Hasta La Gadget!

What a difference two months make. It’s was late July when we first saw a render and spy shot of Motorola’s “other” Android devices, the Verizon-bound Droid, a.k.a. the Artist Formerly Known as Sholes. Boy Genius Report has been teasing the handset for the better part of the week, and now it’s giving us the full monty of the hardware, including its 5 megapixel autofocus camera on the back, and various Eclair-powered screens. Boy Genius himself notes that it’s the fastest Android device he’s used — thank goodness for an authentic OMAP3 — is “slightly” thicker than an iPhone 3GS, runs that Android 2.0 we’ve been hearing so much about, and includes a desktop cradle that turns the Droid into a glanceable display with weather and the like (sounds like a miniature Hub in a way, doesn’t it?). Anyhow, you want all to see the whole show? You know just where to click.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Motorola Droid stands in for glamorous photo shoot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We knew Verizon Wireless would soon be throwing caution to the wind in an effort to sway uncommitted smartphone buyers towards Big Red, and it looks like the November-bound Motorola Droid will be VZW’s anti-iPhone. The spot, which launched tonight and can be view in its entirety after the break, is a 30 second clip that begins by mocking Apple’s cutesy music and iconic font typically seen in iPhone plugs. It reels off a number of things that the iPhone can’t do, and then abruptly goes into full-on tease mode by flashing glimpses of a robot-controlled future and a tagline that simply states: “Droid Does.” No shots of the actual Motorola Droid (or Sholes, as it was known in the past) are shown, but a dedicated teaser portal has already been erected; through that, we’re told that the phone will boast Android 2.0 and a 5 megapixel camera. At this point, we’d say the gloves are definitely off — AT&T, have anything to say for yourself, or is the iPhone doing just fine on its own?

Update: See that alien counter that’s just sitting on the lower end of the teaser page? As reader Craig N. and a number of others have pointed out, a quick perusal through the page’s XML file reveals the end of that timer to be October 30th — not that we expect to be waiting that long for more Droid news, but it’s something to keep in mind.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Verizon’s anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: ‘Droid Does’ (update)

Filed under: Cellphones

Verizon’s anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: ‘Droid Does’ (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The “there’s a map for that” ad was a pretty aggressive way to broadside AT&T and the iPhone, but it looks like Verizon’s just getting warmed up. We’re hearing that the carrier will be kicking off a major new campaign this evening during the Yankees-Angels game that’ll feature “a very different look and a whole new attitude,” calling out the “iDevice” (their words, not ours) for all the things it can’t do. That’s a bold offensive for a carrier that historically has lacked breadth and depth in its smartphone lineup, but with the big new Android releases coming down the pike, this might be perfect timing — and a strong implication that we can seriously put those endless Verizon iPhone rumors to bed for a little while.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Verizon asks ‘if the iDoesn’t, what does?’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, well, looks like Unkie Walt accidentally programmed his calendar to publish a combined preview of the Motorola CLIQ and the BlackBerry Storm 2 a little earlier than everyone else. Nothing particularly insightful on the CLIQ, but Mossy says RIM’s latest is a big improvement over the original Storm — mostly because of the revamped touchscreen, which provides “faster, smoother typing.” Yep, that’s pretty much what we were expecting. Walt’s also high on the inclusion of WiFi and the portrait-mode keyboard, but ain’t nothing gonna make that BlackBerry browser any good, and the big guy says the touch interface still feels tacked to the rapidly-aging BlackBerry OS. So Walt — now that you’ve confirmed RIM and Verizon’s big holiday launch, what can you tell us about pricing and availability? “Likely to appear in November at around $200,” you say? Thanks, buddy. You’re always so dependable. Video that we took of a broken Storm 2 prototype in May after the break, tons of pics in the gallery

Continue reading Walt Mossberg leaks the BlackBerry Storm 2

Filed under: Cellphones

Walt Mossberg leaks the BlackBerry Storm 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon mentioned that it’d pick up “several Android-based devices” as part of its sweeping tie-up with Google last week, and we know two of them — a tweaked version of the HTC Hero and the unannounced Motorola Sholes / Tao / Droid — but what else is in the pipe? Turns out that Verizon’s historically boring Open Development program — designed to let anyone with a good attitude and some elbow grease gain the know-how to connect a device to Verizon’s network — is about to heat things up by spitting out an Android handset of its own in early 2010, according to Unstrung. Oh, and the best part? It’ll apparently feature WiFi tethering out of the box, a feature carriers are typically loath to support; of course, the whole point of “open development” is that Verizon theoretically shouldn’t care what’s being developed, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the company throws any marketing weight and retail support behind the device or if it’ll be left to fight for attention on its own.

[Via PhoneArena]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Verizon getting an Android phone (with WiFi tethering!) via Open Development program? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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