Feb 16

Motorola: Xoom to Cost $800

Posted in: motorola, tablets, Today's Chili

moto tablet side finger1.jpg

You know all of those rumors and leaked documents that set Motorola’s upcoming Xoom tablet at a lofty $799? Turns out they were true. The company confirmed the pricing this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. 
That’s the price with a Verizon 3G modem. The Wi-Fi-only version will cost you a good deal less at “around” $600, according to the company’s CEO, Sanjay Jha. Motorola apparently priced the tablet the way it did to keep it competitive with the iPad. Keep in mind, after all, that a 64GB iPad 3G will run you $829 (the Wi-Fi only version is $729). The 32GB Wi-Fi version of the popular tablet is currently priced at $599.
Still no word on a sale date for Motorola’s Honeycomb tablet.
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Feb 16

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate — battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Posted in: 10-inch, Android, dual-core, DualCore, GalaxyTab, hands-on, honeycomb, LG, motorola, motorola xoom, MotorolaXoom, NVIDIA, optimus, samsung, slate, tablet, tablets, tegra, tegra 2, Tegra2, Today's Chili, xoom

Hello, Moto — no wait, Samsung… or is it LG? Three of the world’s biggest smartphone makers have leapt at the opportunity to serve up Google’s brand new Honeycomb build of Android, however their selection of menu items looks to be somewhat lacking in diversity. Motorola’s Xoom matches Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in both screen size and resolution (1280 x 800), while LG’s Optimus Pad / G-Slate offers only marginally smaller measurements with an 8.9-inch display spanning 1280 x 768. More than that, all three tablets run the bone-stock Honeycomb UI and are built around NVIDIA’s 1GHz Tegra 2 system-on-chip, leaving little room for differentiation on the basis of user experience or internal performance (LG would have you believe its 3D camcorder is a big advantage for its slate, but we’re not so sure). Most choices between the three, then, will come to things like brand loyalty, ergonomics and pure, basic aesthetic appeal. To help you judge the latter of those three points, we’ve prepared an exhaustive barrage of side-by-side photos below — we expect you to view every last one of ’em… at least twice.

Gallery: Xoom vs. Optimus Pad… fight!

Gallery: Xoom vs. Galaxy Tab 10.1… fight!

Gallery: Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. Optimus Pad… fight!

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate — battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 16

Motorola Xoom price official: $799 unsubsidized on Verizon, $600 for WiFi-only

Posted in: Android, breaking news, BreakingNews, honeycomb, moto, motorola, motorola xoom, MotorolaXoom, mwc, mwc 2011, Mwc2011, official, price, pricing, slate, tablet, Today's Chili, xoom

There you have it, folks — the exhausting saga of the Xoom‘s pricing has finally been laid to rest by Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha. Reuters reports a $799 levy for the 32GB Honeycomb tablet when bought with 3G (which will be upgraded to 4G) connectivity from Verizon sans subsidies, while Jha is also quoted as saying that a WiFi-only version will set buyers back only $600. The latter price matches the 32GB iPad directly, however the 3G Xoom is $70 more expensive than the Apple alternative. Sanjay failed to say when said pricing or models will become available, but there have been strong indications that pre-orders or reservations will begin tomorrow (at least at Best Buy), with the tablet launching in full on Thursday next week.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Xoom price official: $799 unsubsidized on Verizon, $600 for WiFi-only originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 16

Motorola Droid X 2 leaks, more details emerge

Posted in: droid, motoblur, motorola, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw
We’ve been hearing rumors of a Motorola Droid X 2 for a few days now from The Mobi Zone, complete with specs and pictures (above). Supposedly, it’s the successor to the Droid X, with a similar appearance, Android 2.2 with MOTOBLUR, and the same 8 megapixel camera. Some of the leaked specs — 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) display, 1GHz Tegra 2 dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM — didn’t sit well with us, since these closely match the upcoming LTE-equipped Droid Bionic. We did some digging around and one of our trusted sources confirmed that the Droid X 2 aka Droid X “squared” is indeed coming to Verizon in Q2 2011 without LTE. However, it appears to be a refreshed Droid X, with the same 4.3-inch WVGA (854 x 480) display, a 1.2GHz single-core CPU, and 768MB of RAM. It’s not quite the powerhouse it was originally made out to be, but it now seems to be a better fit in the Droid family.

[Thanks, Ahmad]

Motorola Droid X 2 leaks, more details emerge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central, Android Police, SlashPhone  |  sourceThe Mobi Zone, (Cached)  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 15

Motorola exec nearly rules out Windows Phone completely, laments ‘closed platform’

Posted in: Android, Microsoft, moto, motorola, mwc, mwc 2011, Mwc2011, Today's Chili, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7, Wp7

Motorola may have once said that it was “open” to developing Windows Phone 7 devices, but it looks like that possibility is now a whole lot less likely than it already was. Speaking at Mobile World Congress this week, Motorola’s corporate vice president of software and services product management, Christy Wyatt, said that while she would never say never, she doesn’t envision Motorola using Microsoft’s OS, and added that “it’s not something we’re entertaining now.” Wyatt went on to say that “there were a bunch of things that we believed about Microsoft that ended up not being true, mostly about what functionality it would have in what period of time,” and further explained that Motorola is looking for “an opportunity to create unique value,” and it doesn’t feel it can do that on a “closed platform” like Windows Phone 7. Obviously, it does feel like it can create unique value with Android, and Wyatt dismissed concerns about a potential duopoly between Android and Apple, saying that “It could be a duopoly on platforms but I’m not sure why having another OS is a good or bad thing.” Incidentally, she also said that the upgrade process for Motorola’s Android phones has “humbled” the company a bit, and she promises improvements in the future, noting that “we were better with Froyo then with Éclair and we’ll be even better with Gingerbread.”

Motorola exec nearly rules out Windows Phone completely, laments ‘closed platform’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 14

Motorola Atrix 4G review

Posted in: Android, att, froyo, Google, motorola, review, Today's Chili, video

It’s finally here — our Atrix 4G review! We know you’ve waited and wondered, and we’ve finally had enough time with the phone, laptop dock, HD / desktop dock, and all the accessories to give you a proper take on this utterly unique smartphone. Did we say smartphone? Really that’s not quite right, because the dual-core-CPU-sporting device actually does quadruple duty as a laptop, set top box, desktop computer, and… well, it works as a smartphone too. The Atrix 4G, which sports a 4-inch, 960 x 540 display, HSPA+ data, and a slew of other juicy specs is absolutely the first of its kind — a multi-use device intended to replace your netbook (and maybe more) via its Webtop environment. But can a phone be powerful enough to become your laptop or hub of your home theater? Is Motorola’s new phone set to be the king of the Android heap, or just another face in the crowd? All these questions (and more) will be answered in our full review… which you can read after the break!

Gallery: Atrix 4G full hands-on

Continue reading Motorola Atrix 4G review

Motorola Atrix 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 14

Filmmaker says Motorola’s Super Bowl ad bears some striking similarities to his short film

Posted in: ad, Apple, film, motorola, Today's Chili, video
He’s not going as far as to say that Motorola (or its ad agency) blatantly swiped his idea, but L.A.-based filmmaker Mike Sarrow thinks that the company’s recent Super Bowl ad bears a few too many similarities to one of his short films to simply let slip by without a comment. That film, “Do Not Disconnect,” was shot back in 2009 (and shopped around for a few years prior), and involves a world filled with “drones” wearing white earbuds who are oblivious to the real world around them and incapable of human interaction. Now, that in and of itself obviously isn’t the most original of ideas, but Sarrow notes that there a few “striking” similarities beyond the general concept between the ad and his short film, particularly when it comes to the ending (which we won’t spoil for you here). Adding a bit of meta-ness to the whole thing is the fact that Motorola’s ad is of course a reference to Apple’s famous “1984” commercial, and we all know Apple is no stranger to accusations that it’s borrowed some ideas for its ads. Contrary to what you might think, however, Sarrow isn’t seeking any compensation from Motorola (or even an attribution), he just wants people to see his film and make up their own mind. Judge for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Filmmaker says Motorola’s Super Bowl ad bears some striking similarities to his short film

Filmmaker says Motorola’s Super Bowl ad bears some striking similarities to his short film originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 14

Droid Bionic and HTC Merge hit Best Buy website, accessories galore

Posted in: Android, BestBuy, droid, HTC, motorola, Today's Chili, verizon
Droid Bionic and HTC Merge hit Best Buys site, accessories galore

Prices and release dates for the HTC Merge and Droid Bionic are still eluding us at the moment, but we have at least found a place where you can load up with add-ons. Best Buy‘s mobile accessories site is listing both phones, complete with pictures, and while there’s no information provided about the handsets themselves, this certainly would seem to point to a release in the very near future. Oh, and if you had any doubts these handsets would be compatible with the many and myriad Bluetooth headsets on offer at BBY, you need worry no more.

[Thanks, Matt]

Continue reading Droid Bionic and HTC Merge hit Best Buy website, accessories galore

Droid Bionic and HTC Merge hit Best Buy website, accessories galore originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 14

Motorola Xoom & Droid Pro Coming To Europe

Posted in: droid, motorola, Today's Chili, xoom

 

motorola.JPGDuring the Mobile World Congress 2011, Motorola announced that the Android-based smartphone, Droid Pro and  Xoom tablet will hit European shores. Motorola did not share which phone service providers will be offering up the devices.

The Droid Plus runs  Android 2.2  and features 1GHz processor, 2GB internal memory with room up to 32GB memory card, QWERTY keyboard, and a touchscreen. The Xoom tablet runs Android 3.0, Honeycomb, and has similar specs as a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Via CNet

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Feb 14

Motorola Xoom gets Q2 European launch, WiFi-only and silver models now extra official

Posted in: Android, europe, hands-on, honeycomb, motorola, tablet, Today's Chili, wifi, xoom

Motorola just went official with its WiFi-only Xoom headed to Europe along side its 3G and WiFi cousin in the second quarter of 2011. Besides that little detail, it’s still the original 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet built upon a dual-core 1GHz processor and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display. Oh, and look at what we spotted here in Barcelona. Yup, a Xoom decked out in silver just for your viewing pleasure in the gallery below.

Gallery: Motorola Xoom in silver at MWC 2011

Continue reading Motorola Xoom gets Q2 European launch, WiFi-only and silver models now extra official

Motorola Xoom gets Q2 European launch, WiFi-only and silver models now extra official originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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