Verizon LTE is back up, Motorola DROID 4 is a no-show

Yesterday Verizon had an embarrassing hiccup in its nationwide 3G and 4G LTE service, with no prospective time for repair. Well, reports are coming in that service has been restored around the country, including the Midwest, where the outage was particularly severe. But there may have been at least one casualty: the Motorola DROID 4, which was set to release today in various internal documents.

There’s no official confirmation on the latest entry in the original DROID line, so it’s not as if the phone is delayed. And perhaps the company had already pushed the launch back, as it appears to have done with the Galaxy Nexus. Again. But a major outage of 4G service just before the LTE-equipped DROID 4 appears in stores may have dampened the company’s zeal for a big release – it’s certainly caused no end of frustration to to its customers. The outage came just a day after Consumer Reports ranked Verizon the most reliable wireless provider in the country.
If you’re craving LTE speeds with a full QWERTY keyboard and cutting edge specs, the DROID 4 is pretty much your only option on Verizon, unless you’d like to settle for the Samsung Stratosphere. The DROID 4 matches the DROID RAZR almost note for note, with the exceptions being its 4-inch LCD screen, removable battery and an understandably thicker profile. It’s quite likely that Verizon will make the official announcement soon, as they’ve already officially shown two new DROID XYBOARD (AKA XOOM 2) tablets and a white-clad DROID RAZR.

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Motorola phones getting upgrade to ICS in about 6 months

We have heard and seen plenty of reports from all types of manufacturers over the future of their Android line up. Many have stated when updates to the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will arrive and today Motorola has made the process even more clear. They stated the DROID RAZR would see ICS early next year and also unlock bootloaders, but we’ve heard that chime from them before. Today Motorola breaks down the process but I’m not sure how I feel about the news.


Motorola has also recently tweeted devices would see ICS updates within 6 weeks of Google releasing the source code. We now know that meant we would all receive an update and details on when to expect ICS for their devices — not that they’d actual get updated that fast.
In a Motorola Blog post we now have a breakdown of the events and a timeline for what to expect. How does around 4-6 months and possibly more sound? CM9 anyone? For those expecting Android 4.0 ICS on their new Bionic or RAZR early next year, you might be waiting a little longer than expected.
Here is the breakdown of steps needed to bring an update — according to Motorola:

1. Merge and adapt the new release for different device hardware architecture(s) and carrier customizations
This means that we take the source code and incorporate it into upgrades for devices on which this can perform well, along with making sure the carrier requirements are met. Silicon partners such as Qualcomm, TI, and nVidia adapt this to their chipsets in parallel and we incorporate these as they become available. This is also the time when we begin integrating all of the Motorola-specific software enhancements into the source code. Features like MotoCast, Smart Actions, and our comprehensive enterprise solutions are integral parts of our device experiences, and we want to make sure we continue delivering differentiated experiences for our consumers with these software upgrades.
2. Stabilize and ‘bake’ the result to drive out bugs
This means that we will prepare the upgrade to meet the quality and stability requirements to enter the wireless carrier’s certification lab.
3. Submit the upgrade to the carriers for certification
This is the point in the process where the carrier’s lab qualifies and tests the upgrade. Each carrier has different requirements for phases 2 and 3. There may be a two-month preparation cycle to enter a carrier lab cycle of one to three months.
3.5 Perform a Customer pre-release
We may perform some customer testing before a final release is delivered publicly to our user base.
4. Release the upgrade
We are planning on upgrading as many of our phones as possible. The ability to offer the upgrade depends on a number of factors including the hardware/device capabilities, the underlying chipset software support, the ICS support and then the ability to support the Motorola value add software.

After looking at past updates and how long devices took to receive Gingerbread this actually all sounds pretty accurate. We are looking at around 4 months at the soonest, and 6+ months at worst. Verizon isn’t the quickest company either when it comes to approving software updates so that could also be a factor here. Many phones are just now getting Android 2.3 Gingerbread while 4.0 is already here, so it is same to assume the same could happen for many with this latest iteration of Android. I’ll be rooting and installing custom ROM’s before I wait that long — but that is just me.
[via Motorola]

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Motorola DROID RAZR gets a white version for December

Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like the world’s most neutral color. In addition to a rather subdued DROID XYBOARD announcement, Verizon let slip that an all-white version of the Motorola DROID RAZR would be available this month. Aside from a frosty casing, there’s no difference from the model that launched last month – you’ll still need to fork over $299.99 and sign up for a new two-year contract, or be eligible for a renewal. A specific date was not mentioned.

If it’s bargains you’re after, and you happen to be in the market for both a new LTE smartphone and tablet, you may want to take advantage of Verizon’s upcoming promotion. Purchase a new DROID RAZR (presumably including the white model) and you can take $100 off any DROID XYBOARD, from the $429 8.2-inch 16GB version all the way up to the $729 64GB 10.1-inch version. You’ll also be eligable for $50 off “select Motorola accessories” – a perfect opportunity to stock up on cases, docks or what have you.
The DROID RAZR joins a host of white smartphones this Christmas, including the Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II Skyrocket, HTC Incredible II, HTC EVO 3D – suffice it to say, there’s a lot of white going around. Naturally, that other Verizon phone, you know, the one we’ve been waiting on for over a month, the one that seems to be available for everyone except Americans – hasn’t been announced. But we get a phone that’s in plentiful supply in white. Thanks a lot, Verizon.

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Verizon’s Motorola DROID XYBOARD gets official in 10.1 and 8.2 flavors

Yup, that’s the real name, folks, and there ain’t no going back now.Verizon announced the long-leaked Motorola DROID XYBOARD tablets in a press release today, with the expected 10.1 and 8.2 inch models ready to go sometime in December. The larger model starts at $529.99 for the 16GB version, then goes up to $629.99 and $729.99 for the 32GB and 64GB editions. The smaller XYBOARD 8.2 (no “Media Edition” branding here) will go for $429.99 and $529.99, in 16GB and 32GB versions. All prices are with a two-year contract.

As far as specs go, both tablets are solid, though not as eye-popping as the original XOOM when it was released earlier this year. The screens are “high-definition” (almost certainly 1280 x 800) IPS LCD panels, running on top of 1.2Ghz dual-core processors and 1GB of RAM each. Exact dimensions aren’t available, but Verizon assures us that the tablets are “lighter than a paperback book and thinner than a AAA battery.” A 5-megapixel camera adorns the back with a front-facing shooter thrown in for good measure. Both with have access to Verizon’s LTE network.
Both tablets will launch with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, though you can expect an Ice Cream Sandwich update sometime in the future. The standard Motorola and Verizon apps are included, and customers can add LTE WiFi hotspot functionality for an additional fee. THe exact release date is not available just yet, but a promotion will allow you to take $100 off a DROID XYBOARD when you purchase a DROID RAZR, plus $50 of free accessories.

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Free Motorola RAZR or Samsung Galaxy S II, T-Mobile, 300 minutes, 300 texts, 500MB data, £20.42PM 24M @ Tesco Phone Shop

Get this Motorola RARZ or Samsung Galaxy S II deal @ Tesco Phone Shop
Tesco’s quite often a good bet for mobile contracts, as evidenced by this deal for the Motorola RAZR and Samsung Galaxy S II. It’s £0 up front, and £20.42PM for 24 months, so that’s £490.08 over two years.

For your hard-earned, you get 300 minutes, 300 texts and 500MB of data on T-Mobile.
Free delivery.
(Thanks to spruceyb at HUKD)

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Motorola XT928 Pictured In The Wild – Shows Off Its 4.5-inch 720p Display

It wasn’t too long ago we told you about some Motorola RAZR variants hitting China one of which — the XT928 — was officially announced last week. Touted as “a phone inside a camera,” the XT928 (also known as the Motorola Dinara doesn’t fit in so well with its RAZR brethren. With a blockier frame, slightly thicker body and complete absence of carbon fiber or kevlar accents, looks wise, it seems to have more in common with the Droid X than anything.

Also unlike the RAZR, the battery is now accessible through the removable cover making the device compatible with spare batteries. The XT928 also features a 4.5-inch 720p resolution screen that holds its own against the RAZR’s vivid AMOLED (and super washed out MT917 display).

Word on the street is the XT928 could be landing on AT&T but that’s not a very strong rumor. I would like to propose that this will hit Verizon as the Droid X3 complete with 4G LTE connectivity based upon absolutely nothing other than the looks of the device. Regardless of carrier, I wouldn’t mind seeing this hit stateside as Motorola has yet to release a device with a 1280×720 resolution display. For more family pics hit up the source link below.
[Engadget China via Engadget]

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Motorola DROID 4 visits the FCC

In what seems like the usual fashion lately for Motorola and Verizon we are about to witness another DROID powered smartphone hit shelves. Although the DROID 3 hasn’t been out but a few short months Verizon and Moto have a fully prepped and ready to go DROID 4 already in the pipes. If it feels like Motorola and Verizon have been churning out devices like mad lately — it’s because they have been.

Today the DROID 4 has hit the FCC giving us more reason to think it’ll be here within a few weeks. It was recently spotted on camera and was initially leaked back in October. This 5-row QWERTY hardware smartphone rocking a dual-core and 4G LTE is quite the device — I’m just surprised Verizon is launching so soon.

Just like we’ve seen in the past Motorola’s FCC filings are very slim on details and don’t give us much to go on. According to Pocket Now the DROID 4 has won its FCC approval and should be headed to market soon. Most likely we’ll see a full FCC teardown eventually but today we have no such luck. Late last month rumors suggested the DROID 4 would launch on December 8th as many Verizon phones usually launch on Thursdays but that is looking quite slim right about now. We could be seeing this QWERTY slider launch along side the Galaxy Nexus to give Verizon some DROID airtime but that is still up in the air. Once we get some official information we’ll be sure to update with additional details.
[via Pocket Now]

Related articles

• Verizon shows off DROID 4, Xyboard tablets (tech-gadget.co.in)
• Motorola DROID 4 poses for the camera along side the XYBOARD tablets (goandroid.co.in)

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Motorola DROID XYBOARD tablets have GSM support — disabled by Verizon

Those new Motorola Xoom 2 tablets headed for Verizon Wireless that have been officially been named the DROID Xyboard apparently have a dirty little secret. These new slates recently cleared the FCC with 4G LTE on board but new details have now confirmed they also have full GSM capabilities too.

Reports from Wireless Goodness have confirmed that the new Motorola Xyboard tablets have not only 4G LTE radios inside, but they also are rocking GSM/WCDMA support. Both the 10.1 and 8.2″ slates have full GSM support that has been disabled by firmware and Verizon Wireless. Having the DROID branding these will be exclusively for Verizon but now we have reason to believe they might eventually land on other carriers such as T-Mobile or AT&T.

This also brings up the possibility of it being turned on with a firmware update or release, not to mention those awesome hackers and developers at XDA could possibly get these things running too. The image above clearly states they have been disabled by firmware, and are SIM locked and will not support any US carriers. This could also just be the same hardware for international and European models, and we could possibly see users import the new slates from outside the US for use on T-Mobile or AT&T. Either way this is an interesting find and we expect to hear more on these tablets any day now as Verizon has clearly stated they will be released in December.

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Verizon Celebrates One Year of 4G LTE, Name Drops the Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Xyboard

Verizon has issued a press release to remind people that this is the one year anniversary of their 4G LTE network. It was this month last year (Dec. 15th, to be exact) that Verizon began their rollout that they promised would reach everyone on their current 3G coverage network by the end of 2013.
Their progress? When Verizon lights up new markets on the official one year anniversary on December 15th they will have brought LTE to 190 different markets covering 200 million people.

Considering how long it’s taking other carriers to roll their 4G LTE networks or other 4G networks out we’d say that’s a hard standard to top. Only Sprint has made public ambitious plans to cover their entire network by the end of 2013 despite starting much later (they will begin mid-2012).
But today is about Verizon and their fast-growing LTE network and their commitment to bring faster data speeds to all Americans. Oh, and Verizon name-dropped a couple of existing and upcoming devices in their press release, including the Galaxy Nexus and the Motorola Xyboard. Don’t put too much weight on them being mentioned in this particular press release, though. Read on for full details.

Happy 1st Anniversary, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE!

12/05/2011
Alabama, Arkansas, California . . . West Virginia, Wisconsin . . . and all over. On Dec. 15, more than 200 million Americans will be able to experience the blazingly fast speed and reliability of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

And today, on Dec. 5, Verizon Wireless is celebrating because it’s the one-year anniversary of the company’s initial deployment of 4G LTE. Launched in 38 major markets, plus a 39th - West Lafayette, Indiana - the home of Purdue University, which was incredibly anxious to begin developing uses for 4G LTE on campus.

Network Reach
Those initial 39 markets weren’t all small, of course. They were places like metro New York City, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Chicagoland and Atlanta. And on that first day, we covered more than 110 million people with 4G LTE: a very strong showing.

This is what leadership is about. Some of our competitors in the marketplace talk about 4G LTE a lot. What they’re planning, when they might have services in lots of cities, when they might get an abundance of 4G LTE smartphones and other devices so users can actually, well, use the network.

On Dec. 15, Verizon Wireless will be in 190 markets, covering more than 200 million people, with numerous different devices. Which means you have a great selection of smartphones, tablets, mobile hotspots and USB modems to access the network.

Verizon Wireless builds and maintains the best wireless networks in the world. That’s why Popular Science and PCWorld have both recently acknowledged the company’s 4G LTE network as one of the great technological developments of 2011.

Hats off to the Verizon Wireless network engineers who are building 4G LTE from the ground up. Cheers to the major network infrastructure partners at Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Cisco.

It’s time to blow out the candle and know that "Year 2" will be twice as bright.

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Facts

• 200 million Americans covered with 4G LTE (as of Dec. 15)
• 190 Markets covered (as of Dec. 15)
• 16 Devices currently available, including eight smartphones
• Two hot new Xyboard DROID tablets from Motorola coming out this month
• One anxiously awaited GALAXY Nexus smartphone running Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, from Samsung, coming soon

4G LTE Devices

• Smartphones: HTC Rezound™, DROID RAZR™ by Motorola, Samsung Stratosphere™, Pantech Breakout™, DROID BIONIC™ by Motorola, Revolution™ by LG, DROID Charge by Samsung and ThunderBolt™ by HTC
• Tablets: Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 10.1 with 4G LTE and Motorola XOOM™
• Notebooks and Netbooks: HP® Pavilion dm1-3010nr Entertainment PC and Compaq™ Mini CQ10-688nr with built-in 4G LTE
• Hotspots: Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi™ 4510L and Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot SCH-LC11
• Modems: Verizon Wireless 4G LTE USB Modem 551L and Pantech UML290 USB modem

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AT&T Has Original Motorola Lapdock for Atrix on Sale at $50

Though most agreed that Motorola’s Webtop technology was one of the cooler things to emerge out of last year’s CES, the high price of accessories such as a Lapdock priced close to $500 kept many consumers from buying in. With an expanded lineup of Webtop-enabled phones and a new Lapdock range and adapted pricing on the way from Motorola, the original has seen a steep discount to a reasonable $50 when purchased through AT&T. That is a price more in line with what everyone had expected when the Lapdock concept was first announced. The site lists only the Atrix as compatible with the older model, though it might be worth further investigation to see if the device will also work with other handsets such as the Photon 4G on Sprint.
[AT&T via AndroidForums]

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Motorola Xoom 2 vs Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

We examine Asus’ new Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet and see how it compares to Motorola’s Xoom 2.

Form

Motorola Xoom 2 - 253.9x173.6x8.8mm, 599g

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime - 263x180.8x8.3mm, 586g

Motorola has embarked on a bold but cohesive new design with a number of its premium tablets and handsets including the Xoom 2, Xoom 2 Media Edition and Razr smartphone.

They all feature a rather dynamic looking aesthetic with tapered edges and extremely thin profiles. It’s a look we approve of as not only is it interesting to behold but also makes the brand highly distinctive and easily recognised.

According to Motorola’s official blurb the Xoom 2 sports an aluminium ‘housing’ which makes it 10 per cent lighter than its predecessor, it’s also apparently 33 per cent thinner.

In real terms it’s 8.8mm thick – which is better than many current phones, and weighs 599g, which for a 10-inch tablet is very light indeed.

We also like the spacing of the bezel around the screen which is quite flattering for the tablet as a whole. Generally we think the Xoom 2 is one seriously stylish device.

Asus’ Transformer Prime has also been on a strict diet and is again competing with contemporary smartphones with its svelte 8.3mm thick bodywork.

Likewise it also uses aluminium in its construction, though perhaps more extensively than its rival as the whole thing has been crafted from ‘spun’ anodised aluminium for an interesting textured look.

We should also mention the accompanying keyboard docking station (which can be bought separately) which is supposed to be as thin and light as the rest of the device.

Of course, being a tablet but also a laptop much of the Transformer Prime’s shape and design has been dictated by this dual role.

It’s not as distinctive as the Xoom 2 but it’s still a gracefully designed piece of kit which will wow you with its looks.

Ultimately though, the Xoom 2 has the edge when it comes to visual flair and we have to vote for Motorola’s offering this round.

Winner – Motorola Xoom 2

Display
Both devices have equally large 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreens, they’re both made from tough Gorilla Glass and sport a 1280x800 pixel resolution and a pixel density of 149 pixels-per-inch (ppi).

Each has built-in accelerometer and gyro sensors.

The Xoom 2 has multi-touch, as does the Transformer Prime but Asus' device can boast ‘ten finger’ multi-touch capability for even more versatility.

Motorola’s device has a standard TFT screen while the Asus is fitted with an LED backlit 'IPS +' display.

The Asus Transformer Prime is offering a little more overall here but generally speaking these are both excellent displays and we doubt many people would be disappointed with either.

Winner – Draw

Storage
On storage, the Xoom 2 is part of a new wave of devices which rely more on cloud storage services than internal capacity – a policy which may or may not be successful and only time will tell.

As a result it packs 16GB of onboard space alongside 1GB of RAM but no microSD capability.

Instead, the tablet can connect to Motorola’s own MOTOCAST service for streaming music and video content direct from a home PC across a considerable distance, meaning you can be in a totally different part of the country and it’ll still work.

The Asus Transformer Prime takes a more conventional approach with options for either 32GB or 64GB of in-built storage and 1GB of RAM in either case, it also has microSD capability up to a further 32GB.

We don’t object to cloud-based solutions but aren’t especially fond of the mutually exclusive approach, we’d rather have both onboard and cloud rather than a predominantly cloud bias of the Xoom 2 which could potentially become a handicap in certain situations.

What’s more, cloud or no cloud we still see microSD as a useful bonus and miss its absence when it’s not there. We think the Transformer Prime has the advantage here.

Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime



Processor
Both tablets are powered by ARM Cortex-A9 processors running NVidia chipsets but they’re quite different configurations.

The Xoom 2 is dual core on the Nvidia Tegra 2 T20 chipset and clocked at 1.2GHz, it also uses an Nvidia ULP Geforce graphics processing unit (GPU).

The Transformer Prime uses the same GPU but is a quad core setup on the NVidia Tegra 3 chipset and clocked at 1.3GHz.

The thing is, both these devices are powerful enough to effortlessly deal with anything you can throw at them, there isn’t any app or game on the market currently which will cause either to break a sweat.

Because they’ll both perform so well you probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference between the two if you ran them alongside each other.

So, in the end it becomes about future-proofing, both are very well future-proofed and will continue to perform well for some time to come, but the quad core Asus will probably outlast the dual core Motorola when the rest of the industry follows down the quad core path and more demanding content emerges.

Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Operating System
These are both running the latest tablet-specific Android build, 3.2 Honeycomb.

Asus has confirmed the Transformer Prime will be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) 4.0, the new cross-platform build for both phones and tablets, though whether this will happen before 2012 or a short way into it isn’t clear right now.

Motorola must surely be thinking about a similar strategy having released a new Android tablet so close to ICS’s launch but there’s no definite word from the company yet.

We’re expecting it to follow suit sooner or later.

For now though, they’re both on Honeycomb, which is a pretty good system.

It's certainly an improvement on the previous 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone build with much more intuitive control of multi-tasking and customisation and a considerably enhanced web browsing experience.

You’ve also got a huge choice of apps and games on this platform.

It’s not perfect but we find ourselves scraping the barrel for what are comparatively minor gripes.

One which actually does bug us is the touch keyboard because the close keyboard key is right next to the letters/numbers toggle, meaning you’ll continuously be closing the keyboard by accident.

At any rate, they’re both on the same platform so on a pretty even footing.

That will change with time as the Asus gets ICS but it could also change back to an equal level again if the Xoom 2 does too.

Winner - Draw

Camera
For a while now cameras have been an apparent secondary concern for tablet manufacturers, which to some extent is understandable.

However, so too is the notion of ‘having your cake and eating it too’, when it comes to consumer tech anyway.

With these two devices the cameras have received a bit more attention than many of their contemporaries.

The Xoom 2 has a 5-megapixel primary shooter at a resolution of 2592х1944 pixels and capable of 720p video capture. Features include LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging, plus a 1.3-metapixel secondary camera.

Asus has really raised the bar with an 8-megapixel primary at 3264x2448 pixels. Video quality is 1080p and it features LED flash, touch focus, autofocus, geo-tagging and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera.

Both are quite light on the features but decent offerings nonetheless. We think the Asus takes the lead, however.

Winner – Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Final Thoughts
The Asus Transformer Prime won in more rounds but ultimately we wouldn’t say it’s a ‘better’ tablet than the Xoom 2.

We think these are both fantastic Android tablets with a lot of potential to last for a good while.

For a distinction between the two we’d say that the Asus will be a more viable choice further into the future but that doesn’t mean the Xoom 2 isn’t a great c

hoice right now.

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Motorola DROID 4 poses for the camera along side the XYBOARD tablets

Motorola and Verizon aren’t wasting any time this holiday season and are about to unleash another full lineup of DROID’s on the world. We know they are coming but lately more pictures have popped out of both the DROID 4 with its 5 row QWERTY keyboard, and the new DROID XYBOARD tablets (Xoom 2). Today we get a closer look at all of these devices, especially the slightly newer DROID 4.


The DROID 4 was first spotted back in October and latest rumors suggest a December 8th launch — hopefully along side the Galaxy Nexus. We know plenty about the awesome DROID 4 already and it will be the first DROID QWERTY slider to pack 4G LTE. Pair that with a 5 row edge-lit keyboard for easy typing this could be the best QWERTY smartphone yet — for those that like that sort of thing. We are still hopeful for a early December launch for the D4 and it’s dual-core processor but will update when we hear anything official.
Then we have that oddly named set of tablets known as the XYBOARD. If you were still on the fence as to whether or not that was the official name after last nights report then maybe the image below clearly showing “XYBOARD 10″ will make you feel at ease. I’m not so sure I like the name and sadly they only have dual-core processors and Android 3.2 Honeycomb but we should see ICS land on these tablets shortly after launch.

Pretty? Ugly? Good name or bad name? What do you guys think? Oh and take a look at the images at the source link below. Are those “blur” icons on the XYBOARD tablet? — sadness. Anyways We’d love to hear all your thoughts in the comment section below.

[via CNET]

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Motorola DROID RAZR MAX Revealed In EXIF Data – Updated RAZR Headed Our Way?

The boys over at Pocketnow have been poking around some EXIF data and discovered a new device popping up in some of the pics. Something being called the Motorola DROID RAZRMAX. I know what you’re thinking — there’s no way there could already be an update in the works so soon after the original’s release. Well, tell that to Droid 3, Bionic and Droid X users who saw (and are seeing) sequels to those devices a few short months after they were released. Keep up. Motorola and Verizon move fast around here.

So what could this device be? Well, there’s no saying for sure. Some are speculating that it could be little more than a slightly thicker DROID RAZR with a higher capacity battery given someone’s chat with a Verizon employee confirming the device. I propose — given the current trend of HD displays — we could be looking at that Chinese RAZR that was leaked a few weeks back with a 720p screen. “Max resolution?”
For all the DROID RAZR owners out there, would you be upset if a newer version of your device was released in a few short months? I, however, prefer to see the glass as half full. I mean, would you rather be on a carrier who releases new/updated devices once a year?
[Via Pocketnow]

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Motorola DROID OTA update rolling out now

For all you folks still clinging to an original Motorola DROID we have good news for you today. Verizon is all set and has finally started pushing the latest over the air update for the OG DROID. Sadly while we don’t have Android 2.3 Gingerbread rolling out today they are at least continuing to update the extremely popular smartphone with a few security and bug fixes.

The original DROID is still extremely popular and many are just about done with those two year contracts when they bought it and are probably patiently waiting for the Galaxy Nexus to get released by Verizon. We first learned of this update late last month but Verizon now tells us the update is rolling out now and users should be receiving it through the next week. If you’ve somehow managed to not root your device this entire time then go ahead and check for updates and give it a run.
The released notes (below in gallery) didn’t reveal much of anything and only state this is a bug and security fix mainly aimed at a few security issues in the browser. We have a feeling a few more things might be included but Verizon didn’t feel like mentioning them. If Android 2.2.3 FroYo isn’t your thing and you’d rather run Gingerbread then click here. Peter Alfonso will keep your DROID as up-to-date as possible for a long while. Feel free to check for updates by going to settings > about phone > check for updates and let us know if you run into any issues.

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Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition vs Samsung Galaxy Note

The Media Edition of Motorola's upcoming Xoom 2 Media Edition is a device very much aimed at people on the move. It's a smaller, easier to handle device that still packs a decent punch. To get a view of the device's quality we've decided to measure it against Samsung's Galaxy Note, a device which has more power than most tablets twice its size.

Software
The Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition runs on version 3.2 of Android, otherwise known as Honeycomb, which is the version of the platform specifically tweaked and re-designed for tablet use.

The software is smart, fast and very easy to use and includes re-designed core apps, a neat new UI and plenty of other add-ons to boot.

There are plenty of apps on offer for the OS in the Android Market, but tablet-only apps seem to be a forgotten premise to Android devs, so don't choose the device if you're looking for tablet only applications.

The Samsung Galaxy Note has version 2.3.5 of Android installed, AKA Gingerbread, which is a fast, stable iteration of the software that runs excellently on the device, and is nicely augmented by Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 UI.

The smaller screen size is perfect for making the most out of Android apps, and you won't rue the aforementioned lack of tablet support owing to the device's hybrid style making it more akin to a large smartphone than an actual tablet.

Both the Xoom 2 Media Edition and the Galaxy Note benefit from Google's operating system though, of that there can be no doubt.

Winner - Draw

Power
Samsung's Galaxy Note runs on the company's Exynos chipset, which consists of a 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core CPU and a Mali-400MP GPU - both very capable processors.

The inclusion of 1GB RAM speeds things along nicely too, allowing the device to multi-task quickly and efficiently.

The Galaxy Note is pretty much as fast as you are, making it a really rewarding device to use.

The Xoom 2 Media Edition is driven by an nVidia Tegra 2 T20 chipset consisting of a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 1.2GHz CPU and ULP GeForce GPU, giving the device some real chops when it comes to gaming.

Motorola opted to fit the Xoom 2 Media Edition with 1GB RAM, the same as on offer in the full-size tablet, and the device is nice and fast as a result.

The Xoom 2 Media Edition also has 16GB of on-board storage, while the Galaxy Note is available in both 16 and 32GB flavours.

Both devices offer Micro SD card support.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy Note

Form & Build
Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition - 216x139x8.9mm, 386g
Samsung Galaxy Note - 146.9x83x9.7mm, 178g

The Xoom 2 Media Edition is a vast improvement aesthetically over its predecessor. The cut-away corners and narrow bevel are reminiscent of a smartphone rather than a tablet, and the design really seems to work for the device.

Another nice feature of the Xoom 2 Media Edition is the build. It's solid, without being bulky, which is ideal for a device of its kind.

As you would expect from a device that's being touted as a more portable tablet, it's small and light and at just 9mm thick is only a shade off Apple's iPad 2 for thickness (which is 8.8mm).

The Galaxy Note is also extremely portably, but that's because it's something of a mutt. It's bigger than a smartphone yet miles smaller than even the most compact tablet.

The hybrid thing works well for the Galaxy Note though, and it's quite an attractive device to boot.

The build quality is sound enough too, though the plastic housing that Samsung insist on relying upon never really lends a feeling of prestige to its devices.

Winner - Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition


Camera
One thing that Samsung has consistently done well in its mobile devices is photographic capability, and the Galaxy Note's 8-megapixel camera is a tremendous performer in ideal conditions.

The device has an LED flash, geo-tagging, touch focus, face & smile detection and image stabilisation too, as well as boasting 1080P video capture.

The device's secondary camera is a nice 2-megpixel front-facing effort which is ideal for video calling.

The Xoom 2 Media Edition offers a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus and geo-tagging as well as 720P video capture. The camera is decent enough for a few snaps here or there but the results, even in fine conditions, won't win any contests.

Similarly the front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera is good, but un-exceptional.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy Note

Display
The Samsung Galaxy Note has a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen which operates at a resolution of 800 x 1280 and offers up a pixel density of 285PPI. Put bluntly, the Galaxy Note's screen is a stunner! It's vivid, responsive and just looks super sharp and bright.

The Xoom 2 Media Edition features a plain old 8.2-inch TFT touchscreen which is nice but, again, un-exceptional. Performance-wise it's fine and dandy, responding well to the touch and displaying nice, vivid colours, but it seems to do just enough, rather than offering anything of note (no pun intended).

Winner - Samsung Galaxy Note

It's a decisive victory for the Samsung Galaxy Note.

The device may be small, but it packs a mighty wallop and if you're in the market for something a little bigger than your average smartphone you should have a long look at the Note before you make a decision. It's fast as lightening, small and very well spec'd.

The Xoom 2 Media Edition is a nice device. There can be no doubt of that. But at its heart there isn't anything new, special or interesting to capture ones eye.

It's very well built and the design is pleasing, but beyond that we can't think of any reason to choose the Xoom 2 Media Edition before one of the many other 'mini' tablets on the market.

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Motorola Xoom 2 vs Apple iPad 2

Android tablets are numerous but few have managed to come close enough to Apple's iPad 2 to provide a real challenge. Today's contender, the upcoming Xoom 2 from Motorola, aims to change that.

Will the Xoom 2 win the day, or will it be yet another contender steam-rollered by the iPad 2's seemingly limitless charm and good looks?

Build & Form
Apple iPad 2 - 241.2x185.7x8.8 mm, 607g
Motorola Xoom 2 - 253.9x173.6x8.8mm, 599g

There isn't much between these devices in terms of design and build. They are both slim, relatively light and admirably crafted.

The Xoom 2, with its nicely rounded off corners and slim bevel certainly looks as if someone with an artistic eye has had a hand in its design, and the improvements over the previous model are easy to see.

The iPad 2 is no ugly duckling though, and as with all Apple products you can see a lot of thought has gone into the aesthetic of the device.

Winner - Draw

Power
Motorola's Xoom 2 is powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU clocked at 1.2GHz and also benefits from a ULP GeForce GPU, making it a peach for playing games and enjoying other visual content.

We'd hoped to see more than the requisite 1GB RAM, to give the device more lastability but it's by no means a deal breaker.

The iPad 2 runs on a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, making it a gnats slower than the Xoom 2. The device's PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU is perfectly fast and capable though, making gaming a fast, fun experience on the device.

With only 512MB RAM the iPad 2 falls short of what we've come to expect from a top-level mobile device. iOS 5 uses what it has very efficiently though, so it needn't be a huge drawback.

Winner - Motorola Xoom 2

Camera
Apple's iPad 2 features a 0.7-megapixel primary camera which is, to be frank, a massive let down. Performance is weak even in ideal conditions and we'd really hoped to see more from Apple, especially after it gave us all such a treat with the iPhone 4 camera.

The device does capture video at 720P though, and the quality is pleasingly good. The secondary camera, a VGA, isn't hugely powerful, though it serves its purpose well enough.

The Motorola Xoom 2 is much more the ticket with a 5-megapixel primary camera, with LED flash, geo-tagging and 720P video capture and a secondary 1.3-megapixel offering for video chatting and the like.

Winner - Motorola Xoom 2


Software
Apple's mobile devices are known for their reliance on the company's iOS platform, and what a fantastic piece of software it is.

The user-interface is amazingly simple to use, but powerful and highly functional nonetheless, and the amount of apps on offer in the Apple App Store is huge, with over 4000 designed specifically for the iPad 2 and its older sibling.

The Xoom 2 runs version 3.2 of Android, which has been specifically designed by Google with tablets in mind.

The platform is fast, fun to use and offers plenty of customisation potential, as well as flash browsing - which is more than can be said for the iPad 2!

There are a good number of high quality app among the 352,000+ on offer in the Android Market, but if you're looking for tablet-centric applications you should give Android a wide-berth, as the amount designed for tablets is embarrassingly small.

Both operating systems have their own virtues. Android is much more open than Apple's software; which is a boon to advanced users, while iOS is much more polished and slick. Overall Apple's software is the more pleasing to use though, which is what counts.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

Display
The iPad 2 features a high quality 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT display which operates at a resolution of 768 x 1024 and has a pixel density of 132PPI.

The screen performs well and offers a consistently high visual standard, though it does fall well short of the Retina Display technology that you'll find in the iPhone 4 and 4S.

The Xoom 2's screen is decent, but doesn't really offer anything new or special.

It's responsive, hard-wearing (thanks to its Gorilla Glass frontage) and does the job but when compared the iPad 2 does appear a little flat and cold.

Winner - Apple iPad 2

It's a draw!

Both of these tablets have a lot to love about them. The iPad 2 is exceptionally easy to use and benefits from Apple's huge app library, while the Xoom 2 is more powerful and has by far the more pleasing photographic capabilities.

If we were put on the spot we'd take an iPad 2 over a Xoom 2 simply because there is more you can accomplish on the device, thanks to greater developer support. Sure, it may be less powerful but what's the point of having all that muscle if you're never in a position to really use it?

What matters is what you want though, and if you're weighing-up a new tablet then you could do far worse than either of these.

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Motorola finally gives Gingerbread to European Milestone 2 owners

It’s been 347 days since the source code for Android 2.3 Gingerbread became available. And it’ll be just one more before Milestone 2 (the international version of the Motorola DROID 2) owners in Europe get their hands on an official Gingerbread update. Motorola confirmed the upcoming rollout on the company’s Facebook page. The staged update will be sent over the air.

348 days is a long time – practically an eternity in the mobile world. It’s time enough for a third model of the DROID hardware to be developed and released, with Gingerbread not insignificantly baked right in. It’s nearly time four a fourth model to appear, at least in the United States. It’s also time enough for Google to release not one, but two major version updates of Android, the second of which has already been made available in open-source form. Yup, long time. Just for a little perspective, US DROID 2 owners got the update in September, again, well after the DROID 3 was being sold.
Still, I suppose one should count his blessings. After confirming the update on Facebook, the representative was asked when the Motorola DEFY would get its Gingerbread update. It won’t. I don’t wish to name names, but this would be a good time to inform you of the many aftermarket (read: rooted) update options for just about any popular Android device. Users care about their machines, even when manufacturers don’t care about their users. Not that I’m calling anyone out in particular.

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Motorola Triumph receives Ice Cream Sandwich build

Do not be misled by the moniker Motorola Triumph, it might sound pretty mighty and all, but in reality, it is not exactly a high end device that you would lust for. It falls under the mid-range scheme of things, but it has proved to be quite the attractive purchase for those who want something better than what the bottom of the food chain offers. It remains to be seen whether the Motorola Triumph will be on the receiving end of an official Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update, but as mom used to say, if you want something done, you’ve gotta do it yourself. And that is exactly what a developer on the AndroidForums have done – seemingly ported the Ice Cream Sandwich ROM onto the device with success.

Needless to say, this port is not complete as there is still a long way to go since a bunch of features do not work just yet on the phone, but it does offer a glimpse of hope to Motorola Triumph owners that there is still a chance of a successful port. After all, to be able to enjoy all the benefits of Ice Cream Sandwich without having to purchase a new phone is always more than welcome, even more so in these times of economic hardship. Hopefully Motorola will not overlook the Triumph when it comes to Android 4.0 updates.

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Verizon pits DROID 4 against DROID RAZR, ends in stalemate

“Sieve” doesn’t really describe the DROID 4 leaks at this point. In amongst a smattering of press images for the as-yet-unconfirmed phone (as if we needed it at this point) came a direct comparison of the DROID 4 and DROID RAZR, courtesy of Droid-Life. It reinforces a lot of the specs that we’ve already seen, like a 4-inch screen and an LTE connection, but gives us a little more insight into the nitty-gritty details.

In a one-sheet labelled “evolve or dissolve”, the company pits the DROID 2 GLOBAL, DROID 3 and DROID 4 against the RAZR, withe the 4th revision obviously coming out on top. Some highlighted differences include the qHD screen, which on the DROID 4 definitely is not a Super AMOLED, probably settling for a standard TFT LCD panel. The 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 MP camera, HDMI camera and Motorola-customized Gingerbread remain. The principle differences noted include a tiny bump up to a 1785 mAh battery and a “laser cut edge-lighted keyboard” that illuminates the space around the individual keys.
Dimensions aren’t mentioned, but from previous leaks we’re pretty sure that it comes in at 12.7mm – still pretty slim for a QWERTY device. Also notably absent from the comparison is the replaceable battery, but it’s likely that Motorola and Verizon don’t want to highlight the RAZR’s non-removable power source. The current scuttlebutt places the release at December 8th, possibly alongside another long-awaited phone.

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Full Motorola DROID 4 specs leaked

The primary DROID line’s got a special place in our hearts, and if you want a powerhouse Verizon LTE phone with a full QWERTY keyboard, you’d best make a space in your wallet. The full specifications of the upcoming DROID 4 were leaked over at Droid Life, and this one is a doozie. The specs mostly match those of the DROID RAZR, with the obvious addition of some extra bulk for the sliding keyboard.

First of all, the 4-inch qHD screen seems to be a holdover from the DROID 3. The leaked promotional material doesn’t mention a Super AMOLED panel like the RAZR, so I’ll go ahead and assume LCD. Inside you get the same 1.2Ghz dual core/1GB processor-RAM combo from the RAZR, plus 16GB of storage, which can be augmented with a MicroSD card. The battery gets a boost to 1785mAh, and (YES!) you can replace it yourself, albeit with a supplied plastic key.
The keyboard gets an edge-lit makeover, but the 8MP 1080p rear camera stays the same. No word on the front camera, but it’s probably the same one found in the RAZR as well. All this gets crammed into a body 12.7mm thin, a hair thinner than the DROID 3. The exterior styling gets a tapered look to match the RAZR and the upcoming XOOM 2/XYBOARD models. Unfortunately there’s no official word on pricing, but December 8th is looking good for a release date.

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