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While we don't usually cover every software update on every platform, I thought it worth noting something special about the new update which will begin going out shortly to the Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX. Among the features included in "6.12.173.XT912.Verizon.en.US" is a new feature that isn't directly advertised in the changelog – it's the inclusion of Connected Discontinuous Reception, or CDRX for Motorola/TI's codename Wrigley 4G LTE baseband. The short of it is improved battery life on 4G LTE.

Discontinuous Reception (DRX) is nothing new for UMTS based networks, and is a power reduction feature. The aim is simple – during idle periods, the cellular network tells the handset that it doesn't need to expect any traffic, and thus the handset can shut down the RF frontend and other power draining bits. The phone can then wake up the parts required to receive and listen to a paging channel when the discontinuous cycle ends. 

The above is the way things work in UMTS, in 4G LTE things change a bit, but the concept is the same. However a new feature is the somewhat strangely-named connected DRX mode. The "connected" part comes from the fact that DRX now can work while the user equipment is in an RRC_Connected state, in addition to RRC_Idle. The result is that the handset can now shut down parts required to listen with much finer frequency, for example during the idle periods when a webpage is loading, as opposed to the longer idle periods when the phone is locked and in a pocket. 

I'm told that CDRX is now enabled on about half of Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network, specifically in markets where Ericsson is the radio network equipment supplier. The other Alcatel-Lucent markets will be upgraded as well in due time. Unfortunately my markets in Tucson and Phoenix AZ are Alcatel-Lucent (to the best of my knowledge, from seeing many empty Alcatel-Lucent boxes and trucks around new LTE eNodeBs), so I'll have to wait to see just how big of a difference this makes in real-world testing.

Source: Verizon Software Update (PDF)

US PHONE MAKER Motorola has reported an m loss for the fourth quarter of 2011 after selling a mere 200,000 tablets during the period.

The firm reported revenue of .44bn in the fourth quarter, flat on the .43bn it reported a year earlier. Full year revenue was billion, up from .5bn in 2010. The loss on the year was 9m, from m a year earlier.

Overall shipments were 10.5 million phones and tablets in the quarter ended 30 December 2011, down from 11.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company shipped a total of 42.4 million mobile devices in the year, up from 37.3 million in 2010.

This included 5.3 million smartphones during the quarter and 18.7 million smartphones for the year. Motorola sold one million tablets in 2011.

“In the fourth quarter, we received very positive consumer response to Motorola Razr, which combined an iconic brand with ultra-thin in an innovative smartphone. Our Home business continues to be a leader in the industry’s transformation to all IP, with unique solutions that enable rich media experiences across any screen,” said Sanjay Jha, chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility.

Last year Google said it planned to buy Motorola, pending regulatory approval. Jha added, “We remain energised by the proposed merger with Google and continue to focus on creating innovative technologies.”

The company expects its sale to Google to close in early 2012 “once all conditions have been satisfied”.

In a cautionary note, Motorola added that it “reminds stockholders that it is possible that the failure to timely meet such conditions or other factors outside of the Company’s control could delay or prevent completion of the transaction altogether”. µ

ADVERTISING BROKER Google seems to have given its blessing for Motorola to forge ahead with a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple.

Motorola Mobility, which is set to become part of Google, has alleged Apple infringed six patents with its Iphone 4S. The patents include one which is entitled “Receiver having concealed external antenna”, something that could describe pretty much every mobile phone on sale today.

Apple and Motorola have had prior legal clashes with the two firms already locked in a bitter patent battle that is set to reach trial later this year. Motorola had initially tried to get patent claims against the latest Iphone 4S added to that lawsuit, however the judge rejected that, offering Motorola the chance to file another lawsuit. At this point it is not clear if, or when, those latest claims will end up in court.

According to patents gadfly Florian Mueller, Motorola’s actions must have had Google’s blessing due to the merger agreement signed by the two firms. Mueller cited that the agreement does not allow Motorola to “assert any Intellectual Property Right in any new Action” without Google’s permission.

Google’s thumbs up to Motorola is the surest sign yet that Apple and Google will eventually end up fighting each other rather than using handset makers as their pawns. µ

US GADGET MAKER Motorola has announced a raft of products prior to next week’s consumer electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The Motorola Connected Home Gateway is all about being connected to and controlling your home. The device has a 1.2GHz processor and Motorola’s Open 4 Home software.

Users will be able to control things like home security and energy from devices such as smartphones, tablets and PCs at home or remotely.

Dan Moloney, president of Motorola Mobility said, “People want anywhere, anytime access to their digital lives. Our suite of award-winning products addresses the new ways that people are embracing their connected lifestyle in the home.”

The firm has also announced two smartphones called the Motoluxe and Defy Mini. These apparently will “break boundaries, but won’t break the bank”.

The Motoluxe is the more kitted out and “hip” of the two with a 4in touchscreen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and an 8MP rear facing camera. Like the HTC Rhyme it will have a lanyard that lights up when you get a text message or a call.

On a slightly less exciting note is the Defy Mini, a pint sized version of the Defy+ that we reviewed last month. It too offers a dust proof, scratch resistant and waterproof design with a 3.2in touchscreen, 3MP camera and 1650mAh battery.

Both phones will come with Motorola’s Switch user interface and will be available in February. The company hasn’t announced pricing for these products yet. µ

SOFTWARE HOUSE Microsoft has won a victory against Motorola over alleged patent infringement in Android.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Motorola Mobility infringes Microsoft patents that cover the use of mobile scheduling and meeting tools that appear in Motorola Mobility’s Android devices.

This is an initial ruling and is just one of many accusations thrown at Motorola by Microsoft in August last year.

“We have a responsibility to our employees, customers, partners and shareholders to safeguard our intellectual property,” said David Howard, Microsoft corporate VP and deputy general counsel for litigation at the time. “Motorola is infringing our patents and we are confident that the ITC will rule in our favor.”

This is the second time that the ITC has sided against the Android operating system and yesterday it ruled that HTC is infringing an Apple patent.

Like HTC, Motorola Mobility was glad that it was found to be infringing only a small number of patent claims.

“We are very pleased that the majority of the rulings were favorable to Motorola Mobility,” said Scott Offer, SVP and general counsel at Motorola Mobility in a statement. “The initial determination may provide clarity on the definition of the Microsoft 566 patent for which a violation was found and will help us avoid infringement of this patent in the U.S. market.”

Patent litigation is part of the mobile world we live in, so we can expect more of the same in 2012. µ

Recently Motorola unleashed a bunch of devices it was keeping up its sleeve, and the latest for Verizon is the Motorola Droid RAZR. A while ago we reviewed the Bionic, which was the first time we got to see 4G LTE connectivity (courtesy of a Motorola Wrigley LTE baseband) alongside a dual core OMAP4430 SoC. The RAZR continues with those two components and brings a new industrial design, a different display, and revival of the RAZR brand itself.

While it's not the Galaxy Nexus (our review of the GSM and LTE variants is forthcoming), it might just be some of the best Android hardware around. Read on for the full review.

Product Motorola Xoom 2
Website http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/GB-EN/Home
Specifications 1.2GHz dual-core, 1GB RAM, 10.1in HD Gorilla Glass display with 800×1280 resolution, 16GB internal storage, microUSB and microHDMI ports, WiFi, Bluetooth, 5MP rear-facing and 1.3MP front-facing cameras, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, 254mmx174x8.8mm, 599g
Price £379.99

MOTOROLA’S SUCCESSOR to its Xoom tablet is a hit-and-miss affair and as such the device is likely to remain low down on the Christmas wishlists that will no doubt be headed up by Apple and Samsung products.

We got off to a poor start with the Xoom 2 as the charger supplied with the tablet didn’t work. Thankfully, the battery was at 40 per cent and it did work with other microUSB chargers in the office. Motorola sent another charger, confirming that the cable was faulty and saving the device from ridicule at INQUIRER towers.

We were also disappointed to find no USB cables in the box. This is not a major problem for experienced smartphone users, but could be an issue for first time tablet buyers who might find that they cannot connect the device to their computer when they take it out of the box. Motorola is pushing its Motocast remote file sharing app, which we discuss below, but nothing beats being able to quickly sync up an Android device to a computer to grab a file. As it takes a while to set up Motocast on a new computer anyway, it can be much quicker to transfer files between devices using a cable.

Thinner and lighter, but not brighter
Motorola has shaved just over 4mm off the chassis thickness and reduced the weight by over 100g compared to the original Xoom. This is very welcome as the first tablet was a bit too bulky at 12.9mm thick and 730g.

The Xoom 2 is 8.8mm thick and weighs 599g, which makes it nearly identical to the Ipad 2 at 8.8mm and 601g. However, the Motorola device still looks bulkier than Apple’s tablet and is not as light as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 at 565g.

The Xoom 2 retains the same 10.1in screen, 1280×800 resolution and 149ppi pixel density as the original, but Motorola claims to have increased the display quality to HD and increased the brightness. During tests we didn’t find the screen any brighter than its predecessor. We did find it bright enough for watching videos and browsing the internet though.

Product Motorola Defy+
Website www.motorola.co.uk
Specifications 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 1GB ROM, 2GB microSD card provided, 3.7in 480×854 resolution touchscreen, 5MP rear camera, Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, 1700mAh battery, 59x107x13.4mm, 118g.
Price £239 SIM free

IF YOU’RE after a reasonably sized smartphone that is tough and durable the Motorola Defy+ could be right up your street.

The Defy+ isn’t exactly the best looking phone we’ve had in for review at The INQUIRER but its focus is on practicality instead of winning awards on the catwalk. The handset is quite plain looking but some exposed screws look quite cool if you like that sort of thing.

From the front it looks similar to most touchscreen handsets with the screen taking up most of the space and four buttons below, consisting of menu, home, back and search. The rear is just as unexciting as the front with a dark grey cover that has a latch to lock it in place.

Robust design lives up to the hype
The handset has a tank like nature that gives the impression it will cope with a battering that could break other handsets. Motorola says the Defy+ is water and scratch resistant as well as dustproof. The display is made from the durable Gorilla Glass, which is proving a popular choice for handset manufacturers. The headphone socket and microUSB ports have plastic covers and the rear cover seals tightly to lock out liquids and dirt. Strangely the rear seal includes the battery compartment but doesn’t extend to where the camera is.

We found the design to work well and the ports have more protection from debris, especially compared to other handsets we have in the office. We even ran the phone under a tap and it survived fine. Dirt is often the cause of electronic failures so these features should increase the phone’s life span.

The handset is compact at 59x107mm, making it smaller than most smartphones on the market. For reference it’s smaller than the Apple Iphone 4S but has a screen 0.2in larger at 3.7in.

Unfortunately the phone isn’t very thin, an increasing talking point about mobile devices. It is a hefty 13.4mm thick, which is the thickest handset we’ve had for review in a long time. However, we didn’t find this to be a problem because the phone is small. It’s comfortable to hold and weighs a light 118g.

We've talked in the past about how OEMs take the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and use it to build software tailored for devices in the context of x86 optimizations, and today two partners are sharing some more details about their specific timelines for Android 4.0 releases. Those two are Sony Ericsson and Motorola, who have outlined in their respective blog posts the path from code to getting a fully baked ROM pushed out over the air to handsets.

The two posts describe the process as we've understood it for a while now, and with Android 4.0 things don't seem any different. Google works with a specific OEM and SoC vendor around some chosen reference hardware (in this case Galaxy Nexus), and simultaneously (or close to it) releases the source code and device when things are finished. At that point, SoC vendors begin working on their own ports and build in necessary drivers or optimizations of their own.

That software package then is turned over to OEMs who add their own specific software (in the case of Motorola, for example – MotoCast, Smart Actions, and likely Blur) and make necessary tweaks to accommodate individual carrier requirements and device nuances. After the OEM finishes up its own testing, the update then passes over to carriers for their own testing, and here things have been a bit fuzzy. Motorola gives out an interesting tidbit today in their post, noting that while each carrier is different, the testing period is on the order of months:

Each carrier has different requirements for phases 2 and 3. There may be a two-month preparation cycle to enter a carrier lab cycle of one to three months.

Sony Ericsson also notes that this certification and testing phase is the longest in the process:

The Certification and approval phase that is the most time consuming process when it comes to getting a new software release out on our phones. This is one of the major tasks that are legally required from us as phone manufacturer, but is a task that the custom ROM community doesn’t have to take into consideration.  

Motorola has noted as well that the Droid RAZR, Bionic, and Xoom are all guaranteed to get an ICS port before the second half of 2012, and the list of Motorola devices being upgraded to 4.0 will likely grow. Meanwhile Sony Ericsson noted that the entire 2011 Xperia family will receive an update to 4.0 and that dates will come later.

Source: Motorola, Sony Ericsson

Product Motorola Razr
Website http://www.motorola.com
Specifications Texas Instruments 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, 4.3in qHD 540×960 Super AMOLED Advanced screen, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, 69x131x7.1mm, 127g.
Price £454 SIM free, from £26 per month on contract

US PHONE MAKER Motorola has resurrected its iconic Razr brand this year with its latest thin, light and tough smartphone.

In the looks department the Razr is fairly plain from the front, apart from the shiny Motorola logo at the top. It has a shape that’s similar to the firm’s Xoom 2 tablets with cut off corners. Unfortunately there’s a small hole in amongst the buttons that spoils the look slightly, looking like a DIY accident has occurred.

However, flip the handset over and you’re presented with something quite different. You can’t help but notice how thin the device is at just 7.1mm – thinner than a biro pen. This is outstanding engineering and makes it the thinnest smartphone we’ve seen. The phone isn’t this wafer thin size from top to bottom, but it’s only a small section at the top around the camera that is slightly thicker.

Of course the fact that the phone is thin means that it is light, too. It tips the scales at 127g, which is impressive for a smartphone with a large 4.3in screen. The device is quite comfortable to hold, if a little wide at 69mm.

The back also looks stunning because of its woven Kevlar, which feels good as well as looking cool. It’s nice to see something different and it’s definitely a phone you will want to show off to your mates. The design is built for overall toughness with a stainless steel core, a Gorilla Glass touchscreen display and a Splash Guard coating to fend off rain or accidental spills.

There is no rear cover so you can’t get access to the battery. Instead, the microSIM and microSD card slots are on the side of the Razr underneath a fold-down cover.

You get the kind of specifications that you would expect from a high-end, flagship smartphone. The Razr comes equipped with a Texas Instruments 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

This is about standard for the chip and RAM and there’s a decent amount of internal storage. The phone’s performance is far more impressive than the specifications are on paper. The touchscreen is responsive without being over the top and transitions between home screens or menus happen lightning fast but smoothly.

We found 16GB is enough internal storage to have on-board and you can bump this up by a further 32GB by using the microSD card slot.