After the DROIDX received Gingerbread back in May, the DROID2 Global was selected by Motorola to be next in line.  Unfortunately for Global owners, the update was pulled the very same day that it was supposed to start rolling out, thanks to an enormous buglist that was introduced through the DX.  Well, here we are almost 3 months later and the update is back and ready for prime time – at least to soak test members anyway.

The initial test group of D2G owners will see the update some time in September (probably next week), with the full rollout happening shortly thereafter.  

(Click image for full version)

If you were wondering how the DROID Bionic will stack up against some of its beefier competition, then you’ll want to click on the chart above that breaks it all down (excluding the Sensation and EVO 3D for some reason).  Also, if you wanted official specs on the device (like we haven’t seen them enough already), this would be a good place to look.

We get confirmation on everything:  4.3″ qHD screen, LTE, 8MP rear camera (shoots 1080p video), VGA front camera for video chatting, HDMI out, 16GB SD card pre-installed, 14GB (?) internal storage, Swype, “Motorola UI” (aka new Blur), LapDock capabilities, dual-core processor, and mobile hotspot for up to 8 devices.  It has all of the specs needed to be considered a top tier device in 2011.  Whether we think some of those specs actually are top tier is another story for another day.

Oh, and since when does the Photon run HTC Sense 1.6?  Is it from 2009?

Cheers ___!

It was a week of DROID Bionic and Galaxy SII news, and there was plenty to be had. While we get closer to a supposed September 8th release date for the DROID Bionic, we will continue to see more shots of the phone in the wild, and plenty more advertisements/promos. On a different note, we almost had a serious meltdown when information came to light regarding the SGSII, and how it is NOT coming to Verizon. Sorry, folks.

Maybe the Vigor will cheer you up?

• We got the exclusive first look the HTC Vigor
• The Bionic’s official ad campaign has begun; Awesome ninja-chick vs. robots!
• Kellex put his heartfelt feelings into why he is still excited for the DROID Bionic.
• Best Buy’s September Buyer’s Guide is out, leaking plenty of Bionic info.
• Someone bought a random HP TouchPad, and it’s running Android out of the box?
• Mr. Tato lays his thoughts out for all the see in his Samsung 4G Galaxy Tab 10.1 review.
• Does this DROID Bionic make my butt look big?
• The Motorola DROID3 receives a one-click root method!
• It’s true; The Samsung Galaxy SII is not coming to Verizon.
• Poll: Turns out, everyone actually wanted the SGSII on Verizon.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Quick note for all our East Coasters – stay safe!

Hello, HTC Vigor.  You have eluded us for the most part up until now, but we are excited to finally get a clean look at you.  With your red accents, big beautiful screen, and black rubbery Incredible-esque contoured back, we would gladly accept you into our everyday lives.

Rumored to be Verizon’s next big 4G LTE device to follow the Bionic on October 6, we can gather a couple of things from these first pictures. It definitely has HTC Sense, but we weren’t expecting it not to.  There is a front camera embedded in the top right corner of the device, above a screen that looks massive.  The device styling overall seems like an Incredible on steroids – something you won’t find us complaining about.  We aren’t seeing a 4G LTE logo anywhere, but also are not seeing a Verizon logo, so will hold off from throwing too big of a fuss.  It is likely just a test unit without any carrier branding.

*Note – While I mentioned that the device looks like an Incredible, a few readers pointed out that the color scheme also hints at DROID branding and a previously rumored HTC device.  Could the Vigor end up as the Incredible HD?  Just a thought.

Other potential specs that separate sources have told us were:  4.3″ HD screen, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and Beats by Dre technology.  There are no indications that this device has Beats technology on the outside, but we have been told that it could be software-related.

One more pic after the break.    

Amazon will be stepping onto the scene soon with their Android powered tablets, as one of the last companies left to compete against Apple. Back in May, a few reports popped up about Amazon’s plan for an Android tablet, but nothing came into full light. Now it looks like Amazon may have seen the light themselves, and similarly to what we saw last weekend with the $99 HP TouchPad craze, could look to recreate the same buzz to surround their tablet.

It is reported that Amazon will launch the tablet in “September or October” according to a source from Amazon, and its main focus, is to sell for “hundreds less than the $499 iPad.” Amazon will recoup their loss on the selling of the tablets at such a low price, from DMPs or (Digital Media Purchases). Not a bad move, Amazon.

If Amazon is cranking out $99 or $199 Android tablets in the next couple months, who here is ready for them? And imagine, no cancelled orders the following day.

Via: New York Post

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that just landed on Verizon beat the Motorola XOOM to market as the world’s first 4G LTE tablet.  It also managed to sneak in at cheaper price points, a lighter weight, skinnier build and with varying storage sizes and colors.  At first glance, it’s pretty obvious that this would be the tablet to jump on over the majority of the other offerings, for many of the reasons I just listed.  The thing we really need to look at here though, is whether or not this tablet is worth the 2-year contract that you will be asked to sign in order to avoid paying an outrageous full retail price.    

This week, Verizon announced a new partnership with Intuit that will give small business owners and sole proprietors the opportunity to accept credit card payments from anywhere using their smartphone.  Similar to the service offered by Square, there is a swiper (pictured above) that plugs into your head phone jack, an app to take care of the transaction, and your smartphone to send the data out for processing.  Your customers can specify a tip, sign for their goods on your smartphone screen, and even email them receipts.  If you frequent festivals, you have probably dealt with a similar service.

There are two different plans for users to choose from; the most popular more than likely being the free one.  If you are interested, you can find out more information at Intuit’s site, which includes an “exclusive” offer.