Motorola Announces MotoACTV, Touchscreen Fitness Music Player

Motorola has announced of a new square shaped music player with fitness tracking performance functionalities. Looks and sounds familiar? Looks like Motorola wants to bank in on Apple's success with its iPod Nano. Hey, we're not judging here. The more choices out there the better! Motorola's new MotoACTV is first and foremost a fitness-focused device before it's a music player with things like heart monitoring through the optional $179 Motorola SF700 wireless sport headphones and $99 Motorola SF500 wired sport headphones that have built-in heart rate monitors with real-time audible readouts of your heart rate allowing you to track your performance, all without using a chest strap.

With the MotoACTV you can keep track of your ongoing fitness performance stats, including pace, distance, calories burned, and map tracking your outdoor performance with a map detailing the route covered using the built-in GPS. Automatic wireless syncing of all of your workout data is then pushed to your online account. 

The MotoACTV isn't just an iPad Nano clone despite the similarities. It's much richer in features. You'll find a 1.6" multi-touch touchscreen display with Gorilla Glass that's sweat-proof, rain-resistant and scratch-resistant that auto-adjusts for indoor or outdoor lighting. The MotoACTV supports both Bluetooth 4.0 and ANT+ wireless connectivity for existing and future sensors and accessories, FM radio, option to sync with the latest Android-powered smartphone to receive and control incoming calls and texts on your touchscreen and a rechargeable battery that will last you up to 5 hours for outdoor workouts due to GPS performance tracking, 10 hours indoors, and nearly two weeks on standby.

You'll be available to pre-order the Motorola MotoACTV starting today in 8GB and 16GB models for $249 and $299, respectively. Additional accessories like the wristband aren't going to be included. Expect to get your hands on it on November 6. 

Motorola Mobility Acquired By Google

An unexpected major purchase has been announced today by Google that it has acquired Motorola Mobility, one of the biggest mobile phone maker in the world, for a mind blowing $12.5 billion. Google has plans to "supercharge" the Android ecosystem out of this purchase. Google CEO, Larry Page, had this to say:

The combination of Google and Motorola will not only supercharge Android, but will also enhance competition and offer consumers accelerating innovation, greater choice, and wonderful user experiences. I am confident that these great experiences will create huge value for shareholders. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.

PowerSkin First To Make Battery Cases For Android Phones

The iPhone 4 has been the favorite smartphone for accessories over the years. PowerSkin is the only one that has created battery cases for various Android running smartphones. The PowerSkin is a protective, recycled and anti-fingerprint silicone rubber case with a built-in 1500mAh battery, enough to double your Android handset's battery life. Yes, every single PowerSkin battery case no matter what Android smartphone model it was designed for, has exactly the same battery capacity built-in. The PowerSkin battery cases are available for the HTC Evo 4G - myTouch 4G - Desire HD - Inspire 4G - ThunderBolt, Motorola Droid X/X2, Samsung Galaxy S 4G - Vibrant - i9000 - i9003 and last but not least the Nexus S 4G. These are all available right now via Amazon for $59.99. 

Unreleased Motorola Devices Leaked Including Xoom 2 Tablet, Tracy XL Watchphone & More

Someone over at Motorola really messed up and exposed a few unreleased products on the Motorola Mobility website for just a quick moment while testing out the product page live. A big mistake as it turns out. Visitors at the time quickly screencaped and leaked the juicy images to Pocketnow which has already been contacted by Motorola and asked to remove the leaked images. Some of the new unreleased products from Motorola include the Tracy XL watchphone, Xoom 2 tablet pictured at the bottom left, Slimline, Targa and Zaha thin-profiled smartphones. More images after the break.

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Motorola Xoom WiFi Priced At $539

Droid Life posted pics of what looks like the Motorola Xoom WiFi-only model priced at $539 in a Sam's Club (Costco-like). Looks like Steve Jobs' speech was all for nothing.

Motorola Teases With Tablet Evolution Video

Motorola thinks they have the perfect tablet for 2011 that will be even better than the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. Motorola will unveil their Android Honeycomb OS running tablet at CES 2011. Check out the video below:

Source MobileMoto

Droid R2-D2 Edition Goes Hands-On

While this might appeal to the Star Wars fanboys across the universe, I too think it's better looking the your typical Motorola Droid phone. Engadget has posted a gallery with their first hands-on with the new Droid R2-D2 here.

Not only will you're Droid look like an R2-D2 bot but it's got a full custom Star Wars themed user interface to complete your fantasy. It would be very cool to have custom Star Wars themed sounds as well, you would just have to wait for the review to find out.

Source Engadget

The Droid 2 Becomes Official... Finally

 

The Droid is arguably the phone that put Android on the map, and the sequel to the best-selling Android phone is here, as the Droid 2. The Droid 2 is going to come shipped with Android 2.2, the first device to do so. Aside from Froyo, the Droid 2 has a 3.7" WVGA capacitive touchscreen, 8GB of internal storage, (with support of up to 32Gb on a MicroSD card) a 1GHz TI OMAP processor and 512MB of RAM. There is a also a 3G hotspot option, but like other Verizon phones, you will have to pay $20 a month for this privilege. The Droid 2 also comes pre-installed with Swype, one of the best ways for text-imput on Android Devices.

The Droid 2 is going to be available on presale tomorrow August 11th for $199.99, with a R2-D2 Star Wars special edition coming next month.

Press Release:

See What DROID™ Does Next: DROID 2 by Motorola Pre-Sale Starts August 11 at verizonwireless.com 

Built on Android 2.2 with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, DROID 2 Comes Equipped with More Power, More Speed and an Improved QWERTY Keyboard 

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation's largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today announced that DROID™ 2 by Motorola will be available for pre-sale on August 11. Hitting all the right keys, DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2. 

"When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network," said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. "The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network." 

"With the new DROID 2, we've taken a big leap forward from the original DROID," said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. "We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before." 

DROID 2's super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure. 

DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices. 

Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market™, which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD™ card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile™ and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup Assistant(SM). 

"It's great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1," said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. "With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go." 

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more. 

R2-D2 DROID 2 

In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale. 

Pricing and Availability 

DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access. 

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty. 

Source DroidDoes