Motorola Devour Android 1.6 hits February 25th

So BGR has come through again with a little scoop. The Motorola Devour will be hitting the indirect distributors on February 25th. All channels are to follow on March 15th with the full launch of the new handset.

Beyond that, a pricing point has not been made but BGR seems to think that $99 bucks would be a good starting point. Judging from past experience with Verizon, I would hedge a bet that the price point will be $149.99 or higher for this device. Around that time, the price of the Droid should drop to make this the lead Android device, until the Nexus One drops in on big Red – which is expected to be sometime at the end of March. Also, I would imagine an update to 2.1 very, very soon.

Here is a breakdown of the specs on this new Android handset:

• 3.1” Touchscreen with Slide-Out QWERTY Keyboard
• Bluetooth v2.0+EDR v2.0+EDR. Bluetooth Profiles supported: Headset, Handsfree, Stereo, Phonebook Access, and Audio/Visual Remote Control
• 3.0 Megapixel camera, Video Capture w/1-touch playback and easy uploading to YouTube, Dedicated Camera /Video Key
• V CAST Music with Rhapsody®
• Android 1.6 (Donut) OS with MOTOBLUR
• Integrated Google, Exchange, Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter
• Push Email Support: Gmail & Exchange. IMAP and POP, MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Mail also supported
• Google Calendar & Corporate Calendar  (supports Exchange 2003 and 2007protocol)
• 8GB microSD card pre-installed on-device. Up to 16GB microSD optional removable memory
• WiFi Capable (802.11 b/g)
• Bilingual Interface: English/Espanol
• aGPS capable for E911 emergency location/sGPS
• Speakerphone
• Advanced Speech Recognition
• Polyphonic and MP3 Ringtones. Embedded ring tones, vibrating alerts and silent
• Phonebook Contact capacity dependent upon optional removable memory
• TTY compatible
• Device Insurance Available : Advanced Device – Early Termination Fee of up to $350 applies
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4 T4
• Text, Picture & Video Messaging with threaded messaging feature
• Full Suite of Google Apps incl.: Google Maps with Street View, transit and Wikipedia information; GTalk with Presence; Gmail; YouTube™, Latitude, Google Calendar
• 1000’s of apps & 100’s of widgets avail. on Android Market
• HTML Web Browsing
• Photosharing: Facebook, Picasa, Photobucket and MySpace
• Visual Voice Mail Capable
• VZ Navigator capable
• Motorola Over the Air Software Updates
• All-Digital, 800/1900, CDMA EVDO rev A
• 3.1” HVGA, 320 x 480, 65K colors
• Memory (Flash/RAM): 512MB/256MB
• 3.5mm Headset Jack
• Dimensions: 2.4(w) x 4.55(h) x .61(d) inches
• Weight: 6.35oz
• Qualcomm MSM7627 processor with dedicated HW Acceleration
• SAR: Head: 0.45W/kg;Body: 0.72W/kg
• Usage Time -Up to approx. 340 min OR
• ƒStandby Time -Up to approx. 440 hours

[via BGR]

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Android 2.1 for the Droid? This week

One of the main reasons that I purchased the Motorola Droid was that it is a “Google Experience Device” meaning that

the DROID is a Google Experience device, which should theoretically mean that it’s more likely to receive fast and frequent software updates than its skinned cousins like the CLIQ. The Google Experience is sort of the “gold standard” Android showcase for the company, so to speak, and it’s in Google’s best interest to keep it rock solid at all times — and since there’s no third-party skin to re-validate after every Android version is released, the update process should go a heck of a lot smoother. – from Engadget’s DROID review here.

OK. That makes some sense. I was happy when I first received my Android 2.0.1 update about a month and a half ago. That was awesome. Something that I have been biting my tongue about was the Android 2.1 update that is currently running on the Nexus One.

I remember a couple of weeks ago there were some rumors flying around that Verizon was starting to push out this 2.1 update and it even made it’s way to Engadget. After a couple of days of waiting and further investigation this was found to be false and it looks like us Droid users are still waiting in the wings.

Here is the problem that I am starting to see. Android devices are being released at a break-neck pace. Even Motorola is expected to put out a couple of new Androids the first half of the year. I suspect with these new phones we will see the updated OS and because of that Motorola may find themselves not as concerned with updating their flagship device. If this is the case, Motorola is going to piss off a lot of very tech centric and vocal customers (this one included).

With all that said…

Engadget points out that Moto’s official Facebook page lets us know that they are sorry for not giving information sooner and that Android 2.1 will start rolling out this week. I have been checking my DROID obsessively and no-go on 2.1 for this guy… yet.

I will post something after I get 2.1 detailing what has changed.

[Via http://droidsmith.wordpress.com]

Hoccer and SMUpdater

Two Apps I recently downloaded are SMUpdater, and Hoccer.

SMUpdater is a helpful little app built by the Sholes.info team to easily update, download, and flash their custom built ROMs directly from their servers, choose what mods you want installed or removed, overclock, root and unroot the Droid, and been updaing on a regular basis. You can either get it for a $5 donation in the Market (which I reccomend if you can afford it to help them out with their servers and expenses), or free on www.shole.info

The other app, Hoccer is free in the market, and also available for the iPhone and on their site www.hoccer.com (which was also mentioned in the description in the Android Market.)  Basically, it uses your GPS and a closeby friend’s GPS to “throw” and catch” media and data files. The sender flick the device forward to “throw” the file, and the recipient flicks the device toward them to “catch” it. According to comments, a few users mentioned you can also go from iPhone to Android.

[Via http://hackersavant.com]

Motorola Milestone (Droid)

Motorola Milestone is the latest Android 2.0 powered powered phone which is the world’s thinnest, QWERTY slider with 3.7” multi-touch & pinch display.

Designed to deliver Android without compromise, Motorola MILESTONE is a blend of form and function that offers the thinnest QWERTY slider on the market (13.7mm) and a hi-resolution, multi-touch and pinch display with twice the pixels of the leading competitor.

For users who want the ultimate smart phone experience, MILESTONE offers the ability to use multiple applications at the same time, effortless multi-touch pinch and zoom browsing, and cinematic navigation through music, videos and maps of the world.

Features include an enriched Web experience, enhanced navigation features and access to thousands of apps and widgets from Android Market™. A suite of Google™ applications including Google Maps™ with Latitude™, Google Mail™ and YouTube™ are also integrated onto the device.

“MILESTONE is a smart phone without compromise, delivering a wiser, richer web and messaging experience. This is possible through the combination of Motorola’s expertise in design and a truly differentiated Android experience,” said Ralf Gerbershagen, vice president and general manager of Motorola Western Europe.

“In MILESTONE, form and function align to offer a clearer, more brilliant widescreen for enjoyable pinch and zoom Web browsing, the thinnest slider keyboard for messaging and push email that syncs both work and personal accounts, and a range of entertainment features including DVD quality video playback.”

Key features include:
• World’s thinnest QWERTY slider at just 13.7mm
• 3.7” widescreen display with 854 pixel width and more than 400,000 total pixels (more than twice the leading competitor)
• Pinch & zoom and double tap features
• 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash
• Motorola Media Link and Motorola Phone Portal to manage and share media content across desktop, phone and the Web
• Stereo Bluetooth®
• 3.5mm headset jack
• CrystalTalk™ Plus for superior talk quality

Additional features and apps include:
• Full suite of the Google applications: Google Maps with Latitude, Google Talk™, Google Mail, YouTube
• Unified Google and Microsoft Office Contacts
• Navigation: GPS, MOTONAV * turn-by-turn navigation, Google Maps, E-Compass Latitude
• Email Support: IMAP and POP, Google Mail
• IM Support: Google Talk
• Calendar: Exchange, Calendar

[Via http://mobilebloger.wordpress.com]

Motorola Devour

This Android-based model will supposedly have a shape somewhat similar to the popular Motorola Droid, but without many of the high-end features.

Like its big brother, it will be a slider, with a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard. It will apparently have a smaller, lower-resolution screen than the Droid, though.

On this device’s front, next to the touchscreen, will be three touch-sensitive buttons and an optical trackpad, rather than a trackball or D-pad.

The Droid Devour will allegedly debut with Android OS 2.1, the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, and have the standard suite of software for connecting to Google services.

In addition, it will have support for Verizon’s EV-DO mobile broadband network, plus it will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Devour is also allegedly going to have a 3 megapixel camera, 3.5 mm headset jack, a GPS receiver, a microSD memory card slot, and a 1420 mAh battery.

[Via http://mobilebloger.wordpress.com]

Palm Pre Plus is for women? Really?

If you weren’t sure which cell phone best suits your gender, Verizon knows. Check out these latest ads for the new Palm Pre Plus. I know that they are cheesy and campy on purpose, but come on. It’s a cell phone. Why? We shouldn’t even need to be discussing this! The Palm Pre ads are pretty direct, but the Droid are just as over the top but also violent!

And here are the ads for the Droid by Motorola. Subtle. Very subtle.

[Via http://mensantiviolencecouncil.com]

iPad, MSI Android Tablet, Archos Tablets

Whenever I hear of a Tablet PC, I think of a notebook with a keyboard with a touchscreen that flips open backwards to be used like a stand. From what I have been seeing, tablets are going more to the multimedia side, and away from the PC side. Three tablets that caught my attention are the iPad, The Archos 5 and 7, and MSI Android Tablet.

Let me start with the iPad. By looking at it, all it seems to be is a 10″ iPod. Same uncustomizable OS, same look, just bigger, and so is the price. The price range for the WiFi model is $500+ depending on flash drive size, and $800+ for 3G+wifi, and an extra $30 a month for unlimited 3g access, and $15 a month for limited. It is running a 1ghz processor, and the flash sizes are a predictable 16, 32, and 64gb.What I would have liked to see from Apple with the tablet is something similar to the Axitron Modbook. The second tablet I would like to talk about, even though limited information is available as of now, is the MSI Android Tablet. Aimed to compete against the iPad, it also is 10″ in size and priced at $500. From what I read, it will be released with multiple configuration depending open the users needs. Lastly, the tablet that has caught my eyes, is the Archos line which are Android and PC based based. The Archos 5 and Archos 7 are both android based, running 600MHz. The Archos 5 is 5″ in size, having the disk drive space ranging from 60GB-250GB, and now on sale for starting price of $299.99. The Archos 7 is what I would consider the big brother. It is 7″ in size, and disk sizes of either 160GB and 320GB. Besides running Android, these two devices have the ability to stream and download standard and HD movies, record TV shows on the device itself with its built-in DVR, or with a couple of wires, from the device to the TV. A price hasn’t been set yet for the Archos 7. The Archos 9 is more in a comparison to a netbook then a multimedia/internet tablet. It is 9″, running a 1.1GHz processor, a 60GB HDD hard drive, and Windows 7 Starter Edition. It is priced at $549.99.

[Via http://mechtapir.wordpress.com]