Android and Me » eclair

Motorola Titanium landing on Sprint this weekend for $150, just a few years late

Alberto Vildosola — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:17:42 +0000

How does a QWERTY keyboard-packing phone running an ancient Android version sound to you? Pretty bad, doesn’t it? Well, meet the Motorola Titanium. Also known as the most outdated Android phone that isn’t even available yet.

The Motorola Titanium joins the Motorola XPRT as one of Sprint’s business-ready and tough-built Android phones. Amazingly, the Motorola Titanium is running Android 2.1. Why would Motorola release an Android phone with software that’s almost 2 years old is beyond us. Like it or not, the Titanium will be available this Sunday from the Now Network for $149 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) with the following specs:

Android 2.1 Eclair
504 MHz Freescale Zeus 2.0 ARM1136
256 MB of RAM
3.1-inch TFT screen with a 320 x 480 resolution
5 MP rear-facing camera
LED flash
1800 mAh battery
Support for Nextel Direct Connect Services

The last time I saw a phone with such a depressing spec sheet… Wait. I’ve never seen an Android phone this awful. This looks like a device that would compete with the T-Mobile G1, which was released almost three years ago. In other words, the Titanium is three years late.

Now, I understand this phone is not meant for the Android enthusiast or even the average smartphone buyer. This phone will probably be used by people who couldn’t care less about specs or software version. Nonetheless, Motorola should do a better job at keeping up with the times. Even with phones that are meant to be just glorified walkie talkies. With a price of $149, the Motorola Titanium should at least have Froyo, 512 MB of RAM, a 1 GHz processor and a bigger screen.

In slightly better news, the Titanium has a Military Specification 810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature. Take that as you will, but I’m guessing people who are constantly exposed to those kind of things won’t put up with a phone that takes half an hour to load a web page.

What do you guys think? Am I being too tough on the Motorola Titanium? Or should Motorola wake up from this dream world where they think they can release phones with archaic specs and we won’t call them out? Let us know in the comments.

Show Press Release

Motorola Titanium, First Android 2.1 Smartphone
with Best-in-Class Nextel Direct Connect,
Available Beginning July 24 for $149.99

Motorola Titanium™, America’s first Android 2.1 (Éclair) smartphone with best-in-
class Nextel Direct Connect™ for Push-to-Talk, goes on sale in Sprint Stores, online
at www.sprint.com, Telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1 and Sprint Business Sales beginning
Sunday, July 24, for $149.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year
service agreement, after $100 mail-in rebate.

As the successor to the popular Motorola i1 launched by Sprint in 2010, Motorola
Titanium is sleek and attractive, yet durable. It features a full QWERTY keyboard
and 3.1-inch touchscreen display for a feature-rich, business-class experience. Built
military-grade tough, Motorola Titanium is designed to meet Military Specification
810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and
low temperature.

Additional key features of Motorola Titanium include:
• Support for Nextel Direct Connect Services, including Direct Connect, Group
Connect®, International Direct Connect®, DirectSendSM, Group Messaging and
NextMail®
• Android Market™ for access to more than 200,000 applications, widgets and
games available for download
• Google™ mobile services such as Google Search™, Gmail™, Google Talk™,
Google Maps™ with Navigation, syncing with Google Calendar™ and
YouTube™
• Corporate email (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®) and personal (POP3 &
IMAP) email, calendar and contacts
• 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with camcorder, 4x zoom and LED flash
• Wi-Fi b/g/n
• Stereo Bluetooth®
• GPS navigation
• microSD slot, with a 2GB memory card included, supporting up to 32GB
• 1820 mAh Lithium-ion battery

With more than 17 years of expertise, Sprint is the industry leader in Push-to-Talk,
serving the world’s largest Push-to-Talk community with millions of Nextel Direct
Connect subscribers on the fastest national Push-to-Talk network. Nextel Direct
Connect has set the industry standard for Push-to-Talk worldwide. More U.S. workers
communicate in less than a second with Nextel Direct Connect than with any other
Push-to-Talk service.

Motorola XPRT and Titanium officially announced, headed to Sprint

Edgar Cervantes — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:11:20 +0000

Though we were not too amazed by its release, the Motorola Droid Pro is a good phone for business. Not only is it an enterprise-ready world phone, but it also has a good Blackberry-like keyboard (portrait), which is something many of you may prefer. You may have liked the idea of a non-slide-out physical keyboard, and you should be happy to know that Verizon is not the only one with that option anymore. Motorola and Sprint just announced two devices: the XPRT and the Titanium, and while they look almost the same, they serve completely different purposes.

The Motorola XPRT features enterprise security as well as being a worldphone, which should make it a good option for the businessman. If you have been using a Blackberry, we know that getting to learn a whole new OS can be demanding, but the portrait keyboard should make the device feel much more familiar. The XPRT also has a 1GHz processor and a 3.1-inch screen, as well as being loaded with Android 2.2 Froyo.

Additional key features of Motorola XPRT include:

* Android Market™ for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games available for download
* Google™ mobile services, such as Google Maps™ with Navigation, Google Talk™, Gmail™ and YouTube™
* Corporate email (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®) and personal (POP & IMAP) email
* Worldmode – CDMA (EVDO Rev. A), GSM/UMTS (HSPA) – international roaming service available in more than 200 countries
* 3G Mobile Hotspot capability, supporting up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously
* 5-megapixel camera with camcorder and dual LED flash for low-light performance
* microSD slot, with a 2GB memory card included, supporting up to 32GB
* Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
* Wi-Fi® b/g/n
* 1860 mAh Lithium-ion battery Motorola

On the other hand, the Motorola Titanium is meant to be the successor to Motorola i1 (which most of you do not like at all), but this time with Android 2.1. Like its predecessor, the Titanium is an iDEN device, and will be push-to-talk capable, but that isn’t the only similarity this device has to its ancestor. The Motorola Titanium is also a rugged device (explains the name), “Built military-grade tough, Motorola Titanium is certified to Military Specification 810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature.” If you are one of those loyal PTT users, this will be the best option for you, at least when it comes to Android devices.

Additional key features of Motorola Titanium include:

* Support for Nextel Direct Connect Services, including Direct Connect, Group Connect®, International Direct Connect®, DirectSendSM, Group Messaging and NextMail®
* Android Market for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games available for download
* Google mobile services such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Maps with Navigation, syncing with Google Calendar™ and YouTube
* Corporate email (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync) and personal (POP3 & IMAP) email
* 5-megapixel camera with camcorder, 4x zoom and flash
* Wi-Fi b/g
* Stereo Bluetooth
* GPS navigation
* microSD slot, with a 2GB memory card included, supporting up to 32GB
* 1820 mAh Lithium-ion battery Motorola

Motorola and Sprint did not announce the price and availability for the Motorola Titanium, but they did give us Motorola XPRT’s official price and release date. The XPRT will go for $129.99 on a two-year contract, and will be available in stores on June 5th, which is just a month from now. Now, we know that these devices are not the best you can find out there, but it is still nice to get more options (Especially for Nextel!), and portrait keyboards just might be your thing. What do you guys say? Liking the form-factor? Excited to see the Droid Pro idea spread to other carriers? Who will be getting in line for one of these?

Show Press Release

Sprint and Motorola Unveil Two Android Devices for Business: Motorola XPRT and Motorola Titanium

New Android smartphones target professionals with enhanced business-class experiences; Motorola XPRT offers enterprise-grade security and enhanced MOTOBLUR experience on an Android World Phone; and Motorola Titanium pairs best-in-class Nextel Direct Connect with Android

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), May 05, 2011 – To meet the growing demand for mobile devices with industry-leading enterprise features, Sprint (NYSE: S) and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) will launch two new smartphones with enhanced business-ready capabilities, built on the Android™ platform. Motorola XPRT™ is the first Android smartphone from Sprint to deliver enterprise-class security, personal productivity enhancements and international roaming. Motorola Titanium™ leverages Sprint’s industry-leading Push-to-Talk capabilities as the first Nextel Direct Connect® smartphone built on Android 2.1.

“We are pleased to extend our portfolio of products directed at business-users with these two powerful and versatile Android devices,” said Paget L. Alves, president – Sprint Business. “Motorola XPRT delivers the security features enterprise customers demand without scrimping on the latest in technology, while Motorola Titanium is a rugged Android smartphone with Nextel Direct Connect’s sub-second Push-to-Talk.”

Motorola XPRT will be available on Sunday, June 5, in Sprint Stores, Business Sales, Web sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1), for $129.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement. Pricing and availability for Motorola Titanium will be announced at a later date.

“Motorola XPRT and Motorola Titanium blend feature-packed consumer experiences with an optimal set of productivity and security tools,” said Jeff Miller, corporate vice president of sales, Motorola Mobility. “We are pleased to partner with Sprint to deliver each of these unique business-ready devices to their continuously growing enterprise customer base.”

Packed with Productivity Tools

Designed for business users, Motorola XPRT offers a sleek, compact design built on Android 2.2, Froyo. This full-feature world phone is equipped with a pinch-to-zoom capable touchscreen, 3.1-inch HVGA display, full QWERTY keyboard and 1GHz processor with Adobe Flash 10 web browsing.

Enterprise managers and workforces across field service, field sales, healthcare, retail, utilities, manufacturing and transportation/distribution industries will benefit from its feature-rich capabilities, enterprise-class security and data encryption. Motorola XPRT delivers business-class security features with 256-bit AES data encryption and controls the IT department will appreciate, including the ability to remotely handle functions like enabling pin or password lock, password recovery and data wipe on both the phone and SD card if lost or stolen.

Motorola XPRT comes loaded with MOTOBLUR™ offering personalized content, including email and social media updates, delivered right to the user’s home screen. It enables convenient viewing of news feeds, updates and messages from social media sites from a single screen.

Additional key features of Motorola XPRT include:

* Android Market™ for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games available for download
* Google™ mobile services, such as Google Maps™ with Navigation, Google Talk™, Gmail™ and YouTube™
* Corporate email (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®) and personal (POP & IMAP) email
* Worldmode – CDMA (EVDO Rev. A), GSM/UMTS (HSPA) – international roaming service available in more than 200 countries
* 3G Mobile Hotspot capability, supporting up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously
* 5-megapixel camera with camcorder and dual LED flash for low-light performance
* microSD slot, with a 2GB memory card included, supporting up to 32GB
* Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR
* Wi-Fi® b/g/n
* 1860 mAh Lithium-ion battery

Motorola XPRT requires activation on one of Sprint’s Everything Data plans, plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge (pricing excludes surcharges and taxes).

Sprint also offers great value with international service add-ons for Motorola XPRT. For just $4.99 per month, the Sprint Worldwide Voice Add on offers discounted rates while traveling in more than 100 countries. For only $2.99 per month, you can make local calls in Canada, call back to the United States and even receive calls in Canada for just $0.20 per minute. That’s a savings of $0.39 per minute over standard roaming charges. While roaming in Canada, Mexico, China, and other destinations data rates start as low as $0.002 per KB (on CDMA networks).

To sign up to learn more about Motorola XPRT, please visit www.motorola.com/XPRT.

Leading in Push-to-Talk

As the successor to the popular Motorola i1 launched by Sprint last year, Motorola Titanium is sleek and attractive, yet durable. It is the first iDEN device to combine Sprint’s best-in-class Nextel Direct Connect and Android 2.1, Éclair, for a feature rich business-class experience. It features a full QWERTY keyboard and 3.1-inch touchscreen display. Built military-grade tough, Motorola Titanium is certified to Military Specification 810G for dust, shock, vibration, low pressure, solar radiation, high temperature and low temperature.

With more than 17 years of expertise, Sprint is the industry leader in Push-to-Talk, serving the world’s largest Push-to-Talk community with millions of Nextel Direct Connect subscribers on the fastest national Push-to-Talk network. Nextel Direct Connect has set the industry standard for Push-to-Talk worldwide. More U.S. workers communicate in less than a second with Nextel Direct Connect than with any other Push-to-Talk service.

Additional key features of Motorola Titanium include:

* Support for Nextel Direct Connect Services, including Direct Connect, Group Connect®, International Direct Connect®, DirectSendSM, Group Messaging and NextMail®
* Android Market for access to more than 150,000 applications, widgets and games available for download
* Google mobile services such as Google Search, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Maps with Navigation, syncing with Google Calendar™ and YouTube
* Corporate email (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync) and personal (POP3 & IMAP) email
* 5-megapixel camera with camcorder, 4x zoom and flash
* Wi-Fi b/g
* Stereo Bluetooth
* GPS navigation
* microSD slot, with a 2GB memory card included, supporting up to 32GB
* 1820 mAh Lithium-ion battery

To learn more about Motorola Titanium, please visit www.motorola.com/titanium.

Official: Motorola releases Android 2.1 update for the Cliq

Nick Gray — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 23:57:37 +0000

If you recall, last month we posted three different stories about the Android 2.1 update for the Motorola Cliq. First there was the rumored November launch timeframe, followed by Motorola seeking a handful of users to test out the new build. The last story we ran was supposed to be the official release of the Android 2.1 build for the Cliq, but it turned out that it was simply the test build which was never supposed to be shared with the general public.

Well, today we’re back and it finally looks like we have the final product! Those of you who still own the Cliq (and have not rooted or hacked it in any way) should head on over to the Motorola Cliq’s Support page for detailed instructions on how to download and install the Android 2.1 update. The update to Éclair will not wipe your phone, but Motorola does suggest you do a backup of your contacts and any other important information you might not want to lose just in case something goes terribly wrong.

We’re hoping this is the last time we have to write about the Motorola Cliq Android 2.1 update. As always, let us know how the update goes and feel free to share your thoughts on the many new features now available on the Cliq.

Android 2.1 update for the Motorola Cliq now available

Nick Gray — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:07:36 +0000

Android 2.1 for the Motorola Cliq has arrived! Just one day after Motorola posted that they were looking for Android 2.1 testers, they have decided to make the Eclair update to everyone. The new build number for the Motorola Cliq is Blur_Version.2.1.5.MB200.T-Mobile.en.US and will require users to have at least 100 MB of free space available on their memory card. Motorola will be permanently reducing your internal memory since the update requires a bit more room than the original Android 1.5 build did.

Motorola has put up five pages of detailed instructions on how to prepare, download, and install the latest Android update to the Cliq. So what are you waiting for? Once your Cliq is up and running on Android 2.1, be sure to let us know how the update process went and which Android 2.1 feature you like the most.

Motorola seeking volunteers to test Android 2.1 on the Cliq

Nick Gray — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:31:36 +0000

Motorola Cliq users looking to get a sneak peak at the Android 2.1 build that’s expected to roll out sometime next month might want to head on over to Motorola’s support forums. Developers at Motorola are looking for 2,000 Cliq users to test out the new Éclair build before they wrap things up and roll it out to everyone else. Simply fill out a short registration form and you should be all set. We don’t know how many 2,000 slots have been filled, but last time we checked, registration was still open.

If you happen to get selected, be sure to drop us a line and share your experience with us.

Android 2.1 running on nearly 60% of all Android phones

Nick Gray — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:06:54 +0000

Google’s latest bi-weekly Android distribution numbers indicate a continual growth trend for Android 2.1. In the past two weeks, Android 2.1 has grown from 55.5% to 59.7% of the overall Android platform. Android 1.5 and 1.6 took another huge hit, reducing their combined market share from 41% to 35.6%.

While the growth of Android 2.2 from 3.3% to 4.5% may not be quite as impressive, we’re looking forward to Google’s next report which should take into account the HTC EVO 4G’s Froyo update along with that of the HTC Desire and Motorola Droid. We don’t have any concrete numbers on how many of these handsets are actually on the market, but the OTA updates on these three phones to the latest version of Android should be enough to hold back the growth of Android 2.1 next time around.

Android 2.1 upgrades for Sprint coming over the wire

Taylor Wimberly — Sat, 01 May 2010 02:28:32 +0000

A new leaked document from Sprint confirms the pending release of Android 2.1 for the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment. As we reported earlier this year, both upgrades will be PC-based (vs over the air) and will likely require a wipe.

Sprint will not initially offer over the air upgrades because the Android 2.1 packages are too large (80 MB for Moment, 117 MB for Hero) for their OTA servers. We pointed this out last year and it looks like Sprint was unable to come up with a working solution on time. Sprint has the option to use Google’s servers to roll out their upgrades, but they have not fully tested it and would be unable to meet the “required launch timeframe”.

The document claims the Moment will receive Android 2.1 on April 30 (today) and the Hero will follow in the first week of May. We know these dates change a lot, but both upgrades have been tested internally and should be ready to go.

Keep an eye on the Samsung Moment and HTC Hero support pages for updates. The files and instructions to perform a manual update will be posted on Sprint’s site when they are available.

It is also interesting to note that Sprint claims 90% of their Samsung Moment customers have a phone with a non-current software version. This could be because previous updates required the user to take their phone to a Sprint repair center or manually download the file. If the Hero and Moment follow a similar upgrade path, then we can assume a large portion of users will not update their phone without some extra help from Sprint.

The wait is almost over.

CyanogenMod brings Android 2.1 to G1 and myTouch 3G

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:22:16 +0000

If you have a hacked G1 or myTouch 3G, take note. Many developers have released custom ROMs based off Android 2.1 for the HTC Dream and Magic for awhile now, but most were not fully working. Devs had been waiting on updated hardware drivers which supported the Android 2.1 kernel and those were finally released earlier this month.

After several weeks of a lot of hard work, the team behind CyanogenMod is close to releasing a public beta of their latest ROM – version CM 5.0.7 Ds. The new ROM is finally using Android 2.1 and includes many of the enhancements found in the CyanogenMod for Nexus One.

As of this writing there are still a few bugs to work out, but look for a beta release tomorrow night.

Android 2.1 will fit onto the myTouch 3G (HTC Magic) with no problems, but it will not fit on the G1 (HTC Dream) without some modifications (damn those pesky storage limitations). G1 users must install the infamous DangerSPL which re-partitions the NAND flash inside the device. If you have never flashed the DangerSPL, the guys on the CyanogenMod forum are putting up a how-to guide.

First time hackers might just want to wait a few weeks and see what Google reveals at I/O on May 19-20. For all we know, Android 2.2 could magically appear for some first gen phones.

Our friend @kmobs is back with another video giving a quick walk through of the new test ROM on a G1. It looks like one of our shirts found its way to his desk.

For the latest on this CyanogenMod, visit the official site or follow @cyanogen on Twitter.

Sprint to Employees: No 2.1 in March, more details in April

Ian Wheat — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:39:02 +0000

Can you hear the groans from Sprint customers? According to a Sprint employee at XDA-Developers CDMA Hero forum, Sprint has sent employees a memo outlining how to keep customers’ spirits up regarding the new update. This information has been taken as a refutation of recent rumors that the Hero and Moment would be updated on March 26th. Some key quotes can be found here:

Let your customers know we are actively working on having the Android 2.1 platform available to our Hero and Moment customers over the coming weeks. Look for more information coming in April about Android 2.1 platform for Hero and Moment.Internal Sprint Memo

The memo concludes by reminding Sprint employees that their customers use superior Android handsets and that About.com readers nominated the HTC Hero as their favorite smartphone in their 2010 Reader Choice Awards.

So, “over the coming weeks” and “information coming in April” aren’t exactly the words that Sprint customers want to hear, but some information is better than none, right? Granted, this is just a rumor from a Sprint employee, so take it with a grain of salt, a shaker, or none.

Acer Liquid e is a Snapdragon Android phone

Sean Riley — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:33:41 +0000

Following hot on the heels of its Snapdragon powered predecessor, the Acer Liquid, we now have the Acer Liquid e. The new member of the Liquid family swaps out tired Android 1.6 for fresh Android 2.1, but there are no hardware revisions to speak of here. Current Liquid owners should be able to just tape a little “e” on as soon as Acer gets around to offering a system upgrade.

The exciting part about the phone is our friends from and.roid.es are reporting the Liquid e will retail for €275 ($374) €359 ($494) before subsidies. That would place this phone around the same price as many mid level Android phones, but still pack a punch with its Snapdragon processor.

A new Android device is always welcome, but the reason for this “refresh” seems a little unclear and why Acer did not at least unleash the full power of the Snapdragon processor rather than keeping it underclocked at 768 MHz is a real mystery.

The only other tidbit of note is that as you may remember the Liquid is supposed to be coming to AT&T in the first half of 2010. So whether the version that lands stateside will offer you Android 1.6 or 2.1 is unclear at the moment.

The new list of features which Acer is touting includes:

Home screens – The new version now handles five home screens by default, allowing users to easily install more applications from the rich selection available on the Android Market, as well as shortcuts and widgets;
Quick Contacts – a feature that lets users easily switch between the address book and the social network applications;
Live wallpapers to customize your Liquid e on the fly;
A new keyboard layout with an extended dictionary for predictive input;
An updated version of the Android browser, supporting HTML5, double-tap zooming, video tagging support and geo-location API support.

Acer Liquid e specs.

Acer Liquid e specs continued.