Motorola Razr vs Apple iPhone 4S

We compare the iPhone 4S with Motorola's upcoming Razr - an Android device which looks set to make a huge splash

Apple's iPhone 4S was announced recently and immediately set about doing what Apple devices do best: dividing opinion. Some people feel the device isn't much of an upgrade over the iPhone 4, others think it's all part of Apple's grand plan to enslave humanity and others, well, others fell in love with it.
So in the spirit of fair play we've decided to see what all the fuss is about by holding the 4S up against a device which is being lauded as the next big (Android) thing, Motorola's Razr, s device which is almost certain to enjoy a successful launch this November.
Will Apple's iPhone 4S reign supreme, or will Motorola's Razr cut it to pieces?
Let's find out.

Power
The iPhone 4S is the first smartphone from Apple to benefit from a dual-core processor, and the 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 which powers the device is a great addition to the line.
In addition to the quality CPU you also have a PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, which should afford you countless hours of gaming fun, as well as excellent visual effects and top quality movie playback.
For reasons known only to Apple, it opted to leave this newly invigorated release with only a pedestrian 512MB RAM.
Motorola seems to have taken peoples power demands a little more seriously when designing the Razr, giving the device an Ti OMAP 4430 chipset which consists of a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU. Sure, it's similar to the iPhone 4S, but the extra oomph will certainly come in handy.
The improvements aren't limited to chipset either, as the Motorola Razr offers up a tidy 1GB RAM.
Winner - Motorola Razr

Display
The iPhone 4S features  Apple's fantastic Retina Display, a 3.5-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT which offers dazzling visual quality. The display operates at a resolution of 640 x 960 and has a pixel count of 330PPI, which is still the highest available on a smartphone (for now).
Motorola's Razr is no shrinking violet though, its 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen is a superb feature which offers stunning, deep colours and responsive performance.
The display operates at a resolution of 540 x 960 and offers up a pixel count of 256PPI, which. although impressive, is still quite a ways behind the iPhone 4S.
Winner - Apple iPhone 4S

Software
Disappointingly the Motorola Razr runs on version 2.3.4 of Android. We'd hoped that the recent acquisition of the company by Google would have allowed the device to roll-off the production line with Ice Cream Sandwich, but hey, that would have ruined the Galaxy Nexus' exclusivity, right?
It may not be the latest and greatest iteration of the OS but it still performs brilliantly and with Motorola's custom UI additions there's tons of scope for customisation. On top of that there's loads of widgets, nice eye candy and, of course, all the games and apps you can shake a muddy stick at in the Android Market.
Apple's iPhone 4S ships with version 5.0 of the company's hugely impressive iOS and the improvements are noticeable as soon as you fire up the device.
There's improved multi-tasking, an updated notification system (think Android), Twitter integration, iMessage (Think BBM) and, of course, the latest version of Safari; which is better than ever.
On top of all those there's a host of other bits and pieces which help make the platform by far the most user friendly mobile OS on the market. Oh, and there's even more apps and games in Apple's App Store than there is in Android's Market, so there!
Winner - Apple iPhone 4S

Form

Apple iPhone 4S - 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, 140g
Motorola Razr - 130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1 mm, 127g

This category is a tough one to judge because both Apple and Motorola have earned solid reputations for building top quality devices.

The iPhone 4S is typical Apple – it's sleek, minimalist and amazingly pretty. Plus at only 9.3mm thick you'll barely notice it in your pocket (we aren't sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing though).

Motorola's Razr looks to be every bit as robust as the company's previous Android devices, which means you can look forward to a strong, attractive and immensely durable smartphone. It's also super thin at only 7.1mm.

Both devices offers toughened glass covers for their precious screens too, so you needn't worry about coin or key damage!

Winner - Draw

Camera

The Apple iPhone 4S has been given a camera upgrade, and its 8-megapixel primary offering, which also features touch focus, LED flash, geo-tagging and 1080P video capture, is among the best performing smartphone cameras we've ever clapped eyes on.

Shots are clear, captured quickly and easily print worthy.

The iPhone 4S also has a VGA secondary camera for video calling.

Motorola's Razr comes with an 8-megapixel camera too, which offers touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilisation, LED flash, auto focus and 1080P video capture.

We can't comment on the quality of the images at this stage, but Motorola's no slouch when it comes to getting good quality images out of its smartphones, so we'd expect photos to be good.

As with the iPhone 4S, the Razr comes fitted with secondary optics for video calling, but Motorola has given the device a 1.3-megpixel front-facing camera, which will offer much better quality for those who need to video call or conference.

Winner - RAZR

Apple's iPhone 4S has taken the win, albeit by a nose.

The device is fast, beautiful, features the best mobile OS around and performs like a dream. What's not to like about that? Well, the price maybe, but other than that nothing.

Motorola's Razr looks to be a contender though, and the iPhone 4S had better watch its back come November, because it may just be the Android smartphone to topple it from its pedestal.

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Sprint adds over 1 million subscribers in Q3 2011, still loses contract customers

As part of its Q3 2011 earnings report, Sprint noted that it has posted its 6th consecutive quarter of subscriber growth, adding nearly 1.3 million subscribers for the quarter, bringing its total to 53.4 million. That is roughly on par with where the company stood back in 2007.

In spite of that growth, the company still reported a net loss of 44,000 contract customers, which typically are more profitable than pre-paid subscribers.

In dollars and cents terms, Sprint managed to post its smallest financial loss in 4 years, at $301 million. It posted a loss three times as large during the Q3 period of 2010. Revenue rose 2.2 percent to $8.3 billion.

During the earnings call associated with the report, Sprint also said that it has agreed to purchase $15.5 billion worth of Apple iPhones, which is half what its commitment was rumored to be.

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Verizon Wireless Pushing Gingerbread to HTC Thunderbolt

Verizon Wireless today indicated that it is updating the HTC Thunderbolt to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The update can be retrieved from the Thunderbolt's system menus and downloaded over the air.
more info at Verizon Wireless »

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HTC Rhyme Heads to O2 UK

O2 UK is now offering the HTC Rhyme the Android device that HTC hopes will attract lots of female business. It’s a mid-range 1GHz handset with a 5 megapixel camera that can shoot 720p HD video. Android 2.3 graces the software front but we’re also greeted with the fairly new HTC Sense 3.5.
Accessories such as the charm notification light are perfect for women who often lose their phones in their purses or bags. The color, of course, was off-putting for us, but that’s hardly a taint as it wasn’t meant for the Phandroid crew. Anyway, O2 UK is serving this one up now for free starting at £21.00. Click here to get started.

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Lookout Mobile Security Heads to Tablets

Lookout Mobile Security wants to stay true to their product and provide security for all mobiles, so in addition to Android smartphones they have launched support for Android 3.0+. You can backup your photos, find your phone using the siren and the GPS locator feature, scan apps for virus and more. (Certain features are only available with a paid subscription).
Your existing myLookout.com account for your phone will also work for your tablet so you can track the two at the same time. They directed us to the Android market but we’re not seeing it there yet. We’ll be on the lookout (really, I didn’t mean to) for it sometime later. [Lookout]

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Spotify adds Android Preview app with Facebook sign-in and sharing

Now that United States citizens have been welcomed with open arms, Spotify’s Android app is getting some much-needed love. The new version is available as a non-Market download from Spotify’s blog, showing off some new social features. Users can now log in with either their original Spotify credentials or by connecting to Facebook – you don’t even have to create a new account if you opt for the latter.

Sharing options have been updated as well, again, via Facebook. There was some controversy over the company’s recent decision to allow new users only through Facebook, and apparently, that is still the case with the new app. For those times when you’ve just got to get your Shania Twain on, a Private Listening mode has been added. Testers note that local file playback is still problematic, and there’s no support for browsing via folders – apparently a big deal for some commenters. I tried the local playback myself, and on CyanogenMod 7.1 at least, I haven’t experienced any crashes.
Spotify is specifically asking for user feedback with the beta app, and if you’re a loyal Spotify customer (as so many are) it might be a good time to voice some of your concerns and suggestions. You can download the APK here (the experimental version isn’t available on the Market) and leave feedback on Spotify’s community forum. If you want some input on the way Spotify’s Android app progresses, it might not be a bad idea.
[via TheNextWeb]

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Qualcomm’s Skifta app streams video and manages your DLNA devices

Qualcomm-Atheros is making a cloud push in a big way with their new Skifta service and app. Skifta is a system for DLNA-certified devices that allows streaming media by way of your phone from either your phone or your home computer, giving you options that previously required separate apps. Built-in free content from the likes of Picasa, Revision 3 and TED Talks rounds out the package.

Basically, Skifta (man, it’s hard to find good non-copyrighted names these days) aims to be a one-stop-shop for all of your media, streaming easily to connected televisions, computers and speaker systems. Video, audio and photos are currently supported. Skifta works on DLNA and UPnP-compatible devices, including Windows 7 computers and the PlayStation 3. The promotional video lays it all out:




Skifta’s a free download from the Android Market, and no, you don’t need a Qualcomm processor inside your phone or tablet to use it. The software is in its 1.0 release, so there may very well be some compatibility or stability issues. But hey, it’s free – what have you got to lose? This may be a good indication of similar systems from OEMs, like Motorola’s upcoming MotoCast.

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Today only: OfficeSuite Pro 5 is free on the Amazon Appstore

Google Docs not quite cutting it for your mobile document editing needs? Is that free version of QuickOffice that came with your phone a little long in the tooth? Then today’s a great day to try out the Amazon Appstore. The third-party store features a free download of one paid app every day, and today, it’s OfficeSuite Pro 5, normally a full $15.

OfficeSuite Pro 5 is your standard document editor, featuring support for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF files, though the last two are read-only, according to the app’s Amazon listing. An integrated file browser and Google Docs connection help round out the software, and happily, it handles the tricky .docx, .xlsx and ppsx extensions without complaining. You can get OfficeSuite for free until 3 AM Eastern Time, and considering how many of you have already pre-ordered the Amazon Kindle Fire, you may want to do so whether or not you intend to use it on your current smartphone or tablet.
If you’re new to the Amazon Appstore, don’t worry – downloading and installing it is a simple process. Just head on over to the Get Started page and enter your email address. Download the app to your phone or tablet, then install it via the standard non-Market method (you’ll need to allow the “unknown sources” option in the Application settings menu). Once a free app is “purchased,” it’s connected to your Amazon account, and you can download it on any device with the Appstore installed.

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No official Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus One

Well, it looks like the venerable Nexus One has finally reached the end of its software cycle – officially, at least. When asked whether or not the original Nexus would be seeing an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google responded that the phone’s hardware was simply too old to handle the update. The oldest developer phone to get Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Nexus S, released twelve months after the original Nexus One.

Of course, Google itself is hardly the last word when it comes to Android. Versions of Ice Cream Sandwich have already appeared on the Nexus One via the recently-released SDK, and while this isn’t an ideal solution, it’s a pretty good indication that running the software on comparable hardware is far from impossible. Once the official Ice Cream Sandwich source code is released (currently expected a few weeks after the November launch of the Galaxy Nexus) you can bet that a multitude of ROM developers will have Android 4.0 running on the Nexus One in a jiffy.
The more disturbing implication of Google’s announcement is the basic hardware requirement for Ice Cream Sandwich, which has yet to be outlined. Recent mid-range phones like the HTC Rhyme run on hardware that’s almost identical to the original Nexus and HTC Desire, and there’s plenty of low-end phones being introduced on even less powerful hardware. What of these devices, some of which are only weeks old on the market?  Will customers who bought a $200 phone this summer be denied an official update just a few months later? Motorola and HTC have committed to bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to current phones, but in most cases have not outlined which precise models will be updated.

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