Hasta La Gadget!

That Android 3.1 update that Google announced during I/O is slowly rolling out to 3G Xoom owners as we speak. How’d we know such a thing? Why, it just landed on our in-house Xoom, of course! Most of the changes to Honeycomb are happening under the hood — better HTML5 support, faster performance, and USB host functionality for connecting peripherals like game controllers and mice — but there are some improvements that will be a lot more obvious to the user. Perhaps our favorite is the addition of resizable widgets. For the moment only the email and Gmail inbox, calendar and bookmarks widgets can be stretched or shrunk, but we’re sure others will follow. We’re particularly appreciative of the expandable calendar widget, which always felt a tad cramped. The task switcher also received a much requested upgrade and now lets you scroll through your last 18 launched apps, instead of just the five most recent. Lastly, the Android Market now offers movie rentals, alongside books and apps, which range in price from $1.99 to $4.99 for 24 hours of playback. There isn’t a ton of revolutionary stuff going on here, but it’s certainly a welcome and worthwhile update. Check out the video after the break to see Android 3.1 in action.

Continue reading Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video)

Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google said yesterday that the new limited edition Galaxy Tab 10.1 would be getting updated to Android 3.1 in the next couple of weeks, and it looks like it will be a similar situation with the WiFi-only Xoom. Motorola has just announced that it will receive the update “within the next several weeks.” It also reaffirmed that the Verizon 3G Xoom is rolling out over the air this week, so you should be receiving it soon if you haven’t already. Full press release is after the break.

Update: Judging from the official Motorola support forum, it seems like a few lucky individuals may have already received the update on their WiFi-only Xoom. 3G Xoom users now also have another option besides waiting for the OTA update — they can install it manually, as explained by Android Total.

Continue reading Motorola Xoom WiFi to get Android 3.1 update within the ‘next several weeks’

Motorola Xoom WiFi to get Android 3.1 update within the ‘next several weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It took ’em long enough, but it seems as if The Now Network has managed to snap up Motorola’s Droid Pro… just seven months after Verizon Wireless did so. For whatever reason, Sprint’s dubbing its version the XPRT, with the same 3.1-inch HVGA touchpanel, full QWERTY keyboard, 1GHz CPU and Android 2.2 loaded. It’ll go for $129.99 on a two-year contract starting June 5th, but giving that the Pro hit the bargain bin long ago, we’re having a hard time believing anyone will pony up for Sprint’s iteration. Moving right along, the Titanium gets off on the wrong foot by shipping with Android 2.1, and while it’s hailed as the first iDEN device to combine Nextel Direct Connect and Eclair, the G’zOne Commando has somehow managed to show its brawn while stepping up to v2.2. For those interested nonetheless, there’s a 3.1-inch touchscreen and a chassis that’s built to MIL-SPEC 810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature. She’s unpriced for the moment, but the full release can be found just after the break.

Continue reading Motorola intros dueling portrait QWERTY Android options for Sprint: XPRT and Titanium

Motorola intros dueling portrait QWERTY Android options for Sprint: XPRT and Titanium originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola’s Atrix 4G laptop dock was a seriously sweet concept, which is why we were so disappointed when it failed to pan out. Sounds like Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha is ready to give it another try, though — on the company’s earnings results call this past week, he told investors that Moto is planning a whole series of Lapdock devices in the second half of the year:

You will see multiple devices from us in the second half launching with these capabilities, and we will expand the range of our Lapdock devices so we cover a broader price point, addressing both the enterprise premium tier as well as more consumer tiers.

“We plan on introducing successive iterations of our Webtop software and accessories that incorporate improved productivity tools and multiple price points,” he also said, echoing previous promises to include Webtop in all high-end smartphones starting this summer. Perhaps those closely spaced I/O ports on the Droid Bionic and Targa won’t go to waste after all? If you simply can’t wait, Sanjay claims there’s also an official price drop inbound for the Atrix 4G — AT&T will offer a bundle with the Lapdock and phone for $400 later this month.

Motorola promises more Atrix-like laptop docks for future phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 May 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re the somewhat-proud-but-feeling-throttled owner of a Motorola Atrix 4G or HTC Inspire 4G, your days of terribly slow uploads are nearly through — following some preliminary tests, AT&T is rolling out updates that provide “increased potential data speed” to both HSPA+ handsets right on cue. The Inspire 4G’s patch will also “make the email set up process much easier,” while the Atrix 4G will actually get a pair of updates which will allegedly bring better Bluetooth headset compatibility, fingerprint reader performance and battery life (which is always a plus) as well as the questionable utility of turning the Atrix into an EDGE hotspot, and a bump to Android 2.2.2 to hopefully fix any lingering SMS routing bugs. Word of warning though, you’ll need to throw your Atrix up on a WiFi network to obtain these goodies — all the Gs in the world won’t help you.

AT&T brings HSUPA to Atrix 4G and Inspire 4G, one requires WiFi to download update originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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