We recently told you that the Motorola DROID RAZR is being introduced in some new colors like purple and white to go along with the original black model. So it would only make sense that if the DROID RAZR would be getting some new options in terms of color, the Motorola RAZR would too. After all, the two devices are practically the same except that the latter is the GSM variant of the phone and can be found overseas.
Beginning today, a version of the Motorola RAZR in white can be pre-ordered from U.K. retailer Clove for 430.80GBP after VAT. That works out to approximately $663.82USD. Clove is throwing in a free set of Motorola MOTOROKR EQ3 wired compact folding speakers, with a value of 20GBP, with every Motorola RAZR order.
In case the specs have slipped your mind, the Motorola RAZR offers a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED advanced qHD display with a TI OMAP 4430 dual-core 1.2GHz processor under the hood. and 1GB of RAM is aboard. Android 2.3.5 is installed. The 8MP camera on back captures video at 1080p (30 fps) while the 1.3MP front-facing shooter takes self portraits and allows you to video chat. Just 7.1mm thin, the Motorola RAZR uses a 1780mAh battery. Of course, there is no LTE radio on this model and the back shows off that sexy Kevlar material. The unit has been treated with a coating that makes it resistant to light contact with water.
Motorola Mobility increased smartphone sales to narrow its third-quarter loss, proving it's still in the mobile game as it waits for finalization of its sale to Google.
Motorola's sales of Atrix, Droid 3 and other smartphones increased more than nine percent in the third quarter, giving the company a boost as it waits for Google to purchase it at $12.5 billion. The search leader's acquisition of Motorola is undergoing review by the U.S. Justice Department and is scheduled for a shareholder vote in mid-November, but is expected to close early next year.
The pending deal has raised concerns about competition among other handset makers using Google's Android OS to power their top-selling smartphones. HTC, which forged its reputation building Android phones, recently shifted some focus to Windows models, releasing its first two Mango smartphones last month. Samsung, which also profited greatly from Android devices, is reportedly ramping up development on its own smartphone platform, Bada OS.
HTC and Samsung initially welcomed the acquisition, reasoning it may protect Android against patent-infringement lawsuits and strengthen the platform's competitive power against Apple's iOS. But recent efforts to diversify smartphone offerings indicate HTC and others also plan to be well-armed against Motorola in case it gains an advantage upon becoming part of Google.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt has assured Motorola's competitors it won't do anything to "screw up the dynamics" of the cell phone industry, saying the company will use the enhanced patent portfolio it gains through the acquisition to preserve the Android ecosystem.
For its part, Motorola weathered some rough patches this year. The company's entry into the iPad-dominated tablet market with the Xoom was not successful and it posted a quarterly loss of $32 million from its tablet push.
The company lately put itself back in the news by unveiling several smartphones. Motorola's Droid Bionic hit the market last month after long delays, and a new version of its popular Razr, called the Spyder, is expected to be out in time for holiday shopping, indicating last quarter's bump in smartphone sales may be just the beginning of a turnaround for Motorola.
It appears as though Motorola doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice as a screenshot of the Verizon inventory system shows the unannounced XOOM 2 tablet with 4G LTE connectivity built-in and internal memory capacities up to 64GB.
The original Motorola XOOM only had access to Verizon’s 3G network and was sold with the promise that users could send it in to Motorola in the future to upgrade the device. This hardware upgrade was to make it compatible with LTE. However it took much longer than many owners would’ve liked. When the LTE upgrade was finally made available, the XOOM was already heading towards obsolete status.
Shipping the original XOOM without LTE out of the box was a mistake. However, hindsight is always 20/20. At least it seems as though Motorola will not be making the same mistake with the XOOM 2. The screenshot taken from the Verizon inventory system shows a few different models of the
XOOM 2. The one bearing the model number MZ617 is the 10.1-inch version while the MZ609 could be the smaller XOOM 2 Media Edition. Each one will have 16GB and 32GB variations while the larger XOOM 2 will have a 64GB model.
Hopefully the Motorola XOOM 2 won’t be under wraps for too much longer. There is likely a big wave of second-generation Android tablets and this device will most certainly be part of it. Check out the screenshot and tell us what you think.
It's one of the more annoying aspects of the Android ecosystem, but one we must live with. Even if a device is less than a year old, we don't feel comfortable that it will get the newest update unless the manufacturer explicitly says so. Recently, HTC has confirmed that it will bring ICS to "as many" devices as possible, but that isn't much solace. On the other hand, Motorola has confirmed the update will come to the Bionic and RAZR at the very least. Now, it's looking more likely the XOOM will get the update, but we can't say when.
A source from the Motorola support message boards, which Engadget claims is a very reliable source, has confirmed that the Motorola XOOM will be getting the ICS update, but there is no available timetable for the update. We would hope that a software update would be faster than the ridiculously delayed LTE upgrades that Motorola promised for the XOOM, because the tablet was designed in tandem with Google, and doesn't have any extra skin like the TouchWiz UI on Samsung's Galaxy Tab line. The XOOM was relatively quick to get the updates for Android 3.1 and 3.2, so we're hoping that trend can continue with Android 4.0.
Announcements that fairly new Android devices are getting the update to Ice Cream Sandwich shouldn't be surprising, but they definitely give a sense of relief to owners of those devices. And, with the new terms of guaranteed updates within 18 months just recently kicking in for members of the Open Handset Alliance, we're hoping that means we won't have to always look out for these news stories.
AT&T and Best Buy are each launching a Motorola device on Sunday. For AT&T, it is the Motorola ATRIX 2 that is being released for $99 with a signed 2-year contract. The sequel model to the "world's most powerful smartphone" features a larger 4.3 inch qHD display, bigger than the 4 inch screen on the original handset. A dual-core 1GHz processor is under the hood along with 1GB of RAM. An 8MP camera on back, a upgrade from the 5MP camera on the first-gen unit, captures video at 1080p while a front-facing shooter lets you take self-portraits and engage in video chat. 8GB of internal storage can be boosted to as much as 40GB by using a microSD card. Android 2.3 is pre-installed on the phone.
The Motorola XOOM Family Edition is being released by Best Buy today for $379. Basically the same model as the original Motorola XOOM tablet, the Family Edition gets its name from a number of pre-loaded treats that the kids (or the kid in you) can use such as Zoodles, Asphalt 6 and SIM City Deluxe. Quickoffice is pre-loaded for the working adults in the house. The Motorola XOOM Family Edition offers the same 10.1 inch screen with 1280 x800 resolution, 16GB of native storage, 1GB of RAM and runs on Android Honeycomb 3.1. Under the hood you will find the same dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor than runs the original model.
If the NFL action is boring you today and you have some money burning a hole in your pocket, you might want to check out the Motorola ATRIX 2 at AT&T or the Family Edition of the Motorola XOOM at Best Buy, both being released today.
The new Motorola Atrix 2 is now available from mobile carrier AT&T in the US, and it is available for $99.99 when you sign up to a new two year contact with AT&T and it comes with a 4.3 inch qHD multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels.
The Motorola Atrix 2 also come with a dual core 1GHz processor, and it plus 8GB of built in storage plus a micoSD card slot that can take up to 32GB microSD cards. Other specifications on the Atrix 2 include an 8 megapixel camera which can record full HD video in 1080p, and it come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
So, what is "Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger"? On October 18th, Motorola is going to let us know, as we reported. Most presume that the announcement has to do with the Motorola DROID RAZR. Besides already teasing us with a video that shows a razor blade, the Motorola Mobility web site now has a countdown timer. As the days, hours, minutes and seconds tick away, you can also register with your email address and cell phone number to receive more information on the soon-to-be-introduced phone as soon as it becomes available.
Besides showing that razor blade on the teaser video (which can also be viewed again at the web site), the first thing that you see is a bullet which does have some meaning for the DROID RAZR. The device is expected to launch with a Kevlar coating on the phone to keep out splashed water. Kevlar is also the material used to make bullet-proof vests. Images showing the design of the Kevlar coated back of the phone can also be seen later on in the video.
The device has had a few aliases including the Motorola DROID HD, the Motorola Spyder and the Motorola DROID RAZR. No matter which moniker the phone finally is given, it will be up against some tough competition with the Google Nexus Prime (or Google Galaxy Nexus) and the HTC Rezound both bringing some high-end Android specs to Verizon along with this Motorola device. Ironically, the same date as the Motorola announcement, Google and Samsung are scheduled to introduce Ice Cream Sandwich and the Google Nexus Prime which will be the first Android device to be powered by the newest Android build. Tuesday promises to be a big day for Verizon customers and Android fans.
If you are one of the Android faithful over in the good old US of A and pondering on whether to snap up the successor to the Motorola Atrix, aptly named the Motorola Atrix 2, perhaps a nice review with the Android smartphone may help you come to a decision, so here we go:
It carries over the same 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor that runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The highlights here are the larger display, the faster network capabilities, and an improved camera. It has a PenTile qHD (960×540) display, just like its older sibling, but it balloons up from four inches to 4.3?.
The shooter gets upgraded to 8MP (up from 5MP), with LED flash, front facing camera, 1080p HD video.
It now supports theoretical 21Mbps downloads on AT&T’s HSPA+ network (the original only managed 14.4Mbps) other features are 8GB memory, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI, DNLA, 3.5mm jack.
While the Atrix 2 doesn’t really offer anything that these other beasts don’t already bring to the table, it does take what the original brought to the table, improves on that formula, and brings it more up to “late 2011? specs
