updates came in March with new features for golfers. The new updates, versions 6.12 and 6.13, come with most of the same features, but there is a confusing split based on whether or not your device already has the golf features included.

motorola-motoactv-xl

Both updates contain enhancements and bug fixes including:

  • Improved calorie burn algorithm during cycling workout with heart rate monitor
  • Added Primary Activity selection during setup so your MOTOACTV is tailored to your primary sport
  • Improved watch performance after display wake up
  • Enhanced the way Album Lists are displayed
  • Improved connectivity with Wahoo BLE heart rate monitor

The golf-compatible MOTOACTV watches will also get:

  • Improved Golf club recommendation by widening the distance range
  • Improved calculation for total score after a golf round.

23
Apr
motorola-droid-razr

[Update: Now Rolling Out] Verizon Support Docs Updated With Details Of OTA Update 6.12.181 For Droid RAZR/MAXX (It's Not ICS)

Posted by in News, RAZR / RAZR MAXX

Update 4/23/12: This update is now rolling out OTA (thanks, Kristopher and others).

It's been a bit of a disappointing ride for the Droid RAZR and its beefier brother over the last few weeks - first, we were told that the ICS update was to start rolling out on April 4th, but that didn't happen. Instead, Moto was going to start a soak test of a new enhancement build, but... that didn't happen either.

Now, though, it looks like an OTA is finally set to start rolling out to the RAZR and MAXX. While it may not be ICS, it will bring quite a few bug fixes and enhancements to the device(s):

2012-04-18_10h51_57

As always, the update is identical for both the RAZR and MAXX.

18
Apr
3ouqv6

Samsung Files Trademarks For Galaxy Metrix, Velvet, and Legend; Motorola For Electrify Icon

Posted by in Motorola, News, Samsung

Looks like Samsung and Motorola have been hanging out at the local trademark office again, as both companies have registered names of some upcoming devices.

Samsung registered three new names (because we know how much they love to release at least one new Galaxy device every month week): the Galaxy Metrix, Velvet, and Legend (cough HTC cough). Aside from that, we only know that all three names were registered as "goods and services: mobile telephones, smartphones." Surprise, surprise.

3ouqv6

Motorola also trademarked the name of an upcoming device: the "Electrify Icon," which can be assumed to be a sequel to last year's Electrify smartphone (aka Photon 4G).

18
Apr
2251471

Motorola Droid 4 Set To Receive A Small Bug Fix OTA To Build Number 6.13.219

Posted by in Droid 4, News

Looks like the RAZR Twins aren't the only ones set to get an OTA from Big Red - a changelog just hit the support docs page for the Droid 4 that outlines a small bug fix/enhancement update for the fourth-generation slider:

2012-04-18_14h25_41

If you just can't wait to get some update action on your device, Droid-Life already has the 18MB update available for download. Since it's an official build, it will break root, but rumor has it that Voodoo Rootkeeper is letting users keep root access once the update is finished.

Flashing Instructions:

  • Download the file to your SD card.
  • Turn phone off.

14
Apr
2012-04-14 06h49_21

Verizon Announces Minor Software Update (v4.5.621) For Motorola Droid 2, Brings Various Improvements And Fixes

Posted by in Droid 2, News, Verizon Wireless

Last night, Verizon updated their Droid 2 support page to announce a new update (v4.5.621) is coming soon rolling out now. While it doesn't bring anything major (*cough* Android updates *cough*), it does bring a few significant bug fixes and improvements:

2012-04-14 06h43_53

Or, in non-image form:

Device Features
+ Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.
+ A Google Security Patch has been added to improve security level.
+ Fixed issue where the device may power ON without user interaction.
+ Adjusted camera settings will be saved, even after the device is powered down.
+ Resolved possible device resets while playing music.

Page 17 of 79«First...10...1516171819...304050...Last»