Motorola has announced a special Developer Edition of its Atrix HD Android phone. Designed for those who want to customize their Atrix HD, it comes with the option of unlocking the bootloader, allowing the installation of custom software.

Motorola is sure to please developers and those amongst us who like to customize our Android phones with its latest device, the Atrix HD. “Hold on,” you’re probably thinking, “that’s already been announced once.” Indeed it has, but this time it’s a special Developer Edition.

What makes the phone special is its unlockable bootloader, which in English, means once Motorola has provided a unique code to unlock the handset, owners are free to install their own custom versions of Android, run test versions of apps, and generally customize the phone to their heart’s content.

This isn’t the first time Motorola has offered such a phone either, with both the Razr, Razr M and the Razr HD all receiving Developer Editions in the past. Being given the keys to the Android kingdom isn’t without its price though, as once you’ve started fiddling with the bootloader, you can say goodbye to your warranty. Our advice is, be sure you know what you’re doing before you start.

Motorola’s Atrix HD was announced in July this year, and we gave it an impressive 8/10 in our review, highlighting in particular the excellent $100 price tag with AT&T. For that you get a 4.5-inch touchscreen with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor and an 8-megapixel camera. A relatively untouched version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is installed as standard, but there’s no word on when 4.1 Jelly Bean will arrive.

Don’t expect to pick up the Developer Edition as cheaply as AT&T’s deal though, as it’s not available on contract. It won’t be priced as low as the new Nexus 4 either — a phone that’s also easily unlocked.

Motorola hasn’t provided a release date or a price for the Atrix HD Developer Edition, and suggests those interested should register for updates on its website.

A case in which Apple accused Motorola of an abuse of the patent system, where it was charging Apple more for key patents than it was to other companies, has been dismissed. Apple has the chance to appeal, but Motorola wants to come to an agreement.

A lawsuit brought against Motorola by Apple has been dismissed by a court in Wisconsin, even before the trial had the chance to get underway. Instead, it took a week of pre-trial motions and a two-hour hearing on Monday morning, for Judge Barbara Crabb to cancel proceedings with prejudice. This gives Apple the chance to appeal, but only in the same court.

Apple was claiming that Motorola was abusing the patent system (oh, the irony) by asking unreasonably high license fees, and more than it charged other companies, for some key Wi-Fi and cellular patents used in the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Motorola’s fee is 2.25-percent of the price of each Apple device sold that uses the technology. Apple, however, only wanted to pay a fraction of that amount, stating $1 per future device was its magic number.

Following the dismissal, Motorola issued a statement saying “We’re pleased that the court has dismissed Apple’s lawsuit with prejudice. Motorola has long offered licensing to our extensive patent portfolio at a reasonable and non-discriminatory rate in line with industry standards.” It also adds that it’s “interested in reaching an agreement with Apple.”

Google-owned Motorola needs to be careful though, as it’s parent company is in-line for an antitrust lawsuit, should be it discovered withholding patents to stifle competition. Apple, on the other hand, is back to square one, with an appeal likely on the way.

This is the second Apple vs. Motorola lawsuit to be thrown out this year. Last time out, Apple accused Motorola of copying the design of the iPhone for its Android handsets, however Judge Richard Posner dismissed it in June after deciding neither company adequately made its case. At the time, Motorola tried to get this dispute with Apple enjoined, but the Judge refused.

It seems like the Motorola Droid RAZR M is getting a cousin. Today U.S. Cellular announced the Motorola Electrify M, which has an edge-to-edge display and other features that fit very closely with the Verizon-only Droid RAZR M.

The new smartphone has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 4G LTE, an 8MP rear cam, 1.3MP front cam, NFC, 2000mAh battery and is loaded up with Android 4.0.4. U.S. Cellular suggested it was more than capable of getting in on the Jelly Bean action, though they have given no specific date regarding when.

The Electrify M will come to U.S. Cellular’s website starting November 8th and in-store by the 9th. The new Motorola smartphone will cost $99 with a two-year contract and a $100 mail-in-rebate for those in LTE markets. Unfortunately, those of us in less-speedy 3G markets aren’t getting as good of a deal and will be paying $149.99 after a $100 rebate.

The good news is that U.S. Cellular has plans to bring its 4G LTE service to 30 new markets by November 5th, and to about 58% of their customer based by the end of the year. So how about it, any U.S. Cellular customers interested in getting their hands on the new Motorola Electrify M?

The Motorola Droid RAZR M might not be the “top offering” from Motorola, but it is a decent-sized phone with an attractive design that is certainly worth checking out. For those of you looking for a phone that isn’t a pushover but still manages a screen that isn’t larger than the state of Texas, you’ll probably like what Motorola has to offer in this affordable package that features a 4.3-inch screen size.

Let’s dive right in and check out the RAZR M.

We will start by checking out the brief video that shows off the look, feel and some of my initial impressions about the device.

Design

The Razr M falls somewhere between sexy and practical. The design isn’t too flashy, but it is far from boring. The 4.3-inch screen size is really impressive when you stop to really look at how thin, light and compact the body on this phone is.

Only 8.3mm thick, which isn’t bad at all. This phone is also really comfortable in your hands. A video or written review can’t do justice on this point. It might not scream “touch me” like devices such as the S3 and iPhone 5 do, but once it is in your hands– you won’t want to let it go. It isn’t as awkward to hold as many devices and it really feels solid, strong and well-built.

For a more detailed look at the sides and angles of the phone, we have a few pictures above or you can simply check out the video.

Hardware

The Droid RAZR M is more than capable when it comes to specs. It’s 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 won’t blow you away in a benchmark test, but it real-life use it is extremely capable. This is the same processor found in the flagship Samsung Galaxy S3, by the way. It also has 1GB of RAM, a 540 x 960 pixel display, 8GB of internal storage, 2000 mAh battery, an 8MP rear cam and a .3 front cam.

Other goodies in the Droid RAZR M include microSD, NFC, DLNA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and 4G LTE.

I used the Droid RAZR M for several calls and found the call quality great, no fuzziness or distortion at all. This includes its speakerphone as well.

While I didn’t get 4G LTE from home, I didn’t have to travel more than 20 minutes to get it and found it quite snappy offering about 6-12 mbps for downloads.

Best of all, I love the battery in this thing. While Motorola claims 20 hours of talk time, I found that I was able to use this with moderate use for about two days, so that’s certainly not bad. My current smartphone requires charging every single day or it is totally dead— so this was a nice change.

Software

Android 4.0 ICS is running on the RAZR M, so no Jelly Bean here. Considering Google and Motorola’s close relationship, I find that a bit odd. Still, 4.1 is supposedly on its way in the future. For now, you get a near-clean version of Android 4.0 that includes a custom lock-screen, a dock and a few other small changes.

The software is very responsive and capable. The on-screen navigation keys were also great and worked as expected. I have yet to have a smartphone that didn’t have some kind of capacitive or physical button, but I really like the feel and function on the RAZR M and I’m totally sold on the idea of nothing but a screen on the front of a smartphone.

If you HATE customized UI experiences, you should be fine with what Motorola did. They didn’t modify much, and what they did change makes sense. As someone who hates resource-hogging shells, I didn’t have a problem with the RAZR M at all.

Camera

How did the camera fare? A picture says more than anything I can write. The picture above is crisp and clear. Perfect? No, but not bad at all. Still, if you really LOVE photos, you will probably prefer shooters found in competitors like Samsung, Apple or HTC.

If you take a few pictures now and again but don’t need “the best”, this will suite your needs without a problem. Also, the video taking abilities aren’t half bad either.

Bottom Line

Let’s face it, the Droid RAZR M isn’t a powerhouse, especially when compared to the DROID RAZR HD and HD MAXX. It’s camera isn’t the best and it might not compare to devices like the iPhone 5 when it comes to raw power. What you do get is a great everyday performer that feels great in your hands. There isn’t much bloatware and you get a near-stock version of Android 4.0. You also get microSD for expansion, features like NFC and a reasonably good battery life.

Probably the most impressive part about the Motorola Droid RAZR M is the price tag. While it might not be perfect, I’d honestly expect this to cost at least $150 with a two-year commitment. Nope, it’s just $99. This handles almost every game and program you’d throw at it and it looks and feels great.

You get a mid-range device at a near-budget price. In short, this is a steal. Camera lovers, won’t like it. Those that want giant screens might find it small. On the other hand, if you like the idea of edge-to-edge screens and a small-yet-sexy design, you are likely going to walk away impressed.

Pros:

• edge-to-edge display
• extremely reasonable $99 price with contract
• attractive overall design
• comfortable grip

Cons:

• Not the best camera around

Sprint has announced the LG Mach, a new QWERTY slider Android smartphone that sits just below the Motorola Photon Q in the network's range.

The QWERTY slider form factor still has its fans, and Sprint wants to make sure they’re well catered for on its network, so it has introduced the new LG Mach. Now, with a name like that, you’re probably expecting incredible performance, but while the Mach isn’t a basic phone, it’s not quite up there with the range-toppers of today.

What we’ve got is a 4-inch touchscreen with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, which slides to the side to reveal a big QWERTY keyboard, providing users with the best of both worlds. You’ll have to be prepared to compromise on size and weight when comparing it to its touch-only peers though, as the LG Mach is a chunky beast at 12mm thick and 168 grams.

Deep inside the phone is a 1.2GHz, dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM, while the operating system is Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Although LG doesn’t talk about it in the press release, CNet.com says the Mach will be upgradeable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but doesn’t offer any timescale.

There is a 5-megapixel camera on the rear of the phone, which can also shoot 1080p video, plus a basic 0.3 megapixel forward-facing video call lens above the screen. LG makes a point of highlighting the Mach’s eco-friendliness, saying it’s 56-percent recyclable, and has been given the seal of approval by a couple of environmental foundations too.

The Mach will connect to Sprint’s 4G LTE network and other features include Bluetooth 4.0, a 1700mAh battery, 8GB of internal storage memory, GPS, a microSD card slot and NFC.

As unusual as the LG Mach’s form factor may be these days, it’s not alone on the market, and one of its closest rivals is also offered through Sprint. The Motorola Photon Q has a slightly larger screen at 4.3-inches, an 8-megapixel camera and a 1.5GHz, dual-core processor, so the LG Mach will likely come in at a slightly lower price. It does win over in one key area though, as the Mach is ever-so slightly lighter and slimmer than the Photon Q.

Sprint hasn’t provided any release information or pricing structure at all, so if you’re interested in the phone, you’ll need a little patience.

Motorola's Razr i is a good start for Intel's attack on the mobile chip market, but it'll need a few more big-name partners if it wants to succeed.

Recently, Motorola announced its first smartphone powered by Intel’s Medfield processor, the Razr i, and it’s an important device for both companies. For Intel, it represents the very first Atom-powered phone to come from a “big-name” manufacturer, and for Motorola it marks a return to Europe, a market it has neglected in recent years. Motorola signed a “multi-year, multi-device” partnership with Intel in early January and so far it has the best end of the deal, as the Razr i is not only good-looking, but it’s capable too.

Intel however, doesn’t seem to be making in-roads into the ARM-controlled mobile chipset market, and thanks to the Razr i’s limited initial release — it’s out in the UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico next month — the only Intel phone that people might actually want to buy may not be available where they live.

What Intel needs is a new best friend — someone who is also trying to break into a market with which it has lost touch. Right now, that company is Research in Motion, which is doing a decent job of talking up BlackBerry 10, but neatly avoiding the subject of the accompanying hardware. Both it and Intel have challenging times ahead and a partnership could be mutually beneficial.

A huge mountain to climb

One could argue that it’s still early days for Intel, but is it? Intel shouldn’t have missed the smartphone boat. We’re talking about the best known PC chip manufacturer on the planet, with decades of experience here. Medfield wasn’t announced yesterday either. Intel has been chatting about its Lenovo and Motorola partnership as far back as CES in January and MWC in February.

If Intel wants its processors to challenge the dominant ARM mobile chips, then it needs to get its act together, because the mountain it needs to climb is huge. ARM controls 95-percent of the mobile market and more than 270 companies are licensed to use its architecture. Its performance reflects this, and its 2011 revenue climbed 24-percent over 2010 to $785 million, exceeding expectations.

To make matters worse for Intel, ARM is slowly but surely pushing its way into the PC market too, thanks in no small part to Microsoft’s decision to support ARM architecture with Windows 8 RT. ARM’s CEO has stated he wants to own between 10 and 20-percent of the notebook market by 2015.

Unsurprisingly, ARM has played down Intel’s move into its primary business, saying it expects the company to take only about 5 to 10-percent of the smartphone market share “within a few years.” Intel has remained tight-lipped concerning its own expectations, but as forecasters are predicting a downturn in its PC business over the coming years, mobile is only going to become more important.

Intel dominates the PC processor market in the same way ARM does with mobile, with estimates putting Intel’s share at around 80 percent; however, analysts are predicting tough times ahead, with an Endpoint Technologies researcher quoted as saying “the outlook looks grim right now through the new year.” Smartphone and tablets though, are experiencing considerable growth.

So, it’s clear that one device from one manufacturer, plus a few others scattered around the globe, probably won’t bring the success Intel desires. Motorola is a great partner to have, especially because of its new owner, but Intel needs to split the Atom between a few other big companies too.

Samsung and LG were linked with Intel last year, but nothing has come of it, and HTC has remained quiet as well. Research in Motion has always used a variety of processor manufacturers, so why not Intel? After all, it needs all the help it can get right now.

Could Intel save RIM, and vice versa?

Research in Motion is nervously treading water ahead of BlackBerry 10’s eventual release. If it’s not in talks with Intel, or at the very least considering a switch, then it should be.

A long time ago, RIM used Intel 386 chips in its early BlackBerry 950 and 957 handsets, then in 2005 trumpeted another deal with Intel, where it would use its XScale architecture (which is ARM-based anyway) and “Herman” chips in future BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry 10 phones are expected to use ARM architecture and chips from Texas Instruments or Qualcomm, but imagine for a moment the impact of the news that RIM had switched to Intel.

The relationship is there, it just needs to be reinvigorated. The mobile industry thrives on partnerships, from Sony and Ericsson to Microsoft and Nokia. Right now, a new friend would go a long way to helping Research in Motion overcome public perception, and Intel to add another big name to its list.

It makes good sense for Intel too, as RIM is placed third — and rising — in terms of market share in India — an important emerging market — behind Nokia and Samsung. It also made it very clear during BlackBerry 10 Jam that emerging markets were high on its list of priorities, and as Intel has already partnered with Lava to produce the Xolo Android phone in India, we’re assuming it is for Intel too. The combination of both Atom-powered BlackBerrys and Android phones could see them on their way to a significant slice of the market.

RIM on the other hand, needs a differentiator, something to make its BlackBerry 10 phones standout in amongst iPhone 5s, Jelly Beans and Windows Phone 8. Packing in a 2GHz Atom chip could do exactly that. Plus, with Texas Instruments taking a step back from the mobile market, a gap has opened up at RIM into which Intel could neatly slip.

Yes it would be a risk for both parties, and would require plenty of adjustment on RIM’s side, but that could be exactly what’s needed to push forward in today’s fiercely competitive mobile market.

How does Apple's new iPhone hold up against Motorola's edge-to-edge RAZR Maxx HD? Check the specs here to find out.

While Apple is getting the spotlight today for its new iPhone 5, the spiffy new handset will soon have to stand up against the competition. And one of the potential heavy-hitters out there is the (Google-owned) Motorola RAZR Maxx HD. Sporting an edge-to-edge, 4.7-inch display, and massive battery life, the RAZR Maxx HD is looking to be one of the silent heros in the Android camp. So, how does the shiny new iPhone 5 stack up against one of Motorola’s flagship handsets? Take a look at the spec breakdown below to find out.

Recently, Mobile Magazine reported that Motorola had plans to bring Jelly Bean to every device possible that was made in 2011 or later. While this was enough to get somewhat excited about, the biggest news was that Motorola promised that if it couldn’t bring Jelly Bean to your 2011-2012 Motorola device it would instead give you an $100 credit towards a new Motorola device.

Not a whole lot of details about the program were announced at first, and it seemed likely that the program wouldn’t start to roll out for quite a while. That being said, Motorola now has a website that has gone live with the deal.
Wait, but how do you know if your phone will eventually get Jelly Bean or not? For the moment, no official list on which devices will and won’t get Android 4.1 exists. Instead, the site allows you to sign up for information about how to update your device or how to claim the rebate if your device isn’t getting the upgrade.

The master list of device upgrades will likely surface sometime this year, though. Keep in mind that this ‘rebate’ isn’t a cash offer. Instead you can either get a gift card, carrier credit or possibly a cash equivalent of Motorola’s choice- though this would likely be a dollar amount that is less than $100.

To be perfectly honest, I think this is a brilliant move on Motorola and Google’s part. It shows a clear commitment to bringing the best that Android has to offer to all of Motorola’s offerings going forward.
What do you think?

Here's our first look at the budget-friendly model of Motorola's new Droid Razr line ahead of its September 13 release date.

Motorola announced an updated line of its Razr smartphone family this week, and the first of the three to be released is the Motorola Razr M — otherwise known as its budget-friendly edition. At $100 (with a 2-year contract,) the phone stacks up competitively to other budget phones on the market such as the HTC One V. Here’s our first look at what Motorola has in store for its Razr line.

It’s funny to think that a 4.3-inch screen phone these days is considered “compact,” but that’s exactly how Motorola described the Razr M during its press conference Wednesday. The near edge-to-edge design offers more screen per square inch — which makes the advertised 4.3-inch screen bigger than it sounds. The 960 x 540 resolution display itself is truly vivid especially under the gorilla glass, and the whole device feels more expensive than your average budget phone. Thanks to its Kevlar back, the anti-scratch and added grip makes for a beautifully-designed phone that feels like it’s worth a ton more than one Benjamin.

While the Motorola Razr M comes with an internal memory of 8GB and 1GB of RAM, storage is expandable with the micro-SD slot placed right on the side of the phone. The SIM card slot is also right next to it, so no more opening the back of your phone and digging your nails in to remove either chips. The device is runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is a bit of a disappointment, but Motorola says all the new Razr phones should be getting Jellybean by the end of the year.

The Razr M also comes with a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 processor, 8 MP back camera, and a 3 MP front-facing shooter. The dual-core processor makes the Razr M run extremely fast. Switching between screens is swift, and you can program your own pages and add them as needed. To delete, simply hold and drag the app icon or page to the trash can.  

What’s new about the Razr M is a circle interface that allows you to customize shortcuts. For example, new text messages can appear on the most prominent circle while the second circle is dedicated to weather. For each city you add, you can flip the circle to navigate through the cities and get updated weather information for each location.

According to Motorola, one full charge can deliver an impressive 20 hours of battery life but we’ll see if that claim holds true. Be on a lookout for our full review shortly. In the meantime, the Motorola Razr M is available for pre-order now at Verizon with an official release date of September 13. To get the $100 price, you will have to mail in a $50 rebate through Verizon.

The Motorola RAZR M 4G LTE is finally official, though it certainly wasn’t a secretive launch at all. The newly announced device is a pretty decent looking midrange device, though it’s nothing to get all that excited about either.

Next to the RAZR HD, this device isn’t nearly a powerhouse, but it’s still capable enough.

What kind of specs do we get with the RAZR M? The Razr M run on a dual-core Snapdragon S4 and features an 8-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage and 1GB of RAM. It also has NFC and a resolution of 960×540. The phone will launch with Android ICS, but a Jelly Bean update is expected to arrive shortly after.

If you aren’t much into having a large bezel around your phone, you may end up loving the RAZR M. The device is nearly edge-to-edge with glass, which means you get a good deal of screen real estate space in a very thin and light package.

The official launch date for the RAZR HD and MAXX HD are yet to be announced, but the RAZR M is coming very soon. Verizon should have the device available starting next week for just $99 with a two year contract.

Interested in the RAZR M? Preorders start today.