Droid 2 cases arrive at Best Buy, Droid 2s soon to follow?

At this point, we’re starting to think that Motorola is intentionally (and cruelly) teasing us with its Droid successor. Today we can add to the parade of leaks preceding the Droid 2‘s debut in the form of the above hard case, which has just landed in Best Buy’s storerooms. Before you go off on some conspiracy theory comparing this to the iPhone’s Bumper and questioning whether this Droid might need a jacket, you should be aware that Rocketfish does similar paraphernalia for the Droid Incredible, marking this out as an entirely unremarkable run-of-the-mill accessory. Which might be the best news of all, we figure — if the unexciting peripherals are already being shipped, the handset itself shouldn’t be too far behind.

[Thanks, Justin]

Continue reading Droid 2 cases arrive at Best Buy, Droid 2s soon to follow?

Droid 2 cases arrive at Best Buy, Droid 2s soon to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola takes another shot at the iPhone 4, says Droid X is ‘no jacket required’

Well this is getting good. Motorola was one of the first to take a subtle swipe at Apple’s iPhone 4 antenna dilemma with an ad saying you could hold the Droid X “any way you like,” Apple came right back with a video purportedly showing the Droid X suffering similar attenuation issues when held in the right hand, and now Moto’s responded with this cheeky ad that plays off Apple’s free iPhone case solution by saying the Droid X can make calls “without a bulky phone jacket.” Yeah, it’s pretty good — particularly because unlike most other phones, we haven’t been able to death grip the Droid X with any noticeable effect on 3G reception. (Although, truth be told, we can drop the WiFi signal by a few bars pretty easily.) Either way, we’re certainly enjoying this little slice of swagger from Moto — check a larger version after the break.

Continue reading Motorola takes another shot at the iPhone 4, says Droid X is ‘no jacket required’

Motorola takes another shot at the iPhone 4, says Droid X is ‘no jacket required’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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18 Essential Back-to-School Gadgets

Whether you’re a bright-eyed freshman or a super senior, summer vacation will be over before you know it–so you’d better start your shopping soon. Check out Gearlog’s Back-to-School Essentials list pronto for the gadgets you’ll want on hand during the best years of your life.
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Samsung DualView TL225: Cultivate your college digital identity with the Samsung DualView TL225. It has impeccable image quality, a sleek and slender design, and a 3.5-inch touch screen. This camera also has a LCD on the front, so if, say, Jason Mraz gives a campus concert, you can secure a picture of the both of you, not one of you and his left ear. $349.99 list.

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Skullcandy 50/50: Drown out the sound of people “studying” in the library, or pump yourself up while jogging with these headphones from Skullcandy. Priced at just under $50, you get a lot of bang for your buck: They’re excellent for bass-lovers and work wonderfully with your iPhone to take or end phone calls. Your ears will thank you. $49.95 list.

 Sixteen more essential gadgets, after the jump! 

Android 2.2 upgrade for Droid X may already be trickling out, other Droids shortly?

We’ve already gathered that Verizon, Moto, and HTC all seem to be pretty well committed to bumping most of their Droid models to Froyo (as well they should), but things are starting to get real — really real. First off, we’ve been fed a shot of a tipster’s Droid X that has apparently already been blessed with 2.2 over the air; the baseband version is a tick older than the one in a shot leaked over on My Droid Life, but it’s anyone’s guess how Motorola is staging this and what the final gold binary really contains. We’ve also seen a 2.2 ROM for the Droid Incredible leak recently (and the Droid before that), so uncorroborated rumors we’re seeing that three of the four retail Droids will be getting 2.2 by the 15th of next month aren’t necessarily crazy. Remember: think positive thoughts.

[Thanks, Shane]

Android 2.2 upgrade for Droid X may already be trickling out, other Droids shortly? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Podcast 206 – 07.24.2010

This is an incredibly well-rounded and insightful double podcast. It is so well-rounded and insightful that it looks like it might turn into a triple podcast and is, quite frankly, the best podcast the Engadget Podcasters have ever seen.

Hosts:
Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Double Rainbow

00:02:33 – Panasonic’s new Lumix lineup: LX5, FZ40, FZ100, FX700, and TS10 all official
00:06:52 – Canon developing smaller DSLRs to compete with mirrorless cameras?
00:07:00 – Nikon planning “new concept” mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes
00:21:12 – New Xbox 360 4GB ships August 3rd for $199, Kinect standalone priced at $149, bundle coming this holiday for $299
00:30:48 – webOS 2.0 coming ‘later this year,’ says HP’s Rubinstein
00:30:58 – HP Slate no longer a consumer product, will arrive for enterprise this fall
00:31:24 – HP files for ‘PalmPad’ trademark — a webOS tablet, perhaps?
00:31:35 – HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 surfaces on HP’s site
00:31:54 – HP confirms that Slate is still kicking, ‘next steps’ being determined
00:41:52 – HP CEO: Palm could end up a ‘sub-brand’ of the company
00:46:41 – Samsung Galaxy S review shootout: Captivate for AT&T and Vibrant for T-Mobile
00:48:14 – Dell Streak review redux: thoughts from the New World
00:48:41 – Nexus One is sold out in Google’s store — forever
00:56:32 – Motorola mini Droid slider caught by Mr. Blurrycam
00:59:07 – Droid 2 being prepared for launch, set to arrive August 23rd?
01:00:29 – Apple posts record $3.25b profit in first full quarter of iPad sales, says more ‘amazing products’ coming this year
01:00:48 – Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now
01:01:26 – Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won’t ship until ‘later this year’
01:03:08 – Apple starts refunding Bumper purchases automagically
01:07:45 – AT&T announces 26 percent earnings growth for Q2, $4b profit
01:16:28 – Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones
01:18:00 – Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue
01:18:30 – Steve Ballmer feeling pressure at Microsoft for stagnating share price?
01:18:48 – Kin listed as at least $240 million writeoff in Microsoft earnings report
01:21:44 – Microsoft to employees: ‘everybody gets a Windows Phone 7!’
01:21:50 – Microsoft wants employees to code Windows Phone 7 apps ‘in their spare time’

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget

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Engadget Podcast 206 – 07.24.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple keeps antennagate alive with Droid X’s ‘kill switch’ (video)

We had a feeling Apple wasn’t done showing off the apparent reception woes of its competitors — after all, the company already updated once this week with the Nokia N97 mini. Now it’s going after Motorola’s celebrity of the moment (and known iPhone 4 bully), the Droid X. You can see Cupertino’s results in the video after the break, but unlike Apple’s other videos, we can’t seem to recreate this one as easily with our Droid Xs. But hey, it’s not like anyone’s gonna buy a big phone anyway, right?

Continue reading Apple keeps antennagate alive with Droid X’s ‘kill switch’ (video)

Apple keeps antennagate alive with Droid X’s ‘kill switch’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid X can now be counted among the rooted (update: video!)

It’s recently come to our attention that Birdman over at the AllDroid.org forums has rooted the Droid X. By all accounts (which, at the time of this writing, consists of two forum posts that exclaim “it works!”) things are going beautifully, so what do you think? Ready to pierce the soft underbelly of your smartphone’s OS? Been dying to get a hot session of ADB going? Hit the source link, and remember: if you brick your phone, you only have yourself to blame.

Update: We’ve added a video of the process after the break. Thanks, Steven!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Droid X can now be counted among the rooted (update: video!)

Droid X can now be counted among the rooted (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones

Been wondering why Verizon would seek to curb its unlimited data plans with bogus restrictions? Wonder no more. Jennifer Byrne, a business development executive director at Big Red, has shared with us the shocking stat that early data usage from Droid X owners is five times what other smartphones are suckling down. Clearly, the jumbo screen is being used to the fullest by those lucky enough to get an X when they wanted one, and Verizon is (outwardly, at least) really, really excited to see such keen use of its network. Enjoy it while it lasts, Droidsters!

Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid 2 and Android 2.2 fated to be together from the start, according to latest leaks

You know, some people get married with less information about their partner than we already have about the Droid 2. Today, we have a pair of independent leaks seemingly confirming that the second coming of Moto’s QWERTY-sportin’ Doer will be running Android 2.2 right out of the gate. Droid Life has a tipster that’s apparently spent some quality time with the device, describing its keyboard as “phenomenal” and pointing out that it feels notably snappier than the original. The Froyo connection is reiterated by Phandroid‘s sources, which provide images of Verizon’s device database indicating once again that Android 2.2 and Droid 2 will be an appropriately matched pair when the launch codes get entered (last mooted for August 12) and this thing finally hits retail.

Droid 2 and Android 2.2 fated to be together from the start, according to latest leaks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon confirms Droid X screen issues, but says they’re not widespread

We just got word back from Verizon regarding those flickering Droid X screens, and sure enough, the ghastly images are not a side effect of your assimilation into the Droid collective. Verizon and Motorola have owned up to a genuine problem with a small number of Droid X displays, approximately one-tenth of one percent. If your screen starts acting up you’d best contact the authorities immediately. And by authorities, we mean tech support, not the FBI — the omnipresent glowing red eyeball is completely normal. It told us so. Here’s Verizon’s full statement on the matter:

“Verizon Wireless and Motorola are aware of a very small number of DROID X units that have experienced a flickering or banding display. Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact a Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless.”

Verizon confirms Droid X screen issues, but says they’re not widespread originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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