Mobility Digest » Android

Motorola Droid 4 available at Verizon Feb 10th for $199.99

Doug Smith — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:27:35 +0000

As been the case with so many high end devices from Verizon in the past that sport their super fast 4G LTE, the Motorola Droid 4 will not share the same price point at launch. Verizon, insisting that their 4G LTE enabled devices receive a $100.00 increase, has instead chosen to price the slide out QWERTY keyboard Motorola Droid 4 at the more normal price of $199.99 with two year contract. It could be this niche device with it’s form factor might appeal to a smaller base or that Verizon has too many flagship devices right now that adding the $100 dollar premium would surely hurt sales for the Droid 4. Indeed, Big Red consumers have a plethora of devices to satisfy their 4G LTE desires with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus as well as the Motorola DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX both making a huge impact and creating havoc for the marketing team at Verizon to figure out the leader of this here’ gang.

Even with the flood of Android Devices, I think the Motorola DROID 4 should be seriously considered as that keyboard creates a completely unique experience for any that interact a lot via their mobile device. Yesterday, we got a preview of the DROID 4 from the folks at Wirefly and a nice little video review, but I cannot wait to get my hands on another QWERTY Keyboard device and put it through it’s paces as I did with the DROID 3.

Check out the press release below for the full details on the Verizon launch of the Motorola DROID 4

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The award winning DROID 4 by Motorola will be available to handle even the most demanding lifestyles starting Feb. 10 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com. Introduced at this year’s Consumer Electronic Show (CES), the DROID 4 is the thinnest and most powerful 4G QWERTY smartphone measuring at less than half an inch thin. DROID 4 not only features a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, but also a five-row QWERTY keyboard with a PC-like layout and edge-lit keys for fast, precise typing, even in the dark. Powered by America’s fastest, most reliable 4G network, DROID 4 customers will have access to 4G LTE coverage in 195 markets covering more than 200 million people.

Additional features

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE – Customers can expect fast download speeds of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G LTE Mobile Broadband coverage areas

Android™ 2.3.5 Gingerbread, to be upgraded to Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

4.0-inch qHD display with scratch and scrape resistant glass

Government-grade encryption (FIPS 140-2) for email, calendar and contacts; preloaded with Citrix® Receiver™ for Android (available in webtop) for desktop virtualization and access

8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture

Front-facing camera for video chat

4G LTE Mobile Hotspot supporting up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices

Business Ready

DROID 4 is designed to help customers get more done. Business professionals can impress their audience by presenting to a conference room full of potential customers in a snap by plugging the DROID 4 into an HDTV and presenting directly from the phone. Professionals can also combine the DROID 4 with the Lapdock 500 and its 14-inch display to create a full-featured mobile office. They can download documents, make edits using Lapdock’s full keyboard and email the updated documents to colleagues or customers. The Lapdock even features a built-in webcam so customers can attend virtual meetings and manage their business face-to-face.

The Smart Actions app on the DROID 4 helps automate everyday tasks and optimizes battery efficiency by letting customers create rules, such as automatically setting the phone to vibrate during work hours or dimming the display at a specific battery level.

Business professionals can leave their laptops behind and use the MotoCast™ app to remotely stream documents, videos, music and pictures from their work or home computers to their handset. The remote access of MotoCast eliminates the need to store documents on the handset as everything is stored on their office laptop.

Pricing and availability

DROID 4 by Motorola will be available on Feb. 10 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online atwww.verizonwireless.com for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

The Lapdock 500 is available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online for $299.97.

Customers that purchase a DROID 4 will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Talking Tom Surpasses 100M Downloads

Kristofer Brozio — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:25:46 +0000

My youngest son loves Talking Tom, yeah it’s cute but I don’t think it’s all that but apparently lots of other people do as it’s over 100 million downloads. Talking Tom is so popular that he’s now wearing branded merchandise from soccer clubs in Spain, Italy, England, France and Portugal. I guess that’s something right?

-Outfit7 Inc., a subsidiary of Out Fit 7 Ltd and the global mobile entertainment leader behind the blockbuster Talking Friends collection of apps, today announced that Talking Tom Cat has received stylish new threads that bring virtually-branded merchandise to the Talking Friends apps for the first time. Working with Iconicfuture and Digital Artists, Outfit7 enters the digital marketplace with the integration of virtual-branded merchandise from six of the world’s most popular soccer clubs in Spain, Italy, England, France and Portugal.

“The cooperation between Outfit7, one of the leading mobile entertainment networks, and some of the world’s top soccer teams, is just the beginning of the many premium branding opportunities we can expect to see from Outfit7’s Talking Friends apps going forward.”

The company also announced today that Talking Tom Cat, one of the 14 Talking Friends characters, has surpassed 100M downloads since first launching in July 2010. With Talking Tom leading the pack, the Talking Friends cast has established a prominent global presence and achieved over 300M downloads in more than 120 countries, rendering Outfit7 the world’s fastest growing mobile entertainment network.

“Today’s brand integration news is the first step towards expanding the significant global reach of the Talking Friends network further, through valuable partnerships with world-renowned brands,” said Paul Baldwin, CMO of Outfit7 Inc., a subsidiary of Out Fit 7 Ltd. “In the same way app networks are becoming the new studio system where beloved characters are born, in-app branding is the new form of strategic product placement. The possibilities are endless and we couldn’t be more excited.”

The decision to fuse soccer, the world’s most popular sport with over 3.5 billion fans worldwide, with Talking Tom, the world’s most popular cat, was obvious. A pop culture icon, Talking Tom is an instantly-recognized character revered worldwide, much like the soccer clubs whose logos Talking Tom will soon be wearing. As of this month, soccer fans will be able to dress Talking Tom in team-branded gear to show support for some of the world’s premier soccer clubs including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Olympique de Marseille and SL Benfica. The six teams have won a combined total of 130 National Championships and over 30 European Championships.

"Digital Artists is thrilled to bring Real Madrid, one of the world’s most beloved football teams, together with the world’s most popular cat, Talking Tom,” said Scott Rupp, CEO of Digital Artists. “We’re excited to have Real Madrid included in Outfit7’s new venture, alongside the five prestigious soccer clubs that Iconicfuture helped facilitate.”

“Talking Tom has amazing global appeal which enables him, and the rest of the Talking Friends apps, to break through language and demographic barriers with ease,” said Ze’ev Rozov, CEO of Iconicfuture. “The cooperation between Outfit7, one of the leading mobile entertainment networks, and some of the world’s top soccer teams, is just the beginning of the many premium branding opportunities we can expect to see from Outfit7’s Talking Friends apps going forward.”

Less than two years after launching the first Talking Friends app, Outfit7’s Talking Friends characters have reached more than 90 million monthly active users worldwide. The company averages over 25 million downloads per month, with more than 500,000 videos being uploaded to YouTube, Facebook and sent by email and MMS.

For more information on the collection of Talking Friends, please visit: www.Outfit7.com

MAGIX Camera MX First Android Camera Released

Kristofer Brozio — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:14:12 +0000

Here’s a freebie for you for Android 2.2 and above, Magix Camera MX allows you to apply live real-time filters and edit your photos right on your phone. I just take photos with my phone, sometimes, now that I have the Titan I do take more of them, but still not many. So check out the PR for the app and see if it’s something you could use.

MAGIX AG, One of the leading international providers of software, online services, and digital content, has released it‘s addition to the world of Android camera apps, Camera MX. It adds new speed and functionality to the market with real-time filters, but also brings an understanding of photo editing that only an established market leading can perfect. Quickly editing captured photos and publishing them over multiple communication channels have been streamlined and neatly packaged for the mobile user. MAGIX Camera MX is now available for free on the Android Market from version 2.2.

Though producers have been flooding iTunes with live filter apps, the Android market has remained dry. This free app, MAGIX MX, has been designed and priced to fill this void.

MAGIX MX includes 16 conveniently-accessible, always-ready filters that allow for creative decisions as quick as the mobile user. This list includes popular effects like Lomo, Sepia, Pop Art, negative, Orton, and Kaleidoscope. Then after taking the photo, users can calibrate their images more precisely by adjusting saturation, contrast and white balance- to name a few.

The finished photos can also be assembled into more personalized formats. In the provided media manager, they can be viewed as slideshows customized with optional 3D transitions, the Ken Burns effect, and a choice between six optional soundtracks. If you like the end results, you can post them to Facebook and Twitter with the click of a button. Additionally,you can upload them to the MAGIX Online Album, where the pictures can be presented to the whole world from your personal domain.

Website:

http://cameramx.com

MiLi Power Releases External Battery for Pretty Much Everything

Kristofer Brozio — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:05:36 +0000

The new Power Shine from Mili power is designed to work with pretty much everything including WP7 device.s I think this is actually the first WP7 accessory I’ve posted about on here, I can’t remember any others really. Anyway it’s a 4000 mAh battery with two USB ports so you can charge two devices at the same time.

MiLi Power recently released the Power Shine, a 4000 mAh external battery that is sleek, portable, and highly compatible. The Shine is an easy to use external battery for iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows phone, or any other device using micro USB. Keeping in line with other MiLi products, the shine is small and lightweight, with an appealing rounded design. Don’t let the small size fool you; the 4000 mAh external battery will keep a device powered for hours. The Shine offers awesome extended battery life, providing up to:

    26 hours of data

    34 talk hours

    90 hours of media

The Power Shine package features:

    2 USB ports- charge two devices simultaneously

    Blue LED power indicators let you know what battery level your Shine is on

    Apple cable and Micro USB cable included

    Thin and lightweight- only 8 oz.

Rdio Comes to Android

Kristofer Brozio — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:45:12 +0000

I don’t get it why do people have to stream their music? I just carry mine with me on my phone and it’s there if I need it. Then again I don’t feel the need to have access to my entire collection at all times as I don’t listen to all of it. Most albums these days aren’t full of good songs, usually it’s just a few of them that are any good so why do you need all of it?! I never understood that about people who feel the need to have most all of their music with them at all times. I have a 16gb ZuneHD and haven’t even hit 10gig as I constantly change things, I get tired of listening to something and just remove it. Oh well.. to each his own…

Rdio (www.rdio.com), the digital music service started by the creators of Skype, today announced the availability of a completely redesigned Rdio for Android app, now available as a free download from Android Market or as an update for existing users.

The new app offers intuitive navigation with one-click access to features previously available on Rdio for Android, along with several new enhancements and key features including collection, playlists, new releases, top charts, recommendations, and support for Android Ice Cream Sandwich’s new remote control client. Now Android users not only have easy access to Rdio’s catalog of more than 12 million songs, they can also take advantage of Rdio’s rich social features and extensive music discovery options.

"With the Rdio for Android redesign, we were focused on bringing Android users the best mobile music discovery application possible," said Malthe Sigurdsson, VP of Product, Rdio. "We believe this launch further reinforces our commitment to creating the most visual, social and interactive experience of music across every platform."

New to this version, Rdio for Android now includes:

Streamlined Top-level Navigation – All-new home screen design gives one-click access to key features in the app

Convenient Control – Take advantage of Android Ice Cream Sandwich’s new remote control client to manage playback controls on the lock screen, including viewing controls and album art

New Releases – Be the first to listen to new albums and singles on the day they are released, and access new albums released up to two weeks prior

Top Charts – Check out recent chart-topping albums

Recommendations – Discover more music by exploring fresh album recommendations based on your listening history

Enhanced Search – In addition to searching for artists, albums, and songs, you can now search for Playlists and People

Synced collection and playlist views – View only the music you have synced for offline listening, without the need to go into offline mode

User Profiles – Search, browse, and follow other Rdio users; discover new music by seeing their activity, who they follow, their playlists and more

And features of the previous version including Activity, Collection, Heavy Rotation, Playlists, Listening History, Syncing for offline access, and a variety of settings to control syncing and streaming on Wi-Fi or 3G

Pricing and Availability

New Rdio for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market in the US, Canada, Brazil,Germany, Australia and New Zealand. An Rdio Unlimited subscription is required to access Rdio on mobile devices; new users can sign up directly through the app for a free 7-day trial. Users can also sign up at www.rdio.com.

Rdio offers flexible subscription plans for continued access across a growing number of devices. Plan options include:

Rdio Unlimited, $9.99/month: Unlimited Web and mobile streaming on all available devices, as well as wireless syncing to listen offline

Rdio Unlimited Family: 2-3 person Rdio Unlimited accounts on one plan for discounted rate (2 for$17.99/month or 3 for $22.99/month)

Rdio Web, $4.99/month: Unlimited Web streaming and access through Mac/Windows desktop apps

Rdio is available on the Web; Mac or Windows desktop applications; applications for tablets (iPad, Kindle Fire, Kobo Vox and Android-powered devices) and mobile phones (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7). Rdio is also accessible on in-home devices like Sonos and Roku and in-car with Pioneer AppRadio (some devices may not be available in all territories).

Motorola makes it hard to choose Droid 4 or RAZR?

Doug Smith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:58 +0000

For those of you that were cradle smartphone geeks like me, we remember with longing the days of the slide out QWERTY keyboards we affectionately called “Converged Devices” Those days are long past and so it seems is the slide out keyboard. So remnants remain of course. There is a handful of low to medium grade smartphones out there that have a keyboard still, but it has been absent from the flagship devices with the exception of one OEM, Motorola. Motorola, the band of merry men responsible for manufacturing the DROID Series of smartphone still keeps one Primordial Titan within their ranks which is simply called the Droid and numbered there after with it’s next iteration.

I got my hands on the last Droid 3 and reviewed and loved the Keyboard. The Droid 4 will surely be nothing short of awesome with it’s slide out keyboard and what is really nice is how the screen size on the slide out keyboard devices continue to grow while the thickness continues to decrease. On the other hand, the DROID RAZR has form and function as you can see from our video unboxing as well as complete review.

So today, we got the folks at Wirefly lining the two devices up and letting out another Schmackdown between the two. Wait a second, the Droid 4 is not even released right? Yeah, well I guess that’s why it sucks to be us and it’s great to work at the Wirefly Bat Cave, they get all the toys before we do. Bob puts the Droid 4 and Droid RAZR up to the text in a video below and then they have their complete review of the Droid 4 after that in the next video. Check them out as well as Bob’s multi colored striped shirt. Kept looking for the Android cuff links he is rumored to have, but I never saw them. [/snicker]

Wirefly Motorola DROID 4 Review:

Win a Free Android Tablet from Idolian

Kristofer Brozio — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:34:44 +0000

Here’s a contest to start the week off with. Idolian is giving away a free IdolPad Android tablet on their Facebook page, all you have to do is Like them to be entered into the drawing to get one. They’re doing it with the first 500 people or Likes and then they’re giving away another one for every 100 Likes they get. Easy contest…

Idolian.com is pleased to announce IdolPad give away contest for Facebook fans. Idolian is a tablet PC manufacturer and distributor with its offices in Newport Beach, CA, Arkansas and South Korea. Idolian’s vision is to produce reliable Tablet PC, priced between $100-$299 that any individual or small business can afford.

Idolian.com is giving away a free IdolPad as part of their marketing efforts to launch their newest 7 inch Tablet PC. Idolian.com has hopped on social media bandwagon with Facebook as its starting point. Along with its best seller IdolPad priced at $99.99, Idolian offers many new tablet PCs on its website.

The first contest has launched February 5th, 2011 and is simple and easy to get in on. Facebook users are simply asked to become a Fan of their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/idoliantab by pressing “LIKE”. One of the 500 fans who “LIKE” Idolian’s Facebook page will automatically be entered to win the new IdolPad. The contest is only open to fans 18 years or older. Idolian.com is planning on giving away up to 10 more Idolpad for every 100 additional fans after 500 fans contest is done. Facebook fans will get exclusive offers and updates for sales events, product upgrades and new product launch and more.

“We’re just happy to get our name out there. A lot of what you buy on the internet is heavily dependent on our customer’s reviews. Everyone I’ve met who has had a chance to use an IPad or Galaxy tab has always wanted their own tablet, we’re trying to making it affordable to own.” said Arthur Lopez, Director of Operations for Idolian.com. “We’re all excited about this Facebook contest, I hope it would be the first of many. “

IdolPad is one of the best selling 7" Touch Screen Tablet PCs in the market. With the price tag of less than $100, IdolPad comes with 7" Multi-Touch Resistive Screen, Fast 1Ghz Cortex 9, 512 MB and 4GB Flash Drive. IdolPad is the best tablet PC that customers can buy to get true Tablet PC experiences at less than quarter of the price of the Apple IPad. Many consumers are impressed with its superior quality and its low price. IdolPad is best selling Tablet PC for Idoilan.com.

IdolPad will be available to upgrade to the newest Android 4.0 version by the end of May 2012 using the Firmware updates that will be provided on idolian.com. This upgrade can be performed on all IdolPad that was purchased.

IdolPad is currently available to purchase from idolian.com and all the major online retailers such as Amazon and Sears.com. Thanks to its established retail distributions, Idolian tablet PCs will be widely available at cellular locations throughout the USA and South Korea in the near future.

All of Idolian’s Tablet PCs come with a 1 year limited warranty that is serviced in the USA and offers extended warranties and protection plans for sale only on idolian.com.

www.Idolian.com:

Do We All Agree That Brandon Watson Is Helping Amazon Build An Android Based Kindle Phone?

David K — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:39:12 +0000

I’ve been reflecting upon his departure and that’s what it comes down to. Just pause for a second and understand who Brandon is and who he isn’t. From his own About:

I am a retread at Microsoft, having left the company in 1999 to head out to Wall Street and a couple of startups. Having spent time at Soros Private Equity, I learned a ton about the other side of the table, investing over $70 million, mostly in technology related businesses. Post Soros, I decided to take a management position at RLX, one of our portfolio companies. We sold that business in 2005 to HP. I went on to found IMSafer, a consumer Internet company focused on protecting kids online, in early 2006, built the company up to 150K customers, and sold that business to a company in the UK.

After that sale, my wife and I wanted to get back to Seattle, and, quite honestly, with two kids under age three at the time, I needed some time to breathe. Once me we made the decision to return to Seattle, the lure of coming back to the company where I cut my teeth, and rejoining with so many of the friends I had made so long ago was a great lure.

He’s a business man that’s great at marketing and management with a knack for getting people to rally behind him, exactly like he did for Windows Phones. He’s not a software engineer – he just uses his business background in tech fields. So why does Amazon want him? They’re starting to hit their strides using Android in the Kindle Fire. In fact, it’s the only Android tablet that’s selling and has a real name for itself. There’s not much standing in the way of giant releasing a Kindle Phone. You know, take the Kindle Fire, add some cameras and radios and make it cheap – dirt cheap like the Fire. Like $200 without a contract or free on contract type cheap. A guy like Watson can pull together a nice team and ensure that their marketing is focused for this endeavor and he’s learned a lot marketing phones over the last few years at Microsoft.

So why is it an Android phone and not a Windows Phone? Well Amazon is already in bed with Android with a marketplace and the Kindle line all running Android. And they’re doing just fine that way. They’ve differentiated the software and made the Kindle Fire a standout device in a sea of tablets and they’ll be able to do the same with their phones.

To those who think they’d want Watson to bring Windows phones to Amazon that doesn’t make sense. I mean, why buy the cow when they can have the milk for free? By that I mean if they wanted help developing a Windows Phone they wouldn’t need to spend a dime to get Microsoft employees. Microsoft is doling out money as it is. Think of the deal they have with Nokia. Think of the deals they have with key software devs to assist them with porting apps. If Amazon was making a Windows Phone then Microsoft would assist them with both cash and engineers en masse to ensure that it goes well. Bottom line: it doesn’t make sense that they’d hire Microsoft employees when they could get that assistance for free.

So when will the Kindle Phone launch? I’m betting it’s a Christmas 2012 launch – all speculation but Amazon already has an OS on the Fire so now it’s more about optimization.

And yeah, I do think it sucks that someone who helped build Microsoft’s OS is now working for the enemy, but Watson is a business guy – he married his wife, not Microsoft and he represented them very well. I appreciate loyalty to the end, but I understand that a guy like Watson can be worth a lot and I think Amazon is making it worth his time.

The Beauty of Sponsored Studies

Anthony Rock — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:36:52 +0000

The recent story about iOS vs Android’s app stability has, I’m sure, caused quite a stir with it’s findings. Apparently the iPhone crashes more often than any version of Android. This was apparently shocking news to everyone, but after a little digging it’s kind of an interesting topic.

Crittercism was formed and backed by capital from Google.

Also, I call into question the data provided. How did Crittercism get internal data from the iPhone’s crashes? Were the crashes simply crash-to-app launcher, or more serious ones that caused a force reset? Did they include apps or system basics that failed to launch? Did they just use a few iPhones and extrapolate it into a larger data set? The guys at Crittercism aren’t too forthcoming with how the data was acquired from the internal crash reporting system from Apple.

I would remain skeptical at this point and keep yourself informed. This reeks of corporate tomfoolery.

Madden 12 for iPhone and Android on sale $0.99

Doug Smith — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:15:50 +0000

Looking to get yourself ready for football this weekend with the Super Bowl on Sunday? There is only one way to get ready for football and that is to play football on your iPhone or Android device! And you are in luck because Madden 12 by EA Sports is on sale now for only $.99! And if you are an iPad owner, don’t worry, EA has got you covered with the Madden 12 iPad app for 55% off and priced at $2.99.

Check out the iPad version at the App Store here.

Check out the iPhone version at the App Store here.

And check out the Android version right here.

Hey, how about a little comment spam, who’s going to win the Super Bowl? Leave your comment below!