Motorola pushes up Atrix 4G launch to Feb. 22, shoves Xoom pre-sales back to Feb. 20th?

The best laid plans of Motorola may be in disarray, as we hear the device manufacturer is shuffling release dates for its hottest new Android devices. Supposedly, AT&T customer service reps are getting the above message in their inbox, which suggests the modular Atrix 4G smartphone may arrive more than a week earlier than planned, while a Best Buy memo (image after the break) pegs Xoom tablet pre-sales for February 20th, three days after the date originally communicated. Still, we haven’t heard anything to suggest that the Xoom won’t be 100 percent ready for purchase on February 24th, so you should be just fine saving your eight Benjamins for then.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Motorola pushes up Atrix 4G launch to Feb. 22, shoves Xoom pre-sales back to Feb. 20th?

Motorola pushes up Atrix 4G launch to Feb. 22, shoves Xoom pre-sales back to Feb. 20th? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate — battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Hello, Moto — no wait, Samsung… or is it LG? Three of the world’s biggest smartphone makers have leapt at the opportunity to serve up Google’s brand new Honeycomb build of Android, however their selection of menu items looks to be somewhat lacking in diversity. Motorola’s Xoom matches Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in both screen size and resolution (1280 x 800), while LG’s Optimus Pad / G-Slate offers only marginally smaller measurements with an 8.9-inch display spanning 1280 x 768. More than that, all three tablets run the bone-stock Honeycomb UI and are built around NVIDIA’s 1GHz Tegra 2 system-on-chip, leaving little room for differentiation on the basis of user experience or internal performance (LG would have you believe its 3D camcorder is a big advantage for its slate, but we’re not so sure). Most choices between the three, then, will come to things like brand loyalty, ergonomics and pure, basic aesthetic appeal. To help you judge the latter of those three points, we’ve prepared an exhaustive barrage of side-by-side photos below — we expect you to view every last one of ’em… at least twice.

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate — battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom price official: $799 unsubsidized on Verizon, $600 for WiFi-only

There you have it, folks — the exhausting saga of the Xoom‘s pricing has finally been laid to rest by Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha. Reuters reports a $799 levy for the 32GB Honeycomb tablet when bought with 3G (which will be upgraded to 4G) connectivity from Verizon sans subsidies, while Jha is also quoted as saying that a WiFi-only version will set buyers back only $600. The latter price matches the 32GB iPad directly, however the 3G Xoom is $70 more expensive than the Apple alternative. Sanjay failed to say when said pricing or models will become available, but there have been strong indications that pre-orders or reservations will begin tomorrow (at least at Best Buy), with the tablet launching in full on Thursday next week.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Xoom price official: $799 unsubsidized on Verizon, $600 for WiFi-only originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom & Droid Pro Coming To Europe

 

motorola.JPGDuring the Mobile World Congress 2011, Motorola announced that the Android-based smartphone, Droid Pro and  Xoom tablet will hit European shores. Motorola did not share which phone service providers will be offering up the devices.

The Droid Plus runs  Android 2.2  and features 1GHz processor, 2GB internal memory with room up to 32GB memory card, QWERTY keyboard, and a touchscreen. The Xoom tablet runs Android 3.0, Honeycomb, and has similar specs as a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Via CNet

Motorola Xoom gets Q2 European launch, WiFi-only and silver models now extra official

Motorola just went official with its WiFi-only Xoom headed to Europe along side its 3G and WiFi cousin in the second quarter of 2011. Besides that little detail, it’s still the original 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet built upon a dual-core 1GHz processor and 1280 x 800 pixel resolution display. Oh, and look at what we spotted here in Barcelona. Yup, a Xoom decked out in silver just for your viewing pleasure in the gallery below.

Continue reading Motorola Xoom gets Q2 European launch, WiFi-only and silver models now extra official

Motorola Xoom gets Q2 European launch, WiFi-only and silver models now extra official originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom up for pre-order at Best Buy this Thursday… for $1,199? (update)

What the what?! Best Buy has just put up word on when you can pre-order the Motorola Xoom — this coming Thursday, February 17th — and a price, $1,199. There are “great” financing offers available, but we can’t get over this price we’re seeing. Our only hope is that this may be a placeholder number, which will get revised soon, though it’s live on Best Buy’s site and there’s nothing to really indicate it’s a mistake. Moreover, that 1-month data activation requirement we noted recently is indeed real, meaning you’ll need to pay a levy to Verizon as well before you get your Android 3.0 groove on.

[Thanks, Joe and Magid]

Update: We’ve heard rumblings that this is indeed just a place holder — much like the way other companies price products they don’t want to sell at ridiculous levels — and the final price will indeed be the $800 we’ve heard most consistently to this point.

Update 2: Best Buy’s listing has entirely disappeared. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Xoom up for pre-order at Best Buy this Thursday… for $1,199? (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom up for pre-order at Best Buy this Thursday… for $1,199!

What the what?!

[Thanks, Joe and Magid]

Motorola Xoom up for pre-order at Best Buy this Thursday… for $1,199! originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google details low-level Renderscript API for Honeycomb

There’s no question that Honeycomb tablets like the Xoom are powerful pieces of hardware, and it looks like Google will be doing its best to ensure that developers are able to exploit as much of that power as possible. A big piece of that puzzle is the company’s Renderscript API for the OS, which it’s just now starting to detail in full. The big advantage there is that it’s a low-level API designed especially for developers who are “comfortable working closer to the metal,” which will let applications built with it (including games) take full advantage of the high-end GPUs and dual-core processors found in Honeycomb tablets. What’s more, while the API is just now being made public, it’s already been put to use in Honeycomb by Google itself — both the YouTube and Books apps, and the live wallpapers shipping with the first Honeycomb tablets were created with the help of it. Head on past the break for another quick example — a brute force physics simulation that involves 900 particles titling with the tablet — and look for Google to provide some additional technical information and sample code sometime soon.

Continue reading Google details low-level Renderscript API for Honeycomb

Google details low-level Renderscript API for Honeycomb originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty, silver version spotted in Dubai (video)

WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty, silver version spotted in Dubai (video)

We heard some weird reports over the weekend that the 3G Motorola Xoom tablet couldn’t be sold unless you bought at least one month of wireless data. That, plus the groan-inducing $800 MSRP, is surely giving some potential buyers a wee bit of pause. This might help. Crossing the wires at the FCC is what appears to be a WiFi-only version of the Xoom, called a “wireless tablet with embedded WLAN.” It’s lacking a 3G radio so, unless Moto has another trick up its sleeves, this is probably that. Obviously any speculation on price would be highly… speculative, but here’s to hoping ditching that modem brings this thing down a Benjamin or so. Also spotted, this time in Dubai but also embedded below, was a silver version of the Xoom, sporting a two-tone back that will nicely complement your Casio Data Bank calculator watch. No word on whether we’ll get that on these shores, but we hope so. Variety is, dear readers, the spice of life.

Continue reading WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty, silver version spotted in Dubai (video)

WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty, silver version spotted in Dubai (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There Are Tablets Better Than the iPad. They’re Just Not Out Yet [Tablets]

The HP TouchPad and Motorola Xoom are legitimate threats to the iPad. And if they were available now, I’d buy them over an iPad. Here’s why: More »