Motorola DROID Bionic Slowly Being Wiped Away From OEM’s Site?

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Some odd activity is going on over at Motorola’s site today. The Motorola DROID BIONIC – a device headed straight for Verizon but was said to be cancelled for a more “enhanced” device – appears to be slowly disappearing from Motorola’s website. A link to the device’s main product page on their front-page carousel takes us to their overall phone support page for all of their products. Clicking on “Android Phones” under “Mobile Phones” in their main navigation bar takes us to a list of their Android-based devices where the DROID Bionic is missing.
We also stumbled across a link where it would appear that the page still exists, but looking closely at the link we were sent shows a different localeid – the original link doesn’t include this.
I’m not sure how accurate that may be, though, considering the device’s page is still up on MOTODEV. And the fact that they haven’t taken it off the front page carousel makes me suspicious of it just being an error, as well. Or they could just be making room for the Motorola Targa Who knows? We’ll be keeping our eye on this one. [Thanks Dave!] PS: No, Motorola, it most certainly isn’t the end of waiting. We’ve been waiting for this thing since January, after all.
 

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US Cellular Beats Verizon to the Punch – HTC Merge Launching April 29th

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I first heard about the HTC Merge last fall when someone leaked some pics of the phone on Verizon’s network. Since then, you can find the Merge on just about every carrier these days. Alltell wireless is taking pre-orders and Cellular South plans to release it soon. Don’t even get me started on Verizon, who has been sitting on this phone apparently for months.
Well, now you can add US Cellular to the bunch. Engadget received a screenshot from a US Cellular internal email showing they plan to release the phone this Friday, April 29th.
Just as a refresher, the Merge is one of HTC’s world phones compatible with both CDMA and GSM frequencies. It features a 3.8 inch screen, a solid 4-row QWERTY keyboard and Android 2.2 with HTC’s Sense UI for a topping. Looks like this phone could complete a solid Android lineup for QWERTY lovers no matter which carrier decides to snatch it up. Verizon, where you at?
 

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Acer Iconia Smart Passes FCC And Headed For AT&T?

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 Acer’s unique, 4.8 inch smartphone/tablet, the Iconia Smart. Acer promised we would see the phone hit stateside April, 2011 but the month is nearly over and some are left wondering exactly what happened? Well, it looks like the Iconia Smart has just passed FCC and while I don’t think we will be seeing an April launch, I do think we can expect the phone very, very soon. In case you needed a little reminder, the phone comes equipped with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 512MB or ROM/RAM, 2MP front facing camera, 8MP rear facing camera and all the usual fixin’s. Oh, and who could forget the oddly long 4.8 inch, 1024×480 resolution display. It also appears the U.S. version of the Iconia Smart might be heading to AT&T seeing how its the only carrier who’s 3G bands support the phone’s 850, 1900 and 2100MHz frequencies.
Anyone interested in what Acer’s cooking or do you think the’ve had a little too much of what Kyocera might have been smoking?
 

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Things We Missed You Shouldn't

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Another day, another poop ton of Android news that didn’t quite make the cut. Welcome to another episode of Android Overload! We, at Phandroid, like to vet all our potential articles and just because these ones didn’t make it onto our homepage doesn’t mean there wont be something for you in here. So lets get to it!

• Eric Schmidt Tells Tina Fay to upgrade to Android. File this under “awkward.” [Video]
• BodyMedia Pack launches on Sprint ID devices. Wants to pump – you up.
• The cute, little HTC Wildfire arriving at UK retailers tomorrow [EuroDroid]
• Acer Liquid Mini is making its way to India in 3 exciting colors! [FoneArena]
  
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Arc dummy units have begun arriving at Rogers’ stores in Canada. [MobileSyrup]
• Developers can now check their sales reports directly within the Android Market Developers Console.
• The HTC DoubleShot will supposedly come in three colors. [TmoNews]
• Twidroyd has been updated to tighten the experience up a bit more.

 

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Twitter For Android Updated, Adds Features That Other Clients Already Have

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If you use the official Twitter for Android app, then you’ll be happy to know that it was updated today. This update brings some pretty decent features, some features that most other clients already have, and others that are nothing to write home about, but are probably welcome anyway. I’ll do this the easy way and just give you the list first.

What’s in this version:

1. Displays search results in a tabbed view
2. Add and remove saved searches from universal search suggestions
3. SSL used for network requests
4. Font size setting
5. Tapping on a map in detail view searches nearby Tweets
6. Launch links directly from a message
7. Ability to delete messages
8. Added Tweet count to user profile
9. Improved avatar loading
10. Improved the way data is cleared to conserve more space
11. Fixed a bug where music skips when refreshing, etc.
12. Many other improvements and bug fixes

After looking through this list, I think the most useful feature is definitely "display search results in a tabbed view" – mostly because I like tabbed things. Aside from that, it’ll be nice to have the ability to delete those "mistake tweets" and check out your tweet count directly from the mobile app.
You can grab the official update from the Android Market, or just hit the widget below.

Twitter

 

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Facebook For Android Updated To V1.5.4; Now Allows You To… Use Facebook Without Force Closes

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You may remember a couple of days ago when Facebook for Android received an update and, for many users (myself included, on all 3 of my Android devices), became a blue-tinted cavalcade of force-closes. Well, it seems that the Facebook team took notice and pushed an update out that (hopefully) remedies the situation for everyone. It now seems to be working flawlessly (well…from the stability standpoint) on both my EVO and Nook Color. Go to the market and grab it now. Your friends miss you.

Facebook for Android

 

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PowerSkin Battery-Boosting Cases Now Available for an Array of Androids

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Smartphones these days are getting more and more powerful, but sometimes that power does put a strain on battery life. PowerSkin has been providing a solution to this in the form of smartphone cases that offers shock-absorbing protection and doubles battery life while at it. Today they announced new PowerSkin cases for the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, Samsung Vibrant, and Samsung Galaxy i9000 and i3000.

The PowerSkin is a one-piece case that is impact-resistant and made of soft silicone rubber. It is rechargeable and lightweight with an on/off button and LED battery status light. PowerSkin first launched its battery-boosting smartphone cases last month at the CTIA Show in Orlando and have since been adding to their line up of cases for more and more Android devices. We will be getting one to test on our HTC Thunderbolt very soon and will let you know it it delivers as promised.
PowerSkins are available at T-Mobile stores as well as at most online retailers such as Amazon. PowerSkin pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, the Samsung Vibrant, HTC HD7, HTC HD2, Samsung Galaxy i9000, and i3000 are all $59.99. Pricing for the HTC myTouch is $49.99.
BONUS: There’s a whole ‘nother big list of devices this little bit’o'magic will be working on right here – and note: we’re getting a rather important one in to test very soon: HTC ThunderBolt. Will it relieve our ever-so-slightly annoying short battery woes? We shall see!
PowerSkins will be available for:
myTouch 4G
HTC HD7S
HTC HD7
HTC HD2
Samsung Galaxy i9000
Samsung Galaxy i3000
Samsung Galaxy S 4G
Samsung Vibrant
HTC Evo 4G
HTC Inspire 4G
HTC Desire
Motorola Droid X
Motorola Droid X2
Samsung Nexus S
HTC Thunderbolt
Press Release:

PowerSkin’s® Battery-Boosting Smartphone Cases Now Available for Samsung Galaxy S 4G, Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Galaxy i9000 and i3000
Modesto, CA – April 26, 2011 – PowerSkin® continues to roll out its line of shock-absorbing cases that double battery life, announcing the immediate availability for the Samsung Galaxy and Vibrant series.
“PowerSkin® dominates the market for smartphones powered by Android,” said David Becker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PowerSkin® / XPAL Power. “With the launch of the Samsung PowerSkin® and upcoming skins for all the popular Android-based phones like Droid, HTC and others, we’re confident our new line will fill a gap in the Android space, providing much-needed power to these users.”
PowerSkin® smartphone cases, designed to address the protection and power issues consumers face, launched last month at the CTIA Show in Orlando. Features included in all PowerSkin® cases:
• One piece tough case is impact-resistant
• Soft silicone rubber
• Provides twice the power
• 100% recycled case (except for the battery & internal components)
• Rechargeable
• Lightweight smart battery technology
• On/Off button
• LED battery status lights
• Patented XPAL Powered™ battery technology extends phone life up to 8 hours
PowerSkins® are available in T-Mobile stores along with most major E-tailer sites like Amazon for the Samsung Galaxy S 4G ($59.99), Samsung Vibrant ($59.99), HTC myTouch 4G ($49.99), HTC HD7 ($59.99) and HTC HD2 ($59.99); the Samsung Galaxy i9000 ($59.99) and i3000 ($59.99) are available via international carriers.
To learn more about PowerSkin® products, contact Jennifer Reiss at 305-576-1171 ext. 44 or via e-mail at jenniferreiss@maxborgesagency.com, or go to www.Power-Skin.com. Follow PowerSkin on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerSkinCases and on Twitter.
About PowerSkin®
PowerSkin® silicone cases with built-in batteries provide twice the power for your smartphone, featuring sleek, protective designs that fit your phone and fit your style. PowerSkin® is XPAL Powered, meaning it’s charged by patented battery technology that reflects the highest standards for safety, quality and performance. Designed to be your go-to, go-anywhere, go on-and-on power source, PowerSkin® has got you – and your phone – covered. For more information, visit: www.power-skin.com.
About XPal Power
XPAL Power, a subsidiary of TennRich International, is a California-based corporation with its sales and marketing team located in the United States. The TennRich design team is located in Taiwan, and the company-owned factory in Shenzhen, PRC is the first factory in China to focus on rechargeable lithium polymer batteries and is currently one of the largest manufacturers of portable power packs in Asia. The XPAL Powered™ seal stands for quality, safety and efficiency – a guarantee that these traits are inside every product that authenticates through the XPAL verification service. XPAL Verified™ is an authentication process that underscores our commitment to quality, using complex algorithms to detect and transfer battery serial numbers to verify its legitimacy – a safeguard customers can trust. For more information, please visit www.xpalpower.com.

 

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TouchWiz 4 ported to Samsung Galaxy S

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The gang at XDA can’t be stopped. This time, taking TouchWiz 4 and they’ve ported it to the Samsung Galaxy S. Now before you think, “oh cool, I’ve been wanting to do the whole rooting ROM thing,” give it a second thought. The average user just cutting their teeth on custom ROMs may want to stay clear or at least wait on this one, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Being in it’s early stages, the launcher is admittedly unstable. The poster, Fear2142, is looking to see what custom ROMs it works on so he can create a master list. Essentially, he’s looking for beta testers to risk their rigs to see if it works. But looking at the video below, the overlay looks pretty slick.
So far, ROMs tested have been pretty successful. The partial list includes RomKitchen Bet 2.1, deoxed JVK, deodexed stock xwjvb, Crikselo Rom v37, and several others. To install, take the file attached to the XDA Forum post and install it using recovery. Copy the files using root explorer and wipe the dalvic cache. If you think you have the chops to do it, remember to backup your phone before hand.

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DROID Charge unboxing and hands-on at SlashGear

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Vincent Nguyen over at SlashGear has just posted a hands-on and unboxing of the DROID Charge. Yes, the DROID Charge with the 4.3-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display. Vince let us know that he almost cried when he saw the display. Actually, his exact words were that he wanted to “weep like a little boy on Christmas morning,” because the display was so amazing. Chris Burns will be posting his own hands-on of the Charge here on Android Community tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out Vincent’s take. Also look for my hands-on of the Incredible S right here tomorrow. Keep reading for some quick details about the DROID Charge.

The Charge is the second 4G phone in Verizon’s lineup. It does not have a dual-core processor, only the 1GHz chip that we have seen from the Galaxy S line. It’s also a bit behind on the OS, running Android 2.2 Froyo with TouchWiz on top. When we do the full review, we’ll see how that impacts the handset.

This handset has a distinctive angular shape, and a similar shiny chassis to the Samsung Galaxy S II. It feels very lightweight, and has the four Android buttons low on the fascia, which can make it tricky to hit them and hold the phone with one hand. This phone also features a dedicated search key, which we haven’t seen on recent Samsung phones. On the back there’s an 8-megapixel camera with LED-flash while up front is a 1.3-megapixel camera.

Perfomance didn’t knock our socks off, so the question is whether the $300 price tag is really worth it. Is Verizon just thinking it can charge a premium for LTE connectivity? We will have to wait for the full review for the final opinion, including speed tests and battery results. But in the meantime, head over to SlashGear to see the hands on video, and check back here tomorrow for the Android Community hands-on.

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