Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th (update: in some stores on 19th)

Motorola and Verizon have finally stopped teasing us and have made the Droid X2 official. This is a 4.3-inch Android (2.2, to be upgraded to 2.3) smartphone with a qHD screen resolution and a dual-core 1GHz processor. An 8 megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and HD video recording graces the back. The X2 will cost the usual $200 on contract and will be available to buy online tomorrow, May 19th, before making its way out to stores a week later, on May 26th. Leap past the break for the full PR.

Interestingly, we’ve also spotted the close proximity of the USB and HDMI ports on the side of the new X2. That arrangement is reminiscent of the one on Motorola’s Atrix, where the two connectors served to hook that handset up to its laptop and multimedia docks. We don’t know whether the Droid X2 will fit into the accessories designed for the Atrix, but it looks sure to be strapping itself into a dock of some description in the near future.

Update: NVIDIA has confirmed that its Tegra 2 chip is the heretofore unnamed 1GHz dual-core chip inside the Droid X2, which just happens to be Verizon’s first dual-core smartphone.

Update 2: A little birdie tells us you may be able to pick up this bad boy in person in some stores as soon as tomorrow (May 19th). Your mileage may vary, but let us know in the comments if you manage to buy one.

Continue reading Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th (update: in some stores on 19th)

Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th (update: in some stores on 19th) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 20:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Readies Its First Dual-Core Smartphone, Droid X2

Motorola’s Droid X2 features Nvidia’s dual-core processor, the Tegra 2. Photo courtesy of Motorola

Good news for Verizon customers waiting for powerful hardware: Dual-core is coming to town.

Motorola’s Droid X2 smartphone hits stores on May 26, and you’ll be able to pre-order it online beginning May 19. The phone is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 2 dual-core 1 GHz processor, the powerful chip found in a number of recent tablet and smartphone releases. It’s the first Verizon-carried phone to include a dual-core chip.

Like its predecessor, the Droid X2 will flaunt a 4.3-inch screen, just big enough to watch HD video on without having to squint. It also has HDMI-mirroring capabilities, which means you can watch those videos on your big screen via HDMI output.

The phone only comes running Android version 2.2 (Froyo), but Motorola says it will be upgrading the software to 2.3 (Gingerbread) soon. Of course, we can’t speak to what “soon” actually translates to in actual, real-world wait time.

A big bummer: the Droid X2 only runs on Verizon’s 3G network. That means if you’re tethering up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices using it as a mobile hotspot, you won’t be getting 4G speeds. And from our time spent on the network with the Thunderbolt, we’re digging Verizon’s flavor of 4G.

LG was the first phone manufacturer to release a dual-core phone this year with its Optimus 2X, which initially dropped in Europe before the U.S. version (the G2X) was released in April on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network. Motorola was soon to follow with its Atrix on AT&T’s 4G network. All three phones run on the Tegra 2 processor.

Out of the big four U.S. telecommunications companies, Sprint is the only carrier not offering a dual-core smartphone.

The Droid X2 will be available in Verizon Wireless stores for $200 with a two-year Verizon Wireless contract beginning May 26.


Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th

Motorola and Verizon have finally stopped teasing us and have made the Droid X2 official. This is a 4.3-inch Android (2.2, to be upgraded to 2.3) smartphone with a qHD screen resolution and a dual-core 1GHz processor. An 8 megapixel camera with continuous autofocus and HD video recording graces the back. The X2 will cost the usual $200 on contract and will be available to buy online tomorrow, May 19th, before making its way out to stores a week later, on May 26th. Leap past the break for the full PR.

Interestingly, we’ve also spotted the close proximity of the USB and HDMI ports on the side of the new X2. That arrangement is reminiscent of the one on Motorola’s Atrix, where the two connectors served to hook that handset up to its laptop and multimedia docks. We don’t know whether the Droid X2 will fit into the accessories designed for the Atrix, but it looks sure to be strapping itself into a dock of some description in the near future.

Continue reading Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th

Motorola Droid X2 official at $200: launching online May 19th, in stores May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next Issue Media brings magazine subscriptions to Samsung Galaxy Tabs, but not all of them

It’s been a busy month in the world of e-publishing. First, Time Inc. inked a deal to bring magazine subscriptions to the iPad, with both Hearst and Conde Nast following suit. And now, a consortium of publishing powerhouses known as Next Issue Media is looking to expand its tablet-based readership to Android users, as well. Beginning tomorrow, people who bought a wireless-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab from Verizon will be able to purchase single copies of, or monthly subscriptions to seven magazines from the so-called “Hulu of Magazines,” which includes Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Time Inc., and News Corp. Users already subscribing to print editions will receive free digital subscriptions, though they won’t be able to purchase both print and digital combo packages (that’s on the way). Publishers, meanwhile, will be able to set their own prices and, according to Next Issue CEO Morgan Guenther, will receive “at least” 70-percent of all transactions — the same percentage that Apple offers. Under this new Android deal, however, all of Next Issue’s members will be able to freely access their subscribers’ credit card information and other personal data — something that Apple has steadfastly denied them. Obviously, it’s far too early to tell whether or not this deal will give publishers more leverage in their negotiations with Cupertino, as the service will only be available to a small slice of Android tablet users. But Guenther says his organization is planning on releasing more titles for more devices this fall, with at least 40 magazines due out by year’s end, along with an app for HP’s WebOS.

Next Issue Media brings magazine subscriptions to Samsung Galaxy Tabs, but not all of them originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint joins Verizon atop customer satisfaction survey

Sprint LogoSprint is on a bit of a roll recently. Sure, there were some problems with its Google Voice integration and the company is still losing money, but it’s adding subscribers at an impressive rate and now it’s tied Verizon for the number one spot in a recent customer satisfaction survey. The American Customer Satisfaction Index showed Sprint had made significant gains in the last three years, rising from dead last amongst the big four with a score of 56 in 2008 to match Big Red’s field-leading 72. At the same time, both T-Mobile and AT&T saw small drops in their satisfaction scores, with AT&T hitting 66 points — its lowest rating since the launch of the iPhone. Of course, with T-Mo hemorrhaging customers and the reanimated husk of Ma Bell claiming the ignominious title of most dropped calls, we can’t say we’re particularly shocked.

Sprint joins Verizon atop customer satisfaction survey originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 May 2011 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation Phone Coming to Verizon This Month

The Xperia Play, also known as the PlayStation phone, will be available for pre-order starting Thursday. Photo: Charlie Sorrel

If you’ve been itching to get your twitchy thumbs on the Xperia Play, Sony Ericsson’s much-anticipated PlayStation phone, you don’t have to wait much longer.

The PlayStation phone will be available through Verizon Wireless starting May 26th, but you can pre-order it starting Thursday. It’ll be available for $200 with a two-year contract.

PlayStation phone rumors first began way back in 2008, but didn’t start gaining traction until last fall, when detailed specs and leaked images cropped up. Gadget Lab got a chance to get our hands on the Xperia Play when it was officially announced at Mobile World Congress in February.

The Xperia Play will come stocked with seven free game titles: Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, The Sims 3, Madden NFL 11, Crash Bandicoot, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Star Battalion, and Tetris. Verizon’s mobile app store will have 50 other games available for download when the phone launches.

Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation phone will run Android 2.3 on a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and will feature a front facing camera and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. Underneath the 4-inch capacitive touchscreen is a slide-out gaming pad with PlayStation keys, a touch joystick, and a D-pad.

Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation Phone Ready to Hit Verizon [All Things D]


LG Revolution finally landing at Verizon on May 26th

LG Revolution finally set to hit Verizon on May 26th

We thought it’d be here by now. We thought it’d be the first with Netflix. We thought a lot of things about the LG Revolution, but now we’re closer to knowing the truth. According to documents uncovered by Droid Life the phone is coming next week, May 26th, and it is, indeed, shipping with Netflix, which you can watch on its 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 touchscreen. The LTE-equipped phone will be running a version of Android 2.2 that will surely have seen some cosmetic enhancements, not the least of which is Bing integration. Yes, it’s been Binged, but if the price is right, maybe that’s not the end of the world. As to the price: no word on that yet, but “wireless charging” is listed as a standard feature, so at least you won’t have to pay extra for a chubby battery door.

Update: You can read the manual now too. One less thing to worry about for next week, right?

LG Revolution finally landing at Verizon on May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th

It may not have been the first in the world to get it, but Verizon can now at least claim to be the first US carrier to offer the long fabled, oft-leaked PlayStation Phone, otherwise known as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. It will be available for pre-order on the carrier’s website starting May 19th, and be available in stores on May 26th for the usual $199.99 on a two-year contract. That, of course, gets you the first PlayStation Certified handset with console-style controls — a real D-pad and PlayStation face and shoulder buttons, plus a pair of miniature touchpads for dual-analog gameplay on the go. You’ll also get seven games pre-loaded on the device (including Madden NFL 11 and The Sims 3) but, as we saw in our recent hands-on with the Verizon version of the phone, you won’t get Sony Ericsson’s custom skin — the carrier has instead opted for a mostly stock UI with only some SE wallpapers and widgets. As Verizon also notes, those opting for the phone will have to sign up for both a Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package as well, the former of which start at $39.99 a month, while an unlimited data plan will run you $29.99. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract, in stores May 26th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract

It may not have been the first in the world to get it, but Verizon can now at least claim to be the first US carrier to offer the long fabled, oft-leaked PlayStation Phone, otherwise known as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. It will be available for pre-order on the carrier’s website starting May 19th, and be available in stores on May 26th for the usual $199.99 on a two-year contract. That, of course, gets you the first PlayStation Certified handset with console-style controls — a real D-pad and PlayStation face and shoulder buttons, plus a pair of miniature touchpads for dual-analog gameplay on the go. You’ll also get six games pre-loaded on the device (including Madden NFL 11 and The Sims 3) but, as we saw in our recent hands-on with the Verizon version of the phone, you won’t get Sony Ericsson’s custom skin — the carrier has instead opted for a mostly stock UI with only some SE wallpapers and widgets. As Verizon also notes, those opting for the phone will have to sign up for both a Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package as well, the former of which start at $39.99 a month, while an unlimited data plan will run you $29.99. Head on past the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hits Verizon for $200 on-contract originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 10:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid X 2 turns up on Moto and Verizon sites, confirms qHD screen and 1GHz dual-core processor

Hey Motorola, your unannounced phone is showing. The Droid X 2 is spending this morning hanging out on the bright and airy support pages of motorola.com, though you may also spot it sneakily listed alongside some compatible accessories on vzw.com as well. Yes, the leaks are now happening from official sources, too, indicating an imminent landing for what we’ve confirmed to be a dual-core 1GHz Android smartphone with qHD resolution on a 4.3-inch display. Those long-rumored specs were revealed by the Droid X 2’s user guide, which Moto has kindly provided at the link below. So thoughtful!

[Thanks, 3vil]

Continue reading Motorola Droid X 2 turns up on Moto and Verizon sites, confirms qHD screen and 1GHz dual-core processor

Motorola Droid X 2 turns up on Moto and Verizon sites, confirms qHD screen and 1GHz dual-core processor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMotorola, Verizon  | Email this | Comments