Hasta La Gadget!

At Verizon‘s unveiling event where they announced a line of new DROID phones, Motorola also unveiled a new processor, which they’re calling a computing system. The X8 features eight cores that consist of a dual-core application processor by Qualcomm, a quad-core graphics processor, a single-core contextual processor, and a single-core natural language processor.

All three of the new DROID smartphones are based on this new computing system, which sports 24% faster CPU performance and GPU processing that’s twice as fast than before. Details on this new eight-core system are extremely sparse right now, but we do know that it was made in partnership with Qualcomm, but we’re not sure what kind of Qualcomm processor is inside.

The processor is being used in all three DROID devices, which consists of the DROID Mini, DROID ULTRA, and DROID MAXX. These devices are latest in the DROID series for Verizon, and they go on pre-order starting today, with availability beginning on August 20 (DROID Mini will see a slight delay to August 29).

The DROID Mini is the entry-level device in the bunch, with a compact design that sports a 4.3-inch HD display and wireless charging capabilities. Essentially, it’s the successor the DROID RAZR M from last year. As for the DROID ULTRA and MAXX, these sport larger 5-inch HD display, with the MAXX boasting a 3500 mAh battery for “two days” of battery life.

Details are still a bit scarce at this point, especially with the new X8 SoC, but hopefully we’ll hear more info about it soon. Verizon announced all of the goodies today in a matter of ten minutes without really going over details, so stay tuned as we update later today.

Motorola X8 8-core computing system official with Qualcomm backing is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As expected, Verizon announced a line of new DROID devices today, and while the carrier held a stage event, the unveilings were quick and dirty. Verizon announced three new DROID smartphones today, consisting of the DROID Mini, DROID ULTRA, and DROID MAXX, all of which have different price points to cater towards any budget.

The DROID Mini is the entry-level device in this new lineup, and it’s all about a compact design for this one. It’s essentially a refresh of the DROID RAZR M, which was the compact DROID device from last year’s lineup. The phone runs a 1.7GHz dual-core processor with quad-core graphics and 2GB of RAM (this goes for all three phones).

The next step up is the DROID ULTRA, which Verizon says the main focus is thinness. It sports a kevlar shell, which gives it some ruggedness as well as a sleek look. The device also has a glossy red finish to it, which Motorola says is “a lot like a sports car,” but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this statement about past phones (DROID Incredible, anyone?)

As for the big daddy of them all, the DROID MAXX is a lot like the ULTRA in that it sports the same kevlar body, but the MAXX also packs in a much larger battery as you’d expect. We’re still waiting on official details on battery life and size, but Motorola says that you can get around two days of battery life with “normal usage.”

All three phones will be available for pre-order today and will begin shipping on August 20. The DROID Mini costs $99, while the DROID ULTRA will cost you $199. The DROID MAXX will be priced at a steep $299, but that’s the price you pay for better battery life, it seems. All these prices are after signing a new two-year contract.

Verizon Motorola DROID lineup arriving next month with Goldilocks subsidies is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Gigantic handsets may be surprisingly popular, but they’re hardly appropriate for every smartphone user. Some of us prefer working with a more compact device, and for those customers, Motorola and Verizon have announced the new Droid Mini. The handset, a smaller variant of the Droid Ultra (and Ultra Maxx), stills packs plenty of punch. Moto calls it “compact without compromise,” and while there’s clearly less screen real estate here than on the larger Droids, it does look like a pretty compelling package.

For all intents and purposes, the Mini is a refresh of last year’s Droid RAZR M. As expected, the phone packs a 4.3-inch display which, like the RAZR M, its nearly edge-to-edge. Though the Droid Mini retains nearly the same diminutive dimensions as the RAZR M, its overall impression is not as slick-looking. That’s due to the glossy, unibody design (still Kevlar) Motorola’s opted for on the Mini. Not everything’s remained the same, though: the Mini distances itself from the past with a resolution bump to 1,280 x 720, although it reps a TFT display — not the AMOLED of the Droid Ultra and Maxx.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, Verizon

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Fans of Kevlar and long battery life will be happy to hear that Verizon unveiled its latest Maxx, the Droid Maxx, this morning in New York City, and it sports a massive 48-hour battery life. It’s apparently 9 percent thinner than last year’s counterpart, the RAZR Maxx HD, and it starts at $299 (with the standard two-year contract, naturally) on August 20th. Specifics about which CPU and GPU being used weren’t given, though the latest Maxx is reportedly 24 percent faster in the CPU department and 100 percent faster in terms of graphics processing (all on a single SoC, it sounds like). It also features a 10-megapixel camera out back that’s capable of shooting 1080p HD video.

The new Maxx was unveiled alongside the Droid Mini and Ultra, effectively replacing the RAZR line that debuted last fall. All three new phones come pre-loaded with Google’s VR game Ingress, and seemingly all run on Motorola’s newly announced X8 computing system. We’re still waiting on more detailed specs, but we’ll have a hands-on directly from the NYC event coming up shortly.

Update 1: Reps at the event tell our on-site staff that the Maxx has a 5-inch screen, and a press release from VZW says it has wireless charging and a 3500mAh battery. Additionally, it can apparently be woken on voice command by saying, “Ok Google Now.”

Update 2: And now we’ve got full specs: a 1.7 GHz dual-core CPU with quad-core graphics powers the Maxx, with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory rounding out the list. It’s an LTE-enabled phone (naturally) and weighs just under five ounces. Software-wise, it runs Android Jelly Bean 4.2.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Mobile, Verizon

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Source: Verizon

As expected, the star of the show is here: Verizon has unveiled the Motorola Droid Ultra at its New York City press event. The 5-inch smartphone is “all about thin,” according to Moto, and sports a glossy, unibody Kevlar shell that makes it thinner (7.18mm) yet stronger than its predecessors. It’s also speedier: a new dual-core X8 Mobile Computing System delivers about 24 percent faster processing power than the previous generations, graphics that are twice as quick and dedicated chips for both contextual computing and language processing. It sports the software tricks we’ve seen in leaks of the Moto X, such as hands-free voice control, Active Display notifications and Quick Capture. Google’s augmented reality game Ingress comes preloaded for more adventurous owners. The Droid Ultra ships August 20th for $199, and pre-orders are starting today.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, Verizon

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Source: Verizon