Ice cream sandwich update rolling out for WiFi Motorola Xoom

The Ice Cream Sandwich update (4.0.3) for the WiFi  Motorola Xoom is currently rolling out.  The update is the usual OTA process. And things seems to be snappier and a bit more responsive.  Initially I had a bit of problem with my gmail account auto syncing everything to my Xoom, like chrome bookmarks and google plus photos. I had this same issue when when I first signed into Honeycomb.  This isn't a problem in it's self, if you want those things synced. The issue was getting rid of them if you didn't want them there. Took me a while but i was able to fix that.   I haven't had a lot of time to play around with all the apps but I'm seeing reports from most user stating that all apps are working just fine with I.C.S.

ChangeLog via Motorola

• Updated Browser with faster rendering, zoom and pan   Users can also now save pages for offline reading and request desktop versions of websites.
• Swipe to dismiss notifications, tasks, and browser tabs   You can now dismiss individual notifications, apps from the Recent Apps list, and browser tabs with a simple swipe of a finger.
• Redesigned app launcher   In All Apps launcher, you can now simply drag an app to get information about it, immediately uninstall it, or disable a pre-installed app.
• New System Font for Improved Readability   An entirely new typeface (called Roboto) optimized for high resolution screens improves readability and brings a polished feel to the user interface.
• Updated “People” Application   Replaces contacts and integrates seamlessly with Google+ and other social networks.
• Improved text input and spell-checking The keyboard now features improved accuracy to make text input faster. It also now includes an in-line spell checker to make corrections easier.
• Type with your voice Now you can simply touch the microphone on the keyboard and start talking to write emails, SMS, or any other text—more than 20 languages supported. Text appears in real time, so there’s no waiting for server processing.
• Richer and versatile imaging capabilities   For capturing larger scenes, the camera introduces a single motion panorama mode.  Also, you can now take still shots while shooting video just by tapping the screen as video continues to record. You can also launch camera directly from the Lockscreen. When you shoot videos, you can now choose from a number of silly faces and other fun effects which recognize individual facial features so you can give your friends big eyes, squeeze heads, make noses bigger, or change the scenery with background replacement.
• Redesigned Gallery app with photo editor   To help pictures look their best, the Gallery now offers a powerful photo editor so you can crop and rotate pictures, set levels, remove red eyes, add effects, and much more.
• Richer, resizable widgets   You can expand widgets to show more content, or shrink them to save space.

Checkout the new Xoom Boot Animation.




[via Motorola]

Xoom 2 and Xoom 2 Media Edition announced

After all the leaks and rumors the Xoom 2 £390.00 is finally official. And it's bringing along a friend the Xoom 2 Media Edition £358.80.Both  set to hit shelves in the UK and Ireland in mid November.  I'm wondering if the specs on these devices will be enough to make original Xoom owners want to upgrade.  And it seems that Motorola learned a bit from the high pricing of the original Xoom when you do the conversion these both come out to be significant cheaper that the Xoom was last year at launch.

Xoom 2
Processor: 1.2GHz dual core
OS: Android 3.2  Honeycomb
Memory: 1GB RAM, 16GB storage
Display: 10.1 inch HD display
Camera: 1.3MP fron and 5MP rear
Battery: 10+ hours web usage 1 month standby
Dimensions: 253.9 x 173.6 x 8.8 mm
Weight: 599 grams

Xoom 2 Media Edition
Processor: 1.2Ghz dual core
OS: Android 3.2 Honeycomb
Memory: 1GB RAM 16GB storage
Display: 8.2 inch HD display
Camera: 1.3MP front and 5MP rear
Battery: 6+ hours web use 3 days of music playback
Dimensions: 139 x 216 x 8.99 mm
Weight: 386 grams

Motorola unveils the Droid RAZR

Its official, after a number of rumors and a few leaks. The Motorola Droid RAZR was announced today at the Motorola event. Hitting Verizon shelves in November for $299 this device is super thin and packs a punch.  The new RAZR has some new features including; Smart Actions; a location based -automation system and MotoCast a cloud storage and remote access feature. Pre-order begins October 27th.

http://www.droiddoes.com/#/droidrazr

• Android 2.3.5
• 7.1mm thin, 127 grams
• 4.3 - inch qHD Super AMOLED display
• 4G LTE
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8MP rear shooter, front facing camera
• 16GB built-in storage, 16GB microSD
• 1800mAh battery
• Made with Kevlar fiber, Gorilla Glsass
• Bluetooth 4. 0

Engadget has hands on video with the Motorola Droid RAZR.

There is also a full suite of accessories for the new RAZR check a few of them out below. 

Xoom 2 and other devices leaked by motorola.

Xoom 2

It's a constant truth of technology, it moves fast. So it really shouldn't come as a surprise to me that the Xoom 2 may be in the works while I'm still considering purchasing the original. Or that a new Nexus device is rumored to drop later this year. Right when i'm ready to settle for a G2x to replace my Nexus One.

Earlier this month Motorola 'inadvertently' leaked images of a number of it's future devices from it's mobility site redesign. Pocketnow.com was quick on the gun and able to grab some screen shots.  Among them the Slimeline and Zaha handsets, a watch phone named the Tracy XL, the Motorola Xoom 2, the Motorola Pearl and the LTE enabled Motorola Targa. 

Motorola Slimline

Motorola Zaha

Motorola Tracy XL

I can't help but wonder how the Tracy XL will compare to the android powered watch that we talked about last week. I even included a Dick Tracy joke back in that post. Check it out. 

[via pocketnow.com]