Purported Verizon screenshot points to LTE-upgradable 16GB Motorola Xoom

The Motorola Xoom might be starting to look a bit pricey compared to some of its new competitors, but it seems that the company may have a solution in the offing. According to a leaked, supposedly authentic Verizon screenshot obtained by Droid Life, Motorola is apparently planning to launch an LTE-upgradable Xoom with just 16GB of storage instead of the current 32GB, which would presumably also open the door for a cheaper 16GB WiFi-only model. Of course, that's still a long way from being official, but cutting the storage in half is certainly one sure way to make a (seemingly necessary) price drop a bit more bearable. [Thanks, Josh S]

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Motorola Xoom UK pricing official at £580 for 3G and £480 for WiFi-only

Motorola has now confirmed that the latest round of prices the Carphone Warehouse, PC World and other UK retailers are listing for its Xoom tablet are indeed the officially sanctioned price points for the Honeycomb slate. After being listed at £600 for the 3G model and £500 for the WiFi-only version initially, the 32GB-equipped 10-incher is now mercifully £20 cheaper, at £580 and £480 for each variant. A quick glance at Apple's online store tells us that those levies match up exactly to what a corresponding 32GB version of the iPad 2 will cost you, signaling Motorola's intent to at least be on par in terms of pricing. Stores are still showing the Xoom under a pre-order status for now, but that should be changing swiftly if Motorola wishes to live up to its promise of availability this very week.

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Motorola XOOM price trimmed to £479.99 before launch

The wi-fi version of the Motorola XOOM Android 3.0 tablet has seen its price adjusted downwards by Dixons, with the electronics chain reducing the previous £499 price point to a new £479.99. And the tablet hasn't even launched yet.

The site still carries the same launch date disclaimer it did several weeks ago, although it now states “Delivery available – 09x04x2011″ in small print beneath the tech specs. Which is Saturday.

Would like to play with one for an hour or so, but not keen on having one permanently for that price. Thanks to reader Tim for the spot.

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Motorola Xoom Price and Specs Review

This 2011 is tablet year, iPad 2 from Apple, Playbook Blackberry, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and now Motorola Xoom Android Honeycomb tablet. Motorola Xoom UK release date this week.

Motorola Xoom Specs and Technical Details

• Next-generation tablet with 10.1-inch display, Android 3.0 platform, and Verizon Wireless mobile broadband connectivity
• Powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core mobile processor; support for Adobe Flash for viewing web sites, movies, games, and more
• Front-facing 2-megapixel camera and microphone for video chats; rear 5-megapixel camera for high-res stills and HD 720p video
• 32 GB internal memory; Wireless-N Wi-Fi with Mobile Hotspot capabilities; HDMI output; microSD expansion (with software upgrade)

Mostly, Motorola Xoom user satisfied with this gadget. Its Tegra2 DualCore processor which means this Motorola Xoom is running fast. The 10.1 HD screen means cleaner videos and pictures. The micro-HDMI out plug means you can hook your Xoom up to a TV. And of course, Android 3.0 "Honeycomb". Multitasking is easier to navigate on Honeycomb. The 10 inch Xoom's screen is made from Gorilla Glass which means you won't be neeeding a screen protector. Being able to download most webpages with flash support being promised in the future. Flash 10.2 will be available in a few short weeks as will support for microSD cards.

What's not so good about this Motorola Xoom. The limited number of Android apps for the XOOM. The Android Market has a lot of apps, but they have very little support for tablet apps currently. The volume rocker is too flush with the Xoom, and thus it can be incredibly hard to push the buttons sometimes. The lack of speaker quality, speakers are good, not great.

How much the Motorola Xoom price? If you buy it from Amazon, Motorola Xoom Android Tablet 3G/4G price about $799.99 off-contract, but you can purchase it for 599.99 at Verizon Wireless, with a 2-year contractand.
And price $599.00 for Motorola Xoom Android Tablet Wifi only.

Motorola MileStone 2 Makes Its Way To India, Now Available For PreOrder Through LestBuy!

Even as Motorola prepares to launch the Motorola Milestone 2 in India, online retailer LetsBuy has put up the Motorola Milestone 2 for preorder. Motorola Milestone 2 is a direct successor to the Motorola Milestone Android phone that was released last year.

Motorola Milestone 2 features a 3.7" capacitive touch screen display laced by the standard set of Android buttons. The magnificent looking display slides up to reveal a landscape QWERTY keyboard with a 4-row set of beautifully arranged physical keys.

A 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash suits the back of the phone allowing users to shoot high quality still shots and videos to the phone's 8GB of onboard storage which can be expanded to up to 40GB using a 32GB microSD card.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPRS, EDGE and 3G. The device comes preloaded with Google Andriod 2.2 OS, integrated Google apps like Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps among others.

It is driven by a powerful 1GHz processor flanked by a 512MB of RAM and PowerVR SGX530 GPU and is juiced up by a 1400mAh battery. Other interestingfeatures include Adobe Flash 10.1 support, integrated social networking apps, support for HD video out and much more.

It's priced at INR 20,999 and is currently available for preorder on LetsBuy.

Watch the following video for a quick preview of Motorola Milestone 2 Android phone.

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Rugged Android-powered Motorola Defy now available from Telus in Canada

In Canada, Telus has officially launched the Motorola Defy, a rugged Android-powered smartphone first released internationally a few months ago. The Defy can withstand water (as seen in the image below), dust, as well as scratches and pretty much stands in a niche of its own so far in the Android world.

Because of its ruggedness, even if feature-wise it isn't necessarily up there with the top devices of this day and age, the Defy may very well prove to be very interesting for some people.

The Defy has a 3.7-inch Gorilla Glass capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 854×480, an 800 MHz processor, 2 GB of internal storage expandable via microSD card slot, 512 MB of RAM, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and VGA (640×480) video recording, and a 1540 mAh battery. According to MobileSyrup, Telus' Defy runs Android 2.2 Froyo. That would be interesting if true, since we've previously heard that the Defy will only receive an update to Froyo in the second quarter of this year. It may just be that Telus managed to get the new software before it launched the device.

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Motorola Xoom Review

The Motorola Xoom was launched at CES, and we saw it again at MWC before it shipped on Feb. 24. In terms of hardware, the Motorola tablet offers some impressive features – including Nvidia’s dual-core “Tegra 2” processor, which delivers great performance and makes the Xoom very responsive with speedy web browsing and a fluid 3D gaming experience. It’s the first 10.1-inch tablet featuring Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, to hit the market.

Specifications

* Processor: NVIDIA Tegra 2 1Ghz dual-core processor
* OS: first tablet with Android 3.0 software
* Display: 10.1x1280×800, touch screen, pinch to zoom
* Connectivity: 3.5mm jack, micros USB 2.0, WiFi b/g/n. Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR + HID, aGPS
* Network: 3G, 4G LTE upgradeable, tethering and personal hotspot
* Camera: backside 5 MP with dual LED flash – frontside 2 MP camera (webcam) – autofocus
* Video: 720p capture – 1080 p playback – flash support in web browser
* Memory: 32 GB built-in, 1GB DDR2 RAM, SD slot inactive for now
* Sensors: Proximity, ambient light, barometer, gyroscope
* Battery life: estimated by manufacturer at up to 10 hrs for video playback
* Weight: 730 g – 1.6 lbs
* Size: 249.1 mm x 167.8 mm x 12.9 mm

Context
Different people lead different lives, using tablets in drastically different ways, so it is always hard to aim for “objectivity” when it comes to reviewing a device like the Xoom. Let me tell you where I come from, so you can decide for yourself which topics from this review will be useful for yourself. I have been using the Motorola Xoom for about a week, as an additional device to my desktop computer, my Macbook Air, and my iPhone. Until recently, I was the owner of a first-generation iPad. (To be replaced by version 2 soon.) I use a tablet to check emails while having breakfast on the kitchen table, to watch movies, to read news and books, to play with apps, to Skype/chat with friends, to check for Facebook updates, to play music on a mini Bluetooth speaker, and to take notes during meetings. When it comes to getting real work done on-the-go, I tend to use a laptop.

External design (regular)
The iPad has set the barrier to entry very high in terms of design and price. Given the large number of units sold – more than 15 million to date, according to Apple – the market leader from California is the only tablet maker able to obtain high end materials at low prices from component suppliers, thanks to its high volume of sales. Competitors find it very hard to offer the same build quality at a comparable price point.

That said, Motorola did a honorable job on the hardware design, delivering a sleek chassis made of black matte anodized aluminum, weighing a bit more than the iPad 1, and considerably more than the iPad 2 (Xoom – 730 grams/1.6 lbs vs. iPad 1 – 680 grams/1.5 lbs vs. iPad 2 – 590 grams/1.3 lbs). The weight difference is mostly due to the bigger screen (details below). The location of the power button on the back side is ergonomically good, when you hold the Xoom in your hands, and the 5 MP camera lens and flash integration in the back is nicely done.

One of the most noticeable changes from previous Android devices is the disappearance of the physical buttons: Menu, Home, Back and Search. For a more detailed view of the Xoom, please see the photo gallery and watch the video to get an idea of what it looks like.

Display (regular with high resolution)
The 10.1-inch display is a bit larger and has a higher resolution (1280×800) than the iPad’s (9.7-inch, 1024×768). It also has a higher pixel density than the Apple device: 150 pixels per inch compared to 132 pixels per inch. The Xoom’s 16:10 aspect ratio is more suitable for watching movies than the iPad’s 4:3 ratio, but it may feel slightly less comfortable for other activities, such as web browsing. In landscape mode, the pages are wide but short, while in portrait mode the display often seems a bit narrow.

When compared to the iPad using the same high-resolution photo, I could tell that the Xoom screen is a bit less contrasty and displays less saturated colors, although the overall quality is still good. The only significant downside is its overly reflective coating; the iPad display is reflective as well, but less so than the Xoom, and the unwelcome effect is even more noticeable in direct sunlight.

Audio (good)
When I tested the audio using trailers from YouTube, the sound quality was good, better even than with the iPad 1. The Xoom had no problem connecting to the compact Bluetooth speaker Jambox. The set-up was easy and the sound experience much improved. If, like me, you do not like wearing headphones for long periods of time, the Jambox or similar wireless speakers are a good option for watching movies or listening to music with the Xoom.

Performance and hardware (very good)
Thanks to the dual-core Tegra 2 SoC, the Xoom is very responsive, and very fast, especially when browsing the web. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy Tab v1, it felt significantly faster to navigate graphics-heavy web pages like CNN.com. (The desktop version, not the one optimized for mobile browsing.) When tested against the iPad 2, page loading times were similar, but scrolling seemed a little bit less fluid on the Xoom. Nevertheless, overall scrolling speed on the Motorola tablet can be labeled as “fast”. Switching from one application to another is instantaneous and easy when you use the multitasking virtual button that provides access to the five last apps you previously opened.

Measured Performance
In every aspect of computing, you always have “measured performance” and “perceived performance”. The perceived performance mostly comes from apps and the operating system. Software engineers can often work around hardware/driver performance – that’s typically how video games have been made for decades.

Often, people look at hardware specifications and assume that the software implementation will be perfect – that’s a very wrong assumption. Measuring the hardware is like measuring the “potential” that a system has. But this potential must be utilized by the software – only then, the potential performance can translate into “perceived” performance gains.

CPU Benchmark (link): this is a test of raw computational power in which a task has to be completed in a least amount of time (in milliseconds). Note: we have a number of NVIDIA Tegra powered devices, so I have colored their data in green. Unfortunately, I don’t have an equivalent test to run on the iPad 2.

SunSpider is a Javascript synthetic test. Javascript is used by many modern websites, so Javascript performance can translate in perceived performance for the user. In theory, all the Tegra 2 devices should perform somewhat similarly. However, the Motorola Xoom benefits from the latest software optimizations in Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb). I think that the iPad 2 has also benefited from important software improvements in that area. This shows you how important software fine-tuning can be. Using the same Tegra 2 chip, the Xoom is almost twice as fast in this test.

BrowserMark: in this browser benchmark, the Motorola Xoom easily pulls ahead of all other devices, including the iPad 2. Again, you should look at this as the result of the web browser and Javascript engine.

The Motorola Xoom has a powerful hardware, but the updated Android software is key to its performance. I wish that I had games to test the graphics capabilities, but at this point I’d be happy to just have any app designed for the Xoom’s high-resolution screen.

Android 3.0 – OS design look and feel (could be better)
When it comes to the user-interface design, Android is my least favorite OS compared to iOS and Windows Phone 7. However, I have to admit that Google has made efforts in the latest Android version to unify the interface, make the design more subtle and a bit more intuitive. Nonetheless, there is a long way to go: even without making any judgment on the Tron-like style choices, the reason why the look and feel is not as appealing and elegant as the iPhone or Windows Phone 7 is a severe lack of consistency in the shapes used across the operating system. For an obvious example, take a look at the huge difference in form factor and graphic style between the system icons at the bottom – Back, Home, Recent Apps, Menu – and the applications icons displayed in the action bar at the top of the screen.

For the same reason, Android fails to deliver a sleek home screen appearance: the apps don’t have unified shapes and sizes for their icons, resulting in a disharmonious look for the whole screen. Apple does a better job by allowing developers to be very creative, but within strict guidelines that give all icons the same outer shape. This unifies their look and feel, ensuring visual cohesion: ultimately, your iPad home screen looks better. In Android, even when the app shortcuts use a similarly square shape, they often do not share the same size!

Similarly, Windows Phone 7 displays a great visual cohesion throughout the entire OS and its applications. The fact that the applications icons have to be displayed inside a square is a very simple way to ensure visual harmony. Additionally, Microsoft does a better job than any other mobile OS with typography, reinforcing visual consistency across all applications in a beautiful way. WP7 is a great example because, unlike Google with Android, Microsoft did not try to copy the iOS user interface; instead, it successfully created a brand new look Android’s trademark is the great flexibility it offers in customizing everything. That may be the reason why Google’s design policy allows such visual differentiation between icons. However, a solution has to be found to maintain the customization feature while delivering visual consistency across Android, and, if possible, a tasteful one.

Google’s DNA is not design: I can tell just by looking at all the user interfaces the company has produced since the early days: they’re all efficient, geared for performance (high-speed loading, low-bandwidth, intended to save money on data centers) – but not always intuitive (i.e. Google Reader) and not good looking. It is obvious that design decisions seem to be made by engineers, unlike at Apple and, most recently, at the Microsoft Mobile division. I was glad to confirm this analysis with an article written by Douglas Bowman, who was the first classically trained visual designer the company hired – after seven years of existence! That tells you how little Google used to value designers…

When you are the number one player dominating a field where data is the key metric for success, it can be hard to realize that intuitive and good looking user interfaces do make a difference and can bring more market share. Google might have started to acknowledge this since it has entered the mobile OS business, feeling the pressure from the most design-driven mass-market technology company, a.k.a. Apple.

This is probably the reason behind the recent hiring of mobile design celebrity Matias Duarte, the man who created (with his team) the super innovative Palm Web OS for the Pre over two years ago. Matias and his team did a very decent job at enhancing the Android 3.0 user interface. I like the concept of making the system icons less visible and very subtle in form factor. However, he has still more work to do – and, maybe, more engineers to convince inside Google.

Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb User interface (good)
The Motorola Xoom is the first tablet featuring the new Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb.The most notable new feature is the higher resolution support, which allowed the manufacturer to build a device larger than 7-inch. Google has completely redesigned the user interface to make good use of the extra screen real estate. Overall, the navigation is efficient and the system is very responsive. See below for an overview of the new features.

Home screens and virtual buttons

The most noticeable design changes are the replacement of the 4 physical buttons – Home, Menu, Back and Search – by their virtual versions, and the ability to customize the five home screens in one place via a 3D carousel (see picture above). Now, all four corners of the display offer icons to navigate or to read information.

The System Bar at the bottom displays virtual buttons for Back, Home, and Recent Apps in the left corner. On the right, various notifications including new emails, app updates, new tweets, time, WiFi or 3G connection status, and battery life status are displayed. Users have access to these functions across the system and in all applications. An additional menu icon appears, when needed, in some applications (in the left corner).

The home button will take you to the home screen, and you can access various notifications on the right side of the System Bar.

By tapping on the connectivity and battery icons, users can access an information window that displays the latest notifications, the time, the connectivity status and the battery status. From there, by tapping on the settings icon (below the clock), users access the basic settings including screen brightness.

The Action Bar, at the top, gives access to contextual options, navigation or widgets. On the home screen, from the top left corner (first picture below), users can access search with text or voice input. The top right corner (second picture below) provides access to all apps – from the multiple squares icon – as well as the customization screen, via the + icon.

Customizable Home Screens and Widgets (good)

As in previous versions of Android, you get five home screens to browse by swiping the display horizontally. To make life easier, Honeycomb offers a clever solution for making everything fit your own, personal needs: on the customization screen, you can simply drag and drop any element (Widgets, Apps, Wallpapers…) from the sections displayed in the middle to the screen of your choice in the 3-D carousel at the top (picture). Unlike the iPad (1 and 2), Android makes it easy to move around icons and widgets to organize the home screen any way you want. Simply press and hold on an element, then drag it to a new spot.

Android 3.0 now offers a revamped calendar widget that allows you to scroll through events, a contact widget, and more. Email is still divided into two separate widgets for Gmail and other accounts.

Recent Apps – multitasking (could be better)

The virtual button for recent apps is accessible from the System bar across all applications, which allows users to quickly switch to one of the five most recent applications opened. Sadly, it is not possible to scroll to access more opened apps and closing them from there is impossible. When you need to manage the running applications, you have to go to the settings and close them there. I wonder why the design team has made things so complicated, it is much easier to manage multitasking on the iPad!

Improved text selection and copy and paste (very good)

We saw this improvement initially with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) in the Nexus S. In Honeycomb, the selection and copy/paste looks similar except for the color used for highlighting – here it’s green rather than orange, as in Android 2.3. Additionally, you can now apply other actions than just copy/paste to the selected text passage, such as share, web search or find. All these functions are accessible from the action bar.

Redesigned keyboard (very good)

The virtual keyboard has been redesigned to take advantage of the large screen size, keys have been modified and repositioned. Check the picture above to see the differences between the Gingerbread keyboard and the one in Honeycomb. An emoticon key has been added as well, that’s cool. I mostly used the keyboard for emailing and taking notes in landscape mode, and I like it a lot. It is easy to type fast on it. A very welcome feature (not new) that is not available on the iPad is voice-to-text, directly accessible from the keyboard. When I spoke slowly enough it worked perfectly.

Updated Standard Applications

Browser with Flash Support (very good)

The browser, presumably based on Chrome, uses multiple tabs instead of browser windows, offering a more efficient navigation experience. A drop down menu placed in the upper-right corner is also a nice addition to the enhanced interface. The new incognito mode is a good idea: accessible from the drop down menu, it lets users browse the Internet anonymously. The ability to sync bookmarks with Google Chrome is great as well. The most awaited feature to date: Flash support has been available since last Friday, yeah! I have heard that some people are considering switching from iPad to an Android tablet just to get Flash support…

The browsing experience ) is super fast, thanks to Tegra 2 and the hardware acceleration of the web page download. Its performance is comparable to the iPad 2, I have tested download time and scrolling with a few non-flash websites.

Email and Contact (Gmail good – Outlook would be ok with search)

The updated email and contact apps now display two panels, and you get new widgets that display the latest updates directly on your home screen. If you are familiar with emailing from the iPad, the user interface is similar: on the left you have your email list and you can read each email on the right side. Icons to browse the application are displayed at the top. I use Outlook Exchange as my main email client, and I was very disappointed to see that there is no search box. You have to use Gmail to get the search feature. That’s the reason why Motorola added search in the email client of its new Atrix smartphone, because Android does not offer this crucial feature right out of the box. Setting up an Exchange Server was not the most user-friendly experience, the process is more complicated than in WP7. In the email interface, going back to the message list could be easier: a “cancel” button would have been nice, instead of having to use the system back button located on the opposite corner of where the main navigation icons are.

Google Talk with Video Chat

Previous versions of Android only offered text chat with Google Talk, now it is possible to place video calls. The nice thing about Google Talk is that it is available on PCs as well, unlike FaceTime. I tried it and it worked well, the experience is comparable to FaceTime. Hopefully, the next version of Android for smartphones will offer Google video chat.

Camera and Gallery (very good)

The camera application has been redesigned and the result is great, you can easily configure the camera settings in a few clicks using your thumb, thanks to the circle-shaped menu. Here, designers have really taken advantage of the extra real estate to enhance the usability in an elegant and efficient way. The gallery is sleek and functional, there is nothing stunning about its design – it would be great to be able to go back to the camera app directly from the gallery.

Media and Entertainment (good)
Photo and video capture (very good)

The Xoom 5 MP camera quality is far better than the one on the iPad 2 and it offers more settings. Basically, you cannot do anything with the iPad 2’s camera (default app), except setting the flash on and off and switching from the front to the back camera. Compared to the iPad 2, it is easier to shoot a photo with the Xoom in landscape mode because the virtual shutter button is located right under the thumb, allowing users to hold the tablet with two hands while shooting. On the iPad 2, the soft shutter button is placed at the bottom of the screen, so you have to hold the device with one hand and use your index finger of the other hand to snap a picture, as the button is impossible to reach with the same hand that is holding the iPad.

As we have written in our review, the iPad 2’s rear camera has a poor quality, the resolution is low (960×720 pixels!) and the photos are grainy. In comparison, Xoom delivers great quality pictures in high resolution (2592×1944 pixels). See below for details of pictures taken with the Xoom, the iPad 2, the Nexus S (2560×1920) and the iPhone 4 (2592×1936). Note: the details have been cropped inside the photos, they are not the full picture at full resolution, to see the original photos go to our Flickr page.

Books (good)

The ebooks app has been revamped for Android 3.0, now offering a 3D carousel for browsing your purchased books. The ebooks widget allows you to shuffle your books in 3D directly from the home screen. Personally I prefer the carousel look over the fake bookshelf in the iBooks app. The reader interface is clean and similar to the iPad 2 in terms of features, with one difference: an animation simulates page turning as if reading a real book.

I wonder how users would be able to move their content if they want to switch to another OS tablet, for this reason, the Kindle app or the B&N Nook app would be a better choice when it comes to buying books.

YouTube and Movies (good)

The YouTube app has been redesigned for Honeycomb, featuring a 3D carousel for browsing similar to the one in the ebooks app and in the customization screen. This is part of the effort to bring more consistency to the OS design, and it would be nice if the carousel were used in other apps as well, for example the Android Market. It conveys a great look and feel to the YouTube home page and provides a fun way to browse videos. The rest of the app is a typical YouTube experience. I tried a few trailers, and the HD video playback experience is good. In direct comparison with the iPad 2, the Xoom delivers a similar picture quality but the iPad 2 has slightly better contrast.

For the moment there is no Netflix or Hulu application, and neither service is accessible from the Xoom browser. Amazon Video is not yet available for Android either. Unlike iTunes, Android Market does not provide video-on-demand – consequently, it is hard to find content to watch outside of YouTube. A solution might be using the DoubleTwist app to convert your iTunes playlists and videos and sync to Android. I have not tried it, so I do not know if it really works.

Music

As part of the Android 3.0 design update, the music app has been revamped with a great 3D interface that provides a good browsing experience on the home page, but no carousel here. (see picture above) The album and playlist view are in 2D (see picture below). You can buy music via third-party applications such as Amazon Mp3, or subscribe to streaming services like Rhapsody, Mog or Pandora; all are available in the Android Market.

Battery Life
Charging was pretty fast, taking about an hour and a half. Other than that, we did not take the time to perform additional tests to check the battery life – this will come soon. The manufacturer’s estimated battery life is:

* browsing over 3G up to approx. 9 hrs.
* browsing over WiFi up to approx. 10 hrs.
* MP3 playback up to approx. 3.3 days
* Standby time up to approx. 14 days
* Video playback time up to approx. 10 hrs.

Conclusion
Overall the Motorola Xoom is one of the best tablets available on the market, featuring great performance, an efficient user interface and a good multimedia experience. However, the software is still a bit unstable, I had a few applications crash with error messages, the Facebook app for instance (which is buggy on Froyo as well) – but this could be the responsibility of the app developer, not Android or the device manufacturer. Hopefully things will get better with the next update.

Personally, I prefer the iPad 2 for the design, the better user experience (with the exception of the disappointing camera) and the lower price. But others may prefer the Xoom for its customization capabilities, the ability to access Flash content in the browser, voice input for search and typing, the superior quality of the camera (software and hardware), the higher screen resolution, and the possibility to upgrade to 4G.

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SBF File for Latest Motorola ATRIX 4G Upgrade Now Online, Root Path Found

Motorola issued an upgrade for the Motorola Atrix 4G this week. It’s not much of an upgrade (we know they’ll be looking to get this thing stepped up to Gingerbread, but this isn’t it) but if you wanted it and can’t wait for the OTA process to ping your phone then you’re in luck – the guys at BriefMobile have found the SBF file that you can use to get stepped up to the latest version (4.1.57). They’ve posted instructions over on their site so be sure to check those out.

In related news, that same OTA upgrade cannot be rooted as it is, unfortunately. XDA is always there to rescue us, though, as they note that you can keep root if you were coming from a rooted version of the previous build (4.1.26). Make sure you’re rooted before you accept any OTA or OTW upgrade and proceed to follow the instructions here.

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HTC Desire HD to get Gingerbread Motorola DEFY will enjoy Froyo

The French carrier SFR announced a schedule for the Android updates for HTC Desire HD and Motorola DEFY. The Desire HD will get a Gingerbread update in the first half of April, while the Motorola DEFY will taste Froyo by the end of April.

Both updates are right on schedule. If the SFR info is right we guess the rest of the world will get them about the same time.

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Motorola DROID X & DROID 2 Gingerbread ROMs Rooted

The one downside to the leaked Gingerbread update files that were put on the internet yesterday for the Motorola Droid 2 and DROID X courtesy of P3Droid, TeamBlackHat and the folks at MyDroidWorld is the fact that it wasn’t rooted. It was a small price to pay for many who just wanted to get stepped up to the latest and greatest version of Android and MOTOBLUR. We were hopeful that the builds would be rooted in no time, though, and the community delivered. We’ll opt to direct you to MyDroidWorld for the methods in case anything changes or if you need further support. The DROID X’s can be found here, while the DROID 2′s can be had here. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

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Motorola Atrix 4G Software Update Coming Soon, But Still Won't Fix Call Quality Issue!

Motorola is preparing to release a software update for Motorola Atrix 4G Android phone. The update is said to bring along a lot of performance improvements and bug fixes and will be imminently announced.

Among a number of issues that are addressed in the update, the Motorola Atrix OS update brings improvements to Bluetooth which allows the device to used with a larger number of bluetooth headsets and also improves fingerprint reader performance.

Also, the Motorola Atrix Android OS update improves phone's stability, enhances support for car charging dock, elongates battery life, and turns off screen automatically when the phone is charged using a wall charger.

Touted as the "world's most powerful phone", the Motorola Atrix is a 4G Android phone exclusive to AT&T in the United States. It features a 4.0" high-resolution display with capacitive multi-touch support, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and a front-facing camera for making video calls.

Under the hood, the device is home to a powerful dual-core processor, about 16GB of onboard storage with expandable storage support for up to 32GB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, onboard GPS, and runs full internet browser over the WebTop app when connected to the laptop dock and much more.

Motorola is also planning to release another maintenance update for Motorola Atrix very soon where it claims to address the call quality issue faced by a 'small' number of Motorola Atrix 4G users.

In the meanwhile, those of you who are facing the call quality issue are advised to contact the customer support center for assistance.

Here's how-to update your Motorola Atrix 4G when the update become available -

For a successful installation, we recommend installing these updates while the battery in your phone is at least 50% charged. Make sure you have an active SIM card installed in your phone.

If you have received a notification message for this update:

1. Select "Download"
2. After the software is downloaded, select "Install now"
3. After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
4. Your phone is now updated with 4.1.57 software

If you have not received a notification message for this update:

1. Select the Settings icon in the main menu.
2. Select "About phone".
3. Select "System updates".
4. Select "Download".
5. After the software is downloaded, select "Install".
6. After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
7. Your phone is now updated with 4.1.57 software.

*Note: Menu->Settings->About phone->System version

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Did You Get a WiFi-Only Motorola XOOM?

The Motorola XOOM has been out for over a month on Verizon, but many of you vowed not to buy a tablet on contract and vowed not to pay $800 for it off-contract. The 3G-less version of the device is now out, though, and can be had from several major retailers for $600. So did you end up grabbing one or have different offerings from Motorola's competitors compelled you to wait?

If you did buy it, what accessories did you pick up with it? What are some of the first Honeycomb apps you'll be checking out? One great thing about the Wi-Fi's delayed launch is that a community has already come together for this exciting piece of hardware. There are hundreds of threads and thousands of posts dedicated to the tablet. Here are just a few of them that you'll want to take a look at:

* Let folks know you've picked up your XOOM here.
* Proceed to the accessories section for some suggestions on a good case or two to pick up for your new tablet.
* If there's something you need help with, chances are you'll find an answer in the support sub-section for the Motorola XOOM section.

As always, be sure to let us know how you're liking the XOOM. We're always eager to hear users' opinions on new devices. Happy XOOMing/Tableting/Honeycombing/Whatevering!

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Motorola pre-release software for the Atrix 4G

We covered news that Motorola has confirmed that there will be some sort of software release fix for the Atrix 4G in the near future, although back then, we had absolutely no idea on what the update will come with, albeit keeping our fingers crossed that it will fix data connectivity issues on the Atrix 4G. Well, good thing for patience, as we now have an idea on what kind of bugs will be squashed in software version 4.1.57, where among them include improved fingerprint reader performance, better battery performance, a display that turns off automatically when charged directly via a wall charger, improved stability for the handset and improved car dock performance. Too bad voice quality and upload speeds are not covered in this update which weighs in at 17MB, so we guess you will need to wait some more for that.

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Official Android 2.3 Update For Motorola DROID X

Word has it that the Motorola DROID X will receive an official Android 2.3 Gingerbread update from Verizon very soon. According to Droid-Life, the update will be released starting next week. Unfortunately, there is no official confirmation from Verizon so far. Stay tuned for more updates.

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Bell Canada Offers Motorola Atrix 4G For Only $69.95 Until March 31st

For a limited time only, Bell Canada is offering you the Motorola Atrix 4G for only $69.95 (normal price $169.95) with a new three-year contract agreement. This special offer ends on March 31st. Grab yours now!

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Verizon Motorola Droid X may get Android 2.3 Gingerbread update this Sunday

A rumor has started making the rounds across the mobile blogosphere, and, if true, it's very good news for those who own a Motorola Droid X. According to Droid-Life, one of their sources suggested that this device may receive an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system, as early as this Sunday.

Apparently, the update will start rolling out on Sunday at midnight, to Verizon business customers first. The full rollout, including to non-business customers, is set to happen during all of next week. According to another source, the Android 2.3 build for the Droid X has already been finished, and it's now just up to Verizon and Motorola to decide when to start rolling it out.

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AT&T says Atrix 4G, Inspire 4G will have HSUPA enabled in April

We've already seen some hints that something was coming soon courtesy of the FCC, and now AT&T has confirmed to CNET that both the HTC Inspire 4G and Motorola Atrix 4G will have their HSUPA capabilities enabled sometime in April via a software update. That should dramatically increase upload speeds on the phones (up to 5.76 Mbps), and make them more "4G" than ever before, but still not quite as "4G" as some other "4G." Incidentally, the Samsung Infuse 4G has also been confirmed to be shipping with HSUPA enabled, although it's still not clear exactly when it will ship.

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Bell Motorola Atrix now only $69.95 with 3-year contract until March 31

Bell has launched the Motorola Atrix in Canada just eight days ago, last Thursday. The launch price was $169.95 if you opted to sign a new three-year contract. And it looks like sales haven't been going very well, since Bell has already decided to cut the Atrix's price by a whopping $100.

That's right, from now on, at least until March 31, an Atrix can be yours on Bell for just $69.95. This still requires that three-year contract to be signed, but since that's pretty much the norm in Canada, you probably don't mind all that much. And anyway, for just $69.95, you're getting one of the most highly-specced smartphones currently available, so keep that in mind.

I wonder how those who paid $169.95 for this device (and are now in a three-year contract with Bell) are feeling right now. Perhaps they wish they wouldn't have had to have it during the first few days of its availability in Canada. Life of the early adopter, especially in mobile, is pretty hard.

If you need a quick reminder of what the fuss is all about, the Motorola Atrix has a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a 4-inch 960×540 capacitive touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and 720p HD video recording, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSPA, 16 GB of internal storage, 1 GB of RAM, microSD card slot, a fingerprint reader, and a 1930 mAh battery.

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Motorola recognizes, investigates Atrix 4G voice quality issues (update)

Experiencing voice quality woes with your otherwise delightful Atrix 4G? You aren't alone, buster. In fact, the issue has become so prevalent and widespread that Motorola itself has taken notice, with one of its forum managers creating a sticky to confirm that the company is looking into things. As of now, there's no clear indication of why the problem is emerging, but the positive news is that you aren't actually losing your hearing - it's a legitimate quandary, and if you'd care to help Motorola fix it, you can visit that source link to tell your story. Till then, we hear local phone providers are offering unbeatable deals on landline connections.

Update: Motorola pinged us with an official response.

Motorola Mobility is aware of a very small number of ATRIX 4G users who have reported low audio issues when placing voice calls. Motorola ATRIX 4G is designed and tested to meet our high standards for audio quality. As part of our longstanding commitment to delivering high quality products that our customers love, we believe in reacting even when identified issues impact only a handful of users. Motorola is evaluating further optimization of audio levels in a future maintenance release. Any consumer who experiences this issue should contact a Motorola customer support center.

Motorola takes great care to ensure devices are developed with quality in mind. We appreciate consumer feedback and will continue working to refine our product experience.

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Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi Now Shipping from Costco March 27

Costco has changed their Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi shipping date to better reflect the announced release date of the tablet, moving it from April 1st up to March 27th. The tablet can be pre-ordered now for $589.99. Not only does that skim $10 off the list price, but it also scores you a free gel case for the Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. If you don’t feel like waiting for the tablet to ship, you can always pick it up in one of several stores carrying the slate come Sunday the 27th.

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