DroidNews.Net » motorola

There’s no way Verizon’s VDay Confessions contest could get risque, is there?

Phil Nickinson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:07:46 +0000

Oh, this could get good. Verizon's cooking up a little Valentine's Day contest, wherein you can win a Motorola DROID RAZR. (Not a new RAZR MAXX? Lame.) The contest kicks off Feb. 13 and runs through Valentine's Day. To enter, you'll have tweet a "creative" Valentine's Day confession -- poems and pics are suggested -- and tag the stories with #tweetheart.

So, ya know, you could say something nice about your sweetie, something about along romantic dinner, maybe a walk through the park. Or we could well see sordid tales from the Red Light District. Because this is, after all, the Internet.

Find out next week, we suppose.

More: @vdayconfessions

Kayak abandons BlackBerry, will support ‘Googlerola phone’ — or other Android devices

Phil Nickinson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:52:27 +0000

It's bad enough that when Kayak.com announced it was dropping support for its BlackBerry app that it said it was a "practical decision." That's gotta sting, right? (Even if it's true. Or especially if it's true.) But what really gave us a chuckle was Kayak's line about devices it will continue to support.

"If you're thinking of switching to an iPhone, Googlerola phone, other Android device, Windows Phone 7 device, or a Nokia device, we will continue to innovate and maintain our free apps for you," Kayak's billo wrote on the company's news section. "Googlerola phone." Heh. Looks like we're not the only ones chomping at the bit to see what what comes out of the proposed merger (acquisition, really -- Motorola's getting about $12.5 billion out of it) between Google and Motorola. And Kayak, like many of you, is of the mind that soon enough in the future you'll have two classes of Android -- Googlerola, and everything else.

Google's Andy Rubin, of course, has said otherwise -- that Motorola continue to operate as a separate company, and that it doesn't have a lock on future Nexus phones. (Of the major smartphone manufacturers, HTC and Samsung have been tapped for the three Nexus devices.)

"We don't expect that to change at all," Rubin said back in August 2011. "The acquisition is going to be run as a separate business. They will be part of that bidding process, and part of that lead development process. And obviously Android remains open to other partners to use as they are today."

The two companies expect the merger to be finalized "in early 2012," meaning any time now, once regulatory approval is received.

Droid Bionic soak test coming; probably won’t be Ice Cream Sandwich

Edgar Cervantes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:51:46 +0000

Word around the inter webs says that Motorola is prepping a soak test for an upcoming update to the Droid Bionic. But don’t go jumping around just yet, as we do not yet know if this is a minor update or not.

While we surely hope that this update is somehow related to Android 4.0, it just somehow seems unlikely. As our friends from Droid-Life mentioned, it is very likely that the Droid RAZR will see an Ice Cream Sandwich update before any other Motorola device. This is not something that we are sure of, though.

This soak test could also be related to an update that was being tested last month, which includes very minor fixes. For now, let’s just sit tight and wait for more details to show up.

[Via Droid-Life]

MotoACTV update makes it a bit better, but is it worth your bucks?

Edgar Cervantes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:28:00 +0000

The smartwatch market is a bit tricky. Despite the fact that it has great potential, manufacturers have not quite hit the target with such devices. Motorola is one of the most notable players in the smartwatch market, with its MOTOACTV. And Motorola has just updated this bad boy, making it a bit more efficient.

After connecting the MOTOACTV, users will be prompted to an update. New features include longer battery life, a battery status bar, the ability to lock the screen, enhanced auto-pause and auto-run and the ability to repeat a planned workout (even if previously started).

It seems like Motorola will have to do much more to make this product more desirable, though. Even though it is one of the most popular smart watches out there, it lacks much functionality. Developers have even resorted to hacking it and installing a Honeycomb launcher on it.

Granted, Honeycomb does not work or look great on a 1.6-inch screen. But this just displays how badly users want a better experience with it. With competitors like the Sony Smart Watch and the WIMM One, among others, it is time Motorola gets to work. Especially if they plan to keep their price, which is not necessarily the most affordable, starting at $250 (Price has recently gone down to about $206 on Amazon).

Check out the press release for more details and let us know what you think. Are you a MOTOACTV user? Let us know how the update is treating you! Also, what do you guys think would make this device more enticing?

Full Press Release

[Via Droid-Life]

First Motorola Droid 4 video review surfaces

Edgar Cervantes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:04:07 +0000

We still do not have an official release date for the Motorola Droid 4. All the keyboard lovers out there will be very happy to know that the first video review has recently showed up, though, this time courtesy of Wirefly.

Latest rumors say that the Droid 4 is scheduled to be released next week, either February 9th or 10th. The video attests to all the specs and features we have been hearing all along. There is no doubt that seeing it being handled and used makes for a much better idea of the device’s features, though.

Specs include 4G LTE connectivity, a 5-row slide-out keyboard, a 4″ display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, Android 2.3.5 and 16 GB of on-board memory. It might also important to note that this will be one of the first 4G LTE devices to gain Global GSM roaming capabilities.

In the video, Wirefly goes over the general specs, as well as the picture and video quality and some other tests. For our very own take on this device, you can go ahead and watch our hands-on at CES. Check out the video below, and let us know what you think! Who is signing up for this one?

[Via WireFly (YouTube)]

Refresh Roundup: week of January 30, 2012

Zachary Lutz — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of January 30, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of January 30, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012

Zachary Lutz — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This week, we've spotted a leaked Android 4.0.4 ROM for the Nexus S 4G, and we've also come across a price and release date for the Droid 4. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride. Let's explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 30th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of January 30th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Wirefly Gets Touchy-Feely With The Droid 4 In A 13-Minute Video Overview

Eric Ravenscraft — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:02:19 +0000

We can't wait for the Droid 4. In the world of smartphones, the QWERTY sliders are a rare and exotic breed these days. Catching a glimpse of a machine with powerful specs and a keyboard-shaped secret gets our mouths watering. So a thirteen minute video will naturally trigger some flood warnings. Wirefly goes hands-on with the Droid 4 in the first video ~~review~~ overview of the latest in the Droid series.

Here's a rundown of Wirefly lays out in the video:

4" 540x960 LCD display
5-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard
1.2Ghz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
LTE
8GB internal storage (expandable

Official Android Police t-shirts are now on sale, with over 25 designs to call yours.

Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:

Wirefly Gets Touchy-Feely With The Droid 4 In A 13-Minute Video Overview was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Wirefly Gets Touchy-Feely With The Droid 4 In A 13-Minute Video Overview

Eric Ravenscraft — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:02:19 +0000

Here's a rundown of Wirefly lays out in the video:

4" 540x960 LCD display
5-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard
1.2Ghz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
LTE
8GB internal storage (expandable

Official Android Police t-shirts are now on sale, with over 25 designs to call yours.

Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:

Wirefly Gets Touchy-Feely With The Droid 4 In A 13-Minute Video Overview was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

ClockworkMod Touch Recoveries Now Out For All Flavors Of Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G; Motorola Cliq; LG Optimus Black, 2X, 3D; HTC Rezound, G2, MT4G

Artem Russakovskii — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:05:49 +0000

The work to bring touch-enabled recoveries to all supported ClockworkMod devices continues, and since the last update a couple of days ago, the following devices now have ClockworkMod Touch available:

Non-US Samsung Galaxy S II
Sprint Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch
AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II
T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Epic 4G (looks like this one disappeared shortly after due to some bugs)
Motorola Cliq
LG Optimus Black
LG Optimus 2X
LG Optimus 3D
HTC Rezound
HTC G2
HTC MyTouch 4G

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics. If you’re unfamiliar with some

...

Official Android Police t-shirts are now on sale, with over 25 designs to call yours.

Done With This Post? You Might Also Like These:

ClockworkMod Touch Recoveries Now Out For All Flavors Of Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G; Motorola Cliq; LG Optimus Black, 2X, 3D; HTC Rezound, G2, MT4G was written by the awesome team at Android Police.