The Droid 2 Becomes Official... Finally

 

The Droid is arguably the phone that put Android on the map, and the sequel to the best-selling Android phone is here, as the Droid 2. The Droid 2 is going to come shipped with Android 2.2, the first device to do so. Aside from Froyo, the Droid 2 has a 3.7" WVGA capacitive touchscreen, 8GB of internal storage, (with support of up to 32Gb on a MicroSD card) a 1GHz TI OMAP processor and 512MB of RAM. There is a also a 3G hotspot option, but like other Verizon phones, you will have to pay $20 a month for this privilege. The Droid 2 also comes pre-installed with Swype, one of the best ways for text-imput on Android Devices.

The Droid 2 is going to be available on presale tomorrow August 11th for $199.99, with a R2-D2 Star Wars special edition coming next month.

Press Release:

See What DROID™ Does Next: DROID 2 by Motorola Pre-Sale Starts August 11 at verizonwireless.com 

Built on Android 2.2 with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, DROID 2 Comes Equipped with More Power, More Speed and an Improved QWERTY Keyboard 

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation's largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today announced that DROID™ 2 by Motorola will be available for pre-sale on August 11. Hitting all the right keys, DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2. 

"When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network," said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. "The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network." 

"With the new DROID 2, we've taken a big leap forward from the original DROID," said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. "We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before." 

DROID 2's super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure. 

DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices. 

Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market™, which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD™ card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile™ and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup Assistant(SM). 

"It's great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1," said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. "With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go." 

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more. 

R2-D2 DROID 2 

In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale. 

Pricing and Availability 

DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access. 

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty. 

Source DroidDoes

Verizon & Motorola come clean (and offer fix) to .1% of Droid X users with defect

I'm impressed: it takes some serious guts to stand up and say: "Hey, we screwed up." Not: "Hey, there's nothing wrong with our phones but take a free bumper."

All jokes aside, you deserve some kudos, Verizon and Motorola.

According to both parties, one tenth of one percent (so .1%) of Droid X users are experiencing screen issues including flickering and banding.

Thankfully, Motorola's indicating that it has already fixed whatever was the culprit and no new units should ship with this issue.

If you're one of the unlucky few experiencing this issue with your Droid X, be sure to get in touch with either Verizon or Motorola-- they're looking to get your issue resolved.  And, be sure to check out the official statement below.

Verizon Wireless and Motorola are aware of a very small number of DROID X units that have experienced a flickering or banding display. Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact a Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless.

Via: TechTrackr

Droid 2 Images Leaked!

 

The Droid X has just launched and the sequel to the Motorola Droid, the Droid 2 is just around the corner. We reported about the Droid 2 being seen in the leaked Verizon catalog (Read here) and now there are some more pictures of the Droid 2.

The picture above looks very official and is probably photos that would go in the official. See a bigger version of the photo here. Where as the photo below is probably the dummy phone that you find in stores. This pic also has a the presumed UI of the Droid 2 and the dummy phones can be bought here for $29.99.

 

As of yet, Verizon have not officially announced the Droid 2 or a release date but we are hearing a release date of August 23rd.

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Source DroidLife | Engadget

DROID X Goes All Hollywood With Cinematic Promo

Motorola DRIOD X is coming out tomorrow and the hype must be big for it's release, so enjoy this cinematic promo.

Source Motodroidlife

Droid 2 Is Definitely Coming!

Verizon has just had their summer catalog leaked by Boy Genius Report. But the most important thing seen in the leaked catalog is the sequel to the Motorola Droid (one of Verizon’s most popular devices), which is called the Droid 2. A device which Verizon has not offically announced.

So if this leak is true, we know the confirmed specs of the Motorola Droid 2, which are:

• 1GHz Snapdragon Processor
• 8GB memory card preinstalled
• 5 megapixel camera
• 3G Mobile Hotspot functionality
• Probably Android 2.1 with MotoBlur
• Silver Body

There’s no word on release date yet but ‘coming soon’ has to mean something.

Head over to Boy Genius Report to see the full catalog.

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Motorola Charm Announced with MOTOBLUR

 

Today, Motorola and T-Mobile have officially announced the latest phone, the Motorola Charm. It is has a portrait QWERTY which is running Android 2.1 with MOTOBLUR. Other features include a 3Mp camera and 2.8" touch screen with backtrack Navigation, much like seen on the Backflip. But if you are not familiar with the backtrack navigation, watch the video below for more details. 

Press Release:

Motorola Announces its Newest Device with MOTOBLUR™: Motorola CHARM™ 
Exclusively for T-Mobile USA, Motorola CHARM packs smartphone features and social graces into a pocketable design with Android™ 2.1 and MOTOBLURTM enhancements 

July 07, 2010 

Libertyville, Ill. — July 7, 2010 —Motorola (NYSE: MOT) today announced the upcoming availability of Motorola CHARM™, a touch screen smartphone that packs a social networking punch with Android™ 2.1, MOTOBLURTM enhancements, a compact design and a BACKTRACK™ feature that makes screen navigation even more intuitive. 

Motorola CHARM is expected to be available this summer exclusively in the U.S. for customers of T-Mobile USA, Inc. 

“Motorola strives to provide an increased customizable user experience, which is enabled by our latest enhancements to MOTOBLUR and featured on the new Motorola CHARM,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, vice president, Americas Marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Combine that with a compact design, easy handling and all the features you would expect from a smartphone, and we believe that CHARM with MOTOBLUR adds the social ability and workability consumers are looking for.” 

Motorola CHARM provides consumers all the features of a smartphone with the intuitive navigation of a 2.8 inch touch screen – all in a compact, pocketable design that makes messaging a snap using the combination of a full QWERTY keyboard and touch screen. The BACKTRACK navigation pad, located on the back of the smartphone directly behind the home screen, is similar to a laptop touch panel and enables an unobstructed view of the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds. Plus, with Android 2.1 and enhanced MOTOBLUR features, CHARM offers new customization and filtering options. 

“Being social with friends and family comes naturally for T-Mobile customers, and we think mobilizing their social experiences should be effortless,” said Saj Sahay, director of product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the new Motorola CHARM and enhancements to the Android and MOTOBLUR experience, we’re bringing more social skills to our broad portfolio of Android-powered smartphones.” 

Motorola CHARM will be the first device in the U.S. to feature an enhanced version of MOTOBLUR built on Android 2.1, which syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more in easy to manage streams — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail. MOTOBLUR now allows for even greater customization, providing users more options to follow who and what really matters. 


MOTOBLUR filters can be selected from a single social networking account, contacts, group or messaging account so that users can select only the information they want to stream live to the Happenings and Messages widgets. Users can move and resize pre-loaded home screen widgets to personalize up to seven home screen panels for an even more custom experience. Lastly, consumers can manage their phone’s battery consumption by selecting different power modes to conserve battery. 


Contacts in MOTOBLUR are automatically synced to the phone from personal and work e-mail and social network accounts. MOTOBLUR will continue to provide convenience and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary. In addition, one user name and password brings back contacts, messages and connectivity to previously configured networks and e-mail providers. 

Last, but not least, Moto Phone Portal enables you to access and manage your phone’s data from any browser through a USB or Wi-Fi connection. Edit content and view important phone information while at home or on-the-go. Leave pictures on a friend’s PC, share a video at the local Internet café or share a presentation during an important business meeting. 

Additional features on Motorola CHARM include: 

-Adobe® Flash® enabled Web browsing experience to view most of today’s content-rich sites 
-Full suite of Google™ services including: Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on Android Market™ 
-Pinch to zoom functionality and two-finger swipe to easily surf the Web and sort through photos 
-Capture sharp photos with a 3MP camera and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures 
-One-touch social media uploads to Facebook®, MySpace, PicasaTM and PhotoBucket® 
-CrystalTalkTM PLUS for enhanced audio and call quality with a second microphone for increased voice quality while filtering out background noise 
-Corporate email pushed immediately to the device for instant inbox updates 

Availability 
Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR is expected to be available exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers this summer.

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Source Motorola

Droid X Pre-Orders at Best Buy

 

So your iPhone 4 order was cancelled and you want to switch to Android? Well the latest Android phone to hit the market is now available for pre-order, the Droid X.  Best Buy is now taking pre-orders for the best Android smartphone to date. The main features of the Droid X are a 4.3" screen at 854x480, Android 2.1 with NinjaBlur (a less intrusive version of MotoBlur) with Froyo coming later this summer and 720p video recording. 

By ordering the Droid X from Best Buy you don't have to fuss around with the mail-in rebate, you just pay $199.99 in store with 2-year contract on Verizon.

Here is the press release

Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile have truly become the leading destination this summer for all your mobile smartphone needs – from HTC EVO 4G from Sprint to the iPhone 4 on AT&T to the upcoming DROID X on Verizon. Enthusiasts of the Android platform can be the first to reserve a copy of the new Verizon DROID X by Motorola today at Best Buy. The pre-sale begins June 25 and the smartphone will land in stores on July 15.

"With the buzz we've seen around the Android platform, Best Buy is confident that consumers will be thrilled about the Verizon DROID X by Motorola pre-sale," said Scott Anderson, senior director of merchandising at Best Buy Mobile. "It has been a great summer for smartphones with the HTC EVO and iPhone 4 launches, and the addition of the DROID X adds another strong option for our customers to consider."

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Source BestBuy