Hasta La Gadget!

Hey! Microsoft debuted two new phones earlier this year! Remember that? Okay, so there’s a fair chance that Microsoft actually moved fewer Kin One / Two handsets than Fusion Garage did JooJoo tablets, but we’re pretty confident that a few of you fell for the whole “my life is so social, so I’m buying in” thing. We’re still personally trying to figure out why the full Windows Phone 7 wasn’t used here instead of an OS that’ll likely be forgotten by the time you finish reading this, but enough of our rambling — this space is all about you. Did you pick up one of the Kin brothers? How’s the experience? Are you still kosher with paying the same data plan price as future Droid X users? Have you gained more friends than you know what to do with? Starred in your own commercial? Tell us below, tweeps.

How would you change Microsoft’s Kin One and Two? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So Droid Life — which has earned itself a solid record in the rumor game as of late — is reporting that Verizon Wireless will be dropping the “Wireless” portion of its name this weekend and announcing that it won’t be carrying the iPhone 4, instead concentrating on its high-end line of Android devices that it’s done an admirable job of building up lately. We can’t speak to the validity of the iPhone stuff, but we’re starting to believe the rest now that we’ve been independently tipped on a new branding campaign that’ll focus on the tagline “Rule the Air.” Interestingly, it would seem that changing the name to Verizon risks confusing the company with one of its two corporate parents — Verizon Communications — which leads us to wonder whether this is a sign that Vodafone could be getting close to relinquishing control of its sizable minority share after years of speculation. Regardless, it looks like the bright red theme ain’t going anywhere. More on this as it develops.

[Thanks, The Geek]

Update: We have it on good authority now that there will be no official name change from Verizon Wireless to Verizon — the only thing that’s changing is the use of new logos that lack the “Wireless” portion of the name.

Verizon Wireless changing to Verizon this Sunday, massive new branding campaign planned? (update: no name change) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 and Motorola’s Droid X, together on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in some kind of weird erotic mashup. Gadgets, a band, celebrity impersonations, and more awkward sexual innuendo with an ex-supermodel than a nerd can shake a retina display at. Check it all out after the break.

Continue reading Josh and Jimmy get busy in hot 4X action (video)

Josh and Jimmy get busy in hot 4X action (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The new Motorola Droid X phone, with its slim profile and striking display, doesn’t set a new standard in industrial design. But what it lacks in style, it makes up for with features, including an emphasis on high-definition video recording and playback.

The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year Verizon contract) will run Google’s latest Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and will include Adobe Flash Player 10.1, following an update “late summer.”

There’s one key difference between the Droid X and the original Droid: The Droid X doesn’t have a physical keyboard. Instead its 4.3-inch display makes it one of the biggest touchscreens available among smartphones today.

The Droid X’s screen is gorgeous and incredibly responsive to touch. The display has a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels compared to 800 x 480 pixels on the HTC Evo. Placed side-by-side, the Evo’s display seemed brighter and more vivid.

But the Droid X’s touchscreen is a treat. It’s extremely responsive without crossing over into the annoyingly sensitive territory.

Unlike the Evo, which has its four Android buttons (Home, Menu, Back and Search) sleekly integrated into the frame, the Droid X has four physical buttons at the bottom of the phone and it is jarring. The matte black finish of the phone gives it a dull appearance compared to the glossy shine of the Evo.

Eight months after Motorola debuted its first Droid phone, the company has refreshed the device to include a bigger screen, a focus on high-definition video and Flash compatibility.

Motorola’s new Droid X phone is the successor to its original Droid smartphone introduced last October. The $200 Droid X (after a $100 rebate and with a two-year contract) will run Google’s latest Android 2.2 Froyo operating system and will include Adobe Flash Player 10.1. DROID X customers will the 2.2 and Flash updates wirelessly over-the-air in the latter half of the summer.

“It is pretty spectacular,” John Stratton, chief marketing officer of Verizon told attendees at the device’s launch. “When you have a screen and form factor like this — very thin and lightweight — it screams video.”

The new Droid X will have a 4.3-inch touchscreen (854 x 480 pixels resolution) — about the same size as the HTC EVO 4G and much bigger physically than the 3.5-inch display on the iPhone 4, which is 960 x 640 pixels.

The phone includes a Texas Instruments OMAP processor with 1-GHz processing ability, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory that’s expandable to 40 GB using a storage card.

It also has a 8-megapixel camera, a step up from the 5-megapixel one in the earlier version. The camera can capture 720p video content and offers HD playback via HDMI. What’s missing is the dual camera that’s now a part of the iPhone and HTC Evo.

The Droid X announcement comes a day before the public debut of the iPhone 4, although Apple’s phone is already in the hands of some lucky customers as well as a few carefully chosen reviewers.

The Droid X will be the star in Motorola’s portfolio. So far Motorola has launched a number of Android phones, including the Cliq on T-Mobile, Backflip on AT&T and Devour on Verizon. But its first Droid phone remains a best-seller. Meanwhile, Apple is charging ahead with its latest iPhone, which is gathering generally positive reviews (though AT&T’s network has been criticized). Many Apple users have already started receiving their pre-ordered iPhone 4.

Droid X is Motorola’s 11th Android smartphone. The phone will start shipping July 15 and will be available exclusively on Verizon’s network.

See below for a larger image.

Top photo: Droid X
Stefan Armijo/Wired.com

See Also:

• Review: Motorola Droid
• Motorola Droid Set for Android Upgrade
• 20 Android Phones You Can Buy Today (or Soon)
• Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market

Photo: Verizon