Motorola DROID RAZR gets official in a few videos

The Motorola DROID RAZR was officially announced early yesterday in NYC, along with MotoCast and a few other things. Today Motorola has released a few teaser and commercial videos for everyone to drool over while we wait for the phone to hit the shelves come November.

In case you missed it here is the official announcement. We have a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 4.3″ qHD AMOLED display rocking 960 x 540 resolution, a 8MP camera on the rear, Android 2.3 Gingerbread (no ICS yet) all wrapped in a Kevlar fiber coat with aluminum bezels — coming in at just 7.1mm thick this is the thinnest smartphone on the planet. We linked to the hands-on pictures and video above so for now check out the official videos courtesy of Motorola.
Motorola DROID RAZR video




DROID RAZR Commercial: Sexy is Back!




What did everything think? Pretty nifty commercials right? The Bionic had a few awesome commercials from Verizon and they’ve been pulling out the cash for their advertising lately so I’m interested to see what Verizon has to say about the DROID RAZR next. I’m sure we can expect to see a few awesome commercials in the next few weeks during some NFL halftime shows so we’ll be sure to stay tuned for the latest videos. Oh and for those wondering about ICS, the DROID RAZR should see an update to Android 4.0 ICS in early 2012 if you can wait that long.

Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Nexus sign-up page goes live with seven carriers

Good news for aspiring Galaxy Nexus owners: Samsung may intend to bring the phone to every single major American carrier, and at least three regional carriers as well. A new sign-up page has appeared at Samsung’s store, directing US customers to list a carrier preference. Seven carriers are listed, including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

We know that Verizon will be getting the Galaxy Nexus, and it’ll probably have some kind of limited exclusive in the U.S. market. The HSPA+ version (the same one that was displayed throughout Google’s Hong Kong event) has cleared the FCC using bands for AT&T and T-Mobile. The other four carriers listed on the website are probably up in the air at this point – there’s no hard evidence that Samsung is actually making devices for anyone besides Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, but if there’s enough consumer demand, they’d probably be open to the idea.
We still don’t have confirmation from Verizon that the Galaxy Nexus is coming at all (maybe they don’t want to steal the Motorola DROID RAZR‘s thunder?) but Samsung confirmed that Verizon would be the first to get it in the US. One of the official Google videos also showed off the Galaxy Nexus with Verizon branding, so you can expect the phone to land in Big Red’s stores sometime in November. Who knows how long it’ll be before other consumers can get a hold of it – if you’re on Cellular South, US Cellular or Metro PCS, it couldn’t hurt to head over to Samsung’s sign-up page and express your interest.
Check out our hands-on looks at the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich below:
Galaxy Nexus Hands-on


Ice Cream Sandwich Hands-on

Read more »

Swype Beta updated v3.26 features cleaner layout and automatic updates [Video]

The popular 3rd party keyboard for Android Swype is back today and has just received its latest update. The beta was updated to Swype version 3.26 late last night during all the Ice Cream Sandwich fun. The Swype beta was last updated to 3.25 back in August and we had plenty of information then, and we have even more this time. The main thing with the latest update is automatic updates, no longer do we need to deal with the Swype installer app. More update details and video are after the break.

After installing this latest v3.26 you’ll no longer be required to save or download that pesky swypeinstaller app and run it first, check for verification and all that nonsense. This latest version will have you all set up and you’ll never need to use the installer again. From here on out Swype will push updates right to your handset and users can just select automatically update and enjoy the latest they have to offer. Your settings and dictionary will all be saved so don’t worry. This was a huge concern and I’m glad to see a new system in place.
Being notified of new versions is nice because you’ll never have an old version again, nor will you have an old installer version because that went out the window too. Before we get into the details check out my quick video preview of the brand new Swype Beta version 3.26 recorded using Screencast for Android (audio quality is still a work in progress, sorry).




Here is a list of all the new features:
– New cleaner layout
– Numbers are now located along the top row of keys, similar to a traditional keyboard
– Automatic updates: no longer use the installer
– Automatic updates don’t erase settings, never redo your custom settings again
– The “Globe” key has been removed from all BETA builds (until we can make it an option in settings)
– Added a second page to the symbols layer. Press the 1/2 key on the left to switch between them.
– 11 new languages batched into 4 regional downloads to save space
We’ve been hearing rumors of Swype planning to change the color scheme and offer an orange tracer and black background, just like Gingerbread but now all the colors of Ice Cream Sandwich will line up closer to the current color scheme — so we’ll see what they decide later on. The new color layout could look like the layout of their forums.
As always full details are available at the beta forum by clicking here, and to get started with the latest beta download it right here.

Read more »

Kobo Vox tablet is ready to fight Fire at $199

Between Barnes & Noble and Amazon, you’d be forgiven for forgetting the Kobo line of e-readers, but the company has just presented a compelling reason not to. The Kobo Vox is Kobo’s take on a tablet/reader, a la the Nook Color or Kindle Fire, and like the latter it starts at just $199.99. Unlike the Fire, it’s shipping out this month.

In a bit of convergent gadget evolution (Kobo must have been working on the Vox for months), the tablet features a lot of the same specifications as the Kindle Fire. It’s got a similar 7-inch, 1024 x 600 screen, and it also runs a heavily skinned version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. An 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM isn’t exactly screaming fast, but it’ll do for reading books from the Kobo bookstore and some light web browsing. Like most of its competitors the Vox doesn’t use Google apps or the Android market, but the product page lists “over 15,000 free apps for Android!” so presumably there’s some kind of app store included.
Storage is limited to 8GB, but there’s a user-accessible MicroSD card slot for expansion. Unlike the Kindle Fire, which comes in any color you want so long as you want black, the Kobo Vox is available in black, hot pink, ice blue and lime green. You can order today, and the tablets will begin shipping on the 28th of this month. With the Kindle Fire getting a lot of press and hundreds of thousands of pre-orders, the Vox might just make an acceptable substitution if supplies get tight around the holidays.
[via SlashGear]

Read more »

CyanogenMod TouchPad gets a second alpha, limited numbers shipping from HP

The indefatigable modders at RootzWiki have released their second version of CyangonMod 7 for the HP TouchPad, which might be making its way into more consumers’ hands very soon. According to Liliputing, limited orders are shipping again from HP, filling out the rush of initial $99 and $149 orders from August. Apparently retailers aren’t getting any more stock, so it’s safe to put the camping tent and lawn chairs away.

The initial rush of orders when HP started its $99 firesale over-extended the PC maker’s supply, but since they already had some going through the manufacturing process, they finished out their production order. The latest batch is almost certainly the very last to ever be created or sold. In the unlikely event that the amount of new TouchPads made exceeds the amount that were oversold two months ago, keep an eye on HP’s web store in case a “buy” link appears.
Hp is still supporting WebOS in a backhanded sort of way – they released version 3.0.4 for the tablet just this week. But of more interest to Android users is the active CyanogenMod 7 Gingerbread port, which is progressing nicely. The second Alpha was released by the team just yesterday, although the large amount of bugs and difficult install process will deter all but the most dedicated of Android modders. Here’s hoping that once Google releases the source code for Ice Cream Sandwich and CyanogenMod 8(?) releases a stable version, the TouchPad will be up and running with a full Android tablet OS.

Read more »

Verizon teases 4G LTE in five brand new commercials [Videos]

We all know Verizon’s 4G LTE network is the biggest and fast, and apparently they know it too. They’ve been pretty busy making it the biggest and fastest wireless network around and just announced more cities being added next month. Early November we should see 17 new cities receiving 4G LTE bringing their coverage up to well past 178 cities across the country making them by far, the biggest 4G carrier around.

Verizon has released a few awesome commercials lately like the free fallers jumping out of an airplane powered with 4G LTE but today we have even more to show you below. Just added to the Verizon Wireless YouTube channel we now have 5 pretty comical commercials from Big Red. They are short and sweet and actually quite funny, I think I like the Boy Scouts commercial the best so I’ll start with that.



then this is my next favorite
















So what does everyone think about them, are these enough to help you make the switch? Pretty interesting commercials that is for sure. We all know Verizon 4G LTE is fast, at least all of us in the technology world do right? It appears these very simple and easy to understand commercials are quick and to the point — stating “instant results” so that the rest of the world knows they’re the fastest too. Go Verizon!
[via Android Police]

Read more »

Sony’s PlayStation Store opens for Tablet S users

If you’re part of a considerable chunk of Tablet S users who bought Sony’s Honeycomb tablet on the promise of classic PlayStation games coming soon, you’re in luck. Today Sony has added the first round of original PS1 games to the PlayStation Store, and Tablet S owners can download them now. Prices start at a reasonable $5.99 a pop.

Technically the store is open to Tablet P users as well, which might be relevant to the US market if Sony ever deems it fit for release here. It’s a shame, too – the dual-screen hinged design might make it all the more easy to emulate a traditional console gaming experience. With the company expanding the tablet line to include 3G models, maybe we’ll see a release of both Wifi and mobile broadband versions in the States – one can only hope. Sony is also planning to certify other smartphones and tablets, almost certainly including parts of its XPERIA line, for the PlayStation Store.
The first round of PlayStation titles includes ten games: Cool Boarders, Destruction Derby, Hot Shots Golf 2, Jet Moto 1 and 2, Jumping Flash, MediEvil, Motor Toon Grand Prix, Rally Cross and Wild Arms. None of these are exactly blockbusters (triple-A games like Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil are probably more likely to get a straight-up Android port from their publishers) but it’s a good start. Tablet S users should have access to the Store now.

Read more »

Netflix update officially supports Honeycomb tablets

Well, as if anyone didn’t expect that this was coming today Netflix has finally updated their app in the Android Market with “official” Android 3.0+ support. This isn’t anything new but at least now it’s official. The update back in June worked on most Honeycomb tablets already and last month it came to all 2.2 and 2.3 devices. Now Netflix officially supports Honeycomb.

Gone are the days of root methods and trickery to get Netflix on your Android 3.0 tablet, now all you need to do is get the official application right from the Android market and enjoy all the Daniel Tosh or TV shows your heart desires. Sadly, if you look at our picture below it shows that Netflix now supports Honeycomb, but in no way is designed for it.

The Netflix user interface hasn’t changed and is completely designed for smartphone users and not tablets. So while we have official support, me along with many others are still left hoping for an official Netflix tablet application. Maybe we’ll finally get one with Ice Cream Sandwich finally here. The main issue isn’t the UI, but the streaming is designed for a smaller display and not a 7 or 10″ 1280 x 800 display like we have with Honeycomb.
Either way it’s available so get it now!

Read more »

Samsung responds about Verizon exclusive on the Galaxy Nexus

Now that everyone has finally seen the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the next question is who will get it first and when will other carriers here in the US see the Galaxy Nexus. We’ve heard rumors for a few months now that Verizon will be the exclusive carrier of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus — at least at first. Over on Samsung’s Facebook page we might have some confirmation regarding that.

Thanks to a friendly Android Community reader we have a reply right from a Samsung employee over on Facebook when asked about the exclusive launch by Verizon. He asked what carriers would receive the Nexus, and if Verizon would be the only one. This isn’t technically new but having a little confirmation is nice. Samsung replied

Verizon will be offering the Galaxy Nexus with the initial release. Other carriers may support this device in the near future.”

So, that basically confirms that Verizon will get the exclusive — that and we saw the Verizon 4G LTE branded Galaxy Nexus this morning that also points to the same direction. The only part I don’t like is she says other carriers “may” support this device in the near future. We can look at this two ways — one being that they may or may not, and two being she mentions near future. That could very well mean we’ll also see the Galaxy Nexus on other carriers in the very near future and sometime here soon.
Either way we should be hearing more from many carriers in the coming weeks as the Galaxy Nexus news continues to get larger. We’ll see Verizon launch first, most likely November 10th, and hopefully others will follow very soon. I hope so at least. — Thanks Matt
In case you missed them, here are our two hands-on videos with the Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich

Read more »