Droid

Verizon Wireless began to roll out updates today for a slew of its devices. Motorola’s Droid RAZR, RAZR Maxx, and XOOM LTE users are witnessing a mass update to version 6.12.73 that includes improved data stability on hotspot, V CAST app preloaded, and more. Both versions of Motorola’s XYBOARD tablet are also experiencing an update today. The update “1.6.0M_279” is almost the same, except for a stylus improvements that affect the 10.1 version. Like always, if you are not seeing the update, simply go to “Settings>About phone>System” to push them through.

Official release notes are available after the break (via Droid Life):

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The answer to the question of “what would happen if you slapped a keyboard on the back of a Droid Razor” just showed up for a brief moment on Verizon’s DroidDoes website.  The Droid 4 “only” has a 4-inch screen compared to the RAZR’s 4.3″ but pretty much everything else lines up the same.  Perhaps more importantly, yes, that is a 5 row keyboard (4 rows is for suckers) and of course the speedy LTE comes along too. DOES below.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7ridjtcza7E]
Motorola Ad

I’ve been enamored with the Droid RAZR since the unveiling event last month.  It is everything about the “anti-iPhone” Droid message multiplied by 100.  From the excellent commercials to the handsome styling to the robot-y motif.  Where Samsung and to a lesser extent HTC make efforts to assimilate to the smartphone (read: iPhone) norms, Motorola’s Droids try to differentiate.

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On hardware alone, this is probably my favorite Android device so far.  It is incredibly thin but also much more sturdy than the typical Galaxy handset.  Somehow, however, it manages to be just as light.  Compared to HTC’s latest offerings (including the monstrous Beats Rezound that I am also testing now – see pictures) and frankly Motorola’s previous Droid Bionic, Droid X, this thing is in a totally different class.

Droid Bionic (right) is thicker at its thinnest point than the RAZR at its thickest

And about that Bionic.  Pity the people who bought that device in the previous months knowing that Amazon sells the Droid RAZR for $111 on launch with $100 gift card for tethering.  Effectively, that is the best Android phone you can have for $11…
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It’s Droid Razr launch day today and in addition to a price tag of $111.11 ($11?) for today only on Amazon, Motorola also gave us a look into the engineering behind the device’s 0.28 inch “impossibly thin” design, and now Verizon is hitting the streets to hand out free Droid Razrs to probably the last remaining original Razr owners. You can check out our full review of the Motorla Droid Razr here.

Yesterday Verizon launched their ‘Payload’ commercial for the Razr where they continued with their typically masculine ad style in an ad appearing more like a Hollywood action movie trailer than the usual iPhone commercial clone.

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Curious about some of the details in why Google switched to their new Roboto type face in Ice Cream Sandwich? Matias Duarte, Android director, took to Google+ this evening to explain it in great detail. Switching from Droid type face to Roboto type face was mainly due in part to the higher pixel density screens, Matias explained. As screens get bigger, and more pixel dense, certain font schemes can lose their luster.

The other big part of the new type face was also due in part to the design strides Google is trying to make with Ice Cream Sandwich. You’ll notice in screenshots that fonts are much more crisp and tie in better with the rest of the UI.

The Android team is devoting themselves to continue working on the font, and the overall UI. We can’t wait to check it when we get our hands on the Nexus Prime in a few weeks.

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As is usually the case, the next Droid leaks have started months before any product is released. Droid Life got their hands on a whole gallery of images of the new Droid 4 and it looks incredibly impressive. So impressive that those Droid 3s now selling in stores are looking like a waste of time and money. The Specs:

• (smaller than RAZR )4″ screen (assuming Super AMOLED Advanced)
• Full 5-row “illuminated” keyboard
• RAZR styling
• 4G LTE
• Non-removable battery
• Android 2.3.5
• 1080p video recording (assuming 8MP)
• Front camera
• HDMI out
• MotoACTV syncing

If you like your physical Keyboards, your Verizon and Motorola bloatware (already loaded so coming soon) then you may want to keep your ear to the ground.  Head over to Droid Life for a full gallery

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Just getting my barrings after a crazy day yesterday…and have to say that of the Ice Cream Sandwich and Nexus announcements, I was most blown away by the Motorola Droid RAZR.  Well the hardware anyway – we didn’t get to spend any time with the Software which is Android 2.3.5 with Motorola and Verizon Droid overlays.  All I can say about that is it is typical for the Droid line as far as I can see.  But let’s talk hardware really quick, shall we?

I’m going to say it: On hardware alone, this is the most impressive piece of mobile device equipment I’ve ever seen.  It is both impossibly thin and feels incredibly solid.  As you can see in the video above, when someone picks it up, there is a gasp.  It’s like picking up a material so light and strong (titanium?) with such a vibrant display that you can’t reconcile it with your past smartphone experiences.  Sure Samsung makes devices similar in size and weight, but they are plastic.  This is a super-light metal phone that doesn’t bend and whose back cover doesn’t fall off.

People will point out the bump at the top as making it thick – but even the bump is thinner than most smartphones (see below) and it is “so big” because it needs to house an LTE antenna and a 8-megapixel backlit CCD camera with advanced lens technology.

The display is also the best I’ve ever seen perhaps save for the tablet-phone tweener 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note.  At a more pocket manageable 4.3-inch qHD 960×540 pixels Super AMOLED, it has amazing 180 degree viewing angles and looks incredible (the video above doesn’t do it justice).  I’m not sure how it will do outside but the presentation room had all kinds of lights which would have put a damper on early OLEd screens like the original Droid.  When compared to the Motorola Droid Bionic’s 4.3 inch display, it isn’t even close.  This looks like the highest end Samsung display.

For all of its thin-ness, Motorola still touts it as having a much better batter life than its competitors on LTE.

Again, based on hardware alone – I’ve yet to use it  – this is the best phone I’ve ever seen.  It goes on pre-order at the end of the month and hits stores some time in November (hopefully before Black Friday).  If Motorola has production delays like it did with the now obsolete Bionic, it will have missed a pretty significant opening.  If it delivers the product on time and without any glitches in the software, this will be its most significant phone since the original Droid, which put Android on the map two years ago.

Related articles

• Live from Motorola Droid RAZR/ MotoACTV event (9to5google.com)
• Motorola unveils the 4.3-inch Droid RAZR on Verizon (9to5google.com)

Droid Life has discovered the above image in Motorola’s teaser site we told you about this morning. The above image confirms what we already know: a thin, 4G enabled device, that features a kevlar coating and a relatively large screen. For now gaze on this picture in awe, but tomorrow Motorola and Verizon will ease our waiting by officially announcing this device.

That didn’t take long… The Droid Bionic, which just launched today for $299 on a new two-year Verizon contract, is already discounted $100 on Amazon to just $199. The Verizon online store still lists the device at the original launch price, however.

The 4G LTE capable Droid Bionic has been perhaps the most talked about Android device launched in recent months and at $199 is definitely an even bigger competitor. If you’re still having second thoughts, you can check out our review roundup here.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdM0w5Fee40&feature=player_embedded]

Joshua Topolsky of This is my next

Verizon Wireless officially announced the long-awaited Droid Bionic to be released tomorrow, and we are very excited to a look at the reviews that along with the announcement. The general consensus is that the Droid Bionic is a winner, if you’re looking to take advantage of Verizon’s badass 4G network and shell out the $299. We’ll add more reviews as they come in.

Joshua Topolsky / This is my next

This is not the killer handset that I think a lot of people were expecting it to be — it’s a good phone on a great network that will keep you satisfied… for now. As usual with Android phones, there always seems to be something else just around the bend, and you’ve got to figure out if you’re going to take the next exit, or keep on trucking. Let’s just say that the Droid Bionic isn’t a bad place to pull off and grab a cup of coffee.

Continue after the break:

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We already expected Ice Cream Sandwhich, Google’s forthcoming overhaul of Android, to land sometime in the fall thanks to rumors of the Droid Prime landing on Verizon in October. However, a October/November release has now been officially confirmed by Eric Schmidt himself during the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco (video above).

“We have a new operating system, internally known as Ice Cream Sandwich for some reason, which is being released in October/November, which everyone’s really excited about.”

It’s also possible that the rumored Nexus Prime could be landing sometime in or shortly after that timeframe as well. As Android and Me points out, it might even land on Google TV in lieu of a public Honeycomb refresh.

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Motorola and Verizon just issued a joint press release announcing the availability of the much talked about Droid Bionic. Looks like the wait is over, as of tomorrow (September 8th) the 4.3-inch 4G LTE smartphone will be available in brick and mortar Verizon retail stores or online for $299.99 on a new two-year contract.

The Droid Bionic will run Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and pack in a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8-megapixel backside (1080p HD video capture), an unspecified front-facing camera, and 32 GB memory (16 GB on board and 16 GB microSD).

Early reviews seem positive, but we’ll have to wait to get our hands on it to see if it lives up to the price point. Full press release after the break, if you’re interested.

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The Lapdock that sells alongside the Motorola Atrix hasn’t seen much success — due to high pricing. With the upcoming release of the Droid Bionic, we were wondering if the new LTE device would be seeing any of these accessories. In a new report from Droid Life today, the Droid Bionic will be seeing the Lapdock and HD Station that the Atrix saw, but will feature a new accessory called the Webtop.

The Webtop is a cheaper version to the Lapdock, allowing you to plug the adapter into the Bionic’s HDMI and micro USB port, and then run a HDMI cable from it to a TV or monitor. It will also charge while on the adapter.The similarities to Lapdock will definitely make it easy for users to transition to the new peripheral.There’s also no word on pricing.We look forward to this new accessory, but first we’d like the phone — Motorola!

Over the weekend, many outlets reported that the Droid Bionic Twitter account tweeted the official Droid Bionic release date was September 8th. Sadly, PC Mag has confirmed with both Motorola and Verizon that the account is a hoax. That’s not to say the Bionic launch date still couldn’t be September 8th, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Motorola has also taken down the official Store listing that they made Saturday. The store listing didn’t provide anymore details on the device specifically. The listing did however give us a glimpse at a few more press shots — which you can find after the break.

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The Droid Bionic you have all been waiting for has just made its official debut on the Motorola Store. The Store posting doesn’t say much. In fact, there aren’t any specs or details, but we’re assuming those are coming shortly. And of course, you can’t purchase the device quite yet.

Luckily, a few more press shots were provided with the official posting. Upon our first look we’ve noticed the device is still looking pretty thick. We can’t make any official judgements quite yet, but look out for early September. (via Android Central)

Check out a few more press shots after the break:

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As the launch of the Motorola Droid Bionic comes closer, more and more information regarding the device is leaking — almost daily. Today’s leak is the Droid Bionic’s teaser, and boy is this quite a production. Besides the great theatrical entertainment, it confirms a September drop. Boy this must have been expensive — enjoy! For those of you who didn’t see, check out the Bionic’s boot sequence after the break. (via Droid Life)

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TechnoBuffalo has received exclusive photos of the Tips and Tricks manual that will be paired with the Droid Bionic when it lands in the coming weeks, and it shows us a few new things. The Bionic was rumored to have a 4.5-inch screen, but today’s report from TechnoBuffalo lists the device as having a 4.3-inch — only a subtle change..

Other things to note is that the Bionic will feature Atrix like connectivity, with the ability to be paired to a computer with an optional dock. This feature will give the Bionic features like wireless printing and a Firefox browser on the laptop. The device will also feature a bedside mode alarm clock feature and HDMI-out. The free Zumocast app will also stream media from your computer.

The manual also reveals the device will pack an 8-megapixel shooter with LED Flash and 1080p recording capabilities. To go with the great picture quality, the Bionic will feature three microphones around various parts of the device.

We’re hearing September 8th as the launch date, but in the mean time check out another photo after the break.

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We know the Droid Bionic has a big battery, unfortunately, the images that had previously surfaced didn’t give us a good view of the device’s profile, which we now know appears to be rather thick (to put it nicely). These new images from GottaBeMobile give us a whole new perspective.

Yesterday FCC filings for the Motorola Droid Bionic started popping up and confirmed it would be a 4G LTE capable device sporting a 4.3 inch qHD display, 1GHz dual core TI Omap processor, a front-facing VGA camera, and an 8 megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video recording. Judging by the image below, it should have good battery life too.

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A bunch of Droid 3 reviews hit the web today, and most conclude that the Droid 3 isn’t looking too hot. The Droid 3 is Motorola’s second iteration of the original Droid, which some might say is the reason Android is where it is today. The Droid 3 is available on Verizon Wireless, packing a 1 GHz dual-core processor, QWERTY keyboard, 8-megapixel shooter, 4-inch display, and Android 2.3. You can snag the Droid 3 for just a mere $60 (plus activation). So what’s the verdict?

Engadget:

The Droid 3, with its top-notch keyboard and high-end specs (save for its 3G radio), is a phone we wouldn’t mind using on a regular basis, but we’re sensing something grander lurking just beyond the horizon.

Jonathan Geller of BGR:

Motorola DROID 3 review spoiler: this phone is the biggest piece of shit

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We certainly knew Motorola’s Droid Bionic was on its way to Verizon, but a price was uncertain until now. Android Central has found Verizon’s unreleased Droid Does product page for the Bionic that shows the 4G device at $299 on a two year contract. Ouch!  Still no release date, but we’re shooting for early August. Make sure to check out the specs after the break.

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