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Mar

Motorola Vows Dedication To Android, But Does Not Deny That They Are Developing An OS

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Motorola, News, Rumors

A few days ago we reported that Motorola may be working on their own OS due to frustrations with Android fragmentation, lack of Google support, and most importantly, difficulty in developing a standout device in an Android-saturated market.

In an attempt to clarify this, Motorola spokeswoman Kira Golin told PCMag.com that "Motorola Mobility is dedicated to Android." But, in an almost condescending manner, she went on to say, "That's our statement, and I can't control how you interpret or print it."

Naturally, there are a few things that bother me about this statement, the first being the fact that they did not deny the existence of an alternate OS.

Mar

AT&T Confirms That The Atrix And The Inspire Will Receive HSUPA-Enabling Updates In April

Posted by Nate Kimmey in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), News

Motorola Atrix and HTC Inspire owners have had good reason to be upset with AT&T's "4G" network - due to the fact that HSUPA wasn't enabled on either of the two devices, users have been plagued with unbearably low upload speeds, and the announcement of an upcoming Atrix update that ignores the problem didn't seem like a good sign. Fortunately, AT&T has used its Facebook page to confirm that software updates enabling normal upload speeds are in the works and are expected to roll out some time in April.

AT&T also dropped some good news regarding the Samsung Infuse: the handset will launch with HSUPA already enabled, so nobody will have to wait for an update from Samsung there.

Mar

WiFi-Only Motorola XOOM Will Be Available At Costco March 27 (Sunday) For $599

Posted by David Ruddock in Motorola, News, XOOM

Great news for those of you holding out for that WiFi-only XOOM of your dreams: Costco has moved up its availability date for the LTE-less version of the tablet from April 1 to this coming Sunday, March 27. So if you walk into your local Costco this weekend, presumably the WiFi XOOM will be there to greet you for the reasonable price of $599.99.

But, if you order online, you'll get a couple of perks (even if it does mean you won't be getting your XOOM on Sunday). Namely, $10 off ($589.99), a free gel skin case, and free shipping. If you can't wait, you can pay $10 more at your brick and mortar location this weekend and let your XOOM go case-less.

Mar

ATRIX 4G To Receive First OTA Update - Doesn't Include HSUPA Or Call Quality Fixes, But You Can Sign Up To Test It

Posted by David Ruddock in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Motorola, News

Motorola is preparing to release its first over-the-air update for the ATRIX 4G (beta signup link here, open until Friday at 12PM EST), which should be exciting news for owners of the device, though it may end up inspiring more angst than joy.

The ATRIX 4G has been known in particular for two problems since its release: first, a lack of HSUPA (high speed upload) support in the software and, second, poor voice quality on phone calls. Motorola has promised to address both of these issues - just not right now. Moto has yet to release the change log for the incoming update, but the admin on the Moto forums who posted on it has made it a point to confirm that neither of the ATRIX's biggest annoyances are being taken care of in the impending release.

Mar

Rumor: Motorola Is Developing Its Own Mobile OS, Android "Shooting Itself In The Foot"

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, Motorola, News

In what can only be described as a truly "WTF" moment, an inside source has informed Information Week that Motorola is in the process of developing its own web-based mobile OS. The question everyone is undoubtedly wants to ask is "why?"

The insider cites Motorola's frustration with Google's support of manufacturers, Android's fragmentation problems, and the difficulty of product differentiation in an Android-saturated smartphone market. These things together, says the tipster, have led Moto to believe Google is "shooting itself in the foot." The source of this rumor cites the fact that Motorola has quietly been picking up numerous former Apple and Adobe employees to work on the project over the past few months.

Mar

[Update: It Was A Hoax] Motorola Encryption Keys Used In Droid/Milestone, Possibly Droid X, 2, Charm, And Other Sholes Devices Are Cracked

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in CHARM, Development, Droid (Sholes), Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, Droid X (Shadow), Milestone, Motorola, News

Last Updated: March 22nd, 2011

What an absolutely insane week it has been for unlocking encrypted and signed hardware!

Update: How disappointing - nenolod turned out to be a fraud, and the whole thing was a hoax. It seemed too good to be true, and it was.

First, the Thunderbolt, which turned out to be HTC's most closed off device ever, was cracked wide open by team AndIRC within days after release, including our own Justin Case (jcase), Jamezelle, scotty2, and others.

This morning, however, we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel for devices that have been uncracked for many months - namely, Motorola Milestone and possibly Droid X, Droid 2, Charm, and other devices from the Sholes family (this, apparently, does not include the Atrix 4G).

Mar

New Leak Details Specs Of HTC EVO 3D, EVO View 4G, Confirms Sprint-Bound Motorola XOOM

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in EVO 3D (Shooter), EVO View 4G, Flyer, HTC, Motorola, News, Sprint, XOOM

The rumor mill has been abuzz with gossip about Sprint's CTIA event lately, and if BGR's sources are to be believed, the speculation was spot-on: the conference will indeed be centered around the HTC EVO 3D and EVO View 4G, with a WiMAX version of the Motorola XOOM making an appearance as well.

EVO 3D

First up, we have the EVO 3D - HTC's first foray into three-dimensional territory - which will reportedly feature:

A 4.3-inch qHD (960x540) autostereoscopic 3D display
4GB of RAM (I'm thinking this is a typo - even powerhouses like the XOOM and the Atrix only have 1GB of RAM)
1GB of ROM
A 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8660 Snapdragon CPU
Dual 5MP rear cameras; dedicated camera button included
A 1.3MP front-facing camera
A 1730mAh battery
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with HTC's Sense UI
Blockbuster on-demand
YouTube 3D

EVO View 4G

Just as expected, the EVO View 4G is almost exactly the same tablet as the (admittedly underwhelming) Flyer that HTC demoed at MWC.

Mar

Rumors Confirmed? Image Of Sprint XOOM Pops Up Online

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Rumors, Sprint, XOOM

Just yesterday, we first heard word that Motorola may be launching versions of the XOOM (and the Atrix) on Sprint's network next month. Today it looks even more probable, as an image of a Sprint-branded XOOM has been posted by SprintUsers forum member r0fl.

The tablet looks identical to the Verizon model, aside from a Sprint logo. While something like this could easily be Photoshopped, keep in mind that the poster of the image "has a proven track record when it comes to unreleased Sprint hardware," according to BGR.

As we had not even heard wind of this two days ago, nothing else is known at this point.

Mar

[Rumor] Sprint Set To Launch Versions Of Atrix And XOOM Next Month

Posted by Will Shanklin in Atrix 4G (Olympus), News, Rumors, XOOM

A pretty wild (but completely plausible) rumor has arisen that Motorola's Atrix 4G phone (along with its Webtop dock) and XOOM tablet will be launching on Sprint's network next month. There had not previously been any indication that either of these phones would be tied to any network other than their current carriers (respectively) AT&T and Verizon.

This could potentially be announced at CTIA next week, but the source specifically said that the devices would be announced next month - so perhaps Sprint is focusing more on the EVO 3D for the time being. If true, these would likely serve as the biggest Android releases on Sprint since the original HTC EVO last summer.

Mar

[Deal Alert] Wi-Fi XOOM For $589.99 + Gel Case + Free Shipping From Costco; Amazon Is Taking Pre-orders Too [Updated]

Posted by Will Shanklin in Deals, News, XOOM

Now that we know that the Wi-Fi-only model of the Motorola XOOM is just around the corner (launching March 27 to be exact) perhaps you are looking for the best deal on the tablet. Costco's website may be the place to look, as they are offering not only a $10 discount (from the listed $600 price tag) but they are also throwing in a free gel case and shipping it to you for free. Yes, all of that can be yours for a mere $589.99 and they are taking pre-orders now. The units won't be shipping until April 1 though, which is five days after the tablet is released everywhere else.