Motorola locks Droid RAZR bootloader, angers ROM-happy lovers of anorexic handsets

Motorola Twitter

Like the Droid 3 before it, Motorola’s Droid RAZR will be shipping with a locked bootloader — despite the company’s promise to start unlocking its handsets. Sure, the Atrix is ripe for the hacking, but it seems like Verizon really doesn’t want Moto encouraging its customers to start mucking around with custom ROMs. The official Motorola Mobility Twitter account says the RAZR bootload is locker per the carrier’s request. It’s a shame, but we’re sure this will be only a temporary roadblock. If it takes more than a month to crack this bad boy we’ll be shocked.

Motorola locks Droid RAZR bootloader, angers ROM-happy lovers of anorexic handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ice Cream Sandwich widgets leak out ahead of official launch

We expect to be hearing plenty more about Ice Cream Sandwich before the day is out, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still room for some last-minute leaks. We’ve already seen a couple of updated apps slip out, and we now also have what appears to be our first look at Google’s refreshed widgets for the new OS. Those include both Gmail and Calendar, as well one for your non-Gmail email, all of which boast a similar appearance that’s been further streamlined from their Honeycomb counterparts. As Android Police notes, there’s curiously no labels in the Gmail widget, although we’d assume that’s just due to the particular messages being displayed (we hope so, at least). Hit the source link below for a look at the rest.

Ice Cream Sandwich widgets leak out ahead of official launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid RAZR hands-on (video)

To everyone who rocked a Motorola RAZR in the ’00s, it’s time to get excited again. The line — or at least the name — has been reborn, and not without good reason. This is a thin device — extremely thin. The Droid RAZR by Motorola is 7.1mm thin, in fact, and holding it up next to the iPhone 4 makes Apple’s phone look downright beefy by comparison. At 127 grams, it’s also incredibly light, a fact that’s quite apparent the first time you hold thing — we were honestly a bit surprised when it was first dropped in our hands. The company has clearly come a long way from the first generation Droid.

Of course, as noted, Motorola didn’t skimp on the specs here. The RAZR’s got a TI OMAP 4430 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM inside, and it does zip through apps with ease. The handset is rocking Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread — or at least was during our hands-on. No word on Ice Cream Sandwich — though we’ll no doubt be hearing more about that OS at tonight’s event. The 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display is quite bright, and should do wonders on those Netflix HD videos.

Also of note is the phone’s relative ruggedness, thanks to its Kevlar backing, diamond cut aluminum and Gorilla Glass, but in spite of these facts, it really doesn’t feel or particularly look like a rugged device in your hands, just a big, surprisingly light handset. It’s a slick, fast, thin phone, that certainly seems worthy of the RAZR name we’ve all know and love.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Motorola Droid RAZR hands-on (video)

Motorola Droid RAZR hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM announces PlayBook 2.0 Developer Beta and Runtime, marries Android to BlackBerry

Research in Motion announced the developer beta of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 today at its annual DevCon event. The new beta will be released today, and has a few goodies that we’ve been waiting a long time for: namely, BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and the BlackBerry Plug-In for Android Development Tools, which will give developers the opportunity to bring their Android apps to the PlayBook. Also coming along for the ride is support for Adobe AIR 3, Flash Player 11 and WebGL, a new tech that enables hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to show in the browser without needing additional software. Needless to say, this changes the ballgame a bit for Waterloo. Sounds great, but is it enough to keep the company’s head above water? Remains to be seen, but check out the press release after the break to get the full scoop, and head over to the Runtime site to get started.

Continue reading RIM announces PlayBook 2.0 Developer Beta and Runtime, marries Android to BlackBerry

RIM announces PlayBook 2.0 Developer Beta and Runtime, marries Android to BlackBerry originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid RAZR: Thinnest of All. Kevlar. Splashproof. Yes.

After crashing and burning in a blaze of mediocrity, the once-legendary RAZR lineage has a new successor. The Droid RAZR is a 4G LTE, 1.2 GHz dual-core-CPU-powered, kevlar-constructed wafer of a phone. More »

Motorola Droid RAZR unveiled: LTE, 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, available November for $299

As far as secrets go, this one was not well kept. After a series of leaks that treated us to early images of the device, Motorola finally spilled the LTE beans with a teaser page reveal just yesterday. Now, we have official confirmation that the itsy bitsy 4G Spyder’s on its Big Red way.

This newest addition to Verizon’s Droid lineup boasts a Gorilla Glass coated, 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display — a first for any mobile handset — atop a dual-core 1.2GHz TI OMAP4430 processor. Although the RAZR may look like a Kevlar-wrapped, slightly warped Droid X with its 7.1mm skinny silhouette and familiar topside hump, the insides tell a different tale. Joining the list of well-heeled specs, are an 8 megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p HD video, 1GB RAM, 16GB of onboard storage with 16GB additional on the microSD card and an 1,800mAh battery. Moto’s also included Lapdock 100 and 500 Pro compatibility, converting this latest red-eyed beastie into a power user’s best friend.

To help you squeeze the most productivity out of its 21st century RAZR, Moto’s also thrown in what it’s calling SmartActions software to manage your phone’s battery life. These user-determined settings can be programmed to shut off Bluetooth when you return home or slow down the processor speed while you’re on the phone — whatever your energy needs, the company’s intent you make the most of this handset. A new personal cloud feature comes bundled with the device, dubbed MotoCast. Video, photos, documents and music can be streamed from your laptop straight to the handheld. And for the IT departments of the world, the RAZR comes business ready with Citrix Receiver, Motorola Webtop and videoconferencing abilities.

Of course, there are a slew of accessories you can pair up with that new Droid: two lapdocks, wireless keyboard options, HD docks and Bluetooth headsets. You can snatch up all the extra goods and, of course, that aluminum-accented smartphone on October 27th when Verizon begins accepting pre-orders. As for that hard street date, the network’s being coy with a global release slated for November.

Update: Motorola has also confirmed that the phone will be exclusive to Rogers in Canada, where it will simply be known as the Motorola RAZR. Still no word on an exact release date, but the phone is now available for pre-order at $150 on a three-year contract, and Motorola says it will launch “in time for the holidays.” Unfortunately, Canadians will have to make do without LTE, as Rogers’ version will only do HSPA up to 14.4Mbps.

Continue reading Motorola Droid RAZR unveiled: LTE, 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, available November for $299

Motorola Droid RAZR unveiled: LTE, 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, available November for $299 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re Live at Motorola, Ready to Peep This New RAZR. And More???

Oh man oh man oh man, we’re live in Midtown Manhattan, waiting with bated breath, hoping to check out the new Motorola RAZR. Wait, why are we liveblogging this? A few reasons. More »

Motorola’s Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger. event liveblog!

The countdown is almost at an end. And that means it’s time for some serious Daft Punk-referencing Motorola action. What can we expect today? The Spyder / Droid RAZR handset? The sequel to the Xoom? Perhaps an early taste of Ice Cream Sandwich? All of these answers and more will be revealed at 12PM ET.

Psst… and toss your own time zone / day in comments below!

06:00AM – Hawaii (October 18th)
09:00AM – Pacific (October 18th)
10:00AM – Mountain (October 18th)
11:00AM – Central (October 18th)
12:00PM – Eastern (October 18th)
05:00PM – London (October 18th)
06:00PM – Paris (October 18th)
08:00PM – Moscow (October 18th)
01:00AM – Tokyo (October 19th)

Photos by Zach Honig.

Continue reading Motorola’s Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger. event liveblog!

Motorola’s Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger. event liveblog! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy Nexus images, specs and benchmarks apparently leaked

Either these posters are extremely elaborate fakes, or NTT DoCoMo is really bad at keeping secrets. Just hours after it prematurely tweeted a November release for the Galaxy Nexus (aka the Nexus Prime), we now have what appears to be a full spec list and comparison with the other handsets in the Japanese carrier’s range. The details are nearly all familiar from previous suspected leaks, including the dual-core 1.2GHz Texas Instruments processor, 720p Super AMOLED curved glass display, five megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and 32GB of storage (plus 1GB RAM). Now, it’s entirely possible that the fakers are all singing from the same dodgy hymn sheet — but if that’s true, then they’ve also been busily submitting forged benchmarks to GLBenchmark, which displays results from a ‘Galaxy Nexus’ that include the same 1.2GHz clock speed and HD screen (albeit listed as 1196×720, supposedly due to the onscreen buttons). We’ll know the truth soon enough — the full fandango is but hours away.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Galaxy Nexus images, specs and benchmarks apparently leaked originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola’s Android future to be revealed later today, get your liveblog here!

Promising us something faster, thinner and stronger later today, Motorola has paired up with Verizon to make some big announcements. We’re going to be smack dab in the middle of it all, chronicling every little detail on our liveblog. “Sandwiched” between Blackberry’s DevCon and another dynamic duo, we’re still intrigued as to what (or even how many) phones and tablets Moto has crammed up their capacious Google-monogrammed sleeves. Could it spoil Samsung’s party with some Ice Cream Sandwich news of its own? Who knows, but it’s going to be a hectic day for tech news. Best grab another cup of coffee, and bookmark this page to keep up.

Feel free to throw your time zone and day in the comments below, we may even +1 you if you do.

06:00AM – Hawaii (October 18th)
09:00AM – Pacific (October 18th)
10:00AM – Mountain (October 18th)
11:00AM – Central (October 18th)
12:00PM – Eastern (October 18th)
05:00PM – London (October 18th)
06:00PM – Paris (October 18th)
08:00PM – Moscow (October 18th)
01:00AM – Tokyo (October 19th)

Motorola’s Android future to be revealed later today, get your liveblog here! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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