Droid 2 Global (and specs) make brief cameo on Motorola’s website


There and gone again: a Droid’s tale. Looks like Motorola‘s website had a temporary hiccup on the site, and out its proverbial mouth came a listing and some specs for the Droid 2 Global — which, as you might gather from a name like that, appears to be a Droid 2 with Quad Band antenna for world use (sound familiar?). The site also lists a 1.2GHz processor a redesigned QWERTY keyboard, and a host of key words for the business demographic. Or rather, it listed such things, past tense, as the information has now been pulled. No pictures were ever posted, but if we were betting folk, we’d wager a name like that and a call-out to “redesigned keyboard” means everything else is just as you’d expect.

Droid 2 Global (and specs) make brief cameo on Motorola’s website originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype’s Android shackles are broken, 3G calling hacked into reality

Well, that didn’t take long. Just days after the official Skype application finally landed in the Android Market, along comes an .apk that’s far more salacious for Americans. Thanks to xeudoxus over at Droid Forums, a tweaked version of the app is now available to download and sideload (sorry, stock Aria owners), promising the same functionality but without that nasty 3G block. It’s really as simple as that — hit those source links to get the unquestionably superior version, and feel free to let us know how your carrier’s network holds up in a test call.

[Thanks, Gardo]

Skype’s Android shackles are broken, 3G calling hacked into reality originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The New Droid Pro – Or Should I Say, “Android Bold”?

Late yesterday, Verizon and Motorola announced a new Android smartphone with a front-facing QWERTY keyboard, sleek black business-casual look and a 3.1″ multitouch multimedia screen. The Droid Pro is expected to attract a big chunk of Verizon’s existing Android and Blackberry high-end and business users when released in the coming weeks.

My first, beloved smartphone was a first-generation Blackberry Bold; for me, Motorola’s Droid Pro is clearly the handsomest Android phone I have ever seen. (Yes, I like it more than the R2-D2 Droid.) The major differences between the new Droid Pro and my old Blackberry Bold are Android apps and a touchscreen. As long as the Droid Pro’s keyboard is a champ like the Bold’s, the touchscreen isn’t too teeny and its yet-unannounced pricing isn’t too obscene, we can say that it’s improved in every way.

The Droid Pro’s specs are also impressive: Android 2.2., a 1GHz processor with 2GB of storage, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and support for both Exchange and Google email and calendar programs. It can act as a 3G mobile hotspot (although Verizon has disabled that functionality for current Droid users) or stream media from a server over a Wi-Fi network using the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard. Its 5MP camera can shoot still images and video, so you might even have something on your phone worth streaming back.

When the Droid Pro’s finally released, upgraders should make sure they don’t throw their old phones away: Verizon Wireless today announced a new trade-in/recycling program that will appraise your old phone, refurbish or recycle it and offer you a Verizon Gift Card. Even non-Verizon phones can be traded in, so network-switchers can take advantage of it too.

Price and release date for the Droid Pro have yet to be announced; when released, it will be available through Verizon Wireless’s online and retail outlets. You can fully expect that Verizon’s people will be happy to sell you one.

Image from Motorola.

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Droid Pro Debuts from Motorola

Motorola Droid Pro_press.jpg

RIM’s not gonna like this one. It’s the Droid Pro, the latest Android smartphone from the Google-loving folks at Motorola, and I’m sure I’m about the thousandth person to state for the record that the thing looks a lot like a BlackBerry–albeit one with an elongated screen.

Yep, this is Motorola’s shot at enterprise users, with features like enhanced Microsoft Exchange support. The handset, which is due out on Verizon in November, runs Android 2.2, features some built-in social networking, a1 Ghz processor, and has all of the standard Google-centric features one expects from a “with Google”-branded phone.

Our mobile analyst Sascha Segan got some hands-on time with the phone, and he reports,

I was impressed. The phone feels a bit long, but it’s still comfortable in one hand. I’ve been hearing other pundits call it ugly, but I think that’s going way too far–sure, it has a bit of a John Kerry-esque long face, but it’s perfectly within the realm of decent. The sculpted keys are very easy to tell apart by touch. (RIM uses a similar technique on the BlackBerry Bold.)

The 3.1-inch screen was a bit of a disappointment apparently (much like Kerry’s presidential run), with a lo-res 320×480 pixel display.

The Droid Pro was one of seven (!) Android handsets that debuted at the mobile show.

Motorola Droid Pro, first hands-on! (update: video!)

Motorola’s BlackBerry? The freshly-announced Moto Droid Pro’s keyboard feels like it, to be sure, and after trying it out, we believed the Motorola rep who told us they tested comparable speeds of 37WPM in several focus groups. But that’s definitely Android under the hood, paired with a nice, responsive capacitive touchscreen and a 1GHz processor that sped through the UI. Check it out in our gallery below while we go find out more!

Update: We just had a nice long chat with a Motorola representative, and found out what’s under the Droid Pro’s hood — it’s a 1GHz OMAP 3620, to be precise, with an MDM6600 chipset, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of onboard storage ROM and 8GB internal storage, plus 802.11n 2.4GHz WIFI, Bluetooth 2.1 and tri-band UMTS. There’s a dual LED flash alongside that auto-focus camera, and a programmable key on the side that asks you what you want it to do the first time you press it. There’s 3G mobile hotspot support for up to five devices, and an optional 1860mAh extended battery and case, plus a desktop charger dock like those for the Droid and Droid 2 but that holds the handset vertically. It also just so happens that the Droid Pro has the push functionality of Blur even though it isn’t weighed down by the full Blur UI, and supports SD card remote wipes (and full device encryption in Q1 2011), has spellcheck integrated into the OS and a “multi-headed” VPN client. Had enough yet? We’ve got a series of screenshots below pulled directly from the device.

Update 2: Video of the Droid Pro and Motorola Citrus after the break!

Update 3: According to Motorola’s Developer page (at the link below) the Droid Pro’s also got PowerVR SGX 530 graphics inside, just like the Droid 2, among other devices. Speaking of Droid 2, we’ve got some a couple comparison shots in the gallery below, as well as pics with and without that 1860mAh extended battery.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading Motorola Droid Pro, first hands-on! (update: video!)

Motorola Droid Pro, first hands-on! (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola and Verizon’s crazy portrait Droid Pro unveiled (update: specs!)

Whoa — we knew Motorola likes to get funky with the form factors, but the new Droid Pro on Verizon might be the strangest (and best) yet: it’s a portrait device (the rumored Venus) with a BlackBerry-esque keyboard below the screen. It’s not the Droid 2 World Edition we were expecting, but damn — we’re in love. We don’t know much specs-wise apart from Android 2.2 with Blur and global roaming support in more than 220 countries, but we’re digging for as much as we can, so stay tuned.

Update: Motorola’s Sanjay Jha just formally announced the Droid Pro on stage, following the typical sizzle reel of the company’s business partners praising the company’s business leanings. It’s going to have a 5 megapixel auto-focus camera, 3.1-inch display, 1GHz processor — and a dual-mode CDMA/GSM chip for worldwide roaming. It’ll be available in the first week of November. Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading Motorola and Verizon’s crazy portrait Droid Pro unveiled (update: specs!)

Motorola and Verizon’s crazy portrait Droid Pro unveiled (update: specs!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latest smartphone displays pitted in no-holds-barred deathmatch

If you’re a numbers geek, you’re trying to be scientific about your next smartphone purchase, or you just like pretty colors, you might appreciate DisplayMate’s latest report rounding up examples of all (well, most) of the latest and greatest display technologies out there: IPS LCD, Super AMOLED, AMOLED, and TFT, represented by the iPhone 4 and Droid, the Galaxy S, the Nexus One, and the iPhone 3GS, respectively. Noticeably missing is SLCD, the technology HTC has been using to make up for lost ground on its AMOLED shortage from component supplier Samsung, but we’ve got a hunch DisplayMate’s hard at work at adding that into the mix.

Anyhow, considering the sheer number of variables the firm takes into consideration — everything from color depth, to brightness, to reflectance, to color gamut — there’s no clear-cut winner, but the Droid and iPhone 4 are obviously a cut above the rest with generally higher scores and better performance across the board. The Galaxy S’ Super AMOLED turns in a decent performance, too, but takes a little hit for its 16-bit color depth and blown-out colors. Of course, if you consider any of these — even the crappy TFT on the 3GS — to a phone from five years ago, it still looks like science fiction… so you really can’t go wrong, can you?

Latest smartphone displays pitted in no-holds-barred deathmatch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid R2-D2 hands-on

Look what landed in our galaxy this morning! You and your friends may be moaning about the recent news that Star Wars will have a 3D theatrical re-relase, but nobody’s going to complain about the cute weirdness that is the Droid R2-D2 edition, now are they? No surprises here — just hit the gallery below.

Droid R2-D2 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CSL’s $500 Spice Mi700 DroidPad runs Froyo, looks awfully familiar

Seen this fellow before? Look closer. Seeing any similarities? For all intents and purposes, CSL’s new Spice Mi700 DroidPad is just a rebadged Viewpad 7 / Camangi FM600, and given that CSL was also responsible for manufacturing the JooJoo, we’d say these guys know a thing or two about building a tablet. The device ships with Qualcomm’s 600MHz MSM722, stock Android 2.2 (Froyo), the same nasty widgets that ship on FM600, a total lack of Flash support and no access to paid apps via the App Market. There’s also a 3 megapixel camera on the rear, a VGA webcam on the front, WVGA capacitive touchpanel (7-inch), inbuilt WiFi / WWAN / Bluetooth, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s said to be available starting this month for $500, but early reviews aren’t exactly giving it two thumbs up — crank ‘er down to $250 and we suspect those views will shift.

CSL’s $500 Spice Mi700 DroidPad runs Froyo, looks awfully familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Pick an Android Smartphone – September 2010 [Android]

The last few months have been phenomenal for Android fans, with Samsung’s Galaxy line hitting all four carriers and Verizon getting a few, new, better Droids for their customers. But which should you pick? It’s actually an easy decision. More »