What we have here is the home launcher for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich that Motorola will be using with their upcoming 4.0 ICS powered smartphones. It might not be in the final stages but it appears close and seems to work great. We saw a few builds leak last week and the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the DROID RAZR and MAXX could come as soon as this week according to recent rumors.

If you want to see what Motorola has done to change the look of Ice Cream Sandwich and if it’s worth upgrading to, or just wanna give a different look to your phone for a few days this would be a good start. It will only work with Android 4.0 devices, including those running custom ROM’s and you’ll need to be rooted as well.

The changes they’ve made over the stock version of Android include 3D transitions, app tray filters, some MOTOBLUR widgets for things like contacts, and a few other changes I’m sure we aren’t seeing. Motorola’s been trying to make their UI skin lightweight and fast, and it appears to be getting closer and closer with this latest version.

Use caution when changing something as major as the launcher, as you need it running to do most commands and operations on your phone. We’d highly recommend a Nandroid backup before proceeding. Hit this XDA thread for all the details, then let us know what you think once you try it out.

[via Droid-Life]

The biggest change is the launcher, which seems – at least at this point – to be using the stock Trebuchet application. Other than a couple of options in the app drawer, there’s not much to distinguish it from the Galaxy Nexus’ home screen. That’s a huge shift from Motorola’s standard of replacing just about every user-facing app in the phone. We can hope that this means the RAZR and RAZR MAXX will get a more pure experience, but honestly, I’m betting that these images are leaked from an early build of the update, and Moto simply hasn’t migrated all of their custom code to ICS yet.

Since the dialer, camera, and Settings app are all using Motorola’s color scheme and icons, we can conclude that Motorola has no interest in a “clean” ROM, though a lot of the bloatware in the leaked screenshots can be laid squarely at Verizon’s feet. Though some critical features are missing (like WebTop) Moto is using Android 4.0.3, the latest public release, so at least they don’t intend to be far behind when the RAZR and RAZR MAXX get their updates. There’s no official word from Motorola or Verizon on when that’ll happen. Note that technically these could be elaborately faked screenshots, but we kind of doubt it.

[via Droid-Life]

This review is full of videos filmed just for this post. The first one is your humble narrator tearing open the FedEx box and getting another fabulous hands-on with the handset (we had some hands-on time back in NYC at the first announcing of this device as well.) We also get the Vehicle Dock and HD dock in the box, but we get an unboxing and first hands-on with those further down in the review. For now: get to ripping!

Hardware

This device is like the jamming together (in a graceful manner) of several different devices we’ve seen before, taking most of the great elements from the ATRIX (for the size and the dual-core processor as well as the dock connectivity), the HTC Sensation / LG G2x for the odd and awesome curved glass front, ThunderBolt for the kickstand, and DROID 3 for the battery cover soft plastic material and new-wave Motoblur-like user interface and apps, including the awesome new camera app. This device fits easily in the adult human hand, the soft plastic back is a vast improvement over the flat plastic we saw in the old versions of the XPRT and this device, that being the ATRIX and the DROID Pro, and well-placed logos and specs galore all around the device. It’s not just the PHOTON, to be sure, but we’ve certainly entered an age in smartphones where its fairly average seeing at least two brands and more than likely four different words or symbols printed or intended in the backs and fronts.

The dedicated physical camera button and volume button on the right side of the device are a nice chrome ribbed metal, giving your finger a place to rest when you need to pump up the music or click a few photos with your magnificent new camera software included in this new-age Motorola UI. The top of the device has both your headphone jack and smooth-metal power button while the bottom has two ports: one microHDMI, the other microUSB, both of them set precisely so that you’ll be able to plug in well to all the different docks Motorola’s making available to you with this release. In the front of the device you’ve got ambient light and proximity sensors aside your VGA webcam and tiny notification light. Quite a few devices coming out over the past few months without such a notification light has been a bit frustrating, this light here is a blessing.

The 8-megapixel camera in the back of the device is set aside two LED flash bulbs, these set slightly up from the rest of the back in a bit of a bump – well set, but with this and all the other devices that’ve come out over the past few months, we’d love to see a device with the whole camera setup flush with the rest of the back. The kickstand is thin, a far cry from the ultra-giant kickstand of the HTC ThunderBolt, this more than likely because when the stand is this thin, it’s much more difficult to stand the device up in portrait mode – this is discouraged because once your kickstand is out, the device is forced to stay in landscape mode because of another function that makes your Widget Clock screen appear (as an option.) Being a notorious fan of the ThunderBolt, I know that portrait mode for a device helped up by a kickstand can be really helpful, especially since when the kickstand is out, the bottom of the device (aka the place where the power port / microUSB is,) is placed against the surface of whatever you’ve placed your device atop.

The TFT touchscreen display is massively sharp at 960×540 pixels inside 4.3-inches and is covered by everyone’s favorite: Gorilla Glass. As I’ve mentioned before and you shouldn’t be surprised if I mention again, this display continues the awesome trend of handsets having curved Gorilla Glass on the front, curved around all the edges with the entirety of the display being set just the SMALLEST amount lower than the plastic that surrounds it. Very delicately made, very nice.

Software and Performance

Beyond your normal set of lovely Google-placed apps like Gmail, Google Search, and Latitude, you’ll be rocking with Files (to take a look at every one of your files in a very PC-like collection of folders,) a special Motorola Phone Portal that will help you move media files, contacts, settings, and more back and forth from your desktop computer to your phone, and Rich Location – a rather excellent app I’m surprised isn’t more popular as is very quickly seeks out our GPS location and shows you a screen with items like Coffee, Yelp Restaurants, Local Events, ATMS, and Local Coupons – each of these with a number that shows how many businesses have joined the party that you can be instantly directed to via maps. Simple and fun!

Next you’ve got Task Manager that’ll both act as another place for you to see all of your apps and easily uninstall them or add them to an auto-end list. Tasks, on the other hand, works to remind you of events you’ve got to know about by pushing notifications to you outside the app. Well played. Finally, Webtop Connector allows you to access webpages you’ve been visiting inside Webtop Mode as well as activate web-based Webtop Sessions from a list. Very simple connection to your Webtop alter-ego. We’ll be doing a demo of this fabled Webtop Mode later in this review.

For now, we’ve gotta take a peek at some hard numbers. It’s time for benchmarks, and we’ve got the whole big time line of them. Behold the newest super phone running the ultra-fabulous NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor in all its numbered glory:

Vehicle Dock and HD dock Hands-On

What we’ve got here in our first package is both the official Motorola Vehicle Dock and the official Motorola HD Dock, the video below showing you what it’s like to take them out of the box as well as what comes in the boxes as well. Exciting!

Vehicle Dock in Action

The vehicle dock appears at first to just be a clamp to hold your Photon up in the dash of your car or truck, but what it does is connect you straight down to a power charge via microUSB and your cigarette lighter as well as right back up into an audio jack for your car stereo many modern car stereos have basic headphone jacks for your plug, otherwise you could always get one of those cassette tapes that have the same wire hanging out the side for your awesome retro connections. Have a look at how your Photon will function in this situation:

HD Dock [and Desktop Mode] in Action

What you’ll see next is the HD Dock we’ve got here working with the Photon 4G in several different ways. You’ll find that your options are many, that you’ll be able to use your device as a basic desktop able to run Android apps on the big screen, and that the Photon 4G is your most excellent conduit for playing music, viewing your photos, and watching full HD 1080p videos via HDMI. An entertainment and productivity powerhouse indeed.

Camera and Battery

Your battery is rated at around 6 hours for watching video and 10 hours doing basic functions like email. We’ve found this device to last just about a day, not quite, with medium usage. Most users aiming to take this device to its fullest potential will find that they’re going to want to plug it in to a power source more than once a day. Average users will want to plug this device in each night at least, with the possibility of plugging it in to your car charger being more than likely a pretty good idea as well.

Then I’ve got nothing but nice things to say about the camera. You’ve got many modes to work in and the photos are fully awesome. You’ll only be able to go up to 720p resolution for recording with the camcorder, but you’ll find that you like the results. The best part of the camera experience, incidentally, isn’t in the camera at all, but in the gallery after the photos are taken. For more information on what you’re looking at with the camera and how it’ll lead you to an awesome GPS-tastic experience all day long, check out my review of the Motorola DROID 3 from just about 24 hours before this post was posted. Slightly different camera interface here, same fantastic gallery action. Now for some example media so you know what you’re dealing with here:

Wrap-Up

What you’ve got here is a solid piece of hardware in the handset tied to some well thought out docks with software and functionality that make this the most full dual-core package on the market today. NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 processor is running the show here, so you know you’re in for the slickest and smoothest ride on the market – meanwhile Motorola’s newest iteration of their custom user interface isn’t something we’re going to get rid of if we choose to root the device later on, if we can, in fact, we’re impressed! Motorola’s here created their greatest vision to date, complete with one of the most excellent camera / gallery combos on a handset today plus a set of nice new icons for your basic apps across the board to boot.

While it has, in reality, been difficult to find any drawbacks to using this device, there are a couple of functionality bits I’d like to bring up, and I’m sure the vast majority of our readers would agree. One example is the kickstand. When I kick out the kickstand, I’m unable to go into portrait mode. Instead of limiting the device to landscape mode when previous devices with kickstands have allowed both landscape and portrait mode I think is a mistake – more options are always better. I do, on the other hand, like that popping the kickstand out opens options for the type of homescreen you’d like to be working with – though again I’d like some of the options I get in the HD Dock mode to be here too – like gallery for if I’m setting the phone down to show the family some photos of my trip to NYC on business.

Next there’s the inability to delete some apps as well as the inability to run anything other than this newest version of Motorola’s user interface over Android. While I realize this option is available once you’ve got the device rooted, rooting still isn’t recognized as a normal or pleasing thing to see by carriers – in fact they’ll tell you to buzz off if you’ve got any problems after having done so if they find that you’ve done so. Because I think this device has such fantastic potential I ask again here: Motorola, lead the way, find a way to work with carriers and keep the ability to turn off your lovely (and yes I do love it) new user interface and delete apps of all sorts.

Otherwise, Motorola, well done. This device pushes the ATRIX directly out of the way and makes itself your new king of dual-cores. On the other hand, the DROID 3 gets major points for being carried by Verizon instead, plus the keyboard is slick and the DROID lineage is strong. The Photon ultimately wins for build quality, it taking the opportunity to deliver a unique Gorilla Glass screen, lovely soft back, and giant mass of options with its docks and Desktop Mode. Run, don’t walk, ladies and gentlemen.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Photon 4G

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Unknown

Announced Date : June 09, 2011

Release Date : July 31, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.30 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.00 Inch
• Width : 2.63 Inch
• Depth : 0.48 Inch
• Weight : 158 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1700 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 199 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 2

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 16.384 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

FM Radio :

NFC :

What you’re going to find here is a rather interesting setup, a Motorola UI that’s no longer Motoblur, but some sort of hybrid which presents new icons, a new set of animations between windows, and Gingerbread to the max. Inside the app tray you’ll see three full screens of 20 apps each, including your regular suite of Google apps plus some rather unique oddities.

You’ll find the app version of GoToMeeting, a program that allows people to chat in several different ways – mostly used on desktops, from what I understand, MOTOPRINT for printing paper, I suppose, NOVA which has been on every Android phone from here to the middle of this past winter, Social Location for geo-tagging, Skype for video chat, and all your favorite V-Cast apps you’ve come to expect from Verizon.

For those of you who’ve never experienced the DROID in this form before, it’s a heavy and seemingly hardcore chasis with a solid keyboard slider underneath. It’s something you’re going to want to protect and certainly nothing you want to be carrying around with you if you’re a construction worker. I say this only because I’ve got an aunt who refurbishes houses and has the last DROID slider – really not sliding so well anymore! Not that it’s specific to the Motorola line of DROIDS, but sliders in general, and this is no exception.

Point of interest: when the display goes to sleep, it flickers off in the same way that the Nexus S’s Gingerbread shutoff does – very cute, very nice.

The speakers seem loud, the chassis seem tight, and the whole device seems like a DROID-lovers dream. Will it stand up against the rest of the Tegra-cotta warriors and the other dual-core armies? We shall see!

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Droid 3

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : July 07, 2011

Release Date : July 07, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.90 Inch
• Width : 2.50 Inch
• Depth : 0.50 Inch
• Weight : 184 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1540 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 300 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP4

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 512 MB

Internal Storage : 16.384 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

“For power consumption and CPU use, those apps are not tested,” Jha said at the conference, “We’re beginning to understand the impact that has.” The process an app must go through to be accepted in the Google’s official Android Market is very hands-off when compared to the rigorous testing an app must go through to be accepted to, for example, the Apple Appstore. Google relies on reports from users and reviews from downloaders of said apps to make sure malicious apps aren’t spread too vigorously.

What Jha says Motorola is turning to instead is their custom user interface over Android: MOTOBLUR. While this system was once just a tweak here or there as well as a social networking aggregator, it’s now evolving into a virtual representation of what Jha is warning against. What MOTOBLUR is set to do now is gather feedback on what users are doing, what apps they are downloading and, most importantly, which titles are causing problems.

Is this something you’d be excited about, users? Jha noted that the MOTOBLUR of the future will be able to warn users of how harshly an app will affect your battery, giving you more insight as to how an app will affect your device before you even install it. Will this and other similar perks be able to convince the public not to root their phones just to get rid of what they consider a useless modification to their pure Android system? We shall see. You can access the full webcast containing the quotes above by heading over to Veracast.

[via SlashGear]

It’s almost like a scene from a Spy movie. The faceless hands takes the Droid X2 and hits all the buttons, showing us several features, and then snaps off a handful of images. From what we can see, the Droid X2 is almost identical in design to the Droid X. And the resulting quadrant test shows a result of 2453, showing it’s blazing fast.

It runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) currently, but word is it may ship with Gingerbread. Other specs include a 4.3″ qHD screen with 960×540 resolution, a 1.2 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, and 768MB of RAM. There’s also an 8MP rear facing camera with dual LED flash that’s capable of also capturing video at 720p HD. The rest is the usual connectors ranging from micoUSB to microHDMI. There’s no word on pricing, but a strong hint that Motorola will confirm a release come mid May. Yeah, we’ll believe it when we see it.

[vimeo 22454006]

[via TechnoBuffalo]

The good news is, it’s only a matter of time before the gang over at XDA developers unlock it. The Droid X got the same treatment last year and it unlocked after a concerted effort. And if the only thing users really need is to get by MotoBlur, then they an root their phones and run root-only apps, like ADW Launcher EX. But just remember that venturing into that territory may void your warranty.

[via XDA Developers]

As we mentioned in our hands-on/unboxing, the Atrix received high marks at CES this year thanks to it’s ability to double as a desktop replacement or laptop computer. It’s has a dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 4.3″ HD touchscreen and running Android 2.2 (Froyo) with Motoblur on top. The laptop dock sports an 11.5 inch screen, and allows users to surf the web and make phone calls at the same time.

Look for the Atrix to arrive at the Shack on February 22nd. But if you can’t wait that long to experience Atrix in it’s glory, you can always download the System dump ….

[via IntoMobile]

Other feature updates include:
* Tracking and remote wipe in case the device is lost or stolen
* Improved data and contact backup
* location based social interaction
* Connected music sharing service and photo gallery

There will also be push notification options when friends comment.

Motorola Mobility Showcases Software and Service Offerings at Mobile World Congress 2011

Motorola Mobility’s enhanced software and services empower people’s lives

Feb. 14, 2011

BARCELONA – Mobile World Congress – Feb. 14, 2011 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) is announcing software innovation that offers unparalleled access to converged mobile computing experiences.

“Motorola Mobility is delighting consumers with experiences that enrich interactions with their personal network of content and connections,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility. “The next generation of solutions we are highlighting today is another great step forward in our effort to provide the best software solutions for consumers on the go and in the home. With these enhanced experiences, we look to solve real customer problems, like device management, enterprise security and content access.”

At Mobile World Congress 2011, Motorola Mobility will showcase the latest software innovations featured in its extensive smartphone and mobile computing portfolio:

Motorola Mobility brings Android™ to Enterprise with 3LM and “Ready for Business”
3LM, a recent acquisition, sets a new standard for enterprise computing on the Android platform, allowing users to enjoy all the benefits of a smartphone with the full push delivery of corporate e-mail and security. Leveraging 3LM technology as well as its Ready for Business Suite, Motorola Mobility will offer the first mobile management solution for Android devices that supports all of the critical IT device policies commonly requested by enterprises and governmental entities. 3LM and Ready for Business software enable the adoption of Android enterprise-ready devices by addressing ease-of-use, cost-of-management and security concerns of information technology teams and chief information officers. Understanding that within a corporate environment there is a high desire for device diversity as well as security, Motorola will also enable the broader Android ecosystem to work together to support the needs of the enterprise consumer by making 3LM technology available to other manufacturers during the second quarter of this year.

MotoConnect: A Suite of Solutions to Sync Your Content
Motorola Mobility is creating a suite of solutions that allow consumers to connect with the entertainment content and personal files they want, when they want them, from anywhere. By merging ZumoCast and Motorola Media Link into a single platform, consumers will benefit from their own private cloud. The MotoConnect suite of solutions is available immediately via www.motorola.com/medialink and www.zumocast.com independently, and will merge by the third quarter of 2011

Motorola Media Link (1.5): Keeping You In Tune and In Sync
Understanding that users will continue to have their content located in multiple locations, Motorola Media Link (1.5) is simplifying the desktop sync experience for Mac® platforms by enabling the seamless transfer of content from iTunes® music, Windows® Media Player files, photos and videos. Motorola Media Link 1.5 will be available for PC users in March.

ZumoCast: Delivering Your Content Where You Want It, When You Want It
Motorola Mobility is making it easier than ever for consumers to create and control their own private cloud from anywhere in the world. Motorola Mobility is integrating the recently acquired Zecter Technology’s ZumoCast into a sync and remote access platform for desktops, smartphones and tablets, delivering a simple way for consumers to easily and instantaneously access their home collection of music, video, photos and documents.

The Evolution of MOTOBLUR™: A Newly Enhanced Services Platform that Enables Personal Connections
The evolution of MOTOBLUR leverages the social power found within the existing MOTOBLUR platform to offer enhanced location, messaging, music and gallery features. The evolved MOTOBLUR platform is enabling a new host of client applications:

Connected Music: MOTOBLUR’s new Connected Music service makes sharing and buying music-related content a snap. Consumers can follow what friends are listening to, get recommendations on new songs and purchase them immediately. And while songs are playing, lyrics are streamed so users can sing along without missing a beat.

Connected Gallery: MOTOBLUR’s new Connected Gallery service merges photos and videos on your phone together with you and your friends’ online albums from Facebook®, FlickrTM, Photobucket®, Picasa® and more. By leveraging MOTOBLUR’s unique data and network management capabilities, users can get pushed updates when new media is uploaded or friends comment on online media in a managed way to avoid overloading the network or consuming too much data.

Aloqa™: Aloqa’s open, location-triggered mobile push platform has been integrated into the MOTOBLUR experience, enabling third-party publishers to utilize a user’s location, identity and social relationships, to proactively inform them of places, events, bargains and other opportunities that may be of interest through “channels”. These channels are active only the when the user selects them, providing relevant data only when the user is looking for it and without being intrusive.

In addition, the redesigned MOTOBLUR Owners Portal enables users to continue to locate and erase their devices remotely if lost or stolen — and back up user data such as contacts, account settings, and phone configurations with a new, streamlined user interface.

MOTOBLUR-enabled applications Connected Galley, Aloqa, and later, Connected Music, will be available as upgrades to recently announced devices, including ATRIX™ 4G and CLIQ 2™. Devices enabled with the full suite of enhanced MOTOBLUR applications are expected to ship in the coming months.

MOTODEV: Accelerates Innovation in the Android-Powered Ecosystem
Motorola Mobility’s developer network, MOTODEV, is jumpstarting global development for Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and Motorola Mobility’s powerful tablet computing device, Motorola XOOM™, with a worldwide series of developer app summits. These summits will fully empower a developer to target any one of Motorola’s new products: XOOM, ATRIX or DROID™ BIONIC, with their applications by giving them technical information, access to devices and hands on support from Motorola experts. The first summit will be held in San Francisco on March 1 and will be followed shortly thereafter by events in Berlin, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. Developers can sign up today at http://developer.motorola.com/appsummits.

Motorola Mobility’s software portfolio includes cloud-based enterprise software that enables converged media experiences for fixed and wireless broadband subscribers. Motorola is demonstrating the following software innovations for the home at Mobile World Congress:

Medios: Bringing Entertainment and Community to Every Screen
Motorola Mobility’s cloud-based Medios service management software enables service providers to offer true converged experiences, such as companion devices to the TV screen, or live and on-demand TV content to other devices both in and outside the home. By blending community with entertainment, Medios experiences create an emotional connection with consumers that drive increases in loyalty and revenue.

4Home: Peace of Mind at Home and Away from Home
The 4Home software platform enables consumers to stay connected to their homes using simple and intuitive applications on their mobile computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets. 4Home services provide consumers with the real-time ability to monitor and manage home security, actively control systems and appliances, manage health-related solutions, and optimize energy consumption in the home.

Motorola EDGE Home Center: Your Mobile Life’s Remote Control
Cloud-based EDGE Home Center expands Motorola Mobility’s software solutions suite and enables consumers to manage their home networks, mobile devices and services remotely or from home. With expanded visibility, flexibility and control capabilities, the EDGE Home Center helps consumers answer support questions and resolve problems on their own, minimizing the need to contact their service provider’s technical support.

[viaUnwired View]

The ATRIX 4G has a 4-inch display with more pixels per inch than most other Androids that’ve got the same sized screen – the screen here doesn’t quite match up to the iPhone 4′s 960 x 640 Retina Display, but it is a 960 x 540 qHD, making it quite the formidable foe in the screen department. When compared to the Nexus S, the ATRIX 4G moves more smoothly, and is just as or more visible outdoors.

The case covering the battery in back is a tough carbon-fiber style finished plastic to protect the hardware, and a cool combination power button and fingerprint scanner on the screen protecting the software. This scanner has worked for us just fine thus far, but there is a PIN lock as well should it malfunction. Also on the back is a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, and on the front is a webcam that supports video calls via third-party apps like Fring or Skype.

Inside you’ll find a Tegra 2 processor from NVIDIA creating a speedy experience, though so far we’ve experienced five or six lockups due to large data loads. The operating system running on this device is Android 2.2.1 Froyo with a MOTOBLUR mask on top.

Motorola ATRIX 4G unboxing & hands-on:

Then there’s the ACCESSORIES which are almost more exciting than the phone. Amongst these are the laptop dock, desktop dock, and a mouse set and external keyboard. The laptop dock is what you saw in the original ATRIX 4G commercial that had (and now has) the phone plugged in the back, the entire bulk of the device sizing in at a slightly larger set of inches than an 11.6-inch ultraportable. The desktop dock includes HTMI, power and audio out, and three USB ports, as well as a multimedia remote. Imagine the fun you’ll have when you lie your hands on such a functional device.

The ATRIX 4G supports 1080p video playback and comes in the box with support for Citrix Receiver. Plug this little device in wherever you need a bit of video or a presentation slide, and bam, instant sell. This phone will be available for pre-ordering via AT&T starting on February 13th barring a natural disaster striking every AT&T location nation wide. Take a peek at the gallery below, or head over to SlashGear for an alternate take.

Motorola is yet to announce when – or if – the DROID 2 will get an official MOTOBLUR update, so for now this is probably the best way to enjoy the new UI.

[via IntoMobile]

Currently, ZumoCast is avaialble on iOS-based devices, and isn’t available for Android-based handsets. However, Motorola plans on using the new technology to implement desktop integration, wireless sync, and video transcoding to better help MOTOBLUR-based devices (as well as other individual devices) sync and stream their installed media. If that sounds great to you, you’ll have to be patient to sign up for now. While those using ZumoCast right now can still use it, new sign-ups have been frozen for the time being.

Motorola is focusing on making MOTOBLUR better, so theres’ no reason to think that the customized User Interface for Android is going anywhere, any time soon. For those who don’t like the BLUR UI, hopefully these enhancements will go a long way to make that usage better.

[via SlashGear]

Press Release

Motorola Mobility Acquires Zecter

Acquisition to Enhance Motorola Mobility with Personal Cloud Server and Synch Technologies

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Motorola Mobility, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), today announced that it has acquired Zecter, Inc., a leading start-up with synchronization and streaming technologies for on-demand digital media consumption. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Zecter’s solutions connect users to their content seamlessly and instantaneously, giving them simple, on-the-go access to music, video, photos and documents from their smartphones, tablets, PCs and web-portals. Zecter currently has two products commercially available: ZumoDrive, for cloud-based content sync, access and sharing; and ZumoCast, for personal media streaming to any device. Both products use innovative virtual file system technologies to make any personal content instantly available even if it is not stored locally.

Zecter will further enhance Motorola Mobility’s mobile content experience and MOTOBLUR service offering by enabling consumers to enjoy their digital content across their mobile devices, wherever they are. Motorola Mobility will integrate Zecter’s wireless syncing, desktop integration, video transcoding and thin-file retrieval technologies across its device and MOTOBLUR offerings to provide consumers with real-time access to their content.

“Consumers want seamless access to their content and media from wherever they are, while content providers want to ensure that content remains protected and secure,” said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president of software and services, Motorola Mobility. “We believe that Zecter enables that seamless experience with the necessary security measures, and we are delighted to be able to work with this team.”

Wyatt added, “Zecter’s robust team brings multi-platform expertise along with compelling solutions for continuous digital media access across multiple platforms. Zecter is an exciting addition to our MOTOBLUR service platform and we welcome their highly skilled personnel to the Motorola Mobility team.”

As part of the transition, the distribution of Zecter’s ZumoCast software will be suspended while enhancements are made. Existing ZumoCast users may continue to enjoy the service without interruption. Motorola Mobility will provide regular updates for ZumoCast users as well as exciting future plans for this service. The ZumoDrive solution will be unaffected.

According to the source, who sent the images into Gizmodo, he picked up the device from the market “not knowing it would turn on.” When he tried pushing the volume down button, along with the power button, the purchaser was able to access a developer’s menu. One of the options therein, was the ability to bypass the activation screen, which subsequently let him access the device proper, and snoop around.

We can tell that the device features an HDMI port, and it will also have a microUSB port for when you need to sync data, or charge the device. As for that Tegra 2 processor, there’s still no absolute confirmation that the Olympus features this, but the rumors haven’t died down regarding this feature. The display, as we mentioned above, is supposed to be larger than the Defy’s, which means it will measure in more than 3.7-inches. One thing to notice, though, is that the Olympus is obviously promoting full Motoblur connectivity here, so that will either be a draw for some, or a negative to others.

[via Gizmodo]

Your money gets you a 3-inch touchscreen, rear-mounted trackpad, Swype on-screen keyboard and EVDO Rev.A, along with the MOTOBLUR interface and a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor.

Press Release:

Motorola Citrus Available Tomorrow On The Verizon Wireless Network

Full-Touch, Customizable, Android-Powered Smartphone Now Available for Verizon Wireless Customers

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that Motorola CITRUS™ will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com tomorrow for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Powered by Android™ 2.1, Motorola CITRUS delivers an affordable, entry-level, customizable smartphone experience in a compact design that is easy on both the eyes and the earth. The full HTML Web browser comes preloaded with Bing Search and Bing Maps and delivers a PC-like Web browsing experience, while the easy-to-use on-screen QWERTY keyboard or Swype® keyboard allow for quick messaging. Get fast access to Web apps and services such as Facebook®; Google services such as Gmail™, Google Talk™ and YouTube™; and customize your phone with free and paid apps available from Android Market™. Plus, the CITRUS phone housing is made from 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, is CarbonFree® Certified through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, and is PVC and BFR free. The packaging is made from 80 percent post-consumer recycled paper, and the user manual is made using 100 percent recycled paper and soy-based ink. Additional features and specifications on the Motorola CITRUS are available at http://news.vzw.com/news/2010/10/pr2010-10-05a.html.

Verizon Wireless customers who purchase Motorola CITRUS will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. Motorola CITRUS customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide plan (beginning at $39.99 monthly access) and a Data Package (beginning at $15 monthly access for 150 MB). Customers can track their data usage by downloading the My Verizon app available in Android Market or by logging on to their My Verizon account online at www.verizonwireless.com/myverizon. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

The press release outlines all four new devices, showcasing what makes them stand out against the competition. First up, considering it’s already available now, is the Motorola CHARM. It features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen, and a full QWERTY physical keyboard beneath that. You’ll find a 600MHz processor under the hood, and a 3MP camera on the back. There’s also the BACKTRACK trackpad on the back of the device, providing users with “simple navigation.” The CHARM comes in a golden bronze color, or a cabernet finish.

The Motorola DEFY is scratch- and dust-proof, and is equipped with an 800MHz processor. There’s a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, and you’ll find the new, advanced version of MOTOBLUR on the handset as well. It will be available in a black and “linen finish.” The LG Optimus T features a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, as well as Voice Actions, which lets customers use voice controls for the majority of features. It will launch in a burgundy and titanium color scheme.

And finally, the T-Mobile Comet features a 3.2MP camera on the back of the device, a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, and it’s running Android 2.2 under the hood. There’s a 528MHz processor under the hood. It will sell for less than $200 when it goes on sale for pre-paid customers, which makes it the lowest-priced Android-powered device with 3G capability in the T-Mobile portfolio.

The T-Mobile Comet will retail for $9.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate. You’ll be able to pick it up from retailers like Radio Shack and Walmart as a pre-paid device as well, for the less than $200 price tag. The LG Optimus T will launch for $29.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate. The Motorola DEFY will cost you $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate, while the Motorola CHARM runs $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.

Press Release

T-Mobile Is Making It Easier for Families to Stay Connected This Holiday Season and Beyond

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Nov. 1, 2010 PDT T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced new products and service plans designed to help families stay connected without busting their holiday budgets. Beginning Nov. 3, T-Mobile is planning to offer a variety of new Android™ smartphones, including the T-Mobile® Comet™, LG Optimus T™ with Google™ and Motorola DEFY™ with MOTOBLUR™, each for less than $100.

“We’re heading into this holiday season with our strongest and most affordable lineup ever of Android-powered smartphones,” said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “Combine that with low-cost data service plans and even easier ways to give T-Mobile products as gifts, and we believe families will make the move to smartphones — enriching how they communicate in the new year.”

Affordable Android Smartphones for All

T-Mobile’s compelling suite of affordable Android smartphones appeals to each member of the family, even first-time smartphone users. In addition to providing access to the mobile Web while on the go, Android-powered smartphones provide customers with one-click access to their favorite Google services, such as Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube®, and over 100,000 applications in Android Market™. For less than $100 with qualifying rate plan on a two-year agreement (plus taxes and fees), T-Mobile customers can purchase any of the following devices during the holiday season:

The T-Mobile Comet offers a compact form factor, 528 MHz processor, 2.8-inch full touch screen display and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Perfect for customers who are ready to make the affordable transition to their first smartphone, the T-Mobile Comet is also available for prepaid customers at less than $200 (plus taxes and fees), the lowest-priced 3G Android smartphone in the T-Mobile portfolio. The T-Mobile Comet is available in a black finish.
The LG Optimus T is an easy-to-use smartphone with a user customizable home screen, 600 MHz processor, 3.2-inch full touch screen display and a 3.2 megapixel camera with video capture. Featuring Voice Actions for Android pre-loaded on the device, the LG Optimus T allows customers to perform commands through voice entry, such as calling, texting, e-mailing and navigating to a specific destination. The LG Optimus T is available in a burgundy or titanium finish.
Slim and pocket-able, the Motorola DEFY is equipped to withstand all that life throws your way. The DEFY is scratch- and water-resistant, as well as dust-proof, combined with MOTOBLUR™, an 800 MHz processor, a 3.7-inch full touch screen and a 5-megapixel camera with flash and video capture. The Motorola DEFY is available in a black and linen finish.
The Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR features a full QWERTY keyboard for easy messaging, a 2.8-inch touch screen paired with a BACKTRACK™ pad for simple navigation, and MOTOBLUR, making it easy to keep up with family and friends. Also featuring a 600 MHz processor and a 3 megapixel camera, the Motorola CHARM is available in a golden bronze or cabernet finish.
Services Families Can Afford

In addition to affordable Android-powered smartphones, T-Mobile is delivering new low-cost data service plans expected to be available this holiday season, making data even more accessible for families. New value offers include these:

Mobile data plans. With T-Mobile data plans, customers will have two options for data: the Web – 200MB plan or the Web – Unlimited plan. The Web – 200MB plan will be available for $10 per month with a new two-year service agreement or contract extension for a limited time or for $15 per month, which will not require a two-year contract extension. The Web – Unlimited plan will be available for $30 per month. Both data plans will be sold paired with a new or existing voice and text message plan.

Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing service plan. T-Mobile is offering a new tethering service plan that enables select smartphones to function as wireless modems for connecting devices, such as laptops, tablets and netbooks to the Internet through the T-Mobile network. Customers can add the Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing plan to their Web – Unlimited $30 monthly plan for an additional $14.99 per month.

Availability

The T-Mobile Comet, LG Optimus T and Motorola DEFY are expected to be available starting Nov. 3 at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers and online at http://www.t-mobile.com. The T-Mobile Comet will also be available as a prepaid Android smartphone at Best Buy, Radio Shack and Target. T-Mobile expects its new mobile data plans and tethering service plan will be available this holiday season.

Making it even easier for consumers to give T-Mobile devices and accessories to their friends and families this holiday season, T-Mobile Gift Cards can be purchased and redeemed at select T-Mobile retail stores nationwide.

For more information on T-Mobile products and services, visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

# # #

The DEFY features Motoblur, and it’s designed to survive the rigors of life: it’s dust proof, water resistant, and Motorola says that the display is super scratch resistant. As far as features go, the smartphone features a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display, and you’ll find a 5MP camera on the back of the handset, too. CrystalTalk PLUS DSP technology is also on board, which is utilized to great effect thanks to the pair of microphones Motorola included.

T-Mobile will launch the DEFY on November 3rd, and it will only cost you $99.99.

[via T-Mobile USA Twitter]

This device appears to be capable of withstanding water, being dropped from a few feet up, and has quite a rugged capacity. Defy comes with Android 2.1 and MOTOBLUR. It also features an 800MHz processor, 2GB of onboard storage, a 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, and loads of extras in this slick-looking package. If you’re hard on your phone and the don’t want the unfortunate iPhone mishap to happen to you, this might just be the phone you’ve been waiting for. So pack your bags and head over to Germany because the Defy is calling your name.

[via Phandroid]

As we messed around with the device, we were happy to see that there wasn’t much lag or stuttering at all. Clearly, the 1GHz processor under the hood was a good decision. But, the main takeaway from the device is its keyboard. It’s very, very good. But, it would have to be, considering the fact it plays front and center on the device, and doesn’t hide at any time. As far as the precise details on the feature set, that looks something like this: a 1GHz OMAP 3620 processor; 512MB of memory, and 2 GB of on board storage. You’ll find 802.11n 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and the device supports tri-band UMTS. There’s a hardware key along the side of the device that, when you push it the first time, it will ask you what you want it to do from that point on. Customization done in a classy way.

Check out our hands on video below, as well as the image gallery.

Feature wise, the Spice doesn’t do much to stand out. It has a 528MHz processor under the hood, it’s running the full version of Motoblur, and it’s running Android 2.1. There’s the BACKTRACK trackpad on the back case of the device, as we’ve seen with other Motorola manufactured, Android-powered handsets in the past.

The camera on the back is a 3.2MP, and the display is a 3.2MP QVGA. The device is available in Brazil, so if you’re tempted to get your hands on it, and you’re in the region, go ahead and check it out.

[via Motorola]

Now if you have ever handled a fragile mobile phone, e.g. the iPhone 4, you know just how careful you need to be with expensive handheld devices. It’s nice to know that this phone can actually take a beating.

Although the drop in the video wasn’t very high, most phones would have survived, but it’s nice to know that if you do eventually slip up your Defy can hold up to your beating, even if that means dropping it in some water.

Check out the video below which features the durability tests as well as a brief software walkthrough:

[Via EuroDroid]