Maybe you heard, Verizon finally has the iPhone. Or it will, in a few weeks. And you know what that means: it’s time to advertise the hell out of that bad boy. But don’t be surprised if it’s Verizon doing more of the pushing than Apple.
Reports today have Verizon putting their significant “marketing muscle” behind the device in the coming weeks. This should be no surprise given what they’ve done for the iPad — a device which doesn’t really even directly connect to their network (though that will change). It’s also in line with what we’ve been hearing for month: that Verizon was getting ready for a huge push in Q1 around some new mobile product. The assumption has long been that this would be the iPhone. → Read More
Still rockin’ the original Droid? Sick and tired of Android 2.2 (which, by the way, most Android handsets still don’t have)? I know, I know — all the cool kids (read: Nexus One owners) are on Android 2.2.1. Don’t sweat it, Droid owners — you can get all up in that marginally improved goodness. It just requires a bit of hacking. → Read More
Today’s all about Windows Phone 7 (for better or worse). Microsoft is in New York showing off the goods, and Greg and John are there getting the goods. What I can say remotely is this: Microsoft is launching Windows Phone 7 across 30 countries, with one or two phones per country. Those of us in the U.S. are looking at an early November release date. → Read More
Here we go again.
It seems like a week can’t go by now without some company suing another company over some lame software patent. The latest is Microsoft which today announced it was suing Motorola for features on their Android phones.
As it continues to rapidly grow in size, Android is increasingly a target of such suits. But the weird thing about these suits is how they always seem to be indirectly targeting Android. That is, companies aren’t suing Google for Android, they’re suing manufacturers using Android on their phones. See: Apple suing HTC for another example of this. → Read More
Pictures of the Droid 2 World edition leaked out today, revealing a white casing with a silver bezel. This is in contrast with the blue and gunmetal that was used in the first Droid 2, but it seems that the software is going to be more or less exactly the same. [via Phandroid] → Read More
This past weekend, I wrote a post wondering if Android was surging in the U.S. market because Apple was letting it? The main thought was that by remaining exclusively tied to AT&T, Apple was driving some users to choose Android, which is available on all the U.S. carriers. In the post, I posed a question: if it’s not the iPhone/AT&T deal, why do you choose Android? Nearly 1,000 people responded, and a large percentage focused on the same idea: the idea of “openness.”
You’ll forgive me, but I have to say it: what a load of crap.
In theory, I’m right there with you. The thought of a truly open mobile operating system is very appealing. The problem is that in practice, that’s just simply not the reality of the situation. Maybe if Google had their way, the system would be truly open. But they don’t. Sadly, they have to deal with a very big roadblock: the carriers. → Read More
BGR has some screen shots showing the upcoming Motorola line-up for Verizon, including the MZ600, the Motorola tablet. The line-up also includes the Droid Pro, a Droid 2 world phone with faster processor. → Read More
For the last 30 or so hours self-described Apple fanboy MG Siegler has put his iPhone 4 aside (Jason Kincaid and Greg Kumparak held him down while two interns broke his Kung Fu grip) to give Motorola’s Droid 2 a proper test drive. The verdict? A definite step above the HTC EVO 4G.
If you read MG’s review of the EVO back in May, you know he gave HTC’s bundle of joy a merciless, swift kick to the head. Thus, saying Siegler prefers the Droid 2 to the EVO, probably doesn’t say very much. To get a more nuanced review, we enlisted MobileCrunch editor, Greg Kumparak to go one-on-one with MG.
Click ahead for their full review of the Droid 2 and a discussion on Google Voice Actions, the Android ecosystem and yes, those rampant Verizon rumors. → Read More
Verizon just had its entire roadmap leaked to BGR. Some standouts? The DROID Pro with a 1.3GHZ, a 4-inch screen, and global roaming with GSM support. Motorola will also release a phone with the style of a Q with keyboard but rocking Android 2.2. Samsung will also be dropping a 7-inch tablet this year (actually probably in the next two months) on the Verizon network. The Samsung tablet has been been rumored for weeks but Motorola will also enter the tablet world along with a new version of Android, 3.0. This should hit in Feburary. → Read More
According to The Street, Roger Crenshaw, an “analyst,” suspects that Morotola will come out with a 10-inch tablet in November. Why? Who knows. What carrier? Don’t ask Crenshaw. However, clearly Moto needs to keep the Droid love coming and this seems like a good way to do it. A Droid Tablet, anyone? → Read More
Spoiler: It takes 38:53 seconds, with is about 48 hours faster than I could do it. [via AndroidGuys] → Read More
Motorola’s slow decline was halted, briefly, by the launch of the Droid line of phones. Now, however, it looks like the company’s money-making switching subsidiary is no longer going to be making money as it’s just been sold to Nokia Siemens for $1.2 billion. While the company still owns its own handset and set-top box operation, the switching side was Motorola’s bread and butter and now it may be going hungry. → Read More
We know that Verizon is launching Droid X on the 23 – at least when it comes to press access – but it looks like they’re announcing to the rest of the world as well, right now, via a Flash-rich teaser site that allows you to pop in your email for more info. → Read More
An experiment involving the HTC Droid Incredible’s internet tethered to an Xbox 360 has successfully shown you can kill alien avatars of children playing in their basement from across the world – on top of a bridge – over the Missouri River. → Read More
You have to admit, that’s a good looking clone. Sans the logo up top, it looks nearly identical to the Motorola Droid. → Read More
The most important part of a mobile phone’s lifespan is when it’s hacked to run old video games. Few games are more classic than Everquest, the game that brought the MMO to a mass audience. I think that’s fair to say. Anyhow, today’s the Droid’s lucky day! → Read More
If you have a Nexus One or Motorola Droid and play classic games with an emulator, you must do this hack. It essentially turns the Nexus One into a full-fledge portable gaming system. The Wii Remote is even small enough to travel with, too. Can’t you see yourself pulling out the phone and firing up Metroid while cruising at 30,000 feet? I can. [via NeverKnowTech] → Read More
Now here’s a turnaround I never expected. According to a recent results filing, Motorola is working its way back into solvency and is turning a profit and shipping devices like crazy. The company took a slight loss in mobile sales – about $192 million – but that’s far lower than $550 million last year. → Read More
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