Verizon has decided to launch the Motorola Droid X2 for you internet dwellers – you can now grab it up for $199.99 after a two-year contract on Verizon’s site. (Amazon is offering it for $150 if you’re looking to get it a bit cheaper.) No, you aren’t looking at a DROID X, folks. But its 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor inside and qHD display should do enough to set itself apart from the original.
The Motorola Droid X2 might be the second handset in Verizon’s Android lineup with an ‘X’ in its name, but it’s the first to feature a dual-core processor. The NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip clocked at 1GHz is definitely the key selling point for this phone, but a crisp and big qHD display rolled into a familiar and successful form factor make the X2 easily one of Verizon’s best handsets to date. The lack of 4G LTE connectivity will deter some future-looking buyers, but if the next-gen network technology isn’t on your list of must-haves, the Droid X2 is definitely worth a long, hard look.
The Droid X2 really shines in the hardware department. Motorola continues the trend of bringing the latest cutting-edge technologies together with sleek looks under the Droid name. The things that will instantly stick out to anyone checking out the X2 are its blazing Tegra 2 processor and bright, beautiful, and big qHD display. Motorola chose to not fix what wasn’t broken, and instead key upgrades are what make the Droid X2 a real powerhouse.
The Droid X2 carries Verizon’s first dual-core processor, a Tegra 2 clocked at 1GHz per core, and it really cooks here. The X2 isn’t the fastest dual-core handset we have had the pleasure of getting to know, but we’ll chalk that up to Motorola’s often-bulky MotoBlur interface (we’d be real interested to see how the X2 would perform with stock Android). Launching applications is quick and smooth, navigating amongst homescreens and launching profiles feels seamless, and 3D graphics and gaming performance are top-notch.
The 4.3-inch qHD display with its 540×960 resolution is a real treat as well. We can’t say it tops the Super AMOLED Plus of recent Samsung handsets, but video, web sites, and images look clear and bright, and text is as easy to read as ever. The X2 is capable of 720p video playback, and a HDMI out provides the ability to show 1080p content (courtesy of that powerful Tegra 2). The HDMI out also provides a mirror mode for 1:1 mirroring of your handsets display on a larger HD monitor.
Of course, such heavy-hitting hardware comes with one major fault: battery life. A dual-core processor and large display have been known to drain a battery pretty fast, and while the X2 gets a decent lifespan for basic messaging and calling, the minute you start playing 3D games or watching high-quality video content the battery’s power takes a significant dive. We’d hate to see what would happen if 4G LTE was on-board, and perhaps this was part of the decision to leave the network technology out. Yes, the X2 lacks 4G, and it might be the biggest drawback of a handset that otherwise dominates Verizon’s current lineup.
The Droid X2 ships with Android 2.2.2 and the latest version of Motorola’s MotoBlur interface on top. It has never been our favorite interface — and that doesn’t change with the latest version — but some improvements have been made here that do improve the overall experience. The custom UI does at times create lag that would otherwise be unnecessary, but otherwise everything functions smoothly out of the box.
You notice immediately the new blue/grey status bar that mimics the look of Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Gingerbread, however, is not here (an update is in the works). The interface features seven home screens and three profiles, giving a grand total of 21 panes of home screen goodness. Switching between profiles is easy, as is jumping to any particular home screen using the hardware ‘home’ key.
A set of four icons along the bottom of each home screen remain static and provide quick access to the phone dialer, messaging, camera, and apps launcher. The apps launcher itself is updated with new sorting options and the ability to hop directly into the Android Market.
The standard array of social networking, messaging, and information portal widgets are here, and they function as advertised. Nothing to write home about, and sometimes clunkier than necessary. Many users will get a lot of use from these built-in services while others might simply remove them from their home screens. The X2 comes with plenty of pre-loaded software at launch, including your standard Google Mobile Suite options and Verizon V Cast offerings.
Given the excellent hardware of the handset, we can easily look past any flaws that MotoBlur brings with it. We’re excited to see where the Droid X2 goes when it receives its Gingerbread update in the near future.
Here is where you will get your money’s worth with the Droid X2. The combination of dual-core processor and updated display technology with plenty of screen real estate offer some of the best gaming, web browsing, and media viewing experiences to date on an Android phone.
The X2 breezes through full-3D offerings, rendering graphics with ease and hardly skipping a beat. And it isn’t all for nothing, as the qHD display translates said 3D graphics with brilliant clarity.
The 4.3-inch screen provides a great web browsing experience, rendering pages as they should look and giving plenty of room to read text and view images. Scrolling is flawless and responsive and page loads are snappy.
Viewing video on the X2 is, likewise, a real treat. Again, you can thank the large display and fast processor for this (are you seeing a trend?). Battery life remains an issue when using the X2 heavily for video and game consumption, but given a charge is nearby you could easily lose hours to all that the X2 has to offer.
The Motorola Droid X2 is a superbly crafted handset that takes all that was good with the original and spruces it up in all the right areas. You can’t go wrong with the X2 for gaming, media, and other tasks that require some pretty powerful specs. Simply put, this is a power-user’s handset, but it could find a home with nearly anyone. It’s large size may turn a few off, and a lack of 4G LTE connectivity doesn’t provide a future-proof device, but if those factors aren’t an issue you can’t go wrong with the Droid X2.
ALSO CHECK : Motorola DROID X2 Available Online.
-(phandroid)
Archos might have a few hit on their hands with these devices. We now know how much they will retail for and when they will ship. Starting at $299 you can purchase the 80 G9 tablet with 8GB of internal storage, the 250GB model will run you $369. The larger model starts out at $369 for the 8GB model and goes up to $469 for the 250GB HD model. Both units also have an option for 16GB of storage. Check them both out here and you can sign-up to be notified for more information from Archos when it becomes available.
The Archos 70 is powered by Android 2.2, features the proven 1GHz Arm Cortex A8 processor as found in the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, supports wi-fi 802.11n and comes with a collection of pre-loaded apps like Touiteur, Fring and Mewbox.
It really ought to be a good one. A company like Archos should be able to deliver, what with its heritage in providing cheap media players to the masses for many years.
Here’s the full tech spec of the Archos 70 Internet Tablet, in case you’re keen or have grown tired of waiting for the Galaxy Tab to come down to an acceptable price.
Processor ARM Cortex A8 at 1 GHz with DSP
Operating System Android 2.2 Froyo
Graphics card Graphic accelerator: 3D OpenGL ES 2.0
Screen type LCD
Screen resolution
– WVGA
– 800×480 pixels
Screen size 7″Screen features High resolution touch screen
Hard drive 8 GB flash memory
Optical disk drive No
Memory card reader MicroSD (SDHC compatible)
USB USB slave 2.0: Mass Storage Class (MSC)
Full size USB host: Mass Storage Class (MSC)
FireWire No
Modem/Ethernet No
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
Video interface 1 x HDMI
TV output 1 x HDMI (Digital audio/video output)
Extension card slot No
Sound Built-in speaker
Webcam Yes
Battery Lithium Polymer battery
Music playback time: up to 36 hours
Video playback time: up to 7 hours
Web surfing: up to 10 hours
Additional features Front VGA camera
Accessories included Earphones, Standard USB cable, Quick Start Guide (QSG), legal and safety notice, power charger.
Software included Aldiko, Ebuddy, Wikipedia, Avecomics, HubKap, Deezer, Mewbox, Raging Thunderlite (a 3D car demo game), WordNewspaper, Touiteur, Fring
Size 201 x 114 x 10 mm
Weight 300 grams
AT&T has just added support for over 20 devices in their U-Verse Mobile App. There are a fewAndroid devices included in this lineup. The LG Phoenix, LG Thrive and the Samsung Infuse are the first Android devices to be supported officially. This app is a free download from the Android Market but it requires you to be a subscriber to U200 or higher U-Verse services. Hit the jump for more information in the full press release.
AT&T U-verse Mobile App Expands to Make Mobile TV Viewing Easy on More Android, Windows Phone Devices
U-verse Mobile Now Offers U-verse TV Customers a Library of More Than 700 Shows On More Than 20 Devices AT&T* makes it possible for consumers to watch the hit TV shows they love, when and where they want with the AT&T U-verse Mobile app, and today AT&T U-verse® Mobile has expanded to several Android devices, including the LG Thrive, LG Phoenix and Samsung InfuseTM 4G, and the Windows Phone HTC HD7S™.
U-verse Mobile is now available on more than 20 devices and four major operating systems, and the U-verse Mobile library has grown to include more than 100 TV series and more than 700 TV shows from a variety of genres.
U-verse Mobile lets U-verse TV subscribers browse the U-verse TV program guide, schedule and manage their DVR recordings, and for subscribers with qualifying TV plans, watch hit TV shows on their qualifying smartphone. Mobile video viewing has become increasingly important to consumers. According to the Nielsen Cross-Platform Report, mobile viewing has increased 41 percent over the last year and more than 100 percent since 2009. In August 2010, AT&T was the first TV provider to offer an integrated mobile app that allows you to both manage your DVR and download and watch select shows. U-verse Mobile has continued to expand to more devices and to offer more television shows.
“As you’re heading out for your summer road trip or vacation, U-verse Mobile is a great app to keep the family entertained, and at no extra cost,” said Jeff Weber, vice president of video services, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Our U-verse TV customers can get popular shows on our most popular smartphones and watch from anywhere, and we’ll continue to expand the choices and availability.”
AT&T continues to expand TV watching to the devices that matter most to you, with hit TV shows available on U-verse TV, U-verse Online, U-verse TV on Xbox 360, and U-verse Mobile. U-verse Mobile lets U-verse TV customers schedule and manage DVR recordings at no extra cost. The ability to download or stream and watch TV shows is available at no extra charge for customers that subscribe to the U200 package or higher.
U-verse TV customers with Android devices can find the app on Android MarketTM and U-verse Mobile is preloaded on AT&T Windows Phone devices. U-verse TV customers can also watch TV shows, schedule DVR recordings and see which of their recorded shows are also available to watch online with U-verse Online. Any online user can watch more than 160,000 titles of TV shows, movies and video clips on your PC from the entertainment website.
AT&T U-verse TV is the only 100 percent Internet Protocol-based television (IPTV) service offered by a national service provider, making AT&T U-verse one of the most dynamic and feature-rich services available today. Now AT&T U-verse TV ranks “Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the North Central, South and West Regions,” according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Residential Television Service Provider Satisfaction StudySM. For additional information on AT&T U-verse — or to find out if it’s available in your area — visit AT&T U-verse.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
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