Motorola Settles With Customers Over Wonky Charger Complaint

Have you picked up a Motorola phone in the past eight and half years? Generally unhappy with your handset’s charging capabilities? You may have a cash payment coming your way. A settlement was reached in a class action suit against the phone manufacturer, entitling the purchasers of a number of phones to secure a cash payment from the company.

The list of covered handsets is available here–and it’s a long one. According to the Motorola Claims Administrator site,

Under the Settlement, Settlement Class Members who file a timely, complete, and accurate Claim Form and Affirmation will receive relief that is comparable to the relief that they would likely receive if they were to successfully and individually litigate their claims without the inherent risks and costs of litigation.

The actual payment depends on a number of factors, including the length of time the phone was owned, and whether or not the owner reported the issue to Motorola. The claim filing deadline is March 11, 2010.

DROID headed to Germany as Motorola MILESTONE (update: Italy too, no Google Maps Navigation)

O2 Germany has confirmed a GSM version of the DROID for Europe going by the name of the Motorola MILESTONE. The news comes courtesy of a sliver of O2’s online store page that left itself exposed to the wiles of Google, complete with the above picture and the new moniker, and follows close on the heels of a leaked business guide which says the MILESTONE will retail for €404.20 to corporate customers, and will be available as of November 9th.

Update: It’s now official on the Motorola Germany (and english language Western Europe) website where it lists Vodafone and O2 as local carriers. Italy now too, on an unspecified carrier. Oh, and it also lists “pinch and zoom” as a feature not found on the Droid. See for yourself after the break. It’s carrying a public price tag of €481.

Update 2: As noted by a few readers, Milestone will ship with MOTONAV turn-by-turn directions, not Google’s Maps Navigation.

[Via Boy Genius Report, Thanks Vincenzo, Peter B.]

Continue reading DROID headed to Germany as Motorola MILESTONE (update: Italy too, no Google Maps Navigation)

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DROID headed to Germany as Motorola MILESTONE (update: Italy too, no Google Maps Navigation) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GSM DROID with multitouch pinch-to-zoom demoed on video hating America

The GSM flavor of Motorola’s DROID, or Milestone as it will be known in Europe, has multitouch built-in to the UI. For reasons we can only assume have something to do with an unspoken intellectual property agreement between Google and Apple, the US version of the user interface lacks multi-touch features like pinch-to-zoom even though the underlying 2.0 OS supports multitouch events. However, the video of a GSM DROID headed to Europe clearly shows this feature at the 3 minute mark. No really, see for yourselves after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading GSM DROID with multitouch pinch-to-zoom demoed on video hating America

GSM DROID with multitouch pinch-to-zoom demoed on video hating America originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: The Motorola Droid

droid_008

A few days ago we got Motorola’s Droid in the mail. The device is quite awesome. Beyond being offered on Verizon’s network (which consistently squelches AT&T in coverage and speed) the phone is forged from super-solid (and stylish) hardware. Plus it runs freaking Android 2.0 as its OS. From reviewer Priya Ganapati:

The Droid runs Android 2.0 (aka Éclair) as its OS. It feels more refined than the first version of Android on T-Mobile’s G1 and it’s certainly better than the muddled interface on Motorola’s Cliq.

The Droid’s 5-megapixel camera has up to 4x digital zoom. It produces photos that aren’t too noisy and it does well even in low light, thanks to the built-in LED flash.

The most exciting feature of the phone, though, is the Google maps app — with built-in turn-by-turn, voice-guided navigation. Replete with text-to-speech features, the maps are layered with traffic data and a satellite view. But here’s the best part. It’s free! Hear that? You don’t have to pay $10 a month as subscription or buy a pricey $100 TomTom app. You can just zip around with the Droid and Google Maps.

$200, motorola.com

8/10

You can, of course read the full review of the Motorola Droid on our reviews website.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


More on the DROID: thoughts from the rest of Engadget

Somewhat unusually, Verizon and Motorola actually gave us four DROID review units to play with — and while Paul, Nilay, and Chris all contributed to Josh’s official Engadget review, there were definitely some different perspectives (and dissenting opinions) amongst the team. Rather than try to squeeze everything together into one jumbled whole, we thought we’d let everyone add their own take on what’s clearly a watershed device for Motorola, Google, and Verizon. Read on for more!

Continue reading More on the DROID: thoughts from the rest of Engadget

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More on the DROID: thoughts from the rest of Engadget originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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November 6: stores open at 6AM for DROID, Droid Eris?

So, you’re a prospective Moto DROID customer. You’ve soaked up the review, studied the manual, and even built your own cardboard dock in anticipation of the big November 6 street date. What’s next, you ask? Well, set your alarm early — if the rumors are true, Verizon Wireless will be opening its retail shops at 6:00 AM sharp. Of course, all that is in addition to the Droid Eris, which is rumored to be making its debut on that auspicious date as well. So what’s the plan, guys — wake up early or camp out the night before?

[Via i4u]

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November 6: stores open at 6AM for DROID, Droid Eris? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola DROID review

It’s hard to look at the DROID without looking at the company which brought the device to life. Motorola: for years the name has been synonymous with… well, disappointment. While the industry-stalwart made cellphones sexy with the RAZR, the days which followed have not been especially fruitful or compelling. Over the past year or so, we’ve seen Motorola beating its way back into the mainstream through a series of smart plays: first embracing Android as a platform, then shucking off the weight of Windows Mobile and finally bringing some desirable (and high profile) devices to market.

With the DROID, the company has perhaps created its most attractive and intriguing piece of technology yet. Forging an alliance with both Verizon and Google, Motorola has come up with a second compelling reason to count the phonemaker down, but certainly not out, while the other two giants have finally found a seemingly worthy device to position against the iPhone. So we must pose these questions: is this the phone which will catapult Android into the mainstream? Is it the device that will pull Motorola back from the brink? And — most importantly — is it the lynchpin Google and Verizon have needed to challenge the leader in mindshare in the smartphone market? After putting the device through its paces, we think we can give you the answers you seek — so read on to find out!

Continue reading Motorola DROID review

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Motorola DROID review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola DROID user guide unearthed in its entirety

We’re not sure how much more Motorola DROID tidbits you need to whet your appetite until its November 6th Verizon launch, but in hopes of keeping those cravings at bay, we’ve got the entire user guide here. No revelations so far, but seeing as we’re already in possession of the phone, we weren’t really expecting any. See it for yourself either via the gallery below or as a PDF just past the read link.

[Thanks, BBLeaks]

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Motorola DROID user guide unearthed in its entirety originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: Which Android phone should I get?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Chris, who is deathly afraid that making the wrong choice on an Android phone will ruin his life completely.

“Listen, I am an obsessed gadget hound who needs some real help. I just switched to Sprint from Verizon about three months ago for the Pre. Mostly because they said that they weren’t getting an Android anytime soon (ha!). Anyways, I like the Pre but Sprint in my area is spotty at best. I have been intrigued with Android and have had HTC in the past with some good success, so I went for the Hero about a week ago. Now, I miss my hardware keyboard and am thinking about switching to the Moment. After Chris’s pithy review of the Moment it seems that may not be the correct choice either. So, I am still able to switch back to Verizon if I want and get the Droid when it arrives. Should I just trade up to the Moment when it comes out, see if I like it, and if not switch to the Droid? Or something else entirely? Help!”

Wow Chris, that’s a pretty compelling story. Really engrossing. So much so, in fact, that we’re sure you’ll have no issue getting all sorts of helpful replies in comments below. Right, Android lovers? Right?

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Ask Engadget: Which Android phone should I get? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Weighs How to Make Android Phones Cheaper

On Thursday, we wondered whether or not HTC would deliver a cheap Android phone. Now we know one vendor that will: Motorola. And, interestingly enough, it may not even qualify as a smartphone.

Motorola posted a third-quarter profit of $12 million on lower revenues of $5.45 billion, although it was the profit that pleasantly surprised Wall Street. Motorola also predicted a heartening outlook, based on its commitment to Android phones.

Motorola has launched all the phones it plans to for the remainder of 2009, Sanjay Jha, the co-chief executive of Motorola and head of its Mobile Devices unit told analysts. But in 2010, the company plans new phones (obviously) and new carriers, although Jha did not specify whether he was referring to domestic carriers or an expansion of its international customer base.

However, it appears that Motorola has about 40 phones on tap for 2010: 20 smartphones, of which most if not all will run the Android operating system. However, expanding into foreign markets may also require Motorola to adopt other operating systems or services, which Motoroa will have to consider, Jha said.

“Smartphone success for us in 2010 will drive, almost singularly, our financial performance in 2010,” Jha said, according to a SeekingAlpha transcript.