Mar 08
As all of you might know, Google Android is a mobile phone operating system that is open-source. Meaning that developers can develop as much as they please, ideas can be shared, and everything is open. More specifically, by defualt all Android phones allow you to install non-Android market apps.
AT&T has removed that feature. So besides the Backflip looking weird, running Android 1.5, using Yahoo! search instead of Google, AT&T’s bloatware apps that are included in each handset, and now not being able to install non-Market apps is impossible. How much more can you cripple an Android? What’s worse is that other hardware — the Dell Mini 5 for example, and even the HTC Desire — might get the same treatment.
Source: AndroidandMe
Mar 07
For you AT&T fans out there who have been missing on the Android craze, today marks the first Android phone making its way to your speedy network. Priced at a sweet $99 on rebate with a 2-year contract, the BACKFLIP includes GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), tri-band 7.2Mbps HSPA 3G (850/1900/2100 MHz), a 3.1″ HVGA touch-screen display, Android OS 1.5 (soon upgradeable to 2.1), 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, aGPS, 3.5 mm headphone jack, microSD slot (up to 32GB), fully QWERTY “back flipping” keyboard, and all decorated by Motorola’s MOTOBLUR social networking UI. So, will you bite?
Source: AT&T, BGR
Mar 06
Good news for you who forgot all about the Motorola Opus One last year. The good news is that it’s officially called the i1, has MOTOBLUR, and the gigantic list of specs below, just in time for the upcoming CTIA. Now you remember this little guy, right?
- 3.1″ hVGA 320×480 capacitive touchscreen display
- 3 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
- Accelerometer
- Proximity sensor
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
- Bluetooth
- microSD card slot
- 2.5mm headset jack
- Home, Menu, Back, Speaker buttons are capacitive buttons with haptic feedback
- iDEN PTT & PTX
- Android LBS which is integrated into the iDEN GPS engine
- “Enterprise email”
- Plastic-molded housing with some rubberized texture finishes
- 58mm in width, 118mm in length
- 100g weight
- 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM
- 64k and 128k iDEN SIM card support
- A-GPS
- Motorola dual-mic technology noise-canceling for noisy environments
- Flash Lite v3.1.x
- Some of the preloaded apps include: corporate email client with ActiveSync support, MOTONAV navigation app, barcode scanner, and document viewer.
What actually makes news here is that it’s iDEN powered, meaning that you can naturally expect it on Sprint and Boost Mobile. Telus is reportedly getting it in Q3.
Source: BGR
Mar 02
Look! Windows Mobile and the HTC HD2 on T-Mobile! Okay, you know that already, but would you really want to buy an awesome phone, but with a doomed operating system? Just asking. According to TmoNews the HTC HD2 will be priced at $199 on a 2-year contract or $449 without a contract. The $199 pricing for the HD2 will probably require you to get a shiny new data plan. Otherwise, the Nokia Nuron is $69.99 after rebate, and $179.99 without a commitment. And lastly the Motorola CLIQ XT, arguably the most questionable of all of Motorola’s handsets (in my opinion because of its looks), will retail for $129 with a 2-year contract and $329 contract free on T-Mobile. So what do you think? Will any of you jump in for say, the CLIQ XT or the HD2?
Source: TmoNews, BGR
Mar 01
Oh look! It’s everybody’s least favorite Android phone, the CLIQ XT/Quench! No offense Moto, but it’s not like the DEVOUR, or the BACKFLIP, or the DROID, or the — you get the idea. As you can see it’s ready in its full T-Mobile branding, so check out the source link for more pics of this, ahem — smartphone.
Source: Android Central
Feb 28
You have to see it to believe it. HTC, a company which produces the super-slick and well reviewed Sense UI, as well as the classy Nexus One and its counterpart, the Desire, has had its UI ported to the Motorola Droid. If you’re with Moto you should be yelling “BLUR” over and over again. Super sneaky developer “thegeektern” at AllDroid has officially ported a nearly perfect version of the Desire’s Sense UI, except with Flash in a not so pretty condition. Another amazing achievement: this hack has the Droid logo appearing on startup, just as it should. Video that will destroy your feeling of Android 2.0.1 looking cool on your Droid is embedded after the break.
Source: AllDroid, Engadget
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Feb 27
A picture is worth a thousand words? From the looks of it, yes. There’s not a lot to report here except that Mozilla has posted pics of the Nexus One and Motorola DROID both running Fennec, the mobile Firefox found on the Nokia N900 on their Facebook page. Otherwise there’s no release date mentioned for a public release. The DROID slide by the way is waiting for you after the jump.
Source: Firefox Mobile, BGR
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Feb 26
If you haven’t noticed there’s a new OTA update for your Motorla CLIQ, you might want to hold off downloading it, because users are having headaches with the new 1.3.18 update right now. Terrifying known issues include not being able to log into MOTOBLUR, SMS-related lagging and crashing, sucky Bluetooth connectivity, dimming screens, virtual keypad bugs, and the date and time set to 7PM, 31 December 1969. T-Mobile and Motorola haven’t sent out an official statement as of yet, but here’s what an official T-Mobile Community mod had to say:
“Hi Everybody!
Thanks everyone for informing us on what the latest Motorola Cliq OTA update has brought to light. We want to let everyone know that we have been reading your comments, and we hear you. We have forwarded your concerns to the appropriate people and are working hard on them.
As of now, we advise you not to Master Reset your phone if your OTA update did not download or if you are experiencing issues at this time.
Thank you for using the T-Mobile forums and we will keep you updated as we gather more information.”
We’d also agree for you not to Master Reset your CLIQ, and if you do, well, maybe things will only get worse. Now hopefully that new webOS update with Flash today won’t cause any wonky stuff like this.
Source: Android and Me, BGR
Feb 25
As you can tell from the headline, Quake 3, the original multiplayer game that gamers have come to know has been ported to the Motorola Droid, as an example of its graphical powers. The framerate and controls don’t seem too bad at all, and seemingly are enjoyable for the short amount of time it’s been in development. And if you don’t have a Droid, don’t despair. Quake 2 has been ported to other Android phones, so check out the source link on how to get started. Oh, but first watch the Quake 3 action on the Droid first, embedded for you after the break.
Source: Android and Me
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Feb 23
If eight Android phones are not enough for Motorola’s execs, then maybe 11 are good enough? Three unknown devices passed through the FCC last week with FCC IDs IHDP56KZ1 and IHDP56KZ2. The KZ1 model comes with quad band GSM and 3G support for T-Mobile, along with Bluetooth 2.1. The second model, the KZ2, comes with quad band GSM and 3G support for AT&T. Both phones include 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, and seem to be the same smartphone, likely running Android, but on different networks. As for the third, it support CDMA EVDO and Bluetooth via IHDT56LC1, with the model number WX404. Otherwise there’s not much to go by, and these 3 handsets are probably a few of 20 that Motorola plans to release this year, if you remember (or more precisely, if you read LaptopMemo). Either way, here are the FCC IDs, which a couple of have been pulled down, unusually enough. Now onto more searching….
FCC IHDP56KZ1
FCC IHDP56KZ2
FCC IHDT56LC1
[Thanks! Benjamin]
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