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Motorola
Rogers To Launch the Motorola Quench Next Week? We’ve Got Pics!
May 12th
Finally, the Rogers lineup of Android smartphones is starting to make sense. With the MOTOBLUR launch party having come and gone and Telus recently releasing the Backflip, it seemed obvious that Rogers shed some light on their upcoming MOTOBLUR device, the QUENCH.
At the top, for $149.99, they have the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. Even though it runs Android 1.6, its high-end hardware still earns it the big bucks.
Then it has the Acer Liquid E for $79.99, launching soon with Android 2.1 and very middle-of-the-road specs.
Finally in its Social View lineup there is the Motorola QUENCH, running MOTOBLUR on Android 1.5. That will launch at $49.99 on a three-year term (and $425 without a term). If you’re looking for a nice, cheap Android handset, this is a good one to get, though personally, I’d pony up $30 more for the Acer device.
How well will it do? As we know, Canada is still in the early adoption stages of Google’s Android operating system, but at this price point I can see it selling well to a teenage demographic. As for the Acer Liquid E, no official release date has been given, but expect it to be announced in the coming days.
[Via MobileSyrup]
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Remains Of The Day: Pre Plus Goes Rich, Sprint’s Nexus Lack, Moto’s Squared Jaw
May 10th
Today was an interesting day.
The Palm Pre Plus was officially announced for AT&T at a ridiculous price of $149.99 on a two-year contract. Why would they have posted this aging phone at an almost-iPhone price? Because they’re going to market out as a new device, that’s how. The device launches May 16th.
The other major carrier news today was that Sprint will not be carrying the Nexus One in light of the imminent release of the EVO 4G. This coming only seven weeks after they announced the phone officially. Well, I suppose anything goes when you’re dealing with Google.
The other juicy bit of news was the realization that Motorola’s crazy-looking flip phone was in fact real, and that it has a name: the Flipout. Aiming at the teen market (an Android-based Kin One and Kin Two competitor, perhaps) the Flipout will sport a 2.8″ QVGA screen, a 700MHZ processor, 256MB RAM, 3MP camera, and of course, a QWERTY keyboard. Could be a nice little one-two punch.
The Telus Pearl 3G will be debuting in stores tomorrow, May 11th, though it will be a soft launch. Employees confirmed to me personally that the phone will be in stock and available for $49.99 on a three-year contract.
European Motorola Milestone 2.1 Update Available, Brings Nine Homescreens
May 6th
It may not be the mid-April date that Motorola had promised so long ago, but it’s better than nothing. According to Motorola’s Facebook page European Motorola Milestone users can now get their official 2.1 update bringing with it, the option to use as many as a whopping nine homescreens. Voice dialing over Bluetooth is also an added feature that the US Motorola Droid did not receive in it’s version of 2.1 that the Milestone will receive.
Users have been reporting however that they are having issues after the update with putting their devices in the multimedia dock. Motorola has offered some advice on how to fix the problem—simply clearing out the multimedia cache should resolve the issue.
In some cases problems with docking stations have been due to old cache, try this:
1.Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications
2.Press menu button
3.Filter -> All -> Multimedia station -> Clear data
The update is available from Motorola’s Milestone support page and is currently only available as a side-loaded update but we hear that an OTA version is in the works. A PDF is available here if you need more details before you bite the bullet.
(Via Android Central)
Motorola Putting Their 3D Patent to Use With MT820?
Apr 27th
Remember that 3D patent that Motorola filed for a while ago? It looks like Motorola may be putting that patent to good use with their upcoming device, the MT820. As you can see, the device is equipped with a full touchscreen which will presumably show images in 2D, but when the phone is flipped closed images will be brought into 3D. It’s a pretty wild idea and certainly differentiates the phone from most flip phones currently on the market. The phone is pegged to run Android, but is currently supporting China’s TD-SCDMA 3G bands so it’s very unlikely we will ever see this particular device hit this continent.
Anyone interested in having 3D on a device like this, or is it just a gimmick?
(Via Android Central)
Telus Milestone 2.1 Update Available Now
Apr 21st
Telus Milestone users who have been waiting so patiently for their 2.1 update are in luck today. Telus and Motorola have pushed out the software update, though this won’t be coming in an OTA (over the air) fashion. Instead users can grab it through Motorola’s website at this link. Just select your carrier (Telus) and your device (Milestone) to download the update. Once downloaded, users will need to link up their Milestone via micro USB cable and then proceed with the update. Hit up the full changelog after the break, and if you are a Telus Milestone user and grab the update, make sure to drop a comment with your results.
Motorola “Twist” Looking Real, Square
Apr 12th
So it’s the real deal. We didn’t report on the so-called Motorola Square when the pic was released (as it was supposedly a leaked image of a device given to a son of a Motorola employee) but now that we have some solid specs, I am willing to cater to this odd-looking device (especially after hearing about today’s Microsoft shenanigans). The “Twist” will run Android 2.1 with a new version of Motorola’s Blur skin on top.
A leaked spec sheet has shown the Twist rocking AT&T 3G bands (also compatible, then, with Rogers/Bell/Telus), a 700MHZ OMAP CPU (not very fast), 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM and a 3MP camera. Let’s see where this takes us, but honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just the next iteration of Motorola’s Social Line, after recognizing that they can’t quite compete with HTC in the high-end Android phone market (or maybe that’s just my dream).(via Engadget)
Telus Milestone and Hero Updates Coming in May/June
Apr 9th
Last night, at the Motorola MotoBlur party (coverage to follow) I had an interesting conversation with someone who works within Telus’ ranks. He said, unofficially, that the updates Android 2.1 for the Telus Milestone and Hero will be coming in early May for the Milestone and early June for the Hero.
The Milestone update is currently being tested in-house and is going along nicely, and likely has the same includes as the European Milestone updates.
As for the Hero, he was less conclusive, saying that the update will come, though it is unknown if it will arrive in late May/early June, or be pushed back till a later date. Considering no Hero versions have yet to be updated to 2.1 (though Sprint’s is supposed to be released today) it is not a huge surprise.
This jibes with our previous suggestion that someone dropped the ball with the Hero update, citing “lack of effort” within the company itself. Seems nobody at Telus is in a hurry to train and support new versions of their phones. Sounds like you’re becoming the new Rogers, Telus. Well done. Or not.
Telus Increases Milestone Price to Undesirable, Wants To Kill Its Own Buzz
Apr 8th
Mobile Syrup has just reported that the Milestone is now up to iPhone 3GS territory on its 3-year plans, after blitzing the country with a great advertising campaign showing off the benefits of the Android platform, and pronouncing the Milestone as “The King of Android Phones.”
On a 3-year plan with voice and data, the Milestone now costs $199.99, which is the same as an iPhone 3GS 16GB. Now I don’t know about you, but the average Telus customer walking into a retail store, seeing those two phones side-by-side, is likely not going to pick the Milestone. This is based on the lack of disseminated information about the Android platform as a whole, and the fact that, when it comes down to it, the iPhone is just way prettier than the big box of the Droid/Milestone.
Which would I pick? At that price, probably the iPhone. And I love Android. So this is quite perplexing. Of course Telus introduced the phone at $149.99 on an Introductory Price, which has now, obviously, expired, but this is eating its own lunch. The Milestone was (is) selling quite well for the company, and I wonder if they realize what that extra $50 will do to its sales margins.
We’ll never know, since Telus won’t likely release sales statistics (though they have claimed before that the phone has sold beyond their expectations), but seriously, guys, sell this phone at $99.99 on a 3-year contract and you’ll have the whole country using it.
Thoughts?
Motorola Looking to Bring 3D to Their Phones
Apr 7th
Motorola published a patent last week which detailed plans to bring 3D to their flip phones and slider phones. While the idea may just be conceptual, flip phone mockups resemble one of the company’s previous phones, the Krave ZN4, in that there is a transparent layer overlaying a touchscreen.
In Motorola’s new patent however, the plastic overlay does not serve as just a touch-sensitive membrane over a touchscreen. Instead, the transparent layer brings the images on the underlying screen into 3D. Without the phone flipped/slid shut, the images will only be two-dimensional, but as soon as the phone is closed the images are brought into 3D. This patent seems like it would mainly be used on touchscreen devices, which likely wouldn’t feature hardware keyboards.
Looks like Motorola is trying to differentiate themselves with a little 3D magic. Personally this feels a bit gimmicky, but then again, maybe this is the long-lost functionality that our Droids have been missing.
[Via Engadget]
Droid, Meet Eclair: Verizon Pushes 2.1
Mar 30th
The day (week, actually) has finally come where Droid owners can stop flagellating themselves to screengrabs of Milestones with Android 2.1 updates.
Motorola has issued a press release stating the updates will start rolling out today and continue unabated, if there are no problems, for the rest of the week.
Read up for the official statement:
Starting 03/30/2010, Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for the DROID by Motorola. Users will be able to upgrade their software to version AP: ESE81/BP: C_01.3E.03P to receive new improvements and enhancements.
*Key Advantages:*
o Email - Yahoo Mail is now supported - customers can simply
sign in with their Yahoo! Email address and password. Note:
Yahoo! Email is not available over Wi-Fi
o Pinch to Zoom now available in the Browser, Maps, and Gallery
o Speech-to-Text - Customers can now use their voice instead
of typing whenever a text-entry box appears
o Google Goggles is now preloaded
o The new Gallery application uses 3D layout and shows both
pictures taken with the customer’s Android device and images
from Picasa Web Albums account online
*Software Schedule:*
Below is the software-upgrade notification schedule (All times listed are Eastern Time):
o At noon on 03/30, 1,000 users will receive notification of
the update.
o At 11:59 PM on 03/30, 9,000 more users will receive the
update notification.
o After the first 10,000 users receive the update on 03/30,
there will be a 24-hour period when no additional upgrades
will be delivered.
o On Day 3 (04/01), 200,000 users will receive the update
notification at 11:59 PM. This schedule will continue each
day thereafter until the update has been delivered to all users.
*Download & Install Conditions:*
o An OTA download requires 40% or more power availability if
the device is not connected to an external power source or
20% or more power if it is connected to an external source
o If roaming, the customer will not receive the update. The
only option in this scenario is for the subscriber to enable
Wi-Fi and wait for a mandatory OTA. The wait period in this
case will not be more than 12 hours
o User must wait to receive the upgrade via OTA
o User is unable to make or receive calls, including emergency
calls during this time
o Users will see the following information when they select*
More info* on the update screen:/ This software update
includes new enhancements to support Yahoo! Email,
pinch-to-zoom, and many other improvements for your DROID by
Motorola. You will be unable to use your device or make
emergency calls for the duration of the install. The
software updates automatically, and your DROID will power
off and on as part of this software upgrade.
(via AllDroid)
