Samsung may not have spilled the beans on US variants of the Galaxy Note II, but phablet fans have already set their sights on theusualsuspects. Aiding rumors, for instance, are a collection of screenshots showing the phone running on both Verizon and Ma Bell’s networks. A BreifMobile source says that the AT&T version of the oversized handset is being tested, as are T-Mobile, Bell Canada and Sprint variations. The AT&T version is said to be a dead ringer for the international model, retaining its quad-core Exynos processor while snubbing the network’s branding. Much like Sammy itself, the source didn’t have much to say about availability — just “soon.” Can’t wait? Skip on down to the source link below to tease yourself with leaked screenshots.
The DROID RAZR M was revealed at the event where Googler and relatively new CEO of Motorola Dennis Woodside spoke about the “new plan” for the company – a plan that’s starting right here. We got a brief DROID RAZR M hands-on experience at the event and found that it was a surprisingly powerful-feeling device for its status under the DROID RAZR HD devices sitting nearby. With its near-edge-to-edge 4.3-inch display, it’s tried-and-true fabulously powerful dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood, and a collection of protective elements throughout this device’s chassis that make it, again, an ideal phone for today’s mobile landscape – just as the original DROID RAZR should have been (and still is, for many happy users, to be fair).
Have a peek at some hands-on walkthrough time here with the DROID RAZR M and see if it and the review text (and photos) above and below answer every question you’ve got about the device. If you find yourself still sitting with quandaries at the end of the post, please feel free to post in the comments section. We’ll do our best to expand where necessary!
Hardware
When I traveled from New York City to Minneapolis the day that I was handed the DROID RAZR M, I carried it in my pocket through three airports and dropped it at least 5 times. I’m clumsy. Because of the protective features Motorola was and is being up front about in this device and the other RAZR devices as well, I thought about how awesome it was that the M bounced around and didn’t show a scratch. Of course it’s partially really good advertising, and I can be a sucker for great promotion, but there’s quite a bit of reality in the pitch as well: there are more protective components here than there are fragile bits.
You’ve got Corning Gorilla Glass across the front, one big flat panel. The back of the device is mostly made up of of a panel of DuPont KEVLAR fiber, the rim of the device is either white or black hard plastic, and the frame is made of aircraft-grade aluminum. Inside you’ve also got water-repellent nanocoating, so you’re good in the rain and if you splash a bit of coffee over the top of the device.
The device does not work with legacy accessories that connect with the microUSB and microHDMI combination as seen on our review of the Motorola Lapdock 100 – here with the RAZR M, you’ve just got a microUSB port and that’s it. You’ve also got a standard headphone jack at the top of the device, power button and volume rocker on the right, and a door on the left also with a microSIM and microSD card slot as well.
The device is palm-sized and will be basically the closest device in size and shape to the upcoming iPhone 5 – which will certainly be carried by Verizon once it appears as well. The display will likely be a similar size as well, and the display will be comparable without a doubt. Beyond the basics, on the other hand, these two devices will not be compared unless Verizon workers are asked which device has Android and is basically the same size as the iPhone. More than likely you won’t find a lot of people entering the store with that comparison needing to be made.
Also note – there’s no other device on the market that looks or feels like this. Outside the other RAZR and Motorola devices that’ve been out in the last few months, (like the ATRIX HD), of course. That back panel assures you you’re working with Motorola hardware.
Software
There’s a collection of applications here that you could feel a number of ways about. If you thought that having Google own Motorola meant that they’d be releasing devices with only the Google standard set like the Nexus lineup does, you were wrong. If you’re looking for a device that you very well could potentially work with without needing to download any additional apps, this is it. Have a peek at the full collection of apps coming out of the box here:
You’ve got a “Verizon 4G LTE Edition” of Color here, this app being a social networking connection to photos and videos – including streaming live video via Facebook. Apps like Audible and IMDb as well as NFL Mobile will connect you to media from all directions, Zappos and Slacker Radio and Viewdini also bring you physical product shopping, streaming radio, and video listings. This device also comes with a suite of Amazon apps including Amazon for Amazon.com shopping, Amazon Kindle for ebooks, Amazon MP3, and the Amazon Appstore. What’s interesting here is that while previous Amazon-toting Android devices have worked with Bing rather than Google search, this device uses Google and has the Google Play store as well. You get the best of both worlds.
This device works with Smart Actions like several Motorola devices before, this app able to do things like detect when you’re in a certain area (GPS located) and turn your device’s brightness down. You can turn your sounds down when you enter a meeting (according to your Google calendar event), you can set a notification to pop up to remind you to charge your phone at a certain time of day, and you can turn off data sync when you’re asleep – amongst many others. You’ve also got Voice Commands and Voice Search as provided by Google’s newest Android systems. Note here that this device has been guaranteed to get Jelly Bean by Motorola, but that it currently uses Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich provides you with a Recent Apps button so you can easily switch between apps on the go. It also brings a notifications pull-down menu that’s accessible from your lockscreen as well as your homescreen – there’s a quick access button there to get to your full settings as well. There’s a new feature brought on by Motorola here as well which, when you pull your homescreen over to the right, you get a Quick Settings menu with on/off switches for GPS, Mobile Data, Bluetooth, and other oddities as well.
Below: Motorola includes an easy start guide for anyone unfamiliar with Android in general but especially with their unique user interface. They’ve made it specific to this device, too, with perfectly pointed arrows at the buttons outside the display.
Motorola’s user interface works well here with Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich features, not being overbearing as it was back when it was called MotoBlur. Here we’ve got a collection of easy-to-understand icons in your settings menu, features that are well placed (like the previously mentioned Quick Settings menu), and what’s not a rather quick software build as it works with Qualcomm’s processor. Have a peek at a few benchmark results here as well to see how it adds up compared to the rest of your smartphone and tablet favorites.
Camera
The camera is rather nice – certainly not the most excellent beast in the mobile field right this minute, but more than reasonable for the promises Motorola has made for the device. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 processor has architecture dedicated to image processing specifically, also, so it’s certainly helping out at least a little bit. Have a peek at some examples of photos and video as captured by the DROID RAZR M and see what 1080p video and 8 megapixel photos look like here.
Battery and Data Speed
The battery is a massive 2000mAh and, in combination with the amazing ability of the Snapdragon S4 to keep itself on low-demand while the device is asleep, you’ll have so much standby time that you’ll freak out. See here first what happens when you use the device moderately – lots and lots of time.
Then have a peek at what happens when you turn the device’s display up to full brightness. This chart shows how quickly you can drain the battery – note that this isn’t entirely unique to this device, you can make this happen with the right combination of high-demand apps and display power and data transfer and all that good stuff at once. What you should pay attention to here though is the flatline at the end – when the death drop ends, that’s where I turned the brightness of the display to “auto.”
The DROID RAZR M works with Verizon’s 4G LTE data network and has proven itself as a rather fabulous internet beast – the danger here will be that you get too addicted to the speed and end up using your whole data allowance in the course of a few days. That’s been known to happen with some people, you know. Have a peek here at a set of data speed readings from both New York City (including LaGuardia Airport – also in the demo video above), and Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Wrap-up
This is a rather fun addition to the Motorola collection of smartphones, and Verizon will be better for it having it in the Droid universe as well. You’ll find yourself enjoying the DROID RAZR M’s near-edge-to-edge display especially, with bright, sharp, and colorful delivery yours for the taking. The processor under the hood is more than powerful enough to handle any app, game, or video you’ve got or will get in the next few years on Android, and the whole user interface is quite slick.
This device is made to be its own little beast, not part of the docking and mirroring universe that Motorola smartphones have been almost exclusively for the past year. Because of that, you’ll have lower cost ($99.99 USD with a 2-year contract), and the device can be smaller as well. The battery inside this device is thinned-out in a way that makes it non-removable as well – the same situation as the original DROID RAZR too.
So you’ve got a smartphone that’s not made to come apart and certainly isn’t made to be part of the Motorola lineup from the year previous to this season. This is indeed part of the “new plan” spoken about by Dennis Woodside as Motorola’s tie with Google keeps the company flying high into the future. We’re excited to see if the DROID RAZR HD and HD MAXX are up to snuff as well – soon enough!
Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you’re like us and really want to know what’s going on, then you’ve come to the right place. This past week, AT&T revealed grand plans for LTE expansion that’ll continue through the end of the year and the Galaxy Reverb for Virgin Mobile officially went up for preorder. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of September 3rd, 2012.
Here’s an interesting revelation: we just received an image of Verizon’s internal device management system that indicates the carrier may be collaborating with HTC on another handset. The smartphone — dubbed the Desire 4G LTE — has left us without any details or specs, but it appears to be completely different than the Droid Incredible 4G LTE launched in July. We find the lack of Droid branding slightly curious (and perhaps indicative of a low-end device), though there’s no guarantee that this will be the phone’s final name. Is this Big Red’s version of the Desire X? Perhaps the Desire C? Or is this an exclusive device that won’t be offered elsewhere? We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
You know, when you have a device with the name “Stellar” tucked away somewhere, you had best make sure that the hardware specifications are able to live up to the name. I guess the same cannot be said for the Samsung Galaxy Stellar which has arrived at Verizon Wireless, and I will get back to that in greater detail in the extended post. Sure, the Samsung Galaxy Stellar might come with 4G LTE connectivity as well as dual interface options, but when the proverbial rubber meets the road, the Samsung Galaxy Stellar is definitely not going to top any of the benchmark tests in the market.
Since a couple of days ago, the Samsung Galaxy Stellar has been made available over at Verizon Wireless – whether you want to visit them over at their brick and mortar store, or check out their online presence. Being easy-to-use, the 4G LTE enabled Samsung Galaxy Stellar was specially designed to be compact and small enough, letting your hand have a firm and comfortable grip on the handset.
Apart from that, the Galaxy Stellar does come with a dual interface option so that customers will be able to pick from Starter Mode or Standard Mode. Just what are these two modes? Well, Starter Mode offers customers a simplified home screen display alongside preset widgets such as Favorite Apps, Favorite Contacts and Favorite Settings so that you are able to obtain quick and easy access to frequently used apps and settings. In addition, Starter Mode will also boast of a quick dialer icon which enables customers to make phone calls directly from the home screen.
As for Standard Mode, customers will be able to enjoy a more conventional layout that delivers the traditional Android experience, if there is such a thing that is classified as so. Not only that, the Galaxy Stellar will be accompanied by a Help app which features guided tours, walkthroughs, tips for changing settings and more, in order for customers to master their device within the shortest time possible.
Some of the hardware specifications (don’t be prepared to get blown away) include 4G LTE connectivity (which you already know), a 4-inch WVGA display (800 x 480 resolution), Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a suite of Amazon apps, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon application processor, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, a 3.2-megapixel camera at the rear, Wi-Fi support and a microSD memory card slot.
The asking price? Basically free, after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.
Now we’re intrigued. It’s a common (if unconfirmed) belief that the next iPhone will support LTE-based 4G, but the Wall Street Journal now understands through the ever-present “people familiar with the matter” that Apple is taking 4G worldwide. Where the current iPad only supports two LTE frequencies and drops to HSPA+ outside of the US and Canada, the new iPhone will supposedly cover parts of Asia and Europe as well. The exact countries haven’t been outlined, although it’s easy to imagine Apple going for those countries where 4G speeds matter the most: there’s been rumblings of talks with KT and SK Telecom in South Korea, but we could also see France, Germany, Japan and Scandiavian countries in the mix. The rumor hasn’t been confirmed, of course. That said, the iPhone was already purported to be using a new cellular chipset — and a number of carriers, most often in the US, have long said they won’t carry new smartphones unless LTE is part of the package. We’ll know the full scoop on Wednesday.
Are you familiar with the ADR930LVW from Pantech? Well, you’d be excused for never having heard of it, but given that it’s just popped up at the FCC, you might be getting to know it soon. Typically, details are sparse, but a bit of sniffing around suggests that this will be rolling with Verizon friendly LTE (which might also explain the “VW” in the product name). There’s mention of NFC too, along with the obligatory WiFi and Bluetooth furnishings. The handset is rumored to also be touting a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 and a 720p HD display, which sounds perfectly believable to us. But until this breaks cover, be it as the ADR930LVW, or codename Premia V — or indeed as anything else — we’ll just have to wait and see.
It’s hardly a secret that RIM is suffering in a big way, and the company is hoping that the eventual release of BlackBerry 10 will be able to pull it out of this rut. RIM has been given a glimmer of hope in the form of a Verizon announcement, with the company’s chief marketing officer Tami Erwin telling CNET that Verizon will offer at least one BlackBerry 10 device when the operating system launches.
Details are pretty slim at this point – as in essentially non-existent – but at least RIM can count on support for Verizon from day one. This is part of Verizon’s plan to offer consumers more choices when it comes to smartphone operating systems. Erwin says that no carrier wants to become “deeply tied” to one or two operating systems, so as a result, Verizon is trying to increase the scope of its offerings by welcoming Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 with open arms.
As many of you already know, BlackBerry 10 is currently scheduled to launch sometime in early 2013. RIM is shooting for a quarter 1 2013 release, but with BlackBerry 10′s history of delays, it wouldn’t surprise us to see the OS pushed back even more as we approach the end of the year. Indeed, BlackBerry 10 has been hit with a few delays since it was announced, so while we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a Q1 2013 release, it may not be the best idea to get your hopes too high until we’re closer to BlackBerry 10′s expected launch window.
RIM is planning to offer a more modern touch-based BlackBerry 10 device first, before launching a device with a full QWERTY keyboard. Since Verizon says that it will have a BlackBerry 10 device at launch, it seems likely that the device Erwin is referring to is that all-touch handset. In any case, having Verizon’s support from launch day is a big win for RIM, so lets hope that with Verizon backing up it, the struggling company can move some units.
This bit of news got a bit buried amid the back-to-back-to-back press events that happened earlier this week, but Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Tami Erwin confirmed in an interview with CNET on Wednesday that the carrier will be offering at least one BlackBerry 10 smartphone at launch. As you’ll recall, that launch date now sits at sometime in the first quarter of 2013, following some delays, and it’s expected than an all-touch device will debut prior to a more traditional keyboard-equipped BlackBerry. Unfortunately, Erwin didn’t offer any more specifics than that, but it looks like RIM’s recent push to woo carriers has paid off with at least one of the big three in the US.
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You know, when you have a device with the name “Stellar” tucked away somewhere, you had best make sure that the hardware specifications are able to live up to the name. I guess the same cannot be said for the Samsung Galaxy Stellar which has arrived at Verizon Wireless, and I will get back to that in greater detail in the extended post. Sure, the Samsung Galaxy Stellar might come with 4G LTE connectivity as well as dual interface options, but when the proverbial rubber meets the road, the Samsung Galaxy Stellar is definitely not going to top any of the benchmark tests in the market.
