Again Motorola DROID 4 Leaked – Demo Unit Pictured In The Wild

There’s pretty much nothing we don’t already know about Motorola’s worst kept secret, the Droid 4, other than an actual release date. With that being said, the “Razr with a keyboard” is actually looking more like the Bionic from the latest leaked pics taken by John and team at TechnoBuffalo who got some hands-on with a demo unit earlier today.

The device, while not exactly a working model (more of those shells you find on display at Best Buy) does give us a better look at it, with pictures showing off every angle. The Droid 4 will most likely make an appearance at CES 2012 next month of which the entire Phandroid staff we be on hand bringing you the very latest in Android tech.

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Nielsen: Samsung, Motorola and HTC Top Five in Recent Smartphone Market Share

Nielsen’s ringing in with their end-of-the-year lists of top brands, companies and web destinations. One that caught our eye, of course, was the smartphone manufacturer chart.
They pulled data from the months of August 2011 through October 2011. This isn’t overall OEM market share but gives an idea of the trends that were developing leading into the holiday season.

At the top of the chart was Apple taking up 29% of the sales throughout this period, but HTC is not far behind with 21%. RIM, surprisingly, is sitting at 17%, ahead of Samsung and Motorola who both have 11% each.
It would be nice to get an idea of how these numbers stacked up through Christmas but those numbers will make their way to the forefront soon enough. To see more figures (such as top web brands and top destinations for watching online video) visit Nielsen’s site here.

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CyanogenMod 9 Alpha Now Available for the Motorola DROID 2 Global is Now Available

Who says older phones (in tech time) can’t handle Ice Cream Sandwich? It’s the latest device to get an early taste of CyanogenMod 9. As it’s an alpha build you shouldn’t yet consider this to be your daily driver but if you want a quick preview of things to come down the road feel free to get your feet wet. Instructions and download links are over at XDA and be warned that anything that may happen to your device as a result of flashing it is your own fault. [XDA via PocketNow]

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Motorola Droid Bionic Is Yet Another Device To Receive Ice Cream Sandwich Port

Yes, just about every device under the sun that has been graced with root most likely has someone attempting to port an Ice Cream Sandwich build to it. Whether beta, alpha or pre-alpha alpha. The Motorola Droid Bionic is no different. Even though Motorola officially announced the device would see an upgrade to Android 4.0 in the coming months, some users may not want to wait that long and who could blame you?
Thankfully, those tireless Android dev’ers have been hard at work getting Ice Cream Sandwich ported to the Bionic in the form of an early alpha release. Based off of CM9, pretty much everything is working smooth and swiftly — well, aside from 3G/4G data but who uses data on Verizon anyway? (Rimshot) Curious to try it out or keep up on the progress of the ROM, hit up DroidForums to see it for yourself.

[Via DroidDog]

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Motorola DROID RAZR Fastboot Files Leaked – Lets Flashers Return To Stock Software

Good news for Motorola Droid Razr owners looking to hack/mod/tinker around with their device! The stock fastboot files — required to restore your device to its original stock state — has been leaked and made available for installation. The 6.11.744 fastboot files were leaked by a member of XDA and may users are already reporting successful flashes.
This should send development into high gear for the Razr with developers and users being able to flash with reckless abandon thanks to this new safety net to fall back on. Even those who may have been wary of rooting their phone in the event they needed to sell or send back their phone to the manufacturer for repairs no longer have anything to hold them back.
[XDA | DroidRzr]

Via Droid-Life

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Best Buy Advertises Motorola Droid 4 on Rewards Zone Site

Verizon put the Motorola Droid 4 on ice, but remnants of the advertising campaign that would have been continue to pop up. The latest is the inclusion of a rather final looking press image of the handset at the front of a recent Best Buy Reward Zone flyer. Alas, the Droid 4 won’t be earning you 5,000 points any time soon.
[via DroidLife]

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MOTOACTV App Hacked to Work with Non-Motrola Devices

When we first met the MOTOACTV, a friendly Motorola rep informed us that the application that allows the fitness tracking device to receive notifications from your cell phone — things like text message alerts and incoming calls — would be available for any Android device, regardless of make or model. When we received our own MOTOACTV we were disappointed to find this not to be the case. Leave it to the Android dev community to remedy the problem, as a hacked version of the app has come online for installation on any Android phone. It provides the exact same functionality as the official app but supports a far wider range of handsets. Head over to the XDA link below for more details.
[XDA via TalkAndroid]

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Recover Your Motorola DROID RAZR Via Clockwork Mod

The biggest thing holding the DROID RAZR development community back was the lack of a custom recovery for the device. Without a recovery, you can’t flash custom ROMs. Well, that’s no longer an issue as a recovery has been worked up for this specific phone. It applies to all versions of the RAZR currently available so those of you with the Motorola RAZR need not feel slighted this time. Head to the http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/66-recovery-droid-razr-bootstrap-recovery  thread for full instructions and download links.

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Android clear winner of 2011 Smartphones race

The year 2011 has been a great year for Android based smartphone manufacturers. Handset makers like Samsung, HTC, Sony & Motorola lead the Android handset market. Special mention goes to Samsung's Galaxy series of Android phones. The series boasts various range of Android smartphones for everyone ranging from 5000 INR to 30,000 INR.

According to Business Standard, Samsung Galaxy S II, priced at 30,100 INR has broken all the records. It not only became a hot-favourite of reviewers across the globe but also managed to hold ground against Apple’s smartphones. It seems to be one of the most powerful and user-friendly Android phones. Its 8MP camera is a very good replacement for a pocket camcorder.

Other Android phones which lead the list of Smartphones along with Galaxy SII & Apple 4S are HTC Sensation XL, Motorola Razr & Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc S.

• Samsung Galaxy S II
• Apple 4S
• HTC Sensation XL
• Motoroal Razr
• Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc S

Let us know which one do you think is the best and why?

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MOTOACTV rooted, full Android interface possible

Let’s be honest: the Motorola MOTOACTV doesn’t have a whole lot of applications outside of the sports and fitness world. At least, it didn’t until now: one ambitious Android modder has managed to root the tiny touchscreen watch and install third-party apps, making full access to Android possible. The dream of a Dick Tracy watch is within our grasp!

After reading through Linux junkie Chris Wade’s guided tour and teardown of Motorola’s wearable device, it’s kind of surprising that no one’s managed this before. The root process should be fairly ordinary to Android modders: start the watch in bootloader mode, flash a new boot image, then run the popular SuperOneClick root method. Apparently the MOTOACTV’s software is similar enough to other phones to be compatible.
Check out the results in action below:




Wade managed to flash CyanogenMod’s Google apps and a custom launcher via ADB, making the watch behave very much like a tiny Android smartphone. A 600Mhz processor and 256Mb of RAM is more than enough to run Gingerbread, if not especially fast. He used the look-alike Honeycomb launcher and a few other obligatory apps like Angry Birds to test out the system, apparently with some really cool results. The device’s 1.6inch screen, Bluetooth-only connectivity and $249.99 price tag still make it a little inconvenient as a secondary Android gadget, but there’s no denying that the results are cool.

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Motorola DROID RAZR update rolling out today

Remember the Motorola DROID RAZR update that was revealed a few days ago by Verizon? The update has finally started rolling out today, according to a post on the official Motorola blog. According to Motorola, the update will bring your phone up to Motorola Version.6.11.748.XT912.Verizon.en.US and includes numerous fixes and enhancements such as: improved phone stability, 4G connectivity, WiFi performance, camera functionality and more.
As usual, be sure to back up your device before attempting an update. You never know what may go wrong. It wouldn’t hurt to wait it out a few days just to see if other people are having problems with the update either. But for those daring few, if you see the update notification on your phone, give it a shot and let us know how it goes for you.

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New Droid 4 Renders Give an All-angles View

With nearly every detail revealed we will likely run out of speculation long before its February release, but here is one more look at the Motorola Droid 4 from nearly any angle you could want. Will that QWERTY keyboard be worth the wait until February in light of Verizon’s current lineup of great 4G LTE Android handsets? Maybe…if they manage to ship it with Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed.

[via DroidLife]

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Motorola Droid Tastes Ice Cream Sandwich

At what point will people stop trying to shoehorn new Android versions onto the original Motorola Droid? We applaud the effort and the if-it’s-possible-we-will-do-it spirit of the Android community, but will there really be any use in having Android 5.0 or maybe even 6.0 on a device that started showing its age when it never received an official Gingerbread port? In any case, here are the early workings of an Android 4.0 build for the classic Android handset (can we call it a classic now?).

This is a pre-alpha release based on Android 4.0.3 and CyanogenMod 9, and many of the features that would make the build useful aren’t quite working. Consider it a proof of concept for the moment, though we are sure the industrious developers behind it will eventually build it up into something a bit more usable. Just remember, folks: there is a reason the Droid isn’t getting these builds officially.
[via The Verge]

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Motorola DROID 4 launch date pushed until February 2, 2012

To be honest, this shouldn’t be a surprise. The Galaxy Nexus was postponed for more than a month, and we all figured the Motorola DROID 4 wouldn’t see a pre-holiday release 3 days before Christmas. It was rumored we may see the device tomorrow, but evidence was still thin. Now we have some concrete info from a Verizon document stating a February 2, 2012 launch date.

It’s much better that the device has been pushed a few months, rather than every couple of days like the recent Galaxy Nexus LTE. This way, consumers that need a phone in the very near future should count on the DROID 4 as a possible candidate. I’m sure many OG DROID owners that are now eligible for a 2-year upgrade are furious, and may be forced to wait it out. QWERTY lovers are hard to convert.
The DROID 4 will most definitely ship with Android 4.0 by February, and if it doesn’t then remember to call me out on it. Like all information found through leaked documents or emails, they are subject to change. It could see store shelves earlier than predicted, but in the end – Verizon should take all the time they need to iron out all of the bugs. There is nothing worse than hyping up a device, just to find out there’s something wrong with it a few days later.
[via Phandroid]

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Cee Lo hides white DROID RAZR in LA, Motorola gives away 6 more

Sprite spokesman, American Dad! guest star and occasional R&B singer Cee Lo Green has a white Motorola DROID RAZR, and he wants to give it to you. Not you, personally, but at least one of his Twitter followers, now numbered at about half a million. He’s hidden it somewhere in Los Angeles, and will be tweeting out clues to its precise location on his official account, @CeeLoGreen. You probably shouldn’t check under the big “W” in the Hollywood sign.

For those of us without the inclination to join the madding crowd or the means to go scavenger hunting in LA, Motorola will be giving out another six units via Twitter. Follow @Motorola, do some pimping with the #WhiteRazrXmas tag, cross your fingers, and the company might just pick your for a frosty new smartphone on December 27th. Since the promotion is for a Verizon-branded phone, only residents of the United States can win.

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December 22nd Release Date for Motorola DROID 4 Pops Up Again

It’s been rumored and leaked that the Motorola’s Droid 4 — the newest 4G LTE equipped version of their QWERTY slider — could be arriving on Verizon as early as the 22nd of this month (just a few more days). Well, adding a little more fuel to that fire, a new leak has surfaced today, further implicating that 22nd launch date. The device shares more than a few similarities with the Droid Razr — well, aside from the whole being thin part.

Given the fact that the Galaxy Nexus suffered numerous “delays” before officially launching, we expect any less from the Droid 4. I wouldn’t think Verizon would want to launch so many devices within such a small time frame but I suppose anything could happen. Especially if they want to capitalize on the busy holiday shopping season.
I know a lot of our readers have been waiting for this device seeing how the Droid (insert number here) line usually sees a Global variant, this could make the Droid 4 the go-to-phone for frequent travelers. Anyone waiting on the “Droid RAZR with keyboard?”
[Via Droid-Life]

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DROID X gets a CyanogenMod 9 ICS port, despite locked bootloader

The DROID X remains one of the most popular models of Android phones on Verizon, and no one who bought one on a contract back in 2010 (like me!) is eligible for an upgrade any time soon. So it’s great to see an active modding community around this solid phone, despite Motorola and Verizon’s continued stance on a locked bootloader. The latest project from RootzWiki for the venerable DX is a port of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

That’s no small task, as the Droid X is still restricted to using the latest Gingerbread kernel from Motorola. That means that while newer ROMs can use the Ice Cream Sandwich software and expanded user interface, certain upgraded features are just impossible, and getting anything to work correctly is a major pain. Most of the essential features of the CM9-based “EncounterICS X” are working, including Internet access and calling, GPS, WiFi, audio and hardware buttons. There are still problems getting the camera, voice input (excluding phone calls), MMS and the speakerphone to work, and various apps like the gallery and calendar have major bugs.
These issues keep this early ROM from being a serious contender for your daily driver, but it’s still very cool to see ICS running on “locked” hardware. The lads over at RootzWiki are nothing if not tenacious, and most of these issues should see progress in the next few weeks. And after all, it’s not as if the official Ice Cream Sandwich software is completely without it’s faults. Remember: make an Nandroid backup if you don’t want to lose your existing ROM!

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Motorola DROID RAZR update brings fixes for camera, data connection and more

Motorola and Verizon started testing a new update for the DROID RAZR early last week that was said to bring a slew of fixes and improvements to the razor sleek phone, and today it appears to be ready to slice and dice. Verizon has just outlined all the information and has let us know the update is on the way and users should be seeing the over the air update very soon.

Some of the changes appear to be quite significant and should really help out this already awesome phone become even more stellar. We thoroughly enjoyed the RAZR and you can see all our coverage and full review from the detailed timeline below. According to the documents provided by Verizon the update should bring plenty of changes and a few of the important ones are:
— SIM error notification
— 3G/4G Data Connection stability and reliability
— Camera Improvements
— More
The full list of changes can be seen from the change log image below in the gallery. I must say I’m pretty pleased to see Moto and Verizon pushing an update out so quickly since the phone was just released — but I’m not complaining. It appears this 3G/4G connection problem is a reoccurring issue with Verizon and hopefully they get things squared away here eventually.
The recently released Verizon Galaxy Nexus seems to be struggling from even worse signal problems, so hopefully they get an update as fast — or faster. As usual for those with a RAZR feel free to wait for the update or give it a go manually be going to menu > settings > about phone > check for updates and then hit GO!
Feel free to drop us a comment below regarding the update and if all goes well.

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Ice Cream Sandwich AOSP Build Compiled for the Motorola XOOM

Now that Android 4.0.3 is available as part of the Android Open Source Project’s codebase, you can expect to see a lot of effort from the developer community to get Ice Cream Sandwich ported to new devices. An easy place to start is the Motorola XOOM. The world’s first Honeycomb tablet received its own custom-tailored AOSP build from Google, so getting it up and running was mostly a matter of compiling the code and flashing over the new software. The guys at DroidNerd did just that and posted the results up to their YouTube page. They call the updated OS “crazy fast” on the XOOM, making it feel “new again.” With all this fresh source code floating around, we are expecting many opportunities to make Android devices feel new again will be popping up over the coming weeks.
[via DroidNerd]

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Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx turns up in Verizon system

Earlier this month we reported about a Motorola DROID RAZR MAX that was rumored to be on the way to Verizon outlets, and it looks like those stories are about to come true. The folks over at Droid-Life managed to get their hands on a photograph showing a listing of devices in Verizon’s systems and there is a phone known as the “Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx” in between the regular DROID RAZR and the DROID RAZR White.
While this is confirmation of the device’s existence, there’s no new information about the phone or a possible release date. The DROID RAZR MAX/RAZR Maxx is said to be an improved version of the DROID RAZR – possibly with a larger battery, or a 720p HD Display. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted.

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