Tag: droid 2

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Mobile Verizon

Motorola Droid 2 R2D2 Price Dropped

The holiday shopping season is in full swing in the United States and that is quite evident in the way Verizon has been cutting down the prices of some of the hottest gadgets that it has released over the past couple of months. After the carrier dropped the prices of Droid 2 and Droid 2 Global, we now hear that the price of Motorola Droid 2 R2-D2 StarWars edition too is seeing a price cut.

According to the new listing on the Verizon website, Droid 2 R2D2 can now be purchased at a price of $199.99. This is of course with a two year contract and requires users to sign up for a monthly data package of at least $15.00.

So what this price drop means is that the Droid 2 R2D2 can now be purchased at the same price as the Droid 2 Global. You will remember that this model with international roaming capability too saw a price drop earlier that brought its price down to $199.99. You can check out the R2D2 from the Verizon website here.

Categories
Google

Motorola Droid Pro Corporate Sync Push Not Working For Many Users

A number of Motorola customers who have purchased a Droid PRO, Droid X or Droid 2 have been complaining that the corporate sync email data push functionality on their device has not been working as advertised. According to complaints noted on the Motorola support forums, their phones do not seem to be pushing new emails even when they are explicitly set to carry out the function. Considering that these handsets are primarily seen as Blackberry alternatives for the corporate customer, the lack of proper email push functionality could be a huge deal breaker.

Here are some complaints that could explain the issues better

“I’ve confirmed my settings and I have “Data push” checked, I do NOT have “Sync over WiFi only” checked. I’m runnning the “performance” battery setting and my company uses Exchange 2003 (v6.5), Build 7638.2: Service Pack 2. My phone, Droid Pro, is running Andriod 2.2; version 2.26.2.XT610.Verizon.en.US. Mail is not “pushed”, I have to open the mail app and then, and only then, will it begin to sync. Once I leave the email app, I no longer get pushed email.”

“Well, I swapped the Pro for the Droid X yesterday (due to tiny keyboard and screen size) and exchange works with the same effectiveness…NONE. In fact, I disabled “push” and set fetch to 15 minutes. I did this 30 minutes ago, I’ve received 12 emails on Outlook and my phone still has not synced. So Push doesn’t work and Fetch doesn’t work…this is consistent with the Pro last week and now the X…both running Blur over 2.2. So basically, I’m having to manually sync my corporate email…”

Motorola has said that they have been working to replicate this issue at their end and thereby resolve the same. But considering that the issue is so widespread, it is surprising that none of the handsets tested by Motorola engineers at HQ seem to be able to helping in troubleshooting the problem.

We will let you know when a fix comes available.

Categories
Mobile Motorola

Internet Tethering On Droid 2 Via USB Coming Soon?

Motorola Droid 2 users already enjoy the ability to tether their Android phone to a computer wirelessly. But if you are looking for a wired alternative, that may be coming soon. Leaked screenshots of an upcoming ROM build have revealed that Droid 2 users will be getting this alternative to the mobile hotspot facility as an OS update.

The update is expected to bring two more significant features to Droid 2 – a Home Screen launcher and a new Profiles section in the Launcher. The Profiles section is very similar to what you already see on the Motorola Droid Pro and will let users to easily switch between several setups for the homescreen. For instance, you may have one theme set up for workplace, another for home etc. and this new feature will help you easily switch between these.

There is no word on when this update will be released.

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HTC Mobile Motorola Samsung Verizon

Samsung Continuum Vs. Samsung Fascinate Vs. Droid X Vs. Droid 2 Features Comparison

Verizon has had a lot of success with their Android portfolio in recent times and they are likely to continue churning out more handsets in the foreseeable future as well. Samsung Continuum, the next big Android phone from the South Korean giant is learned to be launching on November 11th and is in good company of several Android phones that are carried by Verizon. This includes the Fascinate, Droid X, Droid 2 and Droid Incredible. The Droid 2 Global is coming soon as well.

So if you are contemplating a Verizon Android purchase anytime soon, then it makes sense to first look into the specifications of these various handsets before you decide which one you should go for. Click here for a larger picture. As always, tell us your favorite from the phones below.

Samsung Continuum comparison

[via Droid Life]

Categories
HTC Mobile Motorola Verizon

Price Of Motorola Droid 2, HTC Incredible Slashed – Buy One Get One

There has been so much noise over the past few days over the imminent launch of the Droid 2 Global. Now while this has remained a rumor until now, recent developments indicate that this launch could happen pretty soon. Verizon has slashed the price of the Motorola Droid 2 – a phone that debuted less than three months ago. The retail price now stands at $150 and what more, there is also a Buy-One-Get-One-Free offer running so Verizon can deplete the Droid 2 inventory in time for the Droid 2 Global launch.

Apparently, it is not just Droid 2 that is seeing a drop in prices. HTC Incredible, aka the Droid Incredible, too is seeing a drop in price. This pretty handset now sells for $150 and this is again pretty indicative of a new launch – presumably the Droid Incredible HD. For what it’s worth, that phone is expected to launch later this month on November 23.

If you love the Droid phones and is not someone who is planning to travel outside the United States in the near-term, then now is the time to go and purchase your favorite handsets for cheap.

Categories
Mobile Motorola Verizon

Improve Battery Life On Motorola Droid 2 With New Update

Do you find the battery life on your new Motorola Droid 2 unsatisfactory? Then a fix is just around the corner. Or it has hit you already. The latest software update version 2.3.20 is now being released in batches to all Motorola Droid 2 customers that will offer a number of fixes and enhancements to the device apart from enhancing the battery life of the smartphone.

Here is a list of announced updates

  • Improved battery life.
  • Heightened proximity sensor accuracy to enable faster screen response.
  • View the Weather widget in both landscape and portrait orientation.
  • Simpler setup, improved user interactions, and better notifications for Visual Voice Mail.
  • Background Email Sync during display inactivity for better user experience.
  • Support for email domain suffixes containing more than three characters.
  • Keep text messages organized with chronological in-box screen.
  • Edit text messages after you’ve inserted a video file.
  • Improved audio sound during recorded video playbacks.
  • Stream Guided Tour videos on device in Help Center application with ease.
  • Faster location tracking during GPS navigation.
  • Faster transitions between Wi-Fi and 3G in data connection.

Has the Verizon update hit you yet? Tell us in the comments.

Categories
Mobile Motorola

Bug Lets You Make Voice Calls From Password-Protected Motorola Droid X

If you own one of the MOTOBLUR infused Android 2.2 handsets like Droid X or Droid 2, chances are that your phone has this minor security vulnerability. Some users have noticed this exploit that lets user access Google’s Voice actions on the phone even when the device is locked and requires the user to enter a passcode to proceed.

How do you do it? Simple. When prompted for the passcode, simply press and hold the search button (virtual or physical) for around 4 seconds. This will open up the Google Voice actions open to abuse. So once you have made this back-door entry, you can for instance say, ‘Call Home‘ in order to make a call to the phone addressbook entry named ‘Home‘. Check out this video for a demo.

Do you notice this bug on your phone?

Categories
Mobile Motorola Verizon

Motorola Droid 2 To Be Replaced With Droid 2 World Edition?

Rumors are doing the rounds that Verizon is mulling over a proposal to discontinue its sale of the new Motorola Droid 2 that was released just last month and instead replace it with the upcoming Droid 2 World Edition in its stores. Logistically, it is a sane move considering the cost involved in managing additional models. But it is also likely that Verizon continues to sell the older Droid 2 lest it will rub the early adopters the wrong way.

Details about the upcoming Motorola Droid 2 World edition have not been comprehensive though we do know that this is a world-ready phone with both CDMA and GSM capabilities. In addition to the blue/black units, the handset is also likely to be sold in white. Rumors also point out that Droid 2 World Edition is the same as Droid Pro which is another handset that has made some noise in the past.

Despite all this, do note that this is all in the rumor mills and may turn out to be a false alarm.

Categories
android Motorola

Creating Full Nandroid Backup For Motorola Droid X

If you have a rooted Motorola Droid X, you are most likely to be interested in installing custom ROMs, themes, etc. However, since the procedure itself is quite fickle, it is a good idea to take a backup of Nandroid before you proceed. A Nandroid backup is primarily a giant snapshot of your Android phone that needs to be created on your SD card every time you switch ROMs or change themes.

Of course, before you proceed, you will need to root your Droid X. It goes without saying that rooting your handset is pretty risky and you can void your warranty or brick your phone or both. So proceed at your own peril.

Once you have rooted your phone, you need to perform a bootstrap recovery. We have already seen the bootstrap recovery process for Motorola Droid 2 and the procedure for Droid X is no different.

Basically, you download the bootstrap recovery software from hacker Koushik Datta to your rooted Droid X and once done, launch the application. You will be asked to initiate bootstrap recovery that you can choose by tapping “Bootstrap Recovery“. The process will begin.

Once this is complete, you will see a “Success” message. Tap on ‘OK‘ and follow it up with “Reboot Recovery“. The Droid 2 will reboot in the Clockwork mode. Using the Volume buttons, navigate to the “Backup and restore” option and hit the Camera button to select the option. If you are asked to select “Reboot” do so with the camera button. The process completes with a “Reboot System now” message. Tapping the camera button completes the process.

Motorola Droid X Recovery

[via Droid Life]

Categories
Mobile Motorola Samsung Verizon

Samsung Fascinate Vs. Motorola Droid 2 – Features Comparison

Rumors are doing the rounds that Samsung Fascinate (from the Galaxy S series) could be launching on Verizon by next week – September 8 to be precise. So, if you are a Verizon customer looking for a nice Android phone, which one should you go for – Droid 2 or Fascinate? After all, these are two hot Android devices in recent times. Here’s a features comparison

Display

Droid 2 features a 3.7″ display with 854×480 pixels. On the other hand, Fascinate carries a 4″ display with 800×480 pixels. Speaking in terms of ppi (pixels-per-inch), Droid 2 is just marginally better than Fascinate.

Winner: Droid 2

Hardware

Both devices come with a 1GHz processor. However, while the Droid 2 carries a 8GB ROM with a 512MB RAM, Samsung Fascinate only comes with a 512MB ROM and 336MB RAM. Not too bad, yet on a relative scale, Droid 2 scores. Besides this, there is not much to pick between the two.  Both devices carry a 5-megapixel camera with flash (Dual-LED on Droid 2) and support for up to 32GB storage. Of course, Fascinate comes with an additional 2GB storage memory, but that I think is not too significant for Fascinate to out-score Droid 2. So, considering the memory specs alone, Droid 2 is slightly ahead.

Winner : Droid 2

Software

Again, nothing much to pick between the two. Droid 2 does have Flash pre-installed, but Fascinate is expected to get the feature by the end of the year – around the same time when it is expected to get an OS upgrade to Android 2.2 (Droid 2 already runs Android 2.2). Other functionalities include video capture (HD on Fascinate, DVD-quality on Droid 2), maps, natively installed applications and 3G hotspot capability. Neither device carries a HDMI Tv output.

Winner : None

Here’s a quick summary of all features. Overall, I would pick Motorola Droid 2 over Fascinate. How about you?

Samsung Fascinate vs. Motorola Droid 2

This is a guest post by Vineet Singh, a Mechanical engineering student at Mumbai University