Oct 08
Motorola has quietly killed of its vaguely ridiculous Webtop concept, a line of software and hardware that allowed a handset to power a lightweight laptop. Sadly, nobody bought one. More »
Oct 08
There are some ideas that just capture the world’s imagination by storm, while others do not really do that well, fading into obscurity along the way. Well, you can say that Motorola’s Webtop concept that was launched with the original Atrix 4G in tow peered into an alternate version of the future which was not meant to be – one that saw our computers being replaced by a smartphone that is hooked up to a Lapdock. Having said that, Motorola has just confirmed that devices from the Photon Q 4G LTE and Droid RAZR M families onward will no longer offer Webtop functionality, and neither will future versions.
Motorola says the reason behind this is, “adoption has not been strong enough”, so that means the market did not bite onto what Motorola had in mind for the future. If you were a Webtop user, are you an ardent supporter of it, or are you just relieved that the Webtop has been put out of its misery after all this while? We cannot help but wonder whether this is also part of Google’s cost cutting measures after acquiring Motorola Mobility.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Webtop 3.0 Beta on Motorola Ice Cream Sandwich platform , Motorola Electrify sweepstakes registration ends today,
Oct 07
When Motorola launched its Webtop concept alongside the original Atrix 4G, it had grand visions of replacing our PCs with a smartphone, a Lapdock and some optimism for a mobile-focused future. Most of us don’t appear to have shared that rose-tinted view, as Motorola has confirmed that devices from the Photon Q 4G LTE and Droid RAZR M onward don’t carry Webtop and won’t get it in the future. The firm is blunt in explaining the cut and says that “adoption has not been strong enough” — we just weren’t buying those desktop- and laptop-oriented docks in the large numbers Motorola would need to devote further attention. As CNET explains, the move isn’t surprising in light of Google’s cost cutting as well as an initial $500 Lapdock price that likely chilled any momentum, even after prices dropped to as little as $200 in the Atrix 2 era. We’d also point to a market that still favors budget laptops and tablets: when $400 will get you an entirely separate Transformer Pad TF300, albeit without a keyboard, it’s hard to justify buying what amounts to an empty shell. At least we’ll still have our PadFone to keep us company while you read the full statement below.
Motorola’s Webtop app helps users extend their smartphone experience to larger screens. While consumers around the world have adopted Webtop and the concept spurred a lot of innovation in the industry, the adoption has not been strong enough to justify continued resources being allocated to developing Webtop on future devices. We have also seen development of the Android operating system focus on the inclusion of more desktoplike features. Beginning with Photon Q and Droid Razr M/Droid Razr HD/Droid Razr Maxx HD, we will no longer be including Webtop on our products moving forward.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, Google
Motorola phases out Webtop, points to a Lapdock-shy world originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
CNET | Email this | Comments
Jul 05
More Info
Ah, what a difference a couple years can make. After earning notoriety for is frustrating MotoBlur skin, the manufacturer has made strides on the Android user interface front. Its next attempt, known by many as “BlueBlur,” was a far better experience, if only because the original user interface could hardly get any worse. These modest improvements aside, though, we’ve always wondered how the company would make its mark on Android 4.0, a newer version of the OS that ushered in a major redesign. Would Motorola once again choose a heavy, proprietary skin, or would it be more heavily influenced by its new Google overlords and develop a UI more in line with stock Ice Cream Sandwich?
Unfortunately, Motorola kept us waiting in suspense longer than any other major OEM: Samsung, HTC, Sony and (gasp!) even LG have already started shipping devices loaded with skinned versions of ICS. But while Motorola popped the update onto one specific tablet earlier this year, it only managed to push test copies of Ice Cream Sandwich to a handful of Droid RAZR and Droid RAZR Maxx devices before Jelly Bean was announced. Even now, we still haven’t seen how the now-antiquated firmware will look on new Motorola handsets (though we hopefully will find out with the upcoming Atrix HD, RAZR HD or Photon Q). We have to wonder if the drawn-out acquisition process put the outfit in an awkward holding pattern, preventing it from cranking out fresh handsets and accompanying firmware updates.
So is HelloMoto making a grand entrance by being the last to show up to the Ice Cream Sandwich social? What makes Ice Cream Blurwich tick? We’ll take you through the major elements of the user interface to give you a sense of what to expect when your Motorola phone is ready to make the jump.
Gallery: Motorola ICS skin overview
Continue reading Motorola ICS UI review: this isn’t the Blur we used to know
Motorola ICS UI review: this isn’t the Blur we used to know originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Jul 04
Motorola Atrix HD revealed with 4.5-inch Colorboost HD display, ICS and Droid RAZR looks
Posted in: Today's Chili 
The next Motorola Atrix phone has been revealed on the company’s website as the Atrix HD, with an MB886 model number matching the “Dinara” we saw pass through the FCC. According to the listed specs, it features a 4.5-inch HD Colorboost (720 x 1,280) display, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and (predictably) looks very much like the Droid RAZR. There’s no carrier mentioned (other than the blatant logo at the bottom), but judging by the radio bands mentioned in the specs, it comes off very much as a Droid RAZR for AT&T with quad-band EDGE, quad-band HSPA+ and dual-band LTE. It has a 1780 mAh battery, 8MP rear camera, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage (up to 32GB external) and measures 8.4mm thick. The construction is as you’d expect, with Gorilla Glass and Kevlar fused to make the “business ready” handset, while the Atrix 2’s Lapdock 100 is listed as an accessory. There’s no word on when the third Atrix will be launched, but you can find out all about it and sign up for updates right now at the source link.
Motorola Atrix HD revealed with 4.5-inch Colorboost HD display, ICS and Droid RAZR looks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.