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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.

US TABLET MAKER Motorola might bring out 3G versions of its freshly announced Xoom 2 tablets.

Yesterday we saw the two devices at a briefing with Motorola where the firm told us the tablets would have no 3G versions or memory expansion via SD card. However, the models we saw clearly had some slots that weren’t supposed to be present.

As you can see in the picture of the larger 10.1in model, there is a plastic cover with a microSD card slot and a SIM card slot. We questioned Motorola about these only to be told that the tablets were pre-production and that there was no announcement about 3G models.

Instead, the two tablets will come with only 16GB of internal storage, no SD or microSD card slot and no 3G model when they launch later this month. It seems awfully strange for the company to demonstrate models that clearly have these features.

Furthermore online retailer Clove has announced that 3G models are “likely to arrive” and put up product pages for both models.

Motorola told us, “there is no announcement for 3G models”.

It would seem likely for the firm to offer a 3G option with the Xoom 2. After all, the original Xoom had a 3G version. As for expansion, we’re utterly confused as to why there would be no SD or microSD card slot included, especially since there is only the 16GB internal storage option.

We’ll have to wait and see if Motorola announces any changes to the existing Xoom 2 models and 3G models in the future. µ

THE INQUIRER met up with US tablet maker Motorola earlier today in central London where we got up close and personal with the Xoom 2 tablet.

In the video above we take a few minutes to look at the smaller of the two models. It’s 8.2in as opposed to 10.1in and is called the Media Edition. The tablet comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, a Texas Instruments 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

Some things we forgot to mention in the demonstration are the microHDMI port, splash guard technology and the Motocast app for remote file access. The tablet will be available to buy within the next few weeks priced at around £360.

We also got a look at the larger Xoom 2 so be sure to check out our hands-on review of both tablets. µ

MOBILE PHONE OUTFIT Motorola Mobility has received 8m in patent licensing deals.

Motorola Mobility, which is in the process of being bought by Google, confirmed in its accounts that in June 2010 the firm signed a licensing deal with an unnamed company for which Motorola would receive 5m and future royalties. Those future royalties stacked up to an impressive 8m in just the nine months leading up to 2 October 2010.

Google’s attempt to buy Motorola’s handset division was generally regarded as a move to acquire the firm’s considerable patent portfolio. Motorola’s handset division is widely credited with being one of the major contributors to the development of mobile phones and while the firm’s smartphones might not be as fashionable as devices from Apple, HTC or Samsung, it clearly has patents that can bring home the bacon.

Although Motorola did not disclose the name of the other party in its licensing deal, there is a better than average chance that it is Research in Motion. The two firms came to a “long-term, intellectual property cross-licensing arrangement involving the parties receiving cross-licenses of various patent rights” in June 2010.

If Motorola can eek out that much cash from just one vendor in such a short period of time, Google’s decision to go after the firm’s patents sounds like a good strategy. Even if Google doesn’t use Motorola’s patent portfolio to generate cash, its patents strength should be able to save it and its handset partners some cash. µ

THE INQUIRER was one of the first to get its hands on the reincarnation of the Motorola Razr smartphone unveiled on Wednesday and we had a quick play on the device to see whether it lives up to the hype.

Naming it the ‘Razr’, a nod to its formerly hugely popular device of the same name, suggests that Motorola has high hopes for this phone.

Two of the main aspects of the smartphone touted by Motorola are the size and weight of the device, with the firm claiming the super slim design makes it the thinnest smartphone on the market.

Whether it is or not, it does feel very light and comfortable to hold, yet it’s far from petite, boasting a high-quality 4.3inch super AMOLED touchscreen.

It still feels sturdy and strong too, no doubt helped by the use of threaded Kevlar on the back of the phone and Gorilla Glass for the screen, making it ideally suited for busy people who don’t want a device that they have to treat as a precious, fragile toy.

Motorola has also added what it calls Splash Guard technology, which makes the phone water-repellent to low level liquid insults such as rain.

It features a top quality, razor sharp display – no pun intended – with images and web pages rendered clearly and crisply, making it an equal to many high-end Samsung devices and the Iphone 4S.

This will help to ensure that photos taken with the 8MP camera won’t let you down, while video is also high-quality, with HD 1080 capability. This is supported by a sizeable 16GB complement of internal storage and a microSD card slot to ramp up storage to a whopping 48GB.

Accessing and interacting with all this data will require a speedy processor and the dual-core 1.2GHz processor is certainly powerful enough, with the phone easily and seamlessly switching between its camera, applications and web pages.

It’s odd in some ways, though, that the device has Android 2.3 Gingerbread as its operating system (OS), and not Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Perhaps Google purposefully allowed Samsung to be first to market with the latest version of Android to keep it sweet.

Motorola has confirmed that it will be rolling out an OS update to the phone in the first quarter of 2012, though, so those keen to get the update won’t have to wait too long if they plump for the Razr.

One notable hardware inclusion on the device is an HDMI port, a feature lacking from many high-end devices such as the Iphone 4S. This will allow users to stream photos and videos to larger screens through a single cable with no loss of image quality, ideal for sharing photos.

Overall then, Motorola has produced a strong piece of kit with its revived Razr smartphone, and one that’s worthy of the name. It could be just the phone the firm needs to turn heads in the UK market, where its Milestone devices failed to excite consumers, unlike in the US.

Whether it’s enough to compete with Apple or Samsung will remain to be seen, and its launch at the same time as Samsung releases a major product and as the Iphone 4S flies off the shelves could hurt its immediate prospects.

It is, however, a very strong offering and could well be the springboard to even bigger and brighter things as Google is starting to provide its not inconsiderable support and assistance. µ

US PHONE MAKER Motorola has unveiled the dual-core chipped, 7.1mm thick Droid Razr smartphone at a press conference in the US.

According to the This is My Next live blog, the Android phone, known alternately as the Spyder, has got LTE for Verizon in the US, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP camera with HD 1080p video capture and a 4.3in Super AMOLED qHD display.

Meanwhile, it’s just 7.1mm thick, perhaps the thinnest smartphone ever made.

It has laminated construction for enhanced rigidity and a precision machined stainless steel core. The back is made from woven kevlar and it has an 1800mAh battery that delivers 12.5 hours of talk time.

We expect that the European version of this handset will be revealed tomorrow, possibly under a different name. µ