DroidDog Android Blog » Droid

VZW’s Droid follow up, possibly Shadow

John Walton — Tue, 25 May 2010 14:28:21 +0000

With Motorola on track to deliver a bevy of Androids in 2010, it’s easy to get leaks mixed up, associating a name found here with an image found there. While Android and Me points out that the phone pictured on the front of the getting started guide below might be called Droid 2, Droid Shadow, or Droid Xtreme, most everyone is calling it the shadow.

And in a turn of events about as likely as those described in DroidDog’s Flipout leak (not very), an in-the-wild snap has turned up. Rumored specs include: 4.1″ TFT FWVGA display, 2GB -8GB internal memory, Android 2.1 or 2.2 with new MotoBlur, 8MP cam, 1080p HDMI out.

Via Unwired View, Android and Me

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DROID Does More Commercials

Breon Nagy — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:49:02 +0000

Droid Does Augmented reality! Well, technically most Android devices can “do” augmented reality. However, none of the other carriers and/or manufacturers are promoting the sheer amount and variety of Android apps that are available. Even if you think the videos are too industrial or crass, you have to admit that Verizon is helping to gain visibility for our little, green buddy.

Two more for the Droid Does campaign

This video was embedded using the YouTuber plugin by Roy Tanck. Adobe Flash Player is required to view the video.

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Winner of an HTC DROID Incredible

John Walton — Sat, 01 May 2010 19:20:01 +0000

Congratulations to Michael M. from The Bronx for winning a brand new HTC Incredible for Verizon Wireless!

This was DroidDog’s first giveaway based on what all of you wrote. With over 500 entries, I found it difficult to narrow it down to 25. Choosing the top ten was hard. Selecting a single winner was a serious challenge. There were so many good stories, jokes, and poems that I wanted at least five of you to win. But with only one prize to give away, I’m happy to know that Michael is getting the HTC Incredible. He really deserves it and this comes at a good time for him – right after a birthday and graduation!

Enjoy the phone, Michael!
As for the rest of you, stay tuned. This is not DroidDog’s last giveaway.

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HTC DROID Incredible, unboxed

John Walton — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:02:40 +0000

I have been waiting for this one for some time, and I’m very happy to say that I have an Incredible in my possession. My first impressions are developing rapidly but I want to wait for a few days before I make any jugements. For more information on this phone right now, check out Breon Nagy’s full written review.

I will be making questions and requests videos on Incredible, so please send them to me on Twitter: @PhoneDog_John. You can also send a text message (voicemails and calls will be ignored) to 503-MOB-BARK. Be sure to mention “Incredible” in your message!

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DroidDog’s Incredible May Day Giveaway (NOW OVER)

John Walton — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 00:24:08 +0000

EDIT: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT ONE!

It’s that time once again, ladies and gentlemen. Only this go around, we’ve got the hottest phone about to hit the market up for grabs. That’s right, as part of PhoneDog’s 10k Giveaways, DroidDog is handing out an HTC DROID Incredible for the Verizon network.

All you have to do is leave a comment, but you kinda need to do it in a specific way. Please read the instructions following the video below to be sure you are correctly entered in the giveaway! Hmmm… A free phone vs. not reading. I’ll leave the difficult decision up to you. Readers, you have an overwhelming advantage.

Instructions:

Step 1: Login to leave a comment on this post using your Twitter ID or Facebook account.

Step 2: Comment here, telling me why you want or need the HTC Incredible, and make it good!

Step 3, A: If you logged in with your Twitter ID, send the following tweet from the same account, exactly as it appears below:

RT @PhoneDog_John Enter to win in DroidDog’s Incredible May Day Giveaway! http://bit.ly/d1hDjB #DDMD

Step 3, B: If you logged in with Facebook, update your Facebook status with the line below, exactly as it appears here.

I just entered to win a killer phone in DroidDog’s Incredible May Day Giveaway! http://bit.ly/d1hDjB

That’s It!

You can enter starting right now. I will choose and contact a winner on Friday, April 30th. They will have 24 hours to contact me before I choose another. If all goes smoothly with that part of the process, I will announce the winner on Saturday, May 1st. The phone will be shipped shortly thereafter.

RULES:

By entering you agree not to blame anyone for anything, ever. You also agree to provide me with a photo of your face because I’m going to post it along with your first name, last initial, and city of residence…if you win.

This is for U.S. residents only.

No one at DroidDog, PhoneDog, or anyone else can be held liable for any hassles, bodily injury, financial loss, or any other undesirable outcomes this giveaway may result in for you. No scams, lawsuits, or other shenanigans will be considered valid. By entering yourself in the giveaway, you agree not to do anything ridiculous. Void where prohibited, local laws are your responsibility.

If the comment system is unavailable, or you can’t enter for some other reason, then I’m sorry.

If it isn’t here, it isn’t a rule. Anyone who interprets that as an invitation to annoy me with loopholes will be disqualified

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Game Gripper for the MotoDroid

John Walton — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:10:12 +0000

If you saw part 4 of my Nexus One questions and requests post, you’ll remember what a hard time I had playing game console emulators on a device with so few buttons. The touch sensitive buttons beneath the screen could not register a tap at the same time as an on-screen button so the experience was hobbled, at best. Motorola Droid users face a different challenge: playing with QWERTY keys surrounded by other keys that feel exactly the same as those needed for game play is really hard, at least for me it is. Even when you can setup your own button assignments, fluid gameplay can be difficult.

Enter Game Gripper, a rubbery strip that lays on top of your Droid’s keyboard and maps its buttons to keys you’ve assigned. Pretty slick, if you ask me, though I would love a solution for the N1. A dock accessory, maybe? Game Gripper can be purchased here for $14.99. Check it out:

Via Android and Me

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Droid does…apparently, everything

John Walton — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:12:07 +0000

I don’t know how many more times I can embed an advertizement from YouTube and say that I hate posting ads, but the Motorola Droid “Unlock Code” videos found here (three more after the break) are a pretty cool example of corporate sponsored viral marketing. The viral campaigns that really draw me in are often indistinguishable from footage shot by your average Joe/Joanne on a day like any other, and are just as believable. Nevertheless, each of these are worth at least one view. They sort of lose their novelty after that though. The codes obviously don’t do what’s suggested in the videos, but do they do something? Display some sort of Easter Egg? I don’t have a Droid on hand.

Via Android Guys

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2D graphics slow down after 2.1 Droid update?

John Walton — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:14:30 +0000

Well this isn’t good. After being endlessly toyed with regarding the release window for the Android 2.1 update, Droid owners are now finding that the OTA has significantly slowed 2D graphic performance, as evidenced by the video below. Pinch-to-zoom in various apps, Live Wallpapers, and other long awaited goodies are now happily rocking Droids around America and I’m wondering: is the new sluggishness really that noticeable in daily use? Would you gladly return those delicious new features for the higher frame rate? Are you sorry that the update finally dropped? Well, I’m sure the issue will be addressed, if not sooner, then…well, you know.

Via Android Guys

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New Droid commercials

John Walton — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:40:03 +0000

I’m not real big on posting commercials, but it’s difficult to ignore the appeal of Verizon’s Droid Does spots, two more of which have just been released into the wild. How do you think the often busy CG-laden advertisements fare against the stark beauty of a hand holding an iPhone backed by simple, child-like melodies? I would probably prefer something in the middle, but given that choice, I would pick Droid. I also prefer these focus-on-the-phone spots over alien invasion teasers. Second video after the break:

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Finally…FINALLY, the Droid update is upon us

John Walton — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:25:28 +0000

We’ve heard this several times now, if not a dozen, but it appears that the 2.1 update for Droid will finally, actually, begin to roll out Thursday. I’m not going to bother linking to all the false reports we’ve seen recently. No one needs to relive the nightmare.

Android Central has a snap of an internal system that indicates the date, and we have an official pdf from VZW that tells us what changes are included in the mandatory system update. Yes, it’s mandatory, and I can’t imagine anyone arguing against installation. You can get the full details on the update as well instructions on the procedure over at Verizon’s Droid support page. I’ve pasted a snippet from the pdf below. Yes, Live Wallpapers are in there. In part, the document reads…

Enhancements:
Pinch-to-zoom is now available when using the browser, Gallery, and Google Maps.TM
New Weather and News application plus widget. − The Weather and News app pulls the information you want from the Web and brings it to your fingertips. You get weekly and hourly
weather forecasts based on your location, and news headlines.
New support for voice-to-text entry.
Whenever a text-entry box appears, simply tap the microphone icon on the virtual keyboard and speak.
New Gallery application with 3D layout. View and share photos taken with your phone and images from your online Picasa Web albums.
Live Wallpapers offer richer animated, interactive backgrounds on the home screen. Access them with a long press anywhere on the home screen. Tap Wallpapers, then Live Wallpapers

Via various sources.