Saturday 11 February 2012

Android Community

Android Community


Android Community Weekly: February 11, 2012

Posted: 11 Feb 2012 09:10 AM PST

This week in tech news we finally saw the Motorola DROID 4 hit shelves, Google released an official Chrome Beta for Android, and yes – Temple Run still isn’t out. Monday, Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus was graced with a leak to Android 4.0.4, and it fixed many of the signal issues people were having. If you already have root and are running a custom ROM, you can flash the radios alone here. Don’t hesitate about this one, as they seem to be 100% effective.


Early on this week, we saw another rumor stating the Samsung Galaxy S III could be a mere 7mm thin. And unfortunately, we also found out Samsung’s March 22nd event is not going to cover the Galaxy S III. It’s too bad, because with all these rumors it would be nice to actually have something concrete.

Facebook will be bringing mobile ads to Android devices soon, the beginning of March to be exact. What do you all think about this? Those with slower network speed already have a tough time navigating through pages via the mobile app; with the addition of advertisements it’s bound to get worse. Now for some good news: That same day Swype let the public know it would be available for Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich devices really soon.

Speaking of the Galaxy Nexus, Samsung has made the white plated variant official and slated to make an appearance February 13th. Those of you with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 may have seen a system update hinting you to install Instagram for Android; well, you weren’t seeing things – as others saw it too. Instagram still hasn’t released an official word on when we could see it enter the Android Market, but I’d like to see how many downloads it manages within the first 24 hours. On that same note, Temple Run still isn’t out for Android – but their team still says it’s aimed for a February release.

And finally, we saved the best few for last. Chrome Beta for Android has finally hit the Market! It is blazing fast, and for a Beta – is as polished as could be. The tabbed browsing experience completely dominates over the stock browser. Unfortunately it’s only available for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices, but seeing it on Gingerbread would make the masses happy. Check out our hands-on with it here. We’ve also managed to get up a hands-on and official review of the Motorola DROID 4. And those of you waiting for a near perfect QWERTY keyboard are going to be pleased. Don’t forget to head to Google Music and take advantage of their Valentines Day promotion as well; they’re offering entire albums and singles at great prices for the next couple of days.

**Also note, T-Mobile is having a Valentines Day sale offering every one of their devices for free!**


Android Community Evening Wrap-Up: February 10, 2012

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 08:13 PM PST

Earlier today, Verizon finally had the Motorola DROID 4 available for sale. And fortunately, we’ve also finished our in-depth review of the device. Be sure to check it out before heading down to purchase one; although, it proved to be the best QWERTY Android device on the market. So there’s a good chance it’s just what you’ve been waiting for!


Next up, we’ve gotten word the Samsung Galaxy Note will be available in ‘Berry Pink’ soon. However, don’t expect to pick one up for your girl before Valentines Day, as it will release around the week of February 26th. It’s actually hard to tell if this one will ever come to the US. The button configuration is congruent to that of the international version and looks nothing like the one for AT&T.

MWC is right around the corner, and LG just hinted at showing off a set of “revolutionary” phones. They could be referring to the LG Optimus Vu; a phone with a 5″ display and 4:3 aspect ratio. Then again, we’ve already seen such a large screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note – so ‘revolutionary’ may not be the right word.

And have you ever heard of a program that grants you a phone upgrade every 6 months? Well it turns out Phones 4U new JUMP trade-in model does just that. JUMP stands for “Just upgrade my phone”, and acts much like a lease-to-purchase option often seen at car dealerships.


This is what a Galaxy Nexus desktop computer looks like

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 05:22 PM PST

Most high-end Android smartphones include some kind of video-out feature, and Ice Cream Sandwich has built-in support for Bluetooth and USB peripherals like mice and keyboards. This naturally means that you could plug in an HDMI cable, connect your keyboard and mouse, and have something similar to a desktop PC. But is it practical? YouTube user Christian Qantrell aimed to find out. He connected his stock, unrooted Galaxy Nexus to a computer monitor with an MHL adapter, connected an Apple keyboard and trackpad, and tried to replicate desktop functions without any hacking or non-standard equipment.

The experience is surprisingly fluid, and helped in no small way by the trackpad replicating a finger touch. a cursor follows your finger around, and the various taps, holds and gestures in Android make a natural transition. Standard navigation buttons get desktop analogs, like the “back” button being replaced with the Escape key. The Alt-Tab function even brings up Android’s native app switcher – nice. Even with everything connected. Qantrell’s phone keeps running as fast as normal.

Obviously the Android interface isn’t meant for a 20-inch screen, but thanks to the Galaxy Nexus’s native 720p display (which is mirrored on both the phone and the monitor) it works surprisingly well. Replacing a desktop browser or document editor technically works, but the mobile interface holds you back when blown up. That said, the increasingly cloud-based nature of Google’s Android apps makes for pretty good integration. Qantrell’s demonstration is a lot more impressive than Motorola’s various Lapdocks – perhaps carrying a couple of cables and a keyboard and finding an unused monitor may be a better solution all around.

Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : GALAXY Nexus
    Manufactuer : Samsung
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : October 18, 2011
    Release Date : December 15, 2011
    Also Known As : Nexus Prime
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
  • Resolution : 1280x720
  • Screen Type : Super AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.33 Inch
  • Width : 2.67 Inch
  • Depth : 0.35 Inch
  • Weight : 135 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : NA
Software
    Android OS:
  • 4.0.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • AMR
  • MID
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • h.263
  • h.264 / AVC
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP 4460
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 32 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 5 MP
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • GSM
  • CDMA
    GSM Band:
  • 850
  • 900
  • 1800
  • 1900
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 3.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :

[via ItProPortal]


AT&T doubles upgrade fee to $36 Sunday, just before Galaxy Note release

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 04:26 PM PST

Just a quick heads up for anyone looking to upgrade this week or in the coming weeks to a new device on AT&T like the Samsung Galaxy Note. Starting this Sunday the 12th AT&T will be doubling the handset upgrade fee from $18 dollars to $36. This wont effect customers on a daily basis, but is double what users have paid all year thus far.

Looking over some information and paperwork provided to BGR earlier today AT&T explains their reasoning behind the changes and this basically confirms any doubts. While the change isn’t major it is a big deal and will surely make a few customers upset. I could see a decent bump or an increase to $24 or so, but double seems a bit steep. Here’s the official word:

"Because the overall costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased, effective Sunday, February 12, 2012, AT&T will change its upgrade fee from $18 to $36."

According to AT&T the overall costs of upgrading a device with things like LTE and other reasons, they felt this was a good time to start the changes. After the initial reports an AT&T spokeswoman was quick to comment saying that this isn’t anything new, and other carriers charge similar fees. She also points out that AT&T hasn’t changed it in well over 10 years. To them the change is warranted.

Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn't unique to AT&T and this is the first time we're changing it in nearly 10 years.”

So what are your thoughts? Is this a deal breaker for some, or just something we’ll have to live with. If they’ve really not changed this in 10 years I’d say we were lucky to get this far given the changes to 3G, 4G LTE and smartphones over the past few years. These changes come just before a big release of the Galaxy Note for AT&T. Will you still be upgrading?


Samsung Galaxy Note and LG Optimus Vu compared: battle of the phablets

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 04:17 PM PST

Ladies and gentlemen, 2012 is now officially the year of the insanely huge smartphone. Days ago LG teased its Optimus Vu smartphone ahead of a probably “revolutionary” Mobile World Congress debut, making sure to highlight its 5-inch 4:3 screen. Of course, there’s another gigantic Android phone already on the market: Samsung’s Galaxy Note, headed to the US later this month on AT&T. Wanna see how they compare? Wish granted, thanks to a Korean blogger at helloadam100.blog.me.

The difference in aspect ratios becomes immediately clear in the photo. The Galaxy Note uses a 1280×800 screen with an aspect ratio of 16:10, just a little taller than the standard widescreen TV frame when held horizontally. The Optimus Vu’s 4:3 screen is more like a traditional “tube” TV, early Android phones and the iPhone. As you can see, even though the Vu’s screen is slightly smaller, it’s still wider than the Galaxy Note. There’s no hard data on the Vu’s resolution, though 1024×768 seems like a likely figure.

Both phones run customized versions of Android Gingerbread, and should get Ice Cream Sandwich eventually. While the Galaxy Note is available in most European and Asian markets already, the Vu is waiting for a formal unveiling, and probably won’t be hitting retail until late spring or early summer. We’ll be at LG’s Mobile World Congress event to check out the Optimus Vu, the X3 and anything else that might show up.

[via UnwiredView]


Emulate classic Capcom arcade games with CPSEmu

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 03:42 PM PST

We’re still a little miffed at Capcom for their continually limited Android support, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy their games. If you share our compulsion for the classics of 2D gaming, you can now run arcade games designed for the CP System 2 with CPSEmu, another project from the developers behind the Neo Geo emulator NeoDroid. It works like any standard Android emulator, which means you won’t be seeing it on the Android Market any time soon. Download it from this XDA thread.

For the uninitiated, the Capcom Play System 2 platform was a series of standardized arcade machines designed to run Capcom’s arcade games through the 90s and early 2000s. It enjoys a special place in history as the launch platform for Super Street Fighter II Turbo, widely considered to be one of the finest 2D fighting games ever made. Other notable titles include Alien vs Predator, X-Men: Children of the Atom, and the original Marvel vs Capcom.

The emulator should run on any Android phone or tablet with Froyo or later. It does need at least a 1Ghz processor to run optimally, though if you’re an Android gaming enthusiast, odds are pretty good that you’re covered there. As always with emulators, downloading and playing games that you don’t physically own is illegal – the XDA app is just the emulator software itself. A number of improvements to the developer’s code will be back-ported to NeoDroid soon. And good news, XPERIA Play owners: it works natively with your phone’s slide-out control buttons.

[via DroidGamers]


LG Prada Phone 3.0 looks good, showcased by Edward Norton and model Daria Werbowy

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 03:16 PM PST

Surely a smartphone being marketed by PRADA wants to look good. LG and PRADA have teamed up for a third time with their new smartphone the PRADA by LG 3.0 and it is available now in the UK. What better way to show off their fashionable and sexy phone then with a few excellent models and actors. They’ve done just that and have employed the looks of two well known stars for their new campaign.

LG has launched their new PRADA campaign with Edward Norton (Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear, The Score, The Hulk) and popular UK model Daria Werbowy to be the face of the fashionably smart PRADA 3.0 smartphone. We received some hands-on with the new PRADA last year and more details on that can be seen below. While Norton is mainly a US actor we most likely wont be seeing the PRADA by LG 3.0 in the states anytime soon, but we can hope right?

The PRADA 3.0 combines PRADA’s elegant and fashionable style with LG’s innovation making the best of both worlds — or they’d like to think so. The device comes equipped with a 4.3″ NOVA display and boasts a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It has been heavily skinned and isn’t too familiar but still looks quite nice. The faces of these stars may or may not help this device sell well but either way we’d love to check it out again if they decide to bring it to the US.

EDWARD-NORTON-MAIN edward-norton-daria-werbrowy-are-the-new-faces-of-prada-phone-by-lg-3-0 Daria-Werbowy-Edward-Norton-Prada-LG-Phone-04a

[via Akihabaranews]


Zenonia 4: Return of the Legend hits Android, get it now in HD

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 02:41 PM PST

Folks, today is the day and the extremely popular Zenonia 4 by Gamevil is finally available for Android. This is Zenonia 4: Return of the Legend and you could be playing it right now. Complete with tons of improvements, new levels and impressive HD graphics. If you’re ready to waste the rest of your evening keep on reading below.

Gamevil has just unleashed this game silently to the Android Market and the download links are available below. Get your retro-style PRG hats on because it’s time to play. With Zenonia 4 comes extreme action RPG gameplay. They are calling it the best looking Zenonia ever with excellent and crisp HD graphics. Dynamic combo’s and intense combat included this should be a fun game for all you PvP and RPG fans.

They have expanded multiplayer with excellent 2vs2 arena style battles and even 1vs1 classic action. If you’ve been waiting to get your next fix of this Zelda on steroids for Android this is your game. Are you guys liking the new HD look or do you prefer the 16-bit old school look of the others? Either way hit the link below and enjoy it today — completely free.

Market Link

zen3 zen2 zen1


LG planning to show “revolutionary” phones at Mobile World Congress

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 01:52 PM PST

With Mobile World Congress 2012 soon approaching the invites and press releases keep rolling in. LG has just sent out a few that are saying they will be showing a “revolutionary smartphone for 2012″ that is peaking our interest to say the least. Most likely they are talking about the recently teased Optimus Vu 5″ smartphone linked below but that might not be all.

We’ve already seen or heard reports of 3 new smartphones from LG that all will be bringing something different to the table (All linked below). It almost seems as if they are putting things out there hoping to see what sticks. First off is the most recent and interesting. The LG Optimus Vu 5″ 4:3 aspect ratio phone that is directly aiming at the Galaxy Note from Samsung.

Then we have the leaked LG X3 that will be replacing the T-Mobile G2x and will most likely be LG’s first NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core smartphone. Reported to rock a 4.7″ HD screen, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and of course that quad-core processor. All specs we are hoping to see plenty of in the coming weeks and months from most manufacturers — although phones are starting to get too large if you ask me.

Last is the one I’m least interested in. That is the LG Optimus 3D 2 (C2X) or whatever you want to call it. Being a successor to the mildly entertaining LG Thrill 4G (aka Optimus 3D) smartphone with dual 5 megapixel cameras and a glasses-free 3D display. It shouldn’t be much different from the original but have a better screen and maybe a little thinner. I’m not sold on 3D in smartphones and I don’t think I ever will be, but we’ll see.

I’m most excited to see what they have in store with the X3 quad-core phone as that is the next frontier for Android smartphones and a step many will be taking this next few months as we get ready for the summer smartphone push. Again we’ll be live at in Spain for all the details so be sure and follow us and check our MWC 2012 portal often.


Phones 4U New JUMP offers phone upgrades every 6 months

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 01:11 PM PST

The popular Phones 4U in the UK have been running a trial since last year for a new smartphone trade in model called JUMP. This stands for “Just upgrade my Phone” and will be allowing customers to do just that. Upgrade their phones in as little as 6 months instead of the usual 1 or 2-year upgrade paths we’ve seen in the past.

Their new double agreement system that splits device subsidy from service allows customers to sign a contract for their service, and then an additional agreement with the phone retailer themselves that will allow for early upgrades and various trade-in options. Here is a quote from Phones 4U themselves:

“Technology is moving fast and innovative handsets are launching all the time on the market but to date there's been a disconnect between the frequency of smartphone releases and the length of mobile phone contracts on offer.

We want to give our customers the freedom to own the very latest smartphones like the iPhone 4S without having to wait 18-24 months for an upgrade. The idea for JUMP was born out of research we conducted that revealed people were frustrated by the inability to upgrade their handsets sooner.”

In the UK most carriers lease the phones rather than let customers own them, but then they don’t pay $199 or $599 outright prices like we do either. Now after the initial period users can choose to keep the device, or trade it and possible up to 3 devices in for a trade-in value that will go towards their new device. With the rapid rate of Android smartphones this type of program could really take off. Obviously new phones will still be more than a used device, but this would surely help.

There are many different angles and ways to take advantage of the new system so hit the link below for more details.

[via SlashGear]


Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 surfaces — smartphone on a budget

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 12:26 PM PST

Samsung doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon with their wide array of Android “Galaxy” named smartphones. Recently uncovered is the new Galaxy Mini 2, a follow up to the original Mini. It features similar low-end specs and will most definetaly come with a low-end or free on contract price too. More details below.

Rounding off the high end with the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note it looks like they are ready to focus on the other area’s with the Galaxy S Advance and now the Mini 2. From the image above you should know almost everything you’d need. Packing a 3.3″ HVGA display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a simple 800 Mhz single-core processor, and hey look at that — 3GB of internal storage.

The biggest complaint about many low-end Samsung’s including the original Mini was the terrible screen resolution. With this new Mini 2 it looks like they’ve stepped it up and will offer a slightly higher resolution HVGA display. It will also be equipped with a 3 megapixel rear camera and Samsung’s TouchWiz UX over Gingerbread.

We’ve recently heard Samsung wont be announcing anything major or impressive at MWC 2012 this year, maybe we’ll see this new Galaxy Mini 2 and the Advance at this years show. Stay tuned for more details.

[via GSMArena]


Acer CloudMobile Android 4.0 ICS phone appears with 4.3-inch HD screen

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 11:59 AM PST

Today ACER has unveiled at least some of their plans, and a new smartphone we can expect to see at Mobile World Congress later this month. Meet the Acer CloudMobile, and yes that will be its name. They have announced both the smartphone, and their new cloud mobile service today and we have a few details below.

The new Acer CloudMobile will rock a 4.3″ HD screen and be powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. While we still don’t know all the details on the rest of the specs we do have a few photos and are hearing they’ve won a few IF design awards for said device. We can expect to see the results of their designs, and the final specs later this month. With a thin bezel and brushed aluminum around the phone you can clearly see from the photos the phone is oozing with style.

You can see from the images above the phone is extremely thin. Hopefully coming in under 8mm thick to compete with current smartphones. The camera looks large and will most likely feature an 8 megapixel sensor. We even have Dolby Digital (Mobile) on board with the branding plate on bottom. Currently Acer hasn’t revealed any other specs or details but will fully announce the phone at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona Spain later this month. We’ll be there live to capture the details so stay tuned at our MWC 2012 Portal.

[via SlashGear]


Motorola DROID 4 Review: King of the QWERTY

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 11:42 AM PST

We can finally say hello to the Motorola DROID 4, available starting today from Verizon Wireless. Being the first DROID slider with all the essential main ingredients: dual-core, 4G LTE, and obviously a slide-out QWERTY hardware keyboard can this rule them all? Or will it just be another DROID like the rest? If you love a hardware keyboard or are a die-hard fan of the original DROID you’ll want to stay tuned for the verdict.

When the original Moto DROID landed it was a huge success that has slowly lost wind with large screens, improved on-screen keyboards and thin designs. Motorola has held true to what made them so popular and their latest release might be just what you’ve been waiting for. Lets start with our Droid 4 hands-on and unboxing.

Hardware

The DROID 4 contains an impressive 4.0″ qHD display with a 540 x 960 resolution. Same as the larger screened but extremely similar DROID RAZR. Making the screen a little sharper and crisper but it’s hardly noticeable. The chassis is larger than most but given the internal specs and the awesome keyboard that is to be expected. While slightly fatter than the DROID 3 it has that all important 4G LTE. Other than the impressive 5-row QWERTY keyboard with an edge-lit LED design, the rest of the goods are under the hood. That is a 1.2 GHz dual-core OMAP 4430 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and then 4G LTE. We do have a micro-SD port for extra storage, but that is both hidden and extremely difficult to access. Powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Motorola’s ever-changing interface overlay.

That isn’t all either. Motorola’s slowly made huge strides in their camera performance and the 8 megapixel rear and 1.3 front cameras on the DROID 4 are above average to say the least. Definitely better than the horrid camera inside the Bionic, that is for sure but more on that below. Now regarding size the D4 comes in at 12.7mm thick, being about the exact same as the DROID 3 before it while still packing in 4G LTE. Put it next to the 7.1mm DROID RAZR and it feels extra fat, and extremely heavy — which it is. The extra weight stemming from the QWERTY keyboard, LED lights and added bulk of the larger screen.

Keyboard

First since this is on everyone’s mind I want to mention the new keyboard — it is awesome. It truly has impressed me for the few days I’ve been using it and I’ve became extremely quick and efficient on it. Keyboards aren’t really for me, but this is almost making me rethink it — if only it weren’t so fat and heavy. The edge-lit keys are impressive and the light sensor automatically turns the backlight on or off depending on the situation. Not only does this save battery but it works well and is extremely responsive.

the 5-row keyboard is nicely spaced, and has a perfect sense of height and motion during use. With a PC-like chicklit design and layout you’ll be comfortable right away. The amount of response from the clicks feels great and you won’t ever be wondering if you’ve pushed hard enough. Comparing it to the DROID 3 keyboard I’d say Motorola has made huge improvements to the design, layout, feel, and durability.

It’s safe to say the Motorola DROID 4 is the new king of QWERTY smartphones.

Software

On the software side of things we are graced with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and the usual array of apps from Motorola, Google, and Verizon. Motorola’s added their visual changes and are almost identical to the DROID RAZR. The new UI seems slightly more polished with glowing lights and fancy widgets. The usual Motorola and Verizon app bloatware is included but they’ve also been improving the Moto Webtop that is installed. The D4 will work with the latest Motorola Lapdocks via the micro-HDMI and USB ports on the bottom side.

From MotoCAST, MotoACTV, Verizon Video, Slacker Radio, Netflix and NFL Mobile you’ll have plenty of things to keep you busy out of the box should you choose. Overall if you’ve used any of Motorola’s recent devices the performance of the software is about the same. Things are smooth, stable, and overall quite fluid. I’m not the biggest fan of the Motorola UI changes but the last few updates are slowly growing on me. We’ll see how that all changes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich later this year.

Performance and LTE

Performance with the 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 4G LTE are exactly as we’d expect. The dual-core power provides plenty of gas for this phone and you wont see any issues. In Quadrant Advanced the benchmarks were favorable scoring just under 2800 completely stock. Higher than Tegra 2 devices and almost all 1.2 GHz Qualcomm powered HTC handsets.

While 4G LTE results are subjective to the location, market, and signal with two bars here in my local city of Las Vegas I saw decent speeds that weren’t the highest, but not the lowest I’ve seen. Averaging around 9 MB/s down and 7-9 up. The signal seems to be more stable than the Galaxy Nexus, but that is an entirely different story for another day.

Battery Life and Camera

The DROID 4 comes with a built-in (non-removable) 1785 mAh battery that should last plenty long — but it’s no RAZR MAXX. During regular usage the first day I received around 8 hours of medium to heavy usage of calls, texts, gaming, and updates. Lighter days 11 hours was pretty common so it’s safe to say you’ll be able to go an entire day on a single charge. The battery however, just like the bootloader is under a lock and key. A tiny and easy to lose key comes in the box (pictured below) for removing the back. Which also houses the micro-SD card. If you need to change it on the go — good luck. I think this design is a bit ridiculous but to each his own I guess.

Back to that camera. Motorola has finally stepped it up with the camera. The focus is fast, same goes for the shutter speed and the results are no longer fuzzy and over-exposed. They could still use some work but here’s a quick example with more in the gallery below.

Wrap-Up

This is the best DROID yet but when it all comes down to it the hardware is great, but the overall space for this phone in the market is not. With RAZR thin phones, quad-cores on the horizon and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich already on the market this phone is a few months too late. Not to say it doesn’t have upside because it does and can still be considered a top-tier smartphone. If you want a hardware QWERTY keyboard with your smartphone the DROID 4 is absolutely hands down the best device on the market and will make ANY owner happy. If you want the latest and greatest this wont be for you, but it sure comes close. For me the choice is DROID 4 or the Galaxy Nexus — and I own the latter.

If you have an aging DROID 2, DROID Charge or many other Verizon devices and would like to get into a great smartphone the DROID 4 is an excellent choice. You’ll just have to decide if the added bulk and weight from the keyboard is worth it. As long as Verizon doesn’t release a DROID 5 this summer I see this being the best QWERTY smartphone for months to come.

Enjoy the rest of our photos from the gallery below and check out the timeline for more details regarding this device.

P1080748 P1080731 P1080737 P1080733 P1080735 P1080739 P1080738 P1080728 P1080729 P1080749 P1080741 P1080736 P1080740 P1080760 droidrazrvs4 P1080761 P1080743 P1080744 P1080747 P1080745 d4camera3 d4camera d4camera2 P1080751 P1080762 P1080753 P1080755 P1240127
Device Specifications and Information
Device Info
    Device Name : DROID 4
    Manufactuer : Motorola
    Carrier : Verizon
    Announced Date : February 07, 2012
    Release Date : February 10, 2012
    Also Known As :
Display
  • Screen Size : 4.0 Inch
  • Resolution : 540x960
  • Screen Type : qHD AMOLED
Dimension & Weight
  • Height : 5.0 Inch
  • Width : 2.65 Inch
  • Depth : .50 Inch
  • Weight : 179 Grams
Battery & Power
    Battery Type:
  • Lithium Ion
  • Battery Capacity : 1785 mAh
  • Talk Time : NA
  • Stand By Time : 200 hours
Software
    Android OS:
  • 2.3.x
    Audio Playback:
  • AAC
  • AAC+
  • MP3
  • WAV
  • WMA
    Video Playback:
  • MPEG-4 (MP4)
    Messaging:
  • SMS
  • MMS
Hardware
    CPU : OMAP4430
    CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz
    Core : 2
    Ram : 1000 MB
    Internal Storage : 16 GB
    Front Facing Camera :
    Camera Resolution : 8 MP
    External Storage:
  • MicroSD
  • MicroSDHC
    Camera Features:
  • Auto focus
  • Flash
  • 1080p Video Recording
    Sensors:
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Proximity
    QWERTY :
Cellular Network
    Network Technology:
  • CDMA
Device Connectivity
    Wi-Fi:
  • 802.11b
  • 802.11g
  • 802.11n
    Bluetooth:
  • Bluetooth 4.0
    Location Features:
  • Compass
  • GPS
  • Cellular location
  • Wi-Fi location
    FM Radio :
    NFC :


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