Motorola Defy review

The Android landscape’s certainly getting crowded, isn’t it? We can still vividly remember the days when the T-Mobile G1 was the only game in town, and now here we are — just two years later — flush with options covering virtually every market segment from the ultra-high end to the ultra-low and everything in between. One niche market that’s usually underserved, though, is the beat-the-crap-out-of-your-phone market. You know who you are: you work hard, you play hard, or you’ve just got an incurable case of butterfingers — but whatever the case, you need a phone that you aren’t breaking, bricking, melting, freezing, or otherwise destroying every few weeks.

It’s not that rugged phones haven’t existed, of course. Far from it: Nextel and Motorola practically invented (and thrived off of) the concept, and options like AT&T’s Samsung Rugby and Verizon’s Casio G’zOne series have been available for some time. By and large, though, it’s been a field devoid of smartphones — and these days, that’s just not going to cut it. The kinds of people that need a phone that can take a few knocks don’t necessarily want to buy them at the expense of power or capability anymore. On that note, Motorola’s new Android-powered Defy for T-Mobile USA (and other carriers abroad) is one of the few to take a shot at elegantly combining environmental resistance with a no-compromise smartphone experience, featuring Blur atop Android 2.1 with a 5 megapixel autofocus cam, LED flash, 800MHz TI OMAP3610 core, and a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 display. In other words, on paper, it’s no slouch — but can it hang? Let’s find out.

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Motorola Defy review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell’s mobile chief Ron Garriques is out

Ron Garriques, who has been leading Dell’s mobile communications group ever since its formation a year ago, is leaving the company. Ron originally joined Dell in 2007, after a high profile career at Motorola, and has overseen a rather ambitious entry for the company into the phone industry. Now Dell is folding the communications unit into its “core operating structure,” and Garriques won’t be along for the transition. Of course, it’s not like there haven’t been some missteps and head scratchers along the way (we still don’t know if the Streak is a phone or a tablet or a phonelet or a tabset or whatever), and it’s a little hard to tell whether Ron decided to leave willingly when he heard his unit was being absorbed, or if Dell gave him a little “push.” True or not, it would be the perfect comeuppance for the man who re-dubbed the Lightning the Dell “Venue Pro.” Not that we’re bitter or anything.

Dell’s mobile chief Ron Garriques is out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola video survey says Americans are still into paying for TV service, buying new TVs

It doesn’t seem like everyone’s jumped on the cord cutting bandwagon just yet, as the 2010 “Media Engagement Barometer” conducted by Vanson Bourne for Motorola surveyed 7,500 consumers in 13 countries (1,000 in the US) before issuing its findings that 86 percent of Americans subscribe to pay TV providers and 6% are using video/TV on the internet, even while free OTA TV is available. And those 3D TVs that are everywhere? Worldwide, they figured 75 percent of viewers either own or plan to own an HDTV in the next 18 months, while 4% currently own 3D sets, 25 percent indicated they plan to upgrade to one in the same time period. US stats pegged 59 percent of respondents with HDTVs, 20 percent with an internet enabled set and 25 percent with a smartphone. Other results indicate we haven’t seen the last of the Twitter widget on our TVs and set-top boxes either, with 58 percent of responses showing people have used social media during a TV broadcast and would switch providers to have it integrated in their TV service. Check out the press release after the break and PDF fact sheet for more statistical breakdowns while we figure out exactly what this means for any a la carte TV dreams.

Motorola video survey says Americans are still into paying for TV service, buying new TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola targeting January to finalize split

Though Sanjay Jha is clearly the more visible of Motorola’s two co-CEOs, it was his stealthier counterpart, Greg Brown, who mentioned during an analyst conference today that they’re looking to wrap up the company’s split in January of next year. Brown had already been tapped to head up Motorola Solutions — one half of the post-split aftermath with $5.3 billion in cash and $2.9 billion in debt — and he’s saying that his company’s independent identity “effectively starts today.” The handset guys over at Motorola Mobility, meanwhile, have been filing devices with the FCC under their post-split name for a while, but let’s be honest: we’re still going to know all this stuff as “Motorola”… and that’s probably exactly how they want it.

Motorola targeting January to finalize split originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola slaps Microsoft with a pair of patent infringement lawsuits, says it’s such a shame

Looks like Motorola’s about to fight a legal battle on two fronts — Apple on one hand, and Microsoft on the other. Microsoft fired the first shot last month with a nine-patent ITC complaint and a second salvo alleging that Motorola was charging unfair licensing fees for 802.11 WiFi and H.264 video last week, it’s now Moto’s turn to retaliate with a pair of legal complaints. The cellular company now claims that Redmond’s infringing a total of sixteen patents with everything from Microsoft Exchange to Bing Maps to the Windows operating system itself — as well as the aforementioned video codecs and wireless tech, of course. Moto’s also determined to rub a little salt in the wound, it seems, as the company just pushed out a press release with the following statement: “It is unfortunate that Microsoft has chosen the litigation path rather than entering into comprehensive licensing negotiations, as Motorola has mutually beneficial licensing relationships with the great majority of technology companies industry-wide.” PR after the break.

Continue reading Motorola slaps Microsoft with a pair of patent infringement lawsuits, says it’s such a shame

Motorola slaps Microsoft with a pair of patent infringement lawsuits, says it’s such a shame originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Citrus launching on Verizon tomorrow for $50 on-contract

Not much of a surprise at this point, but Verizon has now confirmed that it will be launching the Android-based Motorola Citrus tomorrow, November 11th, and that it will be offering it for just $50 on the usual two-year contract (after a $100 mail-in rebate). Of course, that still doesn’t make it the cheapest Android handset around, and that low-end price comes with some specs to match, including a sluggish 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor, a low-res 3-inch screen, and just Android 2.1 with some Blur customizations. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Motorola Citrus launching on Verizon tomorrow for $50 on-contract

Motorola Citrus launching on Verizon tomorrow for $50 on-contract originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola CLIQ gets Android 2.1 at long last

Timeline (the condensed version): Google launches Android 2.1 on January 5th, Motorola promises to eventually offer 2.1 for all its Android handsets (including the heavily skinned CLIQ) on January 6th, Google’s Nexus One gets 2.1 on January 11th. We wait. Motorola CLIQ gets 2.1 today, a mere 11 months later. Sure, maybe we were young and naive, but who could’ve known then that this update would be so long coming? Nobody really knows the solution to this problem in a general sense, especially since vanilla Android seems to be off the table for the majority of phones. What could compel a handset manufacturer and a carrier to work up timely software updates on heftily-skinned handsets past their shelf life, potentially competing with their own newer handsets in the process? Maybe paying for updates? Real Genuine Tears of Desperation? You tell us. Anyway, congrats to the saintly CLIQ owners out there who have waited patiently for 2.1, and a grumble grumble thanks to Motorola for keeping its promise.

Motorola CLIQ gets Android 2.1 at long last originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid Pro on sale a little early, shipping now

Verizon’s been all kinds of leaky and loose with its Android lineup lately — the Samsung Continuum was anything but a surprise, the Droid 2 Global is now on sale before even being officially announced, and now the Droid Pro is also on sale well ahead of its scheduled November 18th launch date. Whoops! If you’ll recall, the Pro was only supposed to be up for pre-order now, but it’s actually listed as “add to cart” on Verizon’s site and tipsters have gotten overnight ship confirmations. Sure, we’ll take early delivery of what should be one of Big Red’s hottest phones — but we can’t help but wonder if Verizon’s being this sloppy with device launches right now because it’s focused on nailing the high-profile debut of something around January.

[Thanks, Matt and anonymous]

Droid Pro on sale a little early, shipping now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid 2 Global now available at Verizon for $199

Never mind that November 11 rumor, the Droid 2 Global is available to buy from Verizon right now. The dual-mode CDMA/GSM handset from Moto — equipped with a 1.2GHz processor, don’t forget — is ready to be yours today for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and subject to the usual two-year contractual commitment. If you still need convincing, this new SKU also comes in a sparkling white option… can you really resist a white globetrotting Droid? See more of it after the break.

[Thanks, Anthony]

Continue reading Motorola Droid 2 Global now available at Verizon for $199

Motorola Droid 2 Global now available at Verizon for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid Pro Pre-Orders Begin November 9th

Motorola Droid ProVerizon Wireless has announced that they will begin taking pre-orders for the new Motorola Droid Pro, a new Android phone with a full QWERTY-keyboard beneath its 3.1-inch 320-pixel by 480-pixel display, on November 9th. The phone will run $179.99 with a two-year contract after mail-in rebate, and will use Verizon’s 3G network at home but also work with data networks abroad.

The Droid Pro will feature 2GB of on-board memory for apps and the Android operating system, and a 2GB micro-SD card installed that most users will likely upgrade as soon as they can. The phone also has a 5-megapixel camera on the back that supports video recording in 720p HD, and will serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five devices for an additional monthly fee on top of your voice and data plans. You can read more about the device, including a hands-on look at the Droid Pro, over at PCMag.com.