Motorola Reveals Android 4.0 ICS Update Schedule

Many of you have been waiting for Motorola to dish out information about its plans for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Today, the company updated its software upgrade news page, and well, the news is probably not going to be the news that many of you wanted to hear as the manufacturer has revealed extremely long wait times for some devices while not providing any sort of window at all for others.

The news comes just a few days after we wrote two scathing posts aimed at HTC and Motorola in regards to the lack of information in regards to the Android 4.0 update for the HTC ThunderBolt and Motorola Droid Bionic. As of right now, there is only one Motorola device on the list that has seen the Android 4.0 update and that’s the Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi edition which saw the update arrive a few weeks ago. The rest of the devices have vague release windows.

Going down the list of U.S. devices we see that the MOTOROLA XOOM Family Edition will see the update in Q2 while the Motorola Photon 4G, ATRIX 4G MB860, XYBOARD 8.2 and XYBOARD 10.1 will see the update arrive sometime in Q3 of this year. This means that the soonest those of you with those devices will see the update will be April.

As for the rest of Motorola’s devices like the Droid 4, Droid RAZR MAXX, Droid RAZR, and Droid Bionic, the company says that details will be following in the future. No elaboration, no information. The first option is to get frustrated and lash out at Motorola. (Remember, I’m only angry about the lack of information for the Droid Bionic. Motorola has explained why the update process is so slow and vague and it’s understandable.)

Motorola Droid RAZR Overview:

Motorola GLEAM+

The newly launched Motorola Gleam+ appears to be a combination of technology and style. This glamorous looking feature phone sports a clamshell design and will come dressed in two colors namely, silver and winter white.

The Gleam+ is a successor to the Motorola Gleam feature phone which had been fashioned with a similar clamshell design and was also announced exactly a year ago in February. It boasts of a compact and convenient form factor weighing 105g and a slim profile measuring 13.5mm. Snap-happy users can employ the integrated 2MP fixed focus main camera featuring digital zoom.

“The Motorola Gleam+ is as a stylish and easy to use as ever for the consumer who enjoys the simple things in life, without compromising on design and functionality. We designed this handset with a clear focus on delivering a great experience in a simple, sleek and stylish design,” commented Claudia Laepke, marketing director, Motorola Mobility Germany GmbH.

This fresh Motorola handset offers 50MB of internal storage space which can be expanded up to 16GB through the microSD card slot. Measuring 107mm x 52.5mm x 13.5mm, it comes equipped with a 2.8-inch WQVGA 400 x 240p 260K TFT display and is capable of lending support to various connectivity options such as Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and USB 2.0. Additionally, the feature phone is powered by a 750mAh battery which offers talk time and standby time of up to 4 hours 49 minutes and 417 hours 26 minutes, respectively. The Motorola Gleam+ price is tagged at €99 without a contract and inclusive of VAT. It is scheduled to be available in March via Telekom and other authorized retail stores.

Motorola Gleam Review:

Motorola considers targeting education and medical fields with rugged tablets

With an eye toward expanding the size of the tablet “pie”, Motorola Mobility is considering new tablets targeted at specific vertical markets, according to Christy Wyatt, Vice President and General Manager of Motorola Mobility’s Enterprise Business. While being quick to emphasize that their current tablet lineup – including the recently launched Xyboard tablets and their original Xoom tablet – are well suited for a range of enterprise uses, Wyatt said MMI was considering whether different sizes, aspect ratios, or durability needs could better serve those markets.

One example provided was education, where a smaller tablet than the 10.1 and 8.1 inch models they currently offer might fit better in some uses. Durability could be a key factor for educational professionals as well, although it was in reference to medical needs that it was pointed out that water-proofing, or at least water-resistance, was needed for sanitation reasons.

In the short term Wyatt said MMI is focusing on making their Android tablets more enterprise friendly in general, by increasing the security of their devices, making them easier to manage and provision for IT departments, and generally bringing down the cost of ownership for businesses that choose to deploy Motorola’s products. Unless Google leads the company in a different direction after the acquisition closes – something they’ve indicated they won’t do – we can expect to see Motorola branch out into some specialty markets with their Android devices in the coming years.

Targeting the Education Market with Motorola Solutions:

Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX For Verizon Gets Official

The Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx had been nothing more than a unicorn that was supposedly headed to Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Turns out, this unicorn is actually a very real smartphone with the Maxx in its name standing for the phone’s extensive battery life.

Verizon is saying that the phone will allow consumers to talk for 21 straight hours on a single charge. That’s pretty darn impressive. Also impressive is the fact that the phone checks in at a mere 8.9mm in thickness. That’s a little bit thicker than the original Droid RAZR which sports a 7.1mm design. Other than those little tidbits, the Droid RAZR Maxx will feature 32GB of on-board storage space and the familiar $299.99 price tag that Verizon tacks onto its 4G LTE smartphones.

Just think Droid RAZR with better battery life and a little thicker of a shell and that’s the Droid RAZR Maxx. Big Red also announced that it will be carrying a purple edition of the original Droid RAZR which will be headed to the carrier’s 4G LTE network for a cheaper, $199 with a new two-year agreement. Neither device was given a specific release date, only a vague “coming weeks,” and both will feature Android Gingerbread out of the box but will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the future.

Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX hands-on:

Motorola Droid 4 Coming December 22nd?

So the Motorola DROID 4 isn't coming today like some previous rumors had speculated it would. Disappointing, right? That doesn't mean that today is going to be a D4-free day, though! A new set of renders showing off the slider has surfaced today, giving us a look at the DROID 4 from just about every angle imaginable. Up above you can see the face of the D4, complete with DROID RAZR-like angled corners, and down below is its face and QWERTY keyboard.

There may not be a ton of details in these photos that we haven't seen in previous DROID 4 leaks, but now that the phone won't be coming until February, we'll have to take whatever little morsels that we can get our hands on.

Other specifications include a front facing HD video camera, plus a rear facing 8 megapixel camera which can record full HD video in 1080p, plus a slide out QWERTY keyboard. Of course this hasn’t been officially confirmed by Verizon as yet, so we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if the Droid 4 will launch.

More information's:
Motorola Droid 4 Coming December 22nd

Motorola Droid 4- Brief First Look:

Motorola Droid 4 Turns Up On Verizon Site

It’s becoming quite clear that Verizon is gearing up to announce the Motorola Droid 4 and today’s evidence comes in the form of the device making a quick appearance on Verizon’s Droid Does website. Remember, we have heard that Verizon is going to be launching this bad boy on December 22nd which isn’t too far-fetched considering the timing of previous smartphone announcements.

Verizon often announces phones just a day before they are released so it’s certainly possible that we’ll see an announcement from the carrier, in regards to the Droid 4, at some point tomorrow. The screenshot of what is alleged to be the Droid 4′s promo page doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know. The Droid 4 is no secret.

It’s going to be a 4G LTE device with a full, illuminated slide-out QWERTY keyboard and it’s going to be running an older version than the current Android software in Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. It’s also said to include other features like a 4-inch qHD display with Gorilla Glass, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor – an upgrade over the Droid 3′s processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera, a front-facing camera, and a 1785mAh battery. The form factor is going to be quite similar to the previous Droid which Verizon surprisingly released back in July with mere 3G speeds. As for pricing, we’re still unsure but if Verizon goes down a similar road to the Galaxy Nexus and other 4G LTE smartphones, we may see the Droid 4 initially offered for $299 on a new two-year contract.

Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) - HQ:

White Droid RAZR Lands On Verizon

Last month’s rumors of an all white Motorola Droid RAZR have proved accurate. Motorola tucked the device announcement into the tail-end of today’s Motorola Droid Xyboard 8.2 and 10.1 press release. The white Motorola Droid RAZR lands on Verizon Wireless “this month” for $299.99 with a new 2-year service agreement. As usual, you’ll be required to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk Plan ($39.99 and up) and a smartphone data plan ($30 for 2GB).

Feature-wise, the white Droid RAZR packs the same specs as the current version. The white Droid RAZR features a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a qHD resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, processing is provided by a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and there is also 1GB of RAM.

The Motorola Droid RAZR features two cameras, up front there is a 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat, on the back there is an 8 megapixel camera which can record full HD video in 1080p, it comes with 32GB of storage, 16GB built in and a 16GB microSD card.

More information's:
http://www.slashgear.com/droid-razr-in-white-comes-tomorrow-can-you-guess-why-14202222/

Motorola DROID XYBOARD branding confirmed, a pair of LTE tablets launching on Verizon by year's end

The Motorola XOOM 2 and its little brother, the XOOM 2 Media Edition, will both carry the DROID XYBOARD branding when they launch on Verizon. Furthermore, both tablets will be equipped with LTE radios and will be out in the U.S. before the year's end, as the carrier stated.

The Motorola XOOM 2 is a 10.1-inch tablet that was unveiled in the U.K. about a month ago, along with the 8.2-inch XOOM 2 Media Edition. Both of them run Honeycomb and are thinner than the original Motorola XOOM. In terms of hardware, the tablets are pretty similar as they are both powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor backed up by a gig of RAM and have a pair of cameras – a 5-megapixel one on the back and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter.

However, while the 10.1-inch XYBOARD will come with a stylus and will be targeting business customers, its 8.2-inch counterpart will be more of a media-centric device as it comes with virtual surround sound and... a subwoofer. When it comes to accessories, a keyboard and cover combo is in stock for the 10.1-inch tablet, and a docking station will be offered for the 8.2-inch model. Bear in mind, that neither Motorola nor Verizon provided a full list of the XYBOARD tablets' tech specs, so their hardware might still vary from that of their European variants. Their price was not disclosed either, but if the rumors are to be trusted, $529 is what the 10.1-inch model will cost.

More information's:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57334945-94/verizon-wireless-prepping-two-4g-droid-tablets-for-this-month/

Xoom 2 (Xyboard) Unboxing & 1st Look:

Motorola Xoom Feature, Pros And Cons

Thе tablet PC іѕ аn іnсrеԁіbƖе mix collectively οf Motorola’s sleek design facial appearance аnԁ thе value οf Android. Wе wіƖƖ now pocket a look аt thе complete functioning οf thе Motorola Xoom, yeah thаt’s thе name, аnԁ produce users аn appreciative review οf whаt іѕ skilled аnԁ whаt іѕ nοt іn thіѕ vicinity thе tab.

Water supply, including Apple came up including a fastidious perception οf releasing tablet PCs аnԁ eventually ԁіԁ еnԁ up dependability ѕο, each additional mobile phone manufacturer іn thе planet initiation a slaughter fοr releasing tablet PCs thаt hаԁ thеіr benchmarks аѕ thе iPad аnԁ thе iPad 2. It іѕ tο bе unbendable thаt thе iPad аnԁ thе iPad 2 bе inflicted including approximately severe flaws such аѕ thе camera аnԁ thе bе deficient іn οf a memory ticket slot, аnԁ hence іt gives way fοr competition аnԁ subsequently, best tablets. Motorola сουƖԁ nοt resist releasing a tablet PC аnԁ ѕο іt ԁіԁ, іn Mау 2011.

Pros:
Fοr starters, thе cover іѕ really skilled. Of way, Motorola Xoom іѕ nοt AMOLED οr Super AMOLED bυt іt іѕ a arresting TFT capacitive touchscreen fizzy including 16 million road sign bearing a pledge οf 800 x 1280 pixels. It hаѕ a multi іn tears participation manner, аn accelerometer feeler fοr UI auto rotate аnԁ a gyroscope аnԁ handbook sensors fοr innumerable applications аƖƖ owing tο thе way οf υѕе οf thе phone.

Thе memory information аrе mentality-blowing, аnԁ thаt wουƖԁ οnƖу bе аn understatement. Including a gargantuan 16/32/64 GB domestic memory slot аnԁ a 32GB microSD fissure fοr additional opportunity οf thе bу now humongous memory slot, thе phone offers one οf thе mοѕt refined memory facial appearance οf thе day. In diplomacy tο supplement qυісkеr data transfer desires, a 1GB RAM іѕ en suite οn tο thе phones.

Thе Motorola Xoom camera іѕ a really clad 5MP handgun whісh саn spurt crystal apparent cinema аt a pledge οf 2592 x 1944 pixels аnԁ hаѕ facial appearance such аѕ autofocus, dual-LED flash, geo-cataloging, etc. Record саn bе recorded аt 720p feature аt 30fps аnԁ here іѕ a lesser camera οf 2MP pledge.

Fοr thе ignorant, іt іѕ thе initially tablet tο ship including thе tablet-optimized Android v3.0 (Honeycomb), аnԁ wе Ɩіkе іt! It hаѕ a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core processor, fіnіѕhеԁ again one οf a rank tablet tο bе inflicted including іt!

Cons:
Yes, thе chief flaw οf thе fаntаѕtіс tablet аѕ уου саn comprehend іѕ thе manifest nothingness οf a 2G/3G gift. Moto even іf hаѕ owing tο up fοr thе blunder bу announcing a additional translation οf thе same tablet bυt including 3G enabled. Aѕ саn bе understood, GPRS, EDGE, etc. аrе аƖƖ absent аnԁ wе fail tο attend thеѕе guys ѕο greatly. Wi-Fi іѕ enabled alright bυt wе саnnοt rυn including a router аnԁ a wireless hotspot including υѕ аƖƖ thе calculate wе aspire tο top thе net.

Even іf wе іn detail Ɩονеԁ thе camera fοr whаt іt іѕ, wе сουƖԁ nοt discern thе wits fοr inculcating such a fаntаѕtіс camera іn a tablet οf аƖƖ cleverness. Water supply, іt’s nοt bе fond οf уου аrе inane tο pocket out thіѕ enormous contrivance each calculate уου aspire tο capture a memory. Water supply, thаt ѕаіԁ, wе austerely сουƖԁ nοt learn аnу extra flaws.

More information's:
http://vstoreview.com/category/motorola/

Motorola Xoom Feature, Pros And Cons:

“Indestructible” Motorola Defy ad defied by the ASA

Motorola has been handed another setback by the British Advertising Standards Agency. The victims this time were two ads promoting the Motorola Defy as “life proof”. The ads showed the phone dropped on floors, in pools, and generally abused during raucous night-life scenarios. Accompanying the ads were motion graphics announcing that the phone was “dance floor proof” and “pool party proof”.

Motorola also claimed that the phones were tested extensively, with phones dropped from a variety of heights onto a wide range of services. The Defy was put through an accelerated life testing program, with individual Defy units dropped as many as 25 times. During the testing phase Motorola advises that about 1.5% of the time the screen was damaged during a fall.

The ASA found that in general the ad would be viewed as advertising a phone that was damage-resistant rather than break-proof. They still asked for the ads to be pulled and revised, however, due to the specific height from which the phonies shown dropping in the ads. They said that Motorola did not provide specific evidence that the handset could regularly survive falls of the height depicted, and that in fact the data sent to the ASA showed that damage was a likely occurrence to the screen when dropped from a similar height.

More information's:
http://www.asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudications/2011/11/Motorola-Mobility-UK-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_157961.aspx

MOTOROLA DEFY™. It's life proof. Official TV Commercial. Directed by Carl Erik Rinsch:

MOTOROLA DEFY INDESTRUCTIBLE: