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CES isn’t all about the gadgets and the deals. Sometimes, it’s about the booth babes — and the recycling. Read More…
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This post was written by Journalist on January 14, 2011
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LAS VEGAS — Every year at CES, there’s a theme or expectation that quickly becomes codified the moment you step inside the cavernous and often soulless Las Vegas Convention Center. This year, it was clear that everyone and their grandmother was coming out with a tablet PC. Pre-show estimates put the number around 50. Scuttlebutt inside Central Hall here put that figure closer to 80, although an exact count would be a near-Herculean and mind-numbing task.
What is painfully obvious is that many of these tablet makers showing off their wares will be drubbed by giants like Apple, Samsung, Motorola, RIM, and maybe a couple other fortunate ones. For the rest, 2011 is looking to be a gruesome battle of attribution amongst dozens of other companies.
“The market will only bear so much,” said IDC analyst David Daoud before CES kicked off. “It’s going to get pretty ugly as the year goes on.”
And with so many options out there to pick from, it’s going to be up to the manufacturers to separate themselves with unique features, although some are banking on being the budget-priced model of choice for those looking to spend under $500 on an entry-level tablet. Let’s look at show some of the major players of 2011 might be.
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Erik is the editor of Playbook, Wired.com’s sports blog. He’s also the managing editor of Longshot and a contributor to Pop-Up Magazine.
Follow @erikmal and @wiredplaybook on Twitter.
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This post was written by Journalist on January 8, 2011
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After all the ruckus at CES 2011 over Motorola’s Honeycomb-dedicated XOOM tablet died down, I got a chance to get my hands on the latest in the company’s Droid series of smartphones, the Bionic.
Like its Droid X predecessor, the Bionic is definitely not small. The 4.3 inch screen is one of the largest on the smartphone market right now, and if you’re wearing tight jeans and hoofing it around the Vegas strip all day like I’ve been doing, a fat-bodied Bionic in your pocket might bring on a bit of chafing.
But the screen’s aesthetic appeal makes up for any inconvenience its size may bring. Shooting pictures with the back facing 8 megapixel camera was made easier with the extra screen surface area for planning and viewing shots.
Whereas Apple’s iPhones are all about the smooth-backed covers, the Bionic goes the way of rubberized grip-style case. The phone’s backside has ample tooth to it, another line of defense against clumsy phone droppers like myself. But the gripping doesn’t make the Bionic feel bulky or weighted down. It’s a nice touch, even if it may add to the aforementioned pocket-chafing.
We weren’t allowed to pop open the hood to see the phone’s 1-GHz dual-core processor insides, but by the looks of flipping through the Android 2.2 menu screens, the Bionic’s guts seemed to be doing their job well. No visible stuttering was to be seen in the few apps I ran, and load time was minimal. It was, however, a brand new phone with its 16 GB of on-board storage still relatively empty. I’d like to see how it runs after an app-hungry tween had their hands on it.
All in all, I dug what I saw of the Bionic. It may be a bit large for my taste, but for the crowd that’s into the big and powerful (and prefers a Motorola handset over that of a Samsung offering) the Bionic is surely worth a second look.
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Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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This post was written by Journalist on January 6, 2011
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LAS VEGAS Motorola in a Wednesday press conference introduced the Atrix, its first smartphone armed with a dual-core processor. Then the company opened a demo booth showing off the Atrix but refused to allow press to touch it.
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Brian is a Wired.com technology reporter focusing on Apple and Microsoft. He’s also writing a book about the always-connected mobile future called Always On (publishing April 2011 by Da Capo).
Follow @bxchen and @gadgetlab on Twitter.
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This post was written by Journalist on January 6, 2011
A teaser video released by Motorola hints at a new Android Honeycomb tablet, and calls the iPad a “big iPhone.”
The two minute spot, which can be found on Motorola’s YouTube channel, is called Tablet Evolution. Beginning with an Egyptian hieroglyphic tablet from 3,200 BC, (good graphics, but heavy) and running through the Ten Commandments and the Rosetta Stone (multi-lingual support), we get to the iPad and then the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Here the tease begins.
The Tab is described as having “Android OS, but Android OS… for a phone.” Ouch. The next item in the virtual museum hall is a plinth with a cloth-covered something on top. A poorly animated bee flies into the screen and we’re promised something at CES 2011.
A bee? Android, but not for a phone? This can only mean Honeycomb, the forthcoming tablet version of the Android smartphone OS. Add in the demo of Honeycomb running on a Motorola prototype by Googles Android boss Andy Rubin a couple weeks back and it’s pretty certain that this “Tablet Evolution” will be on show at CES in January, although I doubt it will be on sale so soon.
One thing is certain, though. Almost a year after the iPad was launched, the rest of the tablet market is finally heating up.
Tablet Evolution presented by Motorola [YouTube]
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This post was written by Journalist on December 21, 2010
Google’s Android boss Andy Rubin showed of a prototype Motorola tablet running the forthcoming tablet-friendly version of the Android OS, version 3.0 Honeycomb at the All Things Digital “D: Dive Into Mobile” event.
The tablet runs on an NVIDIA dual-core 3D processor (unspecified by Rubin) and looks to be around seven-inches in size, or maybe a little bigger. Rubin starts off showing a new super-fast vector-based version of Google Maps which not only allows a quick two-finger swipe to enter a 3D building-view, but also loads way faster thanks to those vectors. Currently, Google Maps uses image tiles, which is why you do so much waiting on a slow connection. Vectors are way smaller in file-size and are infinitely zoomable, staying crisp all the way.
Google has warned tablet-makers off the current version of Android because it’s not designed for their larger screens, leading to tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which comes on like a giant cellphone. Android 3.0 Honeycomb will be the first tablet-ready Android OS, and it sounds like Google is taking the same approach as Apple, making “universal” apps that run on both phone sand tablets.
These apps will pack two different views. On a phone, you’ll see one screen at a time, much like you do now. On a tablet, these views will be shown together. From the video, it looks like the tablet view will be somewhere between the iPad’s one-screen view and a desktop like approach, with several windows (from the same app) on-screen together. The actual layout will be up to the app’s designer.
This looks like it will be Google’s reference design. Rubin says that his team partners with a hardware maker and a chip maker to build the reference device, whether it’s a Nexus phone or a tablet. He gave away no details about availability, but when pushed by D’s Kara Swisher on the subject of price, told her that the tablet in his hand had cost around $10,000. Snap!
Googles Andy Rubin Shows Off Prototype Motorola Tablet [All Things D]
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This post was written by Journalist on December 7, 2010
If you like Blackberry’s physical form factor and Android’s app marketplace, and you want to spend less than $200, Motorola’s Droid Pro was tailor-made for you. Verizon’s online preorders for the feature-packed smartphone start tomorrow, Nov. 9th; it will ship and be available in stores Nov 18th.
Physically, the Droid Pro has a 3.1″ touchscreen along with a full QWERTY-keyboard, a 5MP still and video camera, 4 GB of memory (2GB internal), Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity and a 1 GHz processor. On the software side, it’s running Android 2.2 (Froyo), Adobe Flash Player 10.1, with QuickOffice’s productivity and both Google’s or Exchange’s push email, calendar and contact support built-in.
Verizon and Motorola also tout the device’s security features (VPN integration, remote wipe, and complex password support, with Device and SD card encryption in early 2011) and global-readiness for road warriors, offering voice and data in over 200 countries.
The Droid Pro costs $279.99 up front with a two-year service agreement, with a $100 Verizon debit card following later in the mail. Net, it’s $20 less than iPhone 4, all the new Windows Phone 7 handsets, the Samsung Galaxy and even Motorola’s own Droid X (which still ships with Android 2.1).
But the Droid Pro’s $180 is quite a bit more than all of Verizon’s Blackberries, which range between free and $150 out-of-pocket with the same two-year contract and data plan terms. A few users might like what they see and being willing to pay a little more than the Blackberry or a little less than those other smartphones.
DROID PRO By Motorola Now Available [Verizon]
DROID Does Business [Verizon]
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This post was written by Journalist on November 8, 2010
Late yesterday, Verizon and Motorola announced a new Android smartphone with a front-facing QWERTY keyboard, sleek black business-casual look and a 3.1″ multitouch multimedia screen. The Droid Pro is expected to attract a big chunk of Verizon’s existing Android and Blackberry high-end and business users when released in the coming weeks.
My first, beloved smartphone was a first-generation Blackberry Bold; for me, Motorola’s Droid Pro is clearly the handsomest Android phone I have ever seen. (Yes, I like it more than the R2-D2 Droid.) The major differences between the new Droid Pro and my old Blackberry Bold are Android apps and a touchscreen. As long as the Droid Pro’s keyboard is a champ like the Bold’s, the touchscreen isn’t too teeny and its yet-unannounced pricing isn’t too obscene, we can say that it’s improved in every way.
The Droid Pro’s specs are also impressive: Android 2.2., a 1GHz processor with 2GB of storage, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and support for both Exchange and Google email and calendar programs. It can act as a 3G mobile hotspot (although Verizon has disabled that functionality for current Droid users) or stream media from a server over a Wi-Fi network using the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard. Its 5MP camera can shoot still images and video, so you might even have something on your phone worth streaming back.
When the Droid Pro’s finally released, upgraders should make sure they don’t throw their old phones away: Verizon Wireless today announced a new trade-in/recycling program that will appraise your old phone, refurbish or recycle it and offer you a Verizon Gift Card. Even non-Verizon phones can be traded in, so network-switchers can take advantage of it too.
Price and release date for the Droid Pro have yet to be announced; when released, it will be available through Verizon Wireless’s online and retail outlets. You can fully expect that Verizon’s people will be happy to sell you one.
Image from Motorola.
Source:wired.com
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This post was written by Journalist on October 6, 2010
As it gets ready to unveil its own operating system next, Microsoft is taking careful aim at its closest competitor: Android.
Through patent licensing deals and lawsuits, the Redmond-based computer giant is trying to cover all its bases, aiming for a situation where it wins whether a customer chooses a Windows phone or an Android one.
But it’s too soon to tell whether the strategy will pay off.
On Monday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said he looks forward to collecting revenue from Android handset makers, including HTC, which has a licensing agreement with Microsoft.
For handset makers that don’t show HTC’s willingness to do it the easy way, Microsoft can do it the hard way, too: Microsoft sued Motorola this week, alleging patent infringement around Motorola’s Android-based smartphones. The suit charges Motorola with allegedly violating patents related to synchronizing email, calendars, contacts, scheduling meetings and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power.
“One reason that Microsoft is going after Motorola is that if patent infringement is found it is easier to establish damages against a company that is selling a product than Google, which is giving the OS away for free,” says Robert Sloss, intellectual property partner at Farella Braun + Martel.
In April, Microsoft announced that it has inked a patent licensing deal with HTC that would allow HTC to continue using the Google-designed Android operating system in its phones while mitigating its risk should Microsoft aim any patent lawsuits at the OS.
Microsoft and HTC did not disclose specific details of the agreement, though the two companies have said HTC will pay Microsoft an undisclosed sum for the patent rights.
Patent battles among technology companies are routine. Oracle has filed a lawsuit against Google over the use of Java in Android, a claim that Google has vigorously disputed. Last year, Nokia sued Apple alleging patent infringement by Apple in connection with the iPhone. Meanwhile, Apple initiated a lawsuit against HTC over alleged infringement on iPhone related patents. In other words, its business as usual.
With the smartphone business becoming extremely competitive, the stakes are higher than ever.
In just two years, the Google-designed Android OS has become a major force in the mobile world. Android, which made its debut in 2008 on a HTC manufactured phone, has now been adopted by almost every device maker including Motorola, Samsung and LG. Android is now the most popular operating system among people who bought a smartphone in the past six months, according to August data from The Nielsen Company. BlackBerry and Apple iOS are in a statistical dead heat for the second place.
With the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS, Microsoft hopes to attract consumers. But until then, it is trying another strategy.
“The Microsoft innovations at issue in this case help make smartphones ’smart,’ Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel at Microsoft, wrote on the company blog.
Microsoft’s patents relate to features such as the ability to send and receive email, manage calendars and contacts. Microsoft claims it has also patented technologies that manage signal strength, battery power and memory in the device.
“The crux of the argument is that Microsoft is saying Android OS uses technology that has already been part of Microsoft software,” says Sloss.
Although the lawsuit has been filed, it is difficult to know right away how valid Microsoft’s claims are, says Sloss. Both Microsoft and Motorola are likely to go through an extensive process of discovery, which involves presenting documents to support their claims and they are likely to keep it under wraps.
“A lot of it probably won’t be public,” says Sloss. “It is standard to enter into protective order because the core of the patents and the products will be highly confidential.”
There is always the possibility that the two companies settle out of court, with Motorola going down the same road as HTC. In that case, Microsoft could gain “hundreds of millions of dollars” in royalties and further strengthen its patent claims.
“Damages calculations are very complex,” says Sloss. “There’s nothing in Microsoft’s complaint that says exactly how much it is looking for.
But if Microsoft and Motorola choose to settle, it is likely that Motorola may wind up paying a license fee for each Android handset it sells, similar to what HTC is doing.
For Microsoft that may not translate into rich profits but it will certainly add up to sweet revenge.
Photo: Motorola Backflip (Jon Snyder/Wired.com)
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on October 5, 2010
Motorola has a tangled history with hardcore Droid X fans as the company in the past has tried to crack down on attempts on to tweak the device. In its latest move, Motorola has sent cease-and-desist letters to websites that hosted a leaked version of the Android 2.2 Froyo update for the pohone.
The leaked files contain Motorola copyrighted software, says the letter sent to the My Droid World, which was one of the sites that hosted the update files. My Droid World says it has now removed the software from its servers.
Motorola introduced the Droid X as a large touchscreen Android phone with a focus on high-definition video and Flash compatibility. On July 15, the Droid X debuted exclusively on Verizon Wireless but it launched with Android 2.1 operating system instead of Android 2.2 Froyo. Motorola planned to offer over-the-air firmware updates to bring Froyo to the Droid X but some users tried to get a step ahead.
The Droid X has been mired in controversy since its launch. Motorola used a bootloader and chip combination that made it difficult for hackers to mod the phone and install custom versions of Android. The bootloader is the software component that loads the operating system in a gadget. Despite that, Android developers have been able to root the device.
For now, intrepid Droid X users have no choice but to wait for the official Froyo update to the Droid X, which is scheduled for early September.
Photo: Droid X (Stefan Armijo/Wired.com)
[via PCmag.com ]
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on August 23, 2010
Hardcore Android fans have been leery of the Motorola Droid X because of the chip and bootloader combination in the device that could potentially brick it if custom versions of the Android operating system are loaded on it.
But now, they are a step closer to doing just that. The Droid X forum has posted step-by-step directions for rooting the Droid X–the Android equivalent of jailbreaking a device to get complete control. Rooting the device also lets users get rid of bloatware on their phones and tweak some of the features that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.
The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a Verizon wireless contract) hit retail shelves on July 15. The phone has a 4.3-inch screen and a 1 GHz processor. It launched with Android 2.1 operating system. It is expected to get an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo in the summer.
But last week, Android geeks found that Motorola has made it difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. The Droid X’ processor includes a feature called “eFuse” that’s intended to make it easier to tweak the chip’s power and memory after it is shipped.
However, eFuse only allows the device to start up when Motorola’s software is installed, squashing hackers hopes that they can quickly get custom ROMs on the device.
Rooting the Droid X is the first step towards being able to port a custom ROM on the phone. So far, based on the feedback in the forums, the Droid X root seems to work well. It will be interesting to see how soon the Android community can break the eFuse lock and port a custom ROM on the Droid X.
Photo: Droid X (Stefan Armijo/Wired.com)
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 22, 2010
Motorola Droid X is hit among consumers, having sold out at most Verizon stores, but for some the phone’s display has been an issue.
Some Motorola’s Droid X phone users are experiencing flickering of their display, horizontal and vertical bands in it, and at times a blackout of the entire screen.
But those problems may be fixed soon, says Verizon.
Verizon has issued a statement to say only “a very small number” of users are facing the issue. And help for them is on the way.
“Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact a Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless,” a Verizon Wireless spokesperson told Engadget.
Motorola announced the Droid X on June 23 and the phone hit retail shelves on July 15. The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) has a 4.3-inch screen and a 1 GHz processor. The phone launched with Android 2.1 operating system, but is expected to get an upgrade to Android 2.2 Froyo in the summer.
Droid X’ debut though has left more than just users with display problems unhappy. Last week, Android geeks found that Motorola has made difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. Motorola has said that the chip combination will boot the phone only when software is installed, squishing hackers’ hopes that they can quickly get custom-ROMs on the device.
Meanwhile, check out this video of a Droid X user whose phone screen started flickering after the device was woken up from its sleep mode.
Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 21, 2010
Many Android fans are lining up to get Motorola’s latest phone, the Droid X, which hit retail shelves Thursday morning. But the phone has raised the hackles of some Android geeks.
Motorola has reportedly made it difficult for hackers to mod the Droid X by using a bootloader and chip combination that could potentially brick the phone if it is broken. The bootloader is the software component that loads the operating system in a gadget.
Some Android hackers say Motorola’s move has made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to load custom versions of Android on the Droid X.
“Motorola wants to keep people from modding their devices,” says Ryan Mills, an Android modder and blogger. “I don’t know if they are just afraid for security purposes, or they just want to stay proprietary.”
However, not everyone agrees that the Droid X will be un-hackable — and it’s impossible to confirm at this point, because almost no one has yet attempted the mod.
Motorola did not respond to a request for comment, while Verizon declined to comment.
The questions around the ability to hack the Droid X have stirred up a debate about how much a handset maker can control Android, which otherwise touts itself as an open source operating system. Android’s ability to be hacked and modded is one of the major draws of the OS.
Handset makers and wireless carriers decide which operating system can run on a phone and customers usually have no choice in the matter. In case of Android, hackers have created their own versions of the read-only memory, or ROM, on their cellphones, which holds the firmware. These custom ROMs can be loaded on an Android device to unlock features in a process known as “flashing.” That means devices that run the custom ROMs can boast features that the handset manufacturer or carrier may not have otherwise included. DIYers have gone so far as to buy phones running Windows Mobile OS and replace it with Android.
In case of the Droid X, the phone’s processor includes a feature invented by IBM called eFuse. eFuse, which is baked into the chips, gives manufacturers the ability to make changes to information on a chip that would otherwise be ‘hard coded.’ It also helps manage power and memory in the device.
p3Droid, a commenter on the MyDroidWorld forum speculates that the eFuse technology looks for information from the bootloader associated with the device. If it doesn’t get that, the eFuse trips the boot up process, leading to a potential bricking of the phone.
“The bootloader in the Droid X is signed with the recovery and the kernel for the device,” explains Steven Bird, who has created custom ROMs for other devices. ” If those don’t correspond it won’t work. It’s not any sort of self-destruct in there.”
The Droid X is not the only Motorola phone to have this technology, he says. Bird says that many of Motorola’s phones including the Droid, Droid X and Milestone all have chips that integrate the eFuse technology.
“HTC has a similar technology with the Incredible that made it very difficult to write custom ROMs for it,” says Bird. “It just means it takes longer to mod the device.”
But at this point, almost all of this talk around the Droid X is “conjecture,” says Steve Klondik, aka ‘Cyanogen,’ an Android hacker who runs the highly popular Cyanogen Mod community.
“From what I have gathered, no one has really tested anything to see if it is true,” he says. “One person who has tried to modify the bootloader says the system broke but we know nothing about how the mod was done and if it was done right.”
Klondik says the first step will be to root–the Android equivalent of jailbreaking–the device. From there, building custom ROMs for the Droid X may be difficult but it can be done, he says.
But it may not be enough to soothe modders like Mills. Mills and a few other Android developers are questioning if Motorola should be part of Android’s Open Handset Alliance if it doesn’t really want its phones to be toyed with.
Photo: Stefan Armijo/Wired.com
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 15, 2010
A patent holder on Friday announced it has sued Apple, Google and other major tech companies for allegedly infringing patents on wireless e-mail delivery.
NTP, a business that solely manages patents related to wireless e-mail technologies, said it was suing Apple, Google, HTC Corp, LG Electronics, Microsoft Corporation and Motorola, alleging that they were unfairly using NTP’s intellectual property.
“Use of NTP’s intellectual property without a license is just plain unfair to NTP and its licensees,” said Donald E. Stout, NTP’s co-founder, “Unfortunately, litigation is our only means of ensuring the inventor of the fundamental technology on which wireless email is based, Tom Campana, and NTP shareholders are recognized, and are fairly and reasonably compensated for their innovative work and investment. We took the necessary action to protect our intellectual property.”
NTP is known for taking similar action against Research in Motion over wireless e-mail technology. The two parties in 2006 reached a settlement in which RIM agreed to pay $612 million to NTP.
Though NTP claims it is protecting its intellectual property, it does not itself produce or offer any wireless e-mail software or services, meaning it does not practice its own patents. In addition to RIM, NTP has also fired legal shells at Palm, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. Some observers have labeled NTP a “patent troll.”
Photo: caribb/Flickr
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 9, 2010
Motorola’s Droid is the most popular phone among Android users, followed by HTC Hero, while Google’s Nexus One ranks tenth on the list, according to a monthly metrics report from mobile advertising firm AdMob. AdMob has ranked the top ten Android smartphones by market share.
The data is based on 12.7 million Android phones in the AdMob network in May. It’s also why the HTC Evo, released in the first week of June, is missing from the mix.
About 21 percent Android users have the Droid, while 16 percent users own the HTC Hero. Just 2 percent of Android phone users have Google’s Nexus One phone, says AdMob.
Motorola launched the Droid in November 2009 and made it available exclusively on Verizon Wireless. And despite the gaggle of Android phones launched every month, the Droid has been holding strong.
The only Android phone that could challenge the Droid’s position is the HTC Evo, which is available exclusively on Sprint. It will be interesting to see if the Evo can beat the Droid, though Sprint has a smaller marketing budget and fewer subscribers than Verizon.
Here’s a chart that shows the popularity of different Android smarpthones.
About 67 percent of Android users are in North America while China is the second largest market for Android with 13 percent of Android users coming from the country, says AdMob.
Combined HTC and Motorola have 83 percent share among Android devices. Since the Android OS debuted in 2008, the two companies have been on a roll, churning out phones faster than consumers can keep up with.
Last week, Motorola introduced its eleventh Android phone, the Droid X. It was also a big month for HTC, whose Evo phone is the first and only 4G device available currently.
Data: AdMob
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on July 2, 2010
Motorola’s Droid X is not out in retail stores yet but one phone enthusiast had taken a screwdriver to the device already.
Max Lee tore down the Droid X to expose its innards and show what’s inside the smartphone. It took Lee about 10 hours to figure out how to take the back cover off but he says it was well-worth the effort.
“You can easily disassemble and assemble the Droid X once you figure it out,” he says. “This should be good for consumers to replace parts if they happen to drop the phone.”
And you can see in the video, overall it’s a pretty easy process for those who may be inclined to do it. Just one tip from Lee: “It’s good to grow your fingernails before you do this. Makes it easy to take the things out.”
It’s also fascinating to watch the camera module pop off and all the components come apart like they are just pieces in an elaborate electronic jigsaw puzzle.
The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) will be available starting July 15 on Verizon Wireless network. The phone has a 1 GHz processor, a 4.3-inch touchscreen and a 8-megapixel camera.
Lee says once he took the phone apart, he found the bottom of the Droid X “has a lot of room to play.”
“Motorola could have made the phone a bit shorter but there would be something sticking out,” he says. “They probably did that for the overall design of the phone.”
Check out Lee’s teardown of the Droid X through step-by-step photos on his blog.
Photo: Droidx.net
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Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on June 25, 2010
Eight months after Motorola debuted its first Droid phone, the company has refreshed the device to include a bigger screen, a focus on high-definition video and Flash compatibility.
Motorola’s new Droid X phone is the successor to its original Droid smartphone introduced last October. The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year contract) will run Google’s latest Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and will include Adobe Flash Player 10.1. DROID X customers will the 2.2 and Flash updates wirelessly over-the-air in the latter half of the summer.
“It is pretty spectacular,” John Stratton, chief marketing officer of Verizon told attendees at the device’s launch. “When you have a screen and form factor like this — very thin and lightweight — it screams video.”
The new Droid X will have a 4.3-inch touchscreen (854 x 480 pixels resolution) — about the same size as the HTC EVO 4G and much bigger physically than the 3.5-inch display on the iPhone 4, which is 960 x 640 pixels.
The phone includes a Texas Instruments OMAP processor with 1-GHz processing ability, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory that’s expandable to 40 GB using a storage card.
It also has a 8-megapixel camera, a step up from the 5-megapixel one in the earlier version. The camera can capture 720p video content and offers HD playback via HDMI. What’s missing is the dual camera that’s now a part of the iPhone and HTC Evo.
The Droid X announcement comes a day before the public debut of the iPhone 4, although Apple’s phone is already in the hands of some lucky customers as well as a few carefully chosen reviewers.
The Droid X will be the star in Motorola’s portfolio. So far Motorola has launched a number of Android phones, including the Cliq on T-Mobile, Backflip on AT&T and Devour on Verizon. But its first Droid phone remains a best-seller. Meanwhile, Apple is charging ahead with its latest iPhone, which is gathering generally positive reviews(though AT&T’s network has been criticized). Many Apple users have already started receiving their pre-ordered iPhone 4.
Droid X is Motorola’s 11th Android smartphone. The phone will start shipping July 15 and will be available exclusively on Verizon’s network.
See below for a larger image.
Top photo: Droid X
Stefan Armijo/Wired.com
Photo: Verizon
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on June 23, 2010
The new Motorola Droid X phone, with its slim profile and striking display, doesn’t set a new standard in industrial design. But what it lacks in style, it makes up for with features, including an emphasis on high-definition video recording and playback.
The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) will run Googles latest Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and will include Adobe Flash Player 10.1, following an update “late summer.”
There’s one key difference between the Droid X and the original Droid: The Droid X doesn’t have a physical keyboard. Instead its 4.3-inch display makes it one of the biggest touchscreens available among smartphones today.
The Droid X’s screen is gorgeous and incredibly responsive to touch. The display has a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels compared to 800 x 480 pixels on the HTC Evo. Placed side-by-side, the Evo’s display seemed brighter and more vivid.
But the Droid X’s touchscreen is a treat. It’s extremely responsive without crossing over into the annoyingly sensitive territory.
Unlike the Evo, which has its four Android buttons (Home, Menu, Back and Search) sleekly integrated into the frame, the Droid X has four physical buttons at the bottom of the phone and it is jarring. The matte black finish of the phone gives it a dull appearance compared to the glossy shine of the Evo.
Source:wired.com
Posted under Gadget Reviews
This post was written by Journalist on June 23, 2010
