Next up, we had HTC slate a timeframe for updates to Ice Cream Sandwich. They will begin sometime in March, and the Sensation will be first in their lineup. As for Motorola, an executive has let us know that hardware is to blame for their slow software updates. After all, with such a huge jump from 2.3 to 4.0 – we’d all rather receive a ‘bugless’ update later than one with constant crashes now.

It seems Samsung has trademarked the name ‘Samsung Galaxy Camera’. Could they really be planning a release for an Android powered camera? Using Android for solely picture taking purposes is rather unique thus far, and could potentially do very well. It would be nice to install one of many photo editing applications straight from the Android Market onto a decent camera.

And finally, be sure to check out Google Music’s ‘Best of the Grammys’ sale. They’re offering $3.99 albums and $0.59 single tracks. That’s over 50% off for relatively new hits, so grab them while they’re extra-affordable!

This new tool was designed for Windows but appears to also have a working version for those on Linux and will basically allow you to do anything and everything you’d like to the RAZR with ease. From rooting, unrooting, booting to recovery or bootstrap and more. Thanks to the awesome developers at XDA you can learn more and get the root tool by clicking here.

Just like the image above says: “too powerful to fall into the wrong hands”. This goes for both the phone, and the new utility tool released. This program makes things easy but you can also cause some problems with the tap of a button so make sure you know what you’re doing and read up on instructions before giving anything a try. One of the better parts of the tool is the OTA RootKeeper. Install that and just back up root before an OTA update, then restore after completion and you’ll still have root. It works like a charm. Use with caution and enjoy it. One more time here is that link

XDA RAZR Root Tool Link

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID RAZR

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : November 03, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution :
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.15 Inch
• Width : 2.71 Inch
• Depth : 0.27 Inch
• Weight : 127 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 8.9 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

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

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 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

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 850
• 900
• 1700
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

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

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Droid-Life]

Other minor improvements include refinements to the 10.1′s included stylus, faster browser performance, better switching between WiFi and cellular networks, and a complete lack of Ice Cream Sandwich. But the worldwide roaming is the interesting part, since that technically makes the XYBOARD tablets Verizon’s first official international LTE devices. (The Rezound doesn’t really count, since it requires some fairly extensive modifications to work fully.) That certainly implies that more are on the way, or perhaps waiting to be unlocked with a similar update.

This begs the question: why isn’t Verizon advertising the fact that three of its high-profile Android devices can work internationally? It was a big deal a couple of years ago – the DROID 2 got a complete re-release as the DROID 2 Global with only the radio changed. It could be that Verizon simply doesn’t have the marketing materials ready to start advertising international LTE devices. If that’s the case, it’s reasonable to expect a push in the late spring or early summer.

[via Droid-Life]

“When Google does a release of the software… they do a version of the software for whatever phone they just shipped. The rest of the ecosystem doesn’t see it until you see it. Hardware is by far the long pole in the tent, with multiple chipsets and multiple radio bands for multiple countries,” said Wyatt.  That’s certainly true: with the exception of development devices, manufacturers don’t have access to Android’s open-source code any faster than regular users and developers do. Wyatt also mentioned that Motorola’s custom software takes a long time to modify for a new Android release.

But there’s a problem with this justification. I don’t wish to single Motorola out, since most major manufacturers are guilty of the same thing. But the explanation provided to PC World is baloney. Yes, Android’s AOSP source code is released to everyone at the same time. So why is it that independent developers and modders, usually working alone, in their spare time and for no greater reward than the thanks of their peers, can get updates out months faster than an international corporation with vast resources and thousands of employees? Why must Android users void there warranties to get timely updates, or features that aren’t included by default?

And perhaps most of all, if Motorola’s additions to the core Android software are holding up the update process, why are they still there? I can understand that value-adds like extra encryption and MotoSync are important to Motorola’s strategy, but I have never, ever seen a reader or any of my fellows proclaim, “man, those Moto icons and launcher make my phone so much better!” Why must Motorola continue to bog down a perfectly good user experience with unnecessary add-ons, especially if it makes their devices less valuable with the understanding that updates will come late, or not at all? Didn’t you promise (quite erroneously) that retail devices would launch with ICS within six weeks of the code becoming available?

Motorola’s about to be purchased outright by Google. If that doesn’t inspire you to use a dog food strategy (i.e., sticking with your own products) I don’t know what will. It’s entirely possible, nay likely, that the next developer device will be coming from Motorola. The company should take the opportunity to extend a more developer and consumer-friendly policy to all their upcoming phones and tablets.

Oh, and unlock your freaking bootloaders.

If you technology isn’t patented, then you’ve got no chance playing this game – and Google has know this from the start. Countless lawsuits between every manufacturer commence night and day, so there’s no wonder why Google would invest in many of the valuable patents Motorola has to offer. If these enforcers wish to see more discreet licensing practices – then it should be expected not just from Google, but everyone else as well.

This is Google’s time to shine. Even though they’ve stated Motorola Mobility will remain completely separate from Google, there’s no doubt much more in store for Android once the purchase is complete. We’ll have to wait and see. And I don’t know about you guys, but a ‘Nexus’ device touting one of Motorola’s amazing antennas would win me over in a second.

[via TalkAndroid]

As you know, Chrome Beta for Android was released just yesterday. But today, our eyes were opened to a few Easter eggs the devs incorporated. It’s nothing too special – but most of all, they were included to show how well Chrome can perform both graphically and under a heavy system load. It’s too bad the application is only available on Android 4.0, they haven’t released any information regarding a possible Honeycomb or Gingerbread release – but we can only hope it’s coming.

We were really hoping to see some new gadgets from Samsung unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it seems they won’t evenbe hosting press conference this year. They will likely just hold out, and assemble their own conference later on. This is a very ‘Apple-esque’ move, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it trend throughout other manufactures over time as well.

Lastly, the US gaming population has almost tripled since 2008, and there’s no doubt smartphones have cause quite a bit of this growth. Thus, now that smartphones are much more affordable – we’ll see the amount of gaming adopters eventually start to taper off. There was quite a boom these past three years, and though mobile gaming isn’t the only avenue gamers take – it has been the most progressive.

AOKP is similar to CyanogenMod, while having a distinct set of features and quirks. The now standard set of custom modifications to Ice Cream Sandwich is present, including custom power toggles, a fix for Facebook’s contact sync, and deodexed app files for custom themes. Naturally the ROM is rooted from the get go. AOKP for the XOOM is currently on Build 22, relatively early in its development, though from reports already showing promse when compared with Google’s stock ROM.

To flash AOKP, just download the ROM from the primary RootzWiki thread, reboot into a custom recovery (Assuming that you’re already rooted and all that jazz), wipe your current software and flash it in the normal fashion. As always and especially in Alpha ROMs, make a Nandroid backup of your current install for the unlikely event that something goes wrong. Like CyanogenMod, AOKP does not include Google’s apps, so you’ll need to flash a separate file to get access to Gmail, the Android Market, et cetera. Builds are available for both the WiFi-only XOOM and Verizon’s 3G version.

In case you somehow missed the countless leaks of this smartphone here are the details. We have a very similar overall device as the RAZR, only less screen real estate and a few other goodies. With the D4 we have a 4.0″ qHD AMOLED display, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor under the hood, 1GB of RAM, a beefy 8 megapixel camera around the back and a front camera for video chat. Last but not least is Verizon 4G LTE — the first DROID slider to rock this much requested feature.

For those that want a hardware keyboard, this is as good as it gets. With a new edge-lit QWERTY keyboard, and 4G LTE this is the best slider on the block — and probably will hold that crown for some time. Unless Verizon releases a DROID 5 this summer of course. The keys have a great feel with a good sense of spacing and almost a chicklit style like many laptops, only in a smaller space of course. The edge-lit lighting is more than just a gimmick and makes using the keyboard in darker situations quite nice.

Similar to the DROID RAZR and RAZRMAXX the DROID 4 has a very difficult to remove back and battery door. The RAZR battery isn’t user replaceable and you’re not supposed to remove the glued on back. With the DROID 4 the back does come off, but it’s no easy task. They’ve provided a small tool (don’t lose it) inside the box as a removal tool. Under there is where you’ll find the already installed micro-SIM for 4G LTE and a micro-SD slot for extra storage. It seems Motorola really wants to take the Apple route here, but is a bit undecided or afraid of the backlash that might follow. See the ridiculous picture below to see what I mean. Yes you must have the tool, and you pull the battery cover down and off — and it’s not easy.

Overall for first impressions the DROID 4 is pretty decent. Those wanting a QWERTY slide-out hardware keyboard it is excellent, but in terms of the Android market as a whole it’s pretty average for me. Being extremely similar to the RAZR many should love this phone powered by Gingerbread. See our size comparison in the image gallery below. The DROID 4 like many other Moto devices should see Ice Cream Sandwich within the next 3-6 months. Just like the bootloader the back is also secured by a Motorola lock and key, something that I’d rather not see in the world of Android. Stay tuned for our full review soon and check out the hands on video below.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID 4

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : February 07, 2012

Release Date : February 10, 2012

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.0 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : qHD AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.0 Inch
• Width : 2.65 Inch
• Depth : .50 Inch
• Weight : 179 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1785 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 200 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

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

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 16 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

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 4.0

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

FM Radio :

NFC :

As far as hardware goes, you get a combination of a decent screen and low power in the phone’s somewhat unique shell. a 4-inch 854×480 LCD display runs over an 800mHz processor and 512MB of RAM. That won’t be setting any benchmark records any time soon, but for Gingerbread 2.3.7 it’s fine; an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade seems unlikely at this point. A single gigabyte of user-accessible data isn’t much, but it can be supplemented with a MicroSD card. Sadly, the phone’s cellular radio is limited to HSDPA (aka basic 3G) speeds. Motorola’s standard 8MP camera hangs out on the back of the device.

More interesting than the numbers is the design itself. The MOTOLUXE uses the soft-touch plastic of previous Moto phones like the DROID X, but abandons the industrial look for a more rounded, beveled appearance. Most striking is the LED notification light hidden in a recessed horizontal dip just below the capacitive buttons. This makes alerts glow in a unique fashion – it probably won’t turn heads, but it should get a few interested glances at the very least.

The MOTOLUXE is the first phone to receive “MotoSwitch 2.0″ interface, which we suppose is what they’re calling the Blur UI this week. The reviewer wasn’t impressed, and we tend to agree – unlike TouchWiz and Sense, Motorola’s custom interfaces tend to be little more than an icon and palette swap which still manages to hamper performance. At least Moto’s added some lockscreen shortcuts.

All in all, the MOTOLUXE is a decent choice if you want a reliable mid-range phone and don’t want to spend the pounds to reach into the high end. For the UK’s unlocked networks, you could do worse – and if you’re willing to shell out more initial money, you could do a lot better, too. The MOTOLUXE will be on sale at online and retail locations within a few weeks.

The MOTO ACTV is more than just a smart wristwatch. From the image above you can see it’s also mountable on bikes and can do tons of different tasks. The update set to hit March 7th will bring even more features and functionality. According to the blog post from Motorola we can expect to be able to track performances and stats across over 40 new activities including yoga, Pilates, dancing and martial arts to name a few.

The update back in December brought new clock faces, stopwatch support, and increased battery life severely. We can expect a few more improvements to overall performance and battery life with this upcoming update as well. With the option to track yoga, Pilates and all these other new activities we’ll need all the battery life we can get.

Other changes include being able to activate the display by the flick of your wrist, and even enable and change WiFi right on the device. Stay tuned for more details on the impending update.

[via Motorola]

The update should be hitting devices any time now and you can start by checking for updates right on your device as usual by going into settings > about phone > and checking for updates. The update is about 57 MB in size and should only take a few minutes. The update isn’t anything major like the last one, or bring Ice Cream Sandwich but the change log does give us a few good ideas of what to expect.

Looking at the details below we see tons of changes and improvements to stability — something Bionic owners have been plagued with. They’ve also updated battery life, audio and video while streaming over HDMI, fixed some in-call audio interruptions and more. Then they specifically mention not only phone stability, but data stability too. I know from first hand experience the Bionic seems to drop data and for longer periods of time than most of my Verizon 4G LTE devices laying around.

As usual a few Verizon apps and bloatware have been added or updates, but that is to be expected. The update is rolling out in stages and should be landing soon. Check out the change log image below for all the details, and be sure to let us know once you get the update how everything goes. I’m interested in those data connection improvements. If you are rooted and are worried about loosing it give OTA RootKepper a try.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID Bionic

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : August 24, 2011

Release Date : September 08, 2011

Also Known As : Targa

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.00 Inch
• Width : 2.60 Inch
• Depth : 0.40 Inch
• Weight : 159 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1735 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• MP3

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU :

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
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

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

FM Radio :

NFC :

If you’ve seen a DROID RAZR, imagine it with a slightly smaller screen, then add a sliding QWERTY keyboard. That’s basically it. Aside from the keyboard, the biggest departure from the RAZR design is the 4-inch qHD LCD (not AMOLED) screen, and the fact that the battery is removable. The same respectable components are present: 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, 16GB of storage space, an 8MP camera and Motorola’s customized Gingerbread software. The tough construction and tapered styling of the RAZR and DROID XYBOARD tablets remains intact. Alas, so does the locked bootloader.

The DROID 4 won’t be the only thing debuting on Friday: Verizon is also pulling the veil off of a new buy one, get one free deal for its RAZR phones. That includes the original Motorola DROID RAZR, the white and purple variants introduced a few weeks ago, and the brand new DROID RAZR MAXX with the slightly larger size and nearly double battery capacity. Pairs of DROID RAZRs without an SD card can be had for $199.99 on contract, while the models with a free 16GB MicroSD card and the RAZR MAXX are still $299.99. Taking advantage of the BOGO deal requires a second existing or activated account.

Many are assuming this will be Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the popular Motorola device – and it very well could be. Motorola has mentioned multiple times in the past they are aiming to update to ICS quickly in the beginning months of 2012 so we are hopeful.

We saw some leaked information on an upcoming update back in late January that has yet to land on devices. It’s also possible Verizon and Motorola may have made a few small changes and are getting ready to push that update yet again, but again nothing has been confirmed regarding what the update actually is. The last few updates for the Bionic has really improved the device in the few areas that were needed. Hopefully we’ll be hearing more and we will be sure to update once anything comes in.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID Bionic

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : August 24, 2011

Release Date : September 08, 2011

Also Known As : Targa

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.00 Inch
• Width : 2.60 Inch
• Depth : 0.40 Inch
• Weight : 159 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1735 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• MP3

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU :

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
• 1080p Video Recording
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11a
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

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

FM Radio :

NFC :

— Thanks Nickolas

The Samsung Galaxy Note will officially launch on AT&T coming February 19th, and the LTE variant is heading to Rogers sometime later this month too. Samsung is spending a great deal of cash to advertise the device during the Super Bowl, and they’ve even released a nice teaser video of it. Keep your eyes peeled during the game, you all know commercials during the big game are always the best.

Are own Michael Crider put a few devices to the test over the past week and a half, and finally has some in-depth reviews of both the LG Spectrum, and Motorola DROID RAZR Maxx. Both are well worthy to purchase, and the Spectrum proved to be quite the upgrade from LG’s former device on Verizon – the Revolution. However, if it’s battery life you’re looking for – the the RAZR Maxx won’t disappoint. Battery life on it was amazing, and seemed to last forever.

Those of you interested in modding your device to make it ‘harder, better, faster, stronger’ should definitely try out Franco’s new kernel for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It has proven great battery life and speed on more than one of our devices, so we highly recommend it. And finally, the last bit of news to rehash is Google’s removal of CDMA devices from their official support documentation in AOSP. However, those of you still interested in one can pick it up from Costco for a mere $219 – with an included extended battery too. That’s a $49.99 value, free. The offer is only available until February 7th, so you’ll have to act within that timeframe.

Motorola is warning users that turned in their units between those months that they should speak with Motorola if they’ve experienced any strange happenings with their personal data. Motorola is also giving a free two-year subscription to an Experian credit monitoring system if they’ve turned their devices in during that period so that they might check their credit and assure themselves that they’re not getting messed with. Stores affected include Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale, eBay, Office Max, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, and Staples.

If you feel you’ve been affected on either side of this equation, you should contact Motorola customer support at 1-800-734-5870 or at their website for this situation over at Motorola XOOM Return. This situation is sure to stopper up some Android lovers if the XOOM was their first tablet, but only a tiny fraction of XOOM users have actually been hit thus far. Stay strong on the XOOM front, users!

[via SlashGear]

Assuming that the price in question hold steady, it’s a surprisingly good price for a new high-end phone. Motorola’s DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX will both run you $300 (though you can – and should – shave $100 off the price of the RAZR by getting it without a MicroSD card), as will the Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound. Placing the new DROID model at Verizon’s mid-range price seems odd, but clearly they’re setting it at a lower tier when compared with other phones, even though the DROID 4′s specs compete pretty evenly with them.

Speaking of specs: the DROID 4 is basically a copy of the DROID RAZR, with a smaller screen, removable battery and of course a slide-out keyboard. The DROID 4 comes with a 4-inch screen running the same 960×540 resolution, but sadly trades in the AMOLED panel for a more pedestrian LCD.   You still get a 1.2Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera and (sigh) Motorola’s Gingerbread with a custom UI and a locked bootloader. We spent some hands-on time with the DROID 4 at CES and came away impressed – everyone else should be able to in a week or two.

Other than improving overall performance, the Mobile Hotspot application has been updated to help retain a better connection to devices. The AT&T messages app has been revamped as well, offering easier methods for accessing texts stored in your cloud. They’ve gone ahead and renamed a few applications, but it shouldn’t effect anything. They’ve been shortened for easy access in the app tray.

If you’re not too anxious about having the update as soon as possible, then it should be pushed to your device. But those of you looking to get it sooner should navigate through Settings > About Phone > and tap System Updates. During an update, it’s smart to be plugged into an outlet, and also connected to your home wireless network to avoid climbing over your data cap. Hopefully it’s easy and painless, but let us know if any problems occur.

[via Phandroid]

Next up, there was a bit of confusion as to who currently tops the US in customer service. We first gathered from JD Power and Associates that Verizon was the victor, but later on – AT&T was said to top the charts by another survey. Who plans on watching the upcoming Super Bowl? If you’re a big fan of either the Giants or Patriots, an NFL Super Bowl 3D live wallpaper is now available in the market.

Possibly the most interesting news we’ll get to see today is a leaked image of the ASUS TF300T. It could be their next ‘Transformer’ tablet, but that’s the only speculation we can actually make at the moment. There’s no telling what could be packed inside, but it’s not like ASUS to regress in terms of hardware – so it’s safe to say their will be another NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core chip incorporated.

Finally, we have another update to add to the Motorola DROID 4 saga: As of now, expect to see it February 10th in stores. This was gathered from the latest leak, and is hopefully the last time this device will get pushed back. It would be a shame to receive it with a few glitches here and there, so it’s worth waiting for them to iron out anything before launching and risk making a mess of things.

While this is not Ice Cream Sandwich it will bring the devices up to Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. The build number will be 6.12.173 and the update is around 151MB in size, so it might take more than a minute or two to complete. It is nice to see Verizon and Motorola confirming these devices run on the exact same software, this should make development easier for the new MAXX. Provided in the gallery below are both of the change logs for those interested.

From the details below we can see Motorola has introduced tons of stability, performance, and bug fixes. As with most updates that always makes the list so we won’t continue on that. Some of the important bits are the fact that WiFi hotspot issues have been resolved and all users should be able to use the connection now. Verizon has updated a few widgets, VCast, Visual Voicemail and other bloatware items.

Our tipster mentions there are a few improvements to the overall user interface although we see no reports on that here from Verizon. They’ve also resolved some low-signal 4G issues and mention near the bottom that 4G LTE performance should be increased, as well as better batter life. The update should be rolling out any time now so feel free to start checking for updates by going to menu > about phone > check for updates. Shout in the comment section below should you have any issues or notice anything major. Enjoy!

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID RAZR

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : November 03, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution :
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.15 Inch
• Width : 2.71 Inch
• Depth : 0.27 Inch
• Weight : 127 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 8.9 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

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

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 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

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 850
• 900
• 1700
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

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

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Verizon]

According to a few screenshots from Droid-Life, Verizon’s official equipment guide website has the Motorola DROID 4 Slider set to be released on “All Channels” starting February 10th. Making that 9th launch date we mentioned yesterday pretty close to accurate.

There really isn’t much to say here, other than we are basically waiting for the official word from Verizon and or Motorola at this point. Obviously without an actual date confirmed this could still get pushed back and delayed for whatever reason, and we’ve seen that plenty in the recent past. I’m not the biggest fan of QWERTY keyboards especially with the strides in on-screen keyboards with Gingerbread and ICS. For those wanting the best of both worlds the DROID 4 employs a 4.0″ AMOLED display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Verizon 4G LTE, and still manages to have that built in edge-lit keyboard. We are expecting an announcement any day now so stay tuned if this slider is any interest to you.