Throughout the years, numerous companies have made the decision to lock the bootloader on a smartphone or tablet, making it impossible for savvy users to run custom kernels and have complete control of the device. The Android community is perhaps one of the most vocal user bases in the world when it comes to the practice of locking bootloaders. When HTC and ASUS began to lock their bootloaders, thousands of users took to social networks and had the decisions overturned. Motorola began locking the bootloader w...

Hulu announced on Thursday that its Hulu Plus application is now available on select Android smartphones. The service costs $7.99 per month and allows users to browse and play Hulu Plus content directly on their smartphones. It’s currently only available for the Motorola Atrix, Motorola DROID X, Motorola DROID 2, HTC Inspire 4G, Nexus S, and Nexus One, but Hulu says it will add more devices throughout the year. New users can sign up for a free 1-week trial to give the service a whirl, and the app is ava...

Verizon Wireless has detailed a software update that will soon be pushed to the Motorola DROID X, thus confirming that the phone will be upgraded to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The update will include a number of enhancements and the more prominent ones include a new user interface, better word prediction, app grouping, an improved email application, geo-tagging support in the camera, a download manager application, auto-focus improvements for the camera in low-light conditions, and improved battery life while...

We’ve already seen leaked hands-on photos of Verizon’s upcoming DROID X2 smartphone, but now the official press images have been spilled, too. There doesn’t appear to be many aesthetic differences from the original DROID X, aside from the DROID^2 logo painted on the back. There are a few spec boosts, though, including a rumored 1.2GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and a higher resolution qHD display. The DROID X2 is expected to launch running Android 2.2 although we hope there are plans...

Motorola DROID X users are reporting that the highly anticipated update to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is finally beginning to rollout. Update 4.5.588 is currently being delivered to devices as an over-the-air (OTA) update and while no official change log is available at this time, the stand-out addition is obviously Gingerbread. Yes, the DROID X has finally been thrust into 2011, which will definitely be a relief for many anxious owners. What’s more, the new Android 2.3 build for the DROID X has already ...

Despite its success with Android, Motorola Mobility has reportedly hired a number of engineers, some from Adobe and Apple, to work on a brand new web-based operating system. “I know they’re working on it,” Jonathan Goldberg, an analyst with Deutsche Bank told Information Week. “I think the company recognizes that they need to differentiate and they need options, just in case. Nobody wants to rely on a single supplier.” Sources speaking to Goldberg and Information Week suggested t...

Market research firm The NPD Group on Monday published the latest data surrounding sales of supersized smartphones in the U.S. Using its “Mobile Phone Track,” which tracks smartphone sales in the U.S., NPD has determined that smartphones with screens sized 4 inches and above became tremendously popular in 2010. Devices like Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G and  Verizon Wireless’ Motorola DROID X, which launched in the second quarter of 2010, grew to encompass 24% of the U.S. smartphone market by t...

Verizon Wireless on Monday announced a revamped version of its V CAST Music app for Android smartphones. The carrier’s new V CAST Music app combines all of its music-related VCAST services, allowing users to purchase full tracks, ringtones and ringback tones from a single application. Song downloads range in price from $0.69 to $1.29 per track, but Verizon will also offer reduced-cost bundles that combine multiple formats into a single download. “Verizon Wireless is taking a leap forward with V CAST M...

Motorola’s successor to its first supersized Android smartphone may soon be unveiled following a series of leaked photos and details. User britishturbo on mobile enthusiast forum The MobiZone is the latest to claim knowledge of the upcoming device, and his claimed details gain credibility thanks to the stockpile of images that accompany them. While his post has since been removed from the forum, a cached version of the page reveals specs highlighted by a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, the...

In confirming over the weekend that Verizon Wireless would be doing away with mail-in rebates on smartphones priced at $150 and higher, we also mentioned that price drops were expected to take effect today on several devices. Sure enough, several smartphones saw price reductions this morning as Verizon Wireless’ new policy slid into place. Among them are the Motorola DROID R2-D2, which can now be had for $99.99 with a new contract, and the HTC DROID Incredible and Samsung Fascinate are now available at ...

A new unconfirmed report suggests Motorola is prepping a sequel to its supersized DROID X smartphone that will improve the device in several key areas. Motorola launched the DROID X last year as its first entry into the popular new extra-large smartphone space. HTC and Samsung have found the most success with smartphone displays measuring 4 inches and larger, but Mototorla’s DROID X was a fantastic offering in its own right. The device must have sold relatively well, it would seem, as Motorola is now ru...

Dell is offering a limited-time promotion on the Motorola DROID X that will net customers a $25 Dell gift card. Through Dell’s online mobility shop, the Motorola DROID X is currently available for free with a two-year Verizon Wireless agreement. Dell is also waiving Verizon’s activation fee, shipping the handset for free via FedEx and offering customers one $25 Dell gift card per order. If there’s a sweeter deal out there for Motorola’s supersized DROID smartphone, we haven’t fou...

Among the top carriers in the U.S., AT&T is the worst by a healthy margin. The news comes from this year’s Consumer Reports reader survey, which ranks Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile along with some regional carriers. Verizon Wireless was ranked as the nation’s top major carrier, though its score of 74 positions it in the No. 2 spot overall behind U.S. Cellular. Readers were asked to grade each carrier on several criteria including value, voice service quality, data service qua...

Apple blog Patently Apple is reporting that Cupertino’s fruit company has filed two separate lawsuits against Motorola for patent infringement, specifically around multi-touch IP. The infringing products? The Motorola DROID, DROID 2, DROID X, CLIQ, CLIQ XT, BackFlip, Devour, Devour i5, and Charm 1. That is just about every Android Motorola handset in the United States. Apple’s lawsuits cover six specific patent infringements, and we have them listed out after the break. Someone needs to tell all t...