4 Motorola devices get dibs on Ice Cream Sandwich

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Summary: Will your Motorola device be front-of-line for some Android Ice Cream Sandwich?

Got a Motorola Droid Razr, Razr, Droid Bionic or a Xoom tablet? You’re at the front of the line for some Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) whenever it is released next year, according to Motorola’s website.

The device maker is promising to announce a timeline for your ICS upgrade (for the above four devices only) within six weeks of the operating system’s final release. In other words, the earliest these Motorola gadgets will be getting the new OS will be at least six weeks after ICS is already in the wild. That seems quick at least compared to other manufacturers who have yet to announce any timelines for the upgrade.

That said, Motorola’s reps have been very careful not to drill down to which quarter ICS will become available on tech sites. For example, the Razr won’t be getting its taste of Android 4.0 until the first half of 2012, rather than the first quarter as TechCrunch reported initially.

Of course, Motorola has many more other devices in its lineup than just the Xoom, Razr, Droid Razr and Droid Bionic but I wonder how many will be getting an official OS upgrade. Your may have better luck looking to the developer community to come up with a ROM for your device first.

We will keep you posted on ICS upgrades as they become available.

[Source: Motorola's Official Blog, TechCrunch]

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Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

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Verizon's 4G/LTE Motorola Droid Razr arrives November 10

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Summary: The ultra-thin Motorola Droid Razr is coming to Verizon, but will you be able to tell the 4G/LTE phone from its slightly older brother, the Droid Bionic?

Verizon is adding to its Motorola Droid brood with the Droid Razr on November 10, but how do you tell two 4G/LTE smartphones apart?

While they both have a 4.3-inch display, the Droid Razr is slightly more powerful with its dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, has a higher quality Super AMOLED Advanced screen, and hence a higher price tag. The Droid Razr dares to command $299.99 with a two-year contract (or $650 without), while the Bionic is slightly more economical at $250.

For an extra $50 over the Droid Bionic, the Droid Razr actually comes with the slightly older build of Gingerbread (Android 2.3.3 but will be among the first to get Ice Cream Sandwich), but has a higher resolution 1.3-megapixel front camera that can shoot 720p HD videos, and is thinner and tougher. The Droid Razor’s back cover is made of Kevlar, which is a steel substitute that is used in body armor according to Wikipedia, and its “water repellent nanocoating” means it can withstand some water (but I wouldn’t go swimming with it to test my luck).

Other specs are below:

Display: 4.3” 540×960 Super AMOLED Advanced touchscreenRAM: 1 GB DDR2Internal Storage: 16 GB with a 16 GB micro-SD Card pre-installedConnectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Version 4.0 LE+EDR, DLNAPorts/Connectors: 3.5 mm headphone jack, HDMI (for mirror mode), USB 2.0HS, micro-SD Card slotCameras: 8 MP rear camera; 1.3 MP front camera; LED flashSensors: aGPS (assisted), eCompass, sGPS (simultaneous), GLONASSBattery: 1780 mAH Li–IonBattery Life: Voice = up to approximately 12.5 hoursDimensions: 5.15?(h) x 2.71?(w) x 0.28?(d)Weight: 4.48oz

Features that are unique to the Droid Razr:

Smart Actions app: Helps you conserve power and maximize each chargeMotoCast app: Remotely stream or download files from your computers to your phoneMobile HotSpot: Tether up to 8 other devices on 4G, or 5 on 3G to this phoneFIPS 140–2 compliant; Government–grade encryption for Email, Calendar, and Contacts

Still prefer the Droid Razr over the slightly cheaper Droid Bionic? Verizon is taking pre-orders for the Droid Razr online now for release on November 10, which means it will definitely arrive under someone’s tree this Christmas — as long as you don’t confuse the two Droids…

[Source: Verizon, Motorola]

Updated: The Droid Razr’s Android 2.3.3 is actually slightly older than the Droid Bionic’s version (Android 2.3.4) so I’ve corrected the sentence to reflect this in the post.

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Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

View the original article here