Motorola Droid 4
Motorola Droid 4 to Receive Jelly Bean March 19
Verizon Wireless indicated that the Motorola Droid 4 smartphone will begin to receive the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update today. The update will be pushed over the air and adds a number of new features, such as Google Now.
Motorola Updates List of Devices to Receive Jelly Bean
Motorola recently revised the customer support page that lists which smartphones will receive updated versions of Android and approximately when those updates will arrive. The RAZR M, RAZR HD, and MAXX HD have all received Jelly Bean. The Atrix HD is next on the list, and should get Jelly Bean beginning this month. Devices slated to receive Jelly Bean during the first quarter of 2013 include the Electrify M and the Xoom tablet. Other devices that will receive Jelly Bean at some point in the future include the Photon 2, Electrify 2, RAZR, RAZR MAXX, Droid 4, and Bionic. As a reminder, Motorola is offering a $100 rebate toward an Android 4.x device to current owners of Motorola smartphones running Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
Motorola Talks Jelly Bean Updates for Its U.S. Devices
Motorola has updated the list of devices that will receive updated versions of Android and is revealing for the first time those slated to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The Droid RAZR M, RAZR HD, and MAXX HD are all schedule to receive the Jelly Bean update before the end of the year. Other devices that will be updated to Android 4.1 include the Atrix HD, Photon Q, Electrify 2, and the Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX, 4, and Bionic. Motorola didn't say when this second group will receive Jelly Bean. Devices not on these lists are likely to be updated only as far as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
Verizon Blesses Droid 4 With Global Roaming Via ICS Update
Verizon Wireless recently announced that it is pushing the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich system update to the Motorola Droid 4. Aside from boosting the system from Android 2.3 to Android 4.0, the update also makes the Droid 4 a global device, able to roam onto the GSM-based 3G networks of overseas providers. The update is being delivered to Droid 4 owners in phases and can be installed over the air.
Verizon to Enable Overseas Roaming on LTE Smartphones
Verizon Wireless today confirmed that four of its 4G LTE smartphones will be able to roam onto the GSM-based 3G networks abroad once updated with new software. The company said in a statement, "Customers will see a notification on their device when the software update is available for their device. After the software update, customers will be able to take their smartphone overseas and use voice service in more than 220 countries and receive data in more than 205 countries." The devices include the HTC Rezound, and the Motorola Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and the Droid 4. The update is scheduled to be delivered later this year, though specific timing wasn't provided.
Motorola Says When Some Devices Getting Android 4.0
Motorola has provided an update to its support forum pages, outlining when some devices can expect to see the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. The RAZR and RAZR MAXX should see Android 4.0 during the second quarter, while the Atrix 2, Atrix 4G, Droid 4, and Bionic should see ICS during the third quarter. The Photon 4G is slated to receive ICS during the fourth quarter. Most other Motorola Android devices will remain at Android 2.3, 2.2, or 2.1.
Maintenance Update For Motorola Droid 4 Fixes Battery
Verizon Wireless has revealed the details of a system update for the Motorola Droid 4. The update does not bump the phone to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but provides a number of tweaks and fixes to the phone's performance. Some of the improvements include better battery life, better Wi-Fi performance, more reliable visual voicemail and messaging notifications, and fewer device lockups. The update can be downloaded and installed over the air. Verizon will push the update out over the next few weeks, though users can initiate the update on their own.
Verizon Announces Android 4.0 Update List
Verizon Wireless today published a list of its Android devices that it plans to update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The devices include the: HTC ThunderBolt, Droid Incredible 2, Rhyme, and Rezound; Motorola Xoom, Bionic, RAZR, RAZR MAXX, Droid 4, and Xyboards 8.2/10.1; Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7/10.1; and the LG Spectrum. Verizon said that it will add to this list over time. Verizon didn't say anything other than "later this year" regarding when these devices will be updated. Some of the manufacturers of these devices have provided guidance on the timing of the updates. For example, Motorola said its devices won't see Android 4.0 until some time in the third quarter of the year, while HTC has indicated that Android 4.0 might arrive during the first half of the year.
Verizon's New LTE Phones Have Hidden Global Roaming
The new LG Spectrum and Motorola Droid 4 for Verizon both contain unannounced global GSM/WCDMA roaming capability that will be enabled later this year. None of Verizon's current 4G LTE phones support global roaming, in part because of a network issue. Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney said "The LTE phones work globally in over 40 countries that currently use CDMA technology…. For the new LTE phones to provide global roaming voice and data in non-CDMA countries, we are working on a few network enhancements so we can provide customers with the best voice and data roaming experience. We anticipate this capability to be available this year, likely the first half of the year."
Hands On with the Moto Droid 4 and Droid RAZR MAXX
Motorola has a couple of new LTE Droids here at CES. The Droid 4 brings the original Droid series in the 4G era. The Droid RAZR MAXX uses RAZR engineering to deliver unheard-of battery life. We go hands-on with both.
Verizon and Motorola Debut the Droid 4
Verizon Wireless today announced the Motorola Droid 4, the fourth-generation Android device that has a 4-inch qHD display and support for Verizon Wireless's Long Term Evolution 4G network. The Droid 4 is a sideways slider that has a full QWERTY keyboard and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The Droid 4 also includes a water-repellant coating; 16GB of on-board memory; an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture and Mirror Mode to display images and video on an HDTV; and compatibility with Motorola's Lapdock accessories. It runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Motorola Droid 4 will be available in the coming weeks. Pricing wasn't disclosed.
