Today, Verizon Wireless announced a minor update to the Motorola DROID 2 that is currently being rolled out. The update brings with it improved battery life, better proximity sensor accuracy, improved GPS tracking, faster transitions between Wi-Fi and 3G, and a handful of other small fixes. The update — version 2.3.20.A955.Verizon.en.US/BPC01.09.07P — is being pushed out as we speak. Hit the read link to see the full change log and let us know when your handset gets the new bits.

Read [PDF]

We don’t have too much information, but here is what we do know… one of our Motorola sources has confirmed to us that AT&T will be getting one of the hottest devices out of Schaumburg, IL in a little while. We have been told the Motorola Olympus (we’re assuming that is the code name) will be a 4″ tablet style Android device but use a display that is “beautiful,” and will “step it up in resolution.” The phone is also “powered by NVidia.”

Our source promises it’s the finest Android handset to hit AT&T, and from the limited specs we have received, we’re inclined to believe them.

According to Droid-Life, yes. They seem to have come across a public test webpage URL on Verizon’s site that show the pricing for the soon-to-be launched Motorola DROID Pro at $299 with 2 year service agreement. Now, it’s possible the price is just a placeholder, but $299 for a primarily business-aimed handset wouldn’t be out of bounds in our opinion. Especially with global roaming capability. Thoughts?

[Via Engadget]

Read

Wondering just how much juice could be squeezed from your Motorola DROID X or DROID 2 after seeing T-Mobile’s G2 up-clocked to 1.42GHz? Well, wonder no more. Droid-Life is reporting that two users from Team DeFuse have managed to over-clock both the DROID X and DROID 2 from 1.0GHz all the way up to 2.0GHz. The blog also noted that the duo is working to “make the release stable,” which would be pretty impressive. We haven’t seen any benchmark statistics emerge from the severely over-clocked handsets, but we’re sure it is only a matter of time. Hit the break to see a short video showing the D2 running at warp speed.

UPDATE: Matt from Team DeFuse just hit us up with an update. He’s managed to ratchet up the DROID 2 up to 3.0GHz. Nice work Matt, keep a fire extinguisher close by though!

UPDATE 2: According to a tweet by the developer of SetCPU, this is all a hoax: “Okay, the 2GHz video is a deliberate and obvious hoax, not even confusion.”

UPDATE 3: Matt hit us up again with another, very not fake, video of his DROID 2 running at 3.0GHz. We can’t take all this blogging drama on a Friday. Hit the jump for the new video.

Read

While AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers are beginning to enjoy their first taste of Windows Phone 7 devices, Verizon Wireless reportedly has a bundle of new smartphones ready to help keep subscribers’ minds from wandering this holiday season. New rumors place four sexy new smartphones on Verizon Wireless store shelves early next month: the Motorola DROID Pro, DROID 2 Global and CITRUS, and the just-announced Palm Pre 2. All four of these fine phones are said to be launching on November 11, leaving plenty of time for shoppers to get familiar with them ahead of the holidays. While none of the aforementioned handsets have the hype or $500 million marketing blitz enjoyed by Windows Phone 7, they’re all respectable offerings that will help bolster Big Red’s lineup ahead of you know what.

Read

One of our astute readers let us know about a bug that appears to be present in all stock, unrooted, Motorola DROID 2s (and potentially other Android 2.2 devices with BLUR). The bug allows users to execute Google Voice Actions on their device even when the handset is locked and a passcode is activated. With your DROID 2 locked, and the passcode prompt on the screen, holding the “search” softkey or keyboard-key for four seconds will — without giving the user any feedback — still trigger Google’s Voice Actions. Speaking: “Call 555-555-1234″ or “Call Home” will actually make your DROID 2 do just that (assuming “home” is in your phonebook). We couldn’t make our Nexus One or Captivate replicate the issue, so we’re assuming it is a Motorola/BLUR specific issue. Anyone out there with a DROID X running Android 2.2 able to get their handset to do the same? We’ve reached out to Motorola for comment and will update the post as soon as we hear back. There is a short video demonstrating the issue after the break.

To be honest, we haven’t heard all that much complaining from DROID X users running Android 2.2, but apparently Motorola has. In a forum post, Motorola listed several issues being experienced and reported by DROID X users who have upgraded their devices to Android 2.2. The list includes: stuck on Motorola logo after boot, random rebooting, Wi-Fi connection stability, Battery Manager “Force Close” error, media not playing, and music files cutting out early. Hit the jump for the full explanation and let us know if you’re seeing any of these issues.

If you have already upgraded to 2.2 for Droid X, you have found some new capabilities. Unfortunately, some owners also found new issues.  Here are some of the known issues raised by forums members, with some information about each. It is not intended to be a complete list at this time — there are many more fixes and improvements in the works. I’ll update this list as information becomes available.

• Stuck on Moto logo after reboot – this was tough on a few owners. Very sorry about that. A fix has been developed for this and should eliminate the problem. It will be distributed in a future software release. If you are still experiencing this issue, click here.
• Random rebooting – while there always seem to be new conditions that can cause an electronic device to panic, we do have improvements coming that address and eliminate identified panic states. They will be distributed in a future software release.
• WiFi connection and stability – improvements in WiFi have been developed, to address several problem areas. They will be distributed in a future software release.

• Battery Manager “force close” errors – under some circumstances, pressing the battery icon under Menu > Settings > Battery Manager results in a forced close error. A fix has been developed for this and should eliminate the problem. It will be distributed in a future software release.

• Media won’t play – includes “sorry the player does not support this type of audio file,” custom ringtone stop working, video won’t play, etc., until after a reboot. We believe we have identified the cause of these errors. A fix has been developed for this and should eliminate the problem. It will be distributed in a future software release.

• Music files cutting off the final four seconds or so – a solution has been developed. It will be distributed in a future software release.

At this time I don’t have information about when the next software update will be available — when I have it, I’ll share it here.

Read

It looks like the Motorola DROID 2 Global — which we were previously referring to as the DROID 2 World Edition — has been officially outed by Motorola’s website. The snippet seen above confirms that the device will indeed have a 1.2 GHz processor along with a 5 megapixel camera, Android 2.2 and a quad-band GSM radio. Now the only question Verizon customers will have to ask themselves is this: DROID Pro or DROID 2 Global?

Read

Today, Motorola Mobility announced a lawsuit against Apple, Inc. alleging the Cupertino company’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, as well as certain Mac computers, infringe upon eighteen of Motorola’s patents. The accusations are fairly broad:

The Motorola patents include wireless communication technologies, such as WCDMA (3G), GPRS, 802.11 and antenna design, and key smartphone technologies including wireless email, proximity sensing, software application management, location-based services and multi-device synchronization.

Motorola is looking for the International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban Apple from importing the aforementioned equipment.

“Motorola has innovated and patented throughout every cycle of the telecommunications industry evolution, from Motorola’s invention of the cell phone to its development of premier smartphone products. We have extensively licensed our industry-leading intellectual property portfolio, consisting of tens of thousands of patents in the U.S. and worldwide. After Apple’s late entry into the telecommunications market, we engaged in lengthy negotiations, but Apple has refused to take a license. We had no choice but to file these complaints to halt Apple’s continued infringement,” said Kirk Daily, corporate vice president of intellectual property at Motorola.

We’re not going to hold our breath waiting for this one to be resolved.

Read

Last week, we told you about wireless-carrier Sprint releasing the rough and rugged Motorola ES400S; an enterprise device certified for MIL-STD 810G, a 4-foot drop, and IP42 sealing specifications. Today, AT&T announced that it too would be offering the ES400 to its business customers. The device, which runs the Windows Embedded Handheld platform, has a 3-inch VGA touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi a/b/g, 1 GB ROM, 256 MB RAM, GPS, and a 1540 mAh battery. Pricing and availability were not specified in AT&T’s press release; Sprint will be selling the device for $499 on-contract.

Read

The official press release from Motorola has just landed for the DROID Pro. Here is what we are looking at: 1 GHz processor, 3.1-inch touchscreen display, 2 GB internal memory, 2 GB micro-SD card included, 5 megapixel auto-focus camera with dual-LED flash, 3G mobile hotspot capabilities, DLNA support, VPN support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android 2.2. We’ve got the official press release and a few more images waiting for you after the break. Let us know what you think of the new DROID family member.

UPDATE: A few more specs: CDMA 800/1900 EVDO-Rev.A, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900/2100, HSDPA 10.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps, 1420 mAh battery (1860 mAh extended life battery available), 134 gram weight, 320 x 480 HVGA resolution, aGPS, and “dual diversity” antennae.

DROID Does Business: DROID Pro by Motorola Designed for Work and Play on the Nations’s Largest and Most Reliable 3G Network

Global Android smartphone from Verizon Wireless combines rich business and personal mobile experiences

SAN FRANCISCO – CTIA – Oct. 5, 2010 – From CTIA Enterprise & Applications™ 2010, Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today unveiled DROID PRO, a new, powerful, stronger and faster solution designed to meet both business and personal needs. The first Android™-based smartphone optimized for business use, DROID PRO is also a global-ready Android smartphone from Verizon Wireless, allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice service in more than 220 countries and data coverage in more than 200 countries.

DROID PRO meets employers’ and employees’ needs by addressing the productivity tools businesses require, including corporate connectivity and security; full push corporate e-mail with corporate level security; unified calendar with additional work features; pre-loaded Quickoffice Mobile Suite, a powerful 1 GHz processor; 4 GB of memory (2 GB internal; and 2 GB removable) and a QWERTY keyboard designed for speed and convenience.

“DROID PRO combines the feature-packed, high-level user experience that customers look for in an Android smartphone plus the security that enterprises require, all with the reliability of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network,” said Mike Lanman, president – Enterprise and Government Markets for Verizon Wireless. “DROID PRO builds on our commitment to deliver the best Android experience to the marketplace as well as to our enterprise customers.”

“The DROID PRO is an advanced business-ready solution that provides users with the full smartphone experience, redefined by delivering the power of a DROID,” said Sanjay Jha, chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility. “The DROID PRO consolidates users’ work and personal needs. This is just another reason the DROID PRO is setting a new standard for enterprise, allowing users to enjoy all the benefits of a smartphone with full push delivery of corporate e-mail and corporate level security.”

Key features and specifications:

• Support for both Exchange e-mail and Gmail™ for business
• Corporate directory look-up, unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™
• PC-like browsing with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 on a full, multi-touch, 3.1-inch brilliant display built on Android 2.2
• View, edit and share documents, including Microsoft Excel® spreadsheets, PowerPoint® presentations and Word® documents
• Built-in security features, including AuthenTec IPSec multi-headed VPN integration, remote wipe of device and SD card, and complex password support. Device and SD card encryption will be available in early 2011
• 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities – Allows customers to connect up to five other Wi-Fi®-enabled devices and laptops
• Live widgets that stream e-mail messages to the home screen; customers can filter the widgets to separate work and home e-mail
• 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and dual LED flash as well as DVD-quality video
• 3G diversity antennae provides customers with enhanced data speeds and range
• Wi-Fi-enabled DNLA connectivity
• Android Market™ – Provides customers with access to more than 80,000 applications
• My Verizon and Backup AssistantSM support – Allows customers to manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones

Pricing and availability:

DROID PRO will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Read

Today, Verizon Wireless announced the addition of two Motorola, Android handset to their smartphone lineup, the DROID Pro and CITRUS. The DROID Pro is a candybar-style, Android 2.2, world-phone that is, to be blunt, not what anyone really expected.

The CITRUS is a full-touchscreen Android 2.1 device, complete with MOTOBLUR, and  full touchscreen display. The official press releases haven’t dropped yet. We’re waiting at the ready to give your the full rundown on both devices.

Developing…

We just came across a pretty interesting handset… no, it’s not a never-seen-before device, but it definitely caught our eye. It’s a Motorola Milestone that has been produced in limited quantities for Ferrari. We’ve been told Ferrari has given the device to members of its board, possibly executives and maybe even a couple good customers. Nothing has changed specifications-wise but still, it’s always fun to see high end companies dress up existing products in their gear. One more shot after the break!

Earlier this month, we saw a leaked document that indicated T-Mobile would be getting a handset known as the “Motorola Begonia.” Now, Engadget is reporting some additional details on the device. According to the site’s tipster, the Begonia will be an Android 2.2 device — complete with BLUR UI — that is Motorola’s refresh of the first Cliq; possibly to be called the Cliq 2. The device is also said to have an “interesting” keyboard design; as it appears to be “one solid piece” without any spacing between the keys (maybe like the DROID/DROID2?). The Begonia will also support 3G hotspot creation, and… wait for it… Wi-Fi calling (formally known as UMA). We’re bullish on the Android 2.2, Wi-Fi calling, and hotspot support, but a little bearish on the inclusion of BLUR. Thoughts?

Read

Today, Sprint announced the availability of the ES400S, a rough, rugged, Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone from Motorola. The availability of the handset marks the first time that a branded and stocked Motorola enterprise device has been sold through a wireless carrier. Certified for MIL-STD 810G, a 4-foot drop, and IP42 sealing specifications, the ES400S will be available at the end of October to qualifying business customers for $499.99. The ES400S sports a biometric fingerprint reader, VoIP capabilities, Wi-Fi a/b/g, GPS, 3-inch touchscreen display, EV-DO Rev. A, HSPA/GSM for travel, and 256 MB RAM. This thing looks like it could take a licking and keep on ticking, no?

Read