04/27, 4:55pm
AOSP vet sees no issue with Android update delays
Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru drew flak late Thursday after comments that many have interpreted as giving a pass on slow Android upgrade intervals. He saw Sony's Android 4.0 upgrades having rolled out in a "very reasonable time," five months after 4.0 was available, given the nature of the OS. Sony had even had a head start, since its AOSP code contributions gave it an idea of what to expect for its own upgrades, he said.
more
04/26, 7:40pm
Verizon Android 4.0 updates pushes in short window
A telling leak has uncovered at least tentative dates for Verizon's long-in-waiting Android 4.0 updates. The HTC Rezound would go first, according to an anonymous Reddit user, with a test theoretically active now and wrapping up May 7. Customers would start getting the update over the air two days later, on May 9.
more
04/26, 3:55pm
comScore shows Kindle Fire propping up Android
Amazon's Kindle Fire now makes up the absolute majority of the Android tablet platform in the US, comScore found in a fresh study. The e-reader and tablet crossover represented 54.4 percent of all Android tablets sold in the country. At second place, the entire Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup comprised just 15.4 percent of Android slates.
more
04/25, 5:40pm
Google reveals optimistic tablet goals
The tail end of Google mobile VP Andy Rubin's testimony on Android's revenue potential has revealed that the company made broad presumptions about how well Android tablets would fare in the market place. The projections seen by The Verge had Android tablets claiming 10 million shipments out of an estimated 30 million in 2011, or 33 percent share. It had thought that its share would go down in 2012, to 22 percent, but mostly as the market would be getting larger while Android sales stayed flat.
more
04/19, 12:50pm
Android 4.0 update for Verizon Xoom, Rezound leak
A supposed Verizon employee has shared Android update dates for the HTC Rezound and Motorola Xoom tablet on Reddit. The Xoom tablet will supposedly get the update on April 23, while the Rezound's update will arrive on May 9. What makes the rumor more believable is the amount of detail in the leak.
more
03/29, 4:15pm
New Hulu Plus app arrives on 7 Android tablets
Streaming TV show and movie provider Hulu on Thursday announced it has made its Hulu Plus service on seven new Android tablets. This includes the Acer Iconia Tab line, ASUS Transformer Prime and Eee Pad Transformer, LG G-Slate, Motorola Xoom, Motorola Xyboard 10.1, and Toshiba Thrive. The app (free, Google Play) will become available for more Android tablets in the future as well, Hulu added.
more
03/28, 2:45pm
Details of a Android 4.0.4 update changes leaked
The Wi-Fi version of Motorola's Xoom tablet, which recently got upgraded to Android 4.0.3, will soon get another update to 4.0.4. According to a tip sent into Droid-Life, the update, build number IMM76, speeds up the screen rotation, adds an option to immediately lock the screen with the power button, and delivers camera improvements, among others.
more
03/27, 1:00pm
Judge intiially sides with Motorola
Apple and Motorola faced off in a court hearing in Düsseldorf, Germany earlier today, Dow Jones reports. Motorola is being sued by Apple over three different design concepts, as well as alleged violation of a competition law. Specifically Apple is upset over the Motorola Xoom, which it says imitates the first-generation iPad with only minor design differences. Motorola is exploiting Apple's reputation unfairly, Apple counsel told the court.
more
03/09, 11:50am
Medfield phone places well in browser tests
Browser benchmark tests performed at CeBIT by Caschys Blog on a Medfield phone reveal strong performance. The handset, due out at carrier Orange in France this June as the Santa Clara, was tested using Rightware and Vellamo. In the former, which measures JavaScript and HTML rendering performance, it beat out the iPhone 4S' 87801 score, at 89180, while falling behind the Galaxy Nexus' top 98272 performance.
more
03/06, 3:05pm
Verizon: Android 4.0 update for 14 devices coming
Verizon has just revealed which of its devices will be getting an upgrade to Android 4.0. While no dates were revealed, the carrier only promised that the updates will arrive sometime this year. Only 4G LTE-compatible hardware appeared to be enjoying the update, however.
more
02/16, 11:35am
Motorola permanently banned on unlock motion
Apple won a crucial win against Motorola in a Munich court after it won a permanent ban against most Motorola uses of its slide-to-unlock patent. Motorola's current smartphones, though not its tablets, allegedly copy two techniques first seen in 2007 on the iPhone. A third representation leveled against the Xoom (and likely Xyboard) was exempted and likely points to Android 3 and 4 devices not being covered by the victory.
more
02/15, 11:15am
Motorola stalls most Android 4 updates
Motorola gave out a detailed timetable of its promised Android 4.0 upgrades that stalled them for most users. In spite of promising most updates early in the year, the original Atrix, the Atrix 2, the Photon 4G, and all international variants on the Xoom 2/Xyboard tablet wouldn't start seeing updates until the summer. The initial batch doesn't start until the spring, when the international RAZR, the international and Family Edition Xoom Wi-Fi models, and the China-only MT917 and XT928 should get their upgrades.
more
02/09, 4:05pm
Verizon releases slew of Android updates for gear
Verizon has just released a slew of software upgrades for its Android-powered gear, including the Droid Xyboard tablets which are getting the 1.6.0M_279 update. It promises to enhance third-party pen and native touch performance, better browsing, maintaining a data connection while swapping from Wi-Fi to broadband, and in a twist now has global roaming for data. The update is nearly 84MB.
more
02/09, 7:45am
Galaxy Tab 10.1N avoids preliminary ban
Samsung got a reprieve on Thursday after a Dusseldorf court ruling (PDF) denied Apple's call for a preliminary ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. Fulfilling early expectations, the judge determined that the 10.1N was sufficiently different from the iPad to avoid confusion over Apple's claimed design rights. The court also tossed ideas that even the consciously modified Tab 10.1N was breaking competition rules by unfairly using a similar product.
more
02/07, 6:30pm
Telus goes all-in on Optik console and mobile
Telus' Optik IPTV service got much more control over non-traditional viewing on Tuesday. Optik TV for Xbox 360 takes advantage of the fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update to use the console as the set-top box, including for remote DVR viewing if there's a traditional DVR on the same network. The support includes full Kinect motion control.
more
02/03, 5:30pm
Galaxy Nexus on Verizon, Nexus S 4G degraded
(Update: Google follow-up An investigation into Google's supported device has revealed that Google has quietly demoted the CDMA version of the Galaxy Nexus. The Verizon model, and possibly the upcoming Sprint version, aren't listed anymore as supported hardware, Droid-Life said. Google now claims "no CDMA devices are supported" and has also pulled the Nexus S 4G and Verizon-edition Motorola Xoom from the list.
more
02/03, 2:40pm
Motorola Woot auction slips Xooms with user info
Motorola has started up a return program after a minor but still significant privacy gaffe during a Woot auction. About 100 of 6,200 refurbished Xoom Wi-Fi tablets sold during auctions between October and December are believed to have still had some private data stored inside. These could have included anything from account logins through to personal files, Motorola said.
more
01/30, 3:25pm
Samsung hopes to make irrational appeal in US
Samsung's marketing lead Younghee Lee outlined a different plan of attack for reaching the US in an interview published on Monday. She made clear to AllThingsD that Apple was the company's main target. Americans were "obsessed with Apple," she said, and her goal was to trigger that same, seemingly irrational desire for Samsung's devices.
more
01/29, 11:50pm
Moto RAZR Dev Edition gives what carriers won't
Motorola on Sunday night briefly teased (now pulled) a special Developer Edition of the modern RAZR. The new version will make the promised unlocked bootloader readily available so that users can easily load custom firmware or otherwise go beyond what carriers and Motorola allow. It should ship this week in Europe, and a "developer device" that may or may not be the RAZR should come to the US in "coming months."
more
01/26, 9:35pm
Motorola Xoom sequel now shipping as Wi-Fi-only
Motorola has sent an e-mail to its customers indicating that it has started shipping the 10.1- and 8.2-inch versions of its Xoom tablet sequel, the Xyboard. The company has also made the devices available for purchase through its webstore in two storage sizes for each device. The Xyboard 10.1-inch will cost $600 (32GB) and $500 (16GB), while the Xyboard 8.2-inch will cost $500 (32GB) and $400 (16GB).
more
01/26, 5:15pm
Motorola Q4 2011 up on tablets, down on phones
Motorola Mobility posted fall results Thursday underscoring the gap between its ambitions in tablets and its actual performance. The company shipped 200,000 Xoom and Xyboard tablets in the last three months of 2011, which while better than its low point in summer was still lower than what it managed in the first two quarters of 2011. It shipped just one million of its Android tablets all year, which Apple's iPad at its current pace can eclipse in less than a week.
more
01/18, 7:35pm
Study shows iPad still in wide lead on tablet web
Apple's iPad still doesn't have any immediate threat from other tablets if web usage is an indicator, Chitika reckoned on Wednesday. For every 100 iPad web hits, just 2.4 came from the next-closest Amazon Kindle Fire. Its design sibling the BlackBerry PlayBook was next at about 1.8, while the Motorola Xoom and Samsung Galaxy Tab families were near-even at 1.6.
more
01/10, 2:45pm
Initial access limited to Denver, Nashville
Comcast has begun an initial rollout of its AnyPlay TV service for the iPad. The technology allows Comcast subscribers to watch live TV over their home Wi-Fi network, regardless of what someone may be watching on a TV in another room. On top of the Wi-Fi restriction, though, the option is currently available only to Xfinity HD Triple Play subscribers, and just those in Denver and Nashville.
more
01/07, 3:10pm
Motorola wireless power video hints CES plans
Motorola gave a clue as to its CES plans this weekend with a teaser clip (below). The short clip shows one of Motorola's signature phone power chargers sitting abandoned and 'crying' through its USB ports. Motorola admonishes followers to "stay unplugged" and makes clear that more will be shown at CES 2012.
more
01/06, 11:30pm
Motorola preps cheaper Wi-Fi only Xyboard tablets
Motorola has begun taking pre-orders for a Wi-Fi only version of the Xyboard. Losing the Droid name from Verizon, they remain identical on the inside and cost significantly less. The 8.2-inch 16GB and 32GB models cost $400 and $500 respectively, while climbing to 10.1 inches adds another $100 to the cost.
more
01/06, 5:50pm
Motorola says Q4 lower than expected
Motorola sent out a warning late Friday that its fall performance wouldn't meet. It would still see "modest profitability" based on revenue of $3.4 billion, but it would see just 10.5 million phones shipped, 5.3 million of which would be smartphones. The number would be a sharp contraction from the 11.6 million shipped in the summer, when it moved 4.8 million smartphones.
more
01/02, 3:10pm
Motorola may be testing Android 4 on Xoom soon
Owners of Wi-Fi Motorola Xoom tablets in the company's Feedback Network have been getting invitations for a "project" that may be the Android 4.0 upgrade. Owners have to have the completely stock, Google Experience version of the normally Android 3 tablet and live in the US. The request is a first for Motorola and would suggests it wants a device to test against Google code, not its own.
more
12/07, 10:20pm
OnLive switches on tablet, phone apps and gamepad
Acting on promises from E3, OnLive late Wednesday launched its mobile gameplay apps. The iPad, iPhone, and Android apps are gradually rolling out and should let gamers play, not just watch, titles either using the touchscreen or with the Universal Wireless Controller. It normally needs Wi-Fi, but the shipping version now works with any LTE-equipped tablet, including the HTC Jetstream, Motorola Xoom, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE.
more
12/05, 7:45pm
Commission docs corroborate recent leaks
Corroborating recent leaks, Motorola's Droid 4 and Xoom 2 Media Edition appear to have arrived at the FCC for approval. The Commission's documents point to an unannounced handset, presumably the Droid 4, that was tested in "slider open" and "slider closed" configurations. The device also provides dual-mode roaming functionality, with support for Verizon's LTE and CDMA networks alongside GSM, EDGE and WCDMA.
more
12/02, 9:55pm
Verizon December dates may have escaped
A tentative leak may have narrowed down the release dates for Verizon's last wave of devices for 2011. The tips to Droid-Life had the Galaxy Nexus arriving a day later than widely reported, on December 9. The Motorola Droid XYBoard tablets would arrive just days later, on December 12.
more
12/02, 9:10am
NVIDIA goal of 25m Tegra 2s not met
A shortfall in NVIDIA's chip sales could be a sign of problems for both the Tegra 3 and for Android as a whole. Purported insiders claimed to Digitimes that the chip designer wouldn't make a target of 25 million Tegra 2 processors shipped. Difficulty getting more wins away in smartphones from Qualcomm's Snapdragon were a problem, but the inability of Android tablets to compete with the iPad was also supposedly impacting numbers.
more
12/01, 11:15pm
Unique branding limited to US carrier
Following a number of credible leaks, Verizon has finally confirmed that it will launch Motorola's Xoom 2 tablets sometime in December. The carrier also admitted that it will split from the traditional naming scheme, referring to the devices as the "Droid Xyboards" to add the Droid badge that adorns several other high-end smartphones in the company's inventory.
more
11/28, 1:20pm
Aimed at iPads, iPhones
Verbatim says it is launching a new peripheral, the Ultra-Slim Bluetooth Keyboard. Like many such keyboards the device is intended mostly for tablets, including iPads, Galaxy Tabs, Xooms, and anything else with HID keyboard compatibility. Also supported is the iPhone.
more
11/23, 10:20pm
ASUS has significant early Transformer Prime plans
ASUS has relatively ambitious plans for the Transformer Prime, based on rumors from the part chain. Getting extra help in making touchscreens from TPK, it was estimated by Digitimes' contacts to be shipping 350,000 to 400,000 of the quad-core tablet by the end of the year. With ASUS officially predicting 1.8 million tablets shipped all year, the Transformer Prime could represent as much as a fifth of ASUS' whole sales by itself.
more
11/22, 10:20pm
Both sizes slated for early December
Verizon is reportedly readying Motorola's second-generation Xoom tablets to launch on December 8. A leaked document is claimed to show minimum advertised pricing (MAP) and availability dates for the 8.2- and 10.1-inch models. The smaller tablet with 16GB of storage appears to cost $430 with a new contract, while the larger model starts at $530.
more
11/22, 11:25am
Verizon outlines Thanksgiving device deals
Verizon Wireless has just brought out holiday pricing and a number of new devices in time for Thanksgiving and the Black Friday holiday rish. It will get a new, red HTC Droid Incredible 2 and offer Motorola's 4G LTE-equipped Motorola Xoom tablet for $200 on contract. Both will be available online on November 24, 25, and 28, and in-store on November 25 only. The phone will be free with a new two-year contract, but only after a $50 mail-in rebate. The Xoom LTE will require a two-year contract with at least a $30 monthly plan for 2GB of data.
more
11/22, 9:05am
NPD shows HP leading US tablets for most of 2011
HP, not Samsung, was the ruler of non-iPad tablets in the US for the first ten months of the year, the NPD Group said in a new study. With just 1.2 million tablets sold at retail across every company outside of Apple, HP was the leader in the country at 17 percent, or 204,000, sold between its launch and October. The low count suggests that the fire sale $99 TouchPad, not HP's Windows range, was the sales leader by going on clearance.
more
11/18, 4:30pm
Verizon may hide Motorola Xoom 2 name at launch
Motorola's renaming of the Xoom 2 to Xyboard may have been confirmed after the spotting of both the device itself and its details. The 8.2-inch and 10.1-inch Android tablets will be rebadged as the Droid Xyboard 8.2 and 10.1, PocketNow heard. While not shown on the device itself, the tablet has both the Verizon logo and its 4G LTE badge, while the logo itself was included in the discovery.
more
11/17, 3:40pm
Next Issue Media app out for more Android tablets
The Next Issue app is now launching beyond just the Galaxy Tab and to other Android-powered tablets. Now, tablets from Motorola, Sony and Toshiba, as well as the Amazon Kindle Fire, can also download the app that allows users to buy digital versions of magazines and newspapers. Verizon Wireless also has access to the app through its tablets.
more
11/14, 9:20pm
Android tablets to get Droid branding
Verizon is reportedly preparing to rebrand Motorola's second-generation Android tablets, which will allegedly be sold under the name "Droid Xyboard" rather than the Xoom 2. Although many companies use code-names to refer to some products that are still in the development stage, the carrier has applied to trademark the term Xyboard.
more
11/14, 9:05pm
Kindle Fire tops in Android devs, iOS still ahead
Amazon's just-shipping Kindle Fire has already become the most desired target for Android apps, an Appcelerator study found. Of the Android developers it tracked on all platforms, 49 percent in North America wanted to target the reader tablet. It had already managed to become second worldwide, at 43 percent.
more
11/04, 10:55am
Xoom 2 spotted with SIM, SD card slot but not due
Motorola's newly introduced Xoom 2 tablets may soon get a 3G version or at least one with a microSD memory card slot for memory expansion, The Inquirer found. At the event showing the Wi-Fi models, versions of the tablet with a card slot were present. The 10.1-inch model was photographed with both a microSD card slot and a SIM card slot.
more
11/03, 9:25am
Motorola Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 ME hit Europe first
Motorola provided a surprise quick reboot of its tablet strategy with fast launches of the 10-inch Xoom 2 and 8.2-inch Xoom 2 Media Edition. Both make amends for the bulky design of the original and are much thinner, in the full Xoom 2's case having exactly the same 8.8mm thickness as the iPad 2. They also tackle the low-quality original Xoom display with brighter, more color-rich LCDs, including a much wider 178-degree viewing angle on the Media Edition.
more
11/02, 12:20am
Atmel touchscreen chips struggle in Q3
Atmel gave an outlook on Tuesday for the fall that was one of the few cluews as to how well iPad rivals were faring in the market. It expected its touchscreen contoller chip sales to drop 12 to 16 percent, as low as $402.7 million, at a time when shipments were normally up. Some of the company's tablet customers, including Dell and Samsung, had higher than usual inventories that pointed to a lack of sales.
more
11/01, 1:40pm
Xoom 2 ME launch pegged in Irish ad
The Irish branch of Carphone Warehouse has inadvertently spoiled Motorola's plans for a stepped up launch of the Xoom 2 Media Edition. A leak Tuesday through Engadget had the 8.2-inch tablet reaching the island nation before Christmas. At €400 ($547) for a 16GB Wi-Fi model, however, the Android 3.2 slate will be priced relatively close to slightly larger tablets like the €479 iPad 2 ($655).
more
10/28, 9:20pm
Motorola drops jobs to stem losses
Motorola in a filing on Friday said it was cutting 800 jobs in the wake of its poor summer results. The company didn't outline which divisions had been affected. It stressed that the cuts weren't related to Google's proposed acquisition of the company and were just to trim expenses.
more
10/27, 3:50pm
New tablets to hold up to 64GB SSD storage
A few more details have leaked out about Motorola's Xoom 2 tablets. Droid-life reports that the new tablets have shown up in a second Verizon inventory system. It's now known that the 10.1-inch slate will be available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage. The 8.2-inch Media Edition should come in 16GB and 32GB versions. As with most tablets currently being released, both will support 4G over LTE.
more
10/25, 11:20am
Youth conditioned to see iPads, iPhones as cool
Apple holds the most popular brands among American youth, at least in terms of electronics, a new Harris Interactive study claims. The market research firm polled people aged eight to 24 to gauge brand equity, as judged by factors including familiarity, quality and interest in buying. Within the categories Apple succeeded in, however, the age span was narrowed to 13 to 24.
more
10/24, 2:25pm
Motorola Xoom tablet at FCC with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
The existence of an upcoming Motorola tablet has been spotted on the FCC site. Its FCC ID indicates it will be part of Motorola's flagship Xoom lineup, while some specs were also gleaned. They include the inclusion of Bluetooth and a Wi-Fi radio.
more
10/21, 5:25pm
Galaxy Nexus barometer for location tracking
The technical lead of the Android Open-Source Project at Google, Dan Morrill, has once again shed more light on the upcoming Galaxy Nexus and Android 4. This time, the resolved some confusion regarding the barometer in the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Its main purpose, Morrill writes, is to allow faster GPS locks. Because the barometer provides altitude information, it reduces the time needed for the phone to find its latitude, longitude, altitude, and time.
more
