Motorola DROID RAZR image revealed from teaser site

Whoa, we mentioned the new teaser site that appeared on Motorola.com this morning, but apparently a few little treats were also on the site that we didn’t catch the first time around. What we have is our first full out picture of the new Motorola DROID RAZR, with that Kevlar rear and all. Looks beautiful doesn’t it?

The original teaser video didn’t show us much, but now we have just about all we needed to see. This image that came right from the site itself reveals everything we already have heard and were hoping for. It’s beautifully thin, comes with 4G LTE, and the rear looks awesome with that Kevlar coating.
We also see the power and wake button has been moved to the side and check out that new DROID eye, pretty awesome right? In case you missed it here is that teaser video one more time:




Motorola will be announcing what we see above, the new Motorola DROID RAZR tomorrow at 9AM PT (12 EST) at the event in NYC. For the information and some actual hands-on pictures and video as soon as the device is officially announced stay tuned right here to Android Community, as we will be there live!
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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Sony Reader PRS-T1 hacked to run Android apps

Do you own the Sony Reader PRS-T1? As you may be aware, it’s running on a heavily modified version of Android, much like how Amazon’s Kindle Fire will be like, but what that means is that by right you should be able to run Android apps on it, and that’s what an enterprising hacker has attempted to do, and while progress has been slow, he has been somewhat successful. 

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Motorola Atrix 2 now available, just $49 at Amazon

The Motorola Atrix 2 might be one of the faster follow ups we’ve seen in a while, but its still a great smartphone and is available now from AT&T. Press shots gave us our first solid look back in September and the Atrix 2 was officially announced at CTIA. The original was released less than a year ago, and now the new Atrix 2 is available from AT&T and for only $99. Any Atrix owners feeling a little down?

The Atrix 2 features a 4.3″ qHD 960 x 540 resolution display. a Tegra 2 dual-core 1.0 GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and that 8 MP camera on the rear (no fingerprint scanner this time around). While Motorola did take out the scanner and lower the internal storage from 16GB to 8GB the $99 price tag is hard to beat. They are also positioning this as an enterprise device and it’s said to have some additional software, features, and security for just that.

We recently spied some hands-on with the Atrix 2 and it looks to be another great successor from Motorola just as the DROID line has been doing thus far, although we would have loved to see 4G LTE. Just like we mentioned above the Atrix 2 is available this week from AT&T and you can get it now by clicking here. The good news, however, is Amazon went a step further and have already lowered the Atrix 2 to an amazingly low price of just $49 with a new 2-year contract. It may not be the best phone hands-down, and the Galaxy Nexus getting announced tomorrow might make you a bit more excited, but for $49 you can’t really go wrong.
[via Amazon Wireless]

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Motorola debuts new DROID RAZR teaser video with Kevlar back

We know you’re probably all hot and bothered about the Google/Samsung event in Hong Kong tomorrow, but Motorola and Verizon would like to remind you that they’ve got their own party a little closer to home earlier in the day. The “Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger” event is thought to be the unveiling for the much-rumored DROID RAZR and possible a next-generation XOOM as well. With its latest teaser site and video, Verizon has pretty much put rumor to rest  – it’s all over bar the waiting.

The latest video gives us a lot of the sexy-things-going-fast imagery of the original teaser, plus two quick images that should catch your eye: a shot of a Motorola logo in the style of the original DROID and DROID X on a checkered background, followed by a look at some body armor. Could that be the rumored Kevlar construction we’ve been hearing so much about? If not, it’s a pretty good imitation.
There’s also this like gem of a JPEG sitting in the background, and it looks an awful lot like the camera hump on the top of the DROID X with some body armor dressing. The industrial-strength sensibilities should match the leaked specs: a qHD 4.3-inch screen, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a LTE radio for Verizon’s 4G network. Note the “42″ in the video – that’s the answer to the ultimate question of the device’s theoretical max download speed.
Join us tomorrow as we cover the Motorola and Verizon event, starting at 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.
[via Droid-Life]

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Major Firefox update in the works, including native UI and Flash

Mozilla brought Firefox to Android less than a year ago, but after nine months in development it’s still lagging behind more experienced browsers on the platform. The developer has announced some big changes fro the mobile version, including a native user interface and Flash integration – again, something that’s available in the stock browser and others already. Interested testers can build themselves an early version of the app, but it’ll be a few months before the rest of us can get our hands on a beta.

As a dedicates Firefox user on the desktop, I was excited when it finally landed on the Android Market in a full version. Unfortunately the odd interface choices and general sluggishnish soon had me running back to Dolphin HD. Even now the app needs a lot of polish to be a worthy successor to its full-sized counterpart, and with Opera Mobile gaining a steady following and Google Chrome likely to land sometime in the near future, Mozilla needs to work fast to stay in the game. The XUL interface may be missing from future versions, but the familiar Gecko rendering engine (as opposed to the more popular WebKit) will remain intact. The change should make for faster boot times and page loading.
One of the more frustrating omissions from Firefox Mobile is Flash, an important selling point for Android as a whole and a must-have for even the most basic of browsers. Mozilla has recognized the gap in its featureset and assures users that Flash is coming. If you know what you’re doing you can grab the code for one of the latest branches of Firefox Mobile and try out Flash (but not the new interface) for yourself – some assembly required.

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Lynx receiver brings you Sirius XM by way of Android

One of the wonderful things about Android is that its open-source nature allows it to be put to all sorts of uses. Already it powers phones, tablets, e-readers, netbooks, at least a couple of actual robots, and we’ve got one unconfirmed report of a toaster. While there’s already a few in-dash car stereos running Android, Sirius XM’s upcoming Lynx receiver should allow you to add some Google-flavored tunes to your car without a major installation. Best Buy let the unannounced satellite radio receiver slip on its website last weekend.

For $249.99, you’ll get a touchscreen receiver running an unspecified version of Android, a battery good for 30 hours of cord-free tunes and a dashboard mounting kit. The Lynx includes a MicroSD slot that all so you to bring your own music along when you get tired of The 40s on 4. Built-in wireless is mentioned but not specified, so I’d guess it’s Bluetooth with A2DP for streaming to an existing audio system. Google apps and the Android Market are a definite no for something with this much modification.
Best Buy yanked the product listing before we could take a more in-depth gander, but the mere fact that a page was prepared means we’ll probably be seeing the Lynx on store shelves before Christmas. Details like the specific OEM partner, on-board storage or recording capabilities are sadly unavailable. With all the modding news that constantly comes out of the Android world, I can’t help but wonder what a root method, a little imagination and a lot of free time could do for this satellite radio player.

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Blizzard’s official BlizzCon app reminds you that you need more Vespene gas

Bizzard’s official convention for all things Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo is set for this weekend in Anaheim, California, and if you’re planning on hopping in your ’03 Epic Mount to make the trip, you won’t be wanting for directions when you get there. Blizzard is teaming up with Nvidia to provide convention-goers with an official guide app for BlizzCon 2011. The Android app features a full calendar and map of the Anaheim Convention Center.

If you’ve tried out similar apps for the Adobe Max convention or Google’s I/O conference, you know what you can expect here. The app guides you around the various exhibits and merchants you’ll find at the convention, and even offers an integrated alarm to make sure you don’t miss the Tauren cosplay contest. In typical Blizzard fashion, the phone app is skinned to better immerse you in the real-life digital world – check out the parchment theme on the convention hall map.
Apps like this can be a godsend at busy conventions, and with more than 30,000 expected attendees, BlizzCon certainly qualifies. It’s great to see Blizzard reaching out to the Android userbase that undoubtedly makes up a significant percentage of its regular customers. If you’re preparing to go to BlizzCcon 2011 (or you just wish that you were), head on over to the Android Market to download the free app. The app is also available on iOS.
[via Android Police]

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AT&T’s 4:3 “wide-screen” Pantech Pocket gets a hands-on

If you’ve got an Android phone with a screen that’s bigger than 3.2 inches diagonally, it’s almost certain that the ratio of its vertical to horizontal pixels is about 16:9, mimicking a television screen’s shape and distinguishing high-end phones from low-end competitors like the iPhone. Pantech is bucking the trend with a new phone for AT&T, the Pocket. This 4-inch Gingerbread phone has a first-in-class 800 x 600 screen, an odd 4:3 ratio in a widescreen Android world. PCMag was on-hand at CTIA to give us a look.

Pantech claims that the non-standard screen ratio will make it easier to both read and enter text on the device, especially in portrait mode. The reporter agreed with this assessment, and noted that the extra width, while noticeable, doesn’t make the Pocket a monster to hold in your hand. Switch the phone to landscape mode and the reading advantage largely disappears, and the screen may not be ideally suited for all apps. For example, the Kindle app shows only marginally more words per line, even though it’s been modified so support the resolution. Pantech says they’re working with developers to ensure that the top 100 Android apps work with the phone.
The Pocket lines up with Pantech’s current middle-market focus in the United States, though it’s noticeably more powerful than other offerings from the company. A 1GHz single-core processor and 5-megapixel camera might have been top of the line eighteen months ago, but these days it’ll probably mean a price of $100 or less on-contract. AT&T announced the phone last week, but so far release date and pricing information are up in the air. Expect the Pantech Pocket to hit shelves in the next month or so.

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Samsung attempts to get iPhone 4S banned in Japan and Australia

We all know that Apple has been all over Samsung’s case over the past few months, requesting for preliminary injunctions to block sales of Samsung’s devices in countries all over the world. In retribution, Samsung has been doing the same thing as well, albeit with less success. The Korean electronics manufacturer has recently announced that it is attempting to get sales of the iPhone 4S banned in two more countries: Japan and Australia.

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