As the rumored DROID 2 launch date drew closer, I knew I’d eventually get the standard issue DM of “come get a phone”. Like clockwork, I received said DM yesterday morning.

I said it on twitter, and I’ll say it again; If the DROID X and the original DROID made a baby, it’s name would be DROID 2.  This is the first Android phone to be a true successor.  Sure the myTouch Slide took over QWERTY duties for the G1, but it wasn’t a direct descendant.  If you like the original DROID, you will like this phone.

The good…

The keyboard has been redesigned, in a very good way.  The keys are raised a little bit more, are now offset and wider.  They ditched the original D-pad for up/down/left/right arrows, and an OK button.

The guts have been refreshed a bit.  It rocks a 1GHz processor and 8GB of internal storage.  Like the X, the storage is only for apps and app data.  It can’t be mounted for file storage.

It comes with Android 2.2 fresh out of the box.  No upgrading.  No manual installs.  No hassle.

The Bad…

The camera is only 5MP and doesn’t record HD video.  I suppose this is to help differentiate it from the X and Incredible.  However, the price is $199.99 (new line, contracts, etc, etc).  If this is intended to be a mid-grade phone, it needs to have a mid-grade price…or…if it’s going to cost as much as the top of the line phones, it needs to include top of the line features.

Some folks are DROID diehards.  Part of the reason is that it used to run 100% stock vanillandroid.  There wasn’t an additional layer plastered on top of it.  Well, if you’re one of those folks, and were thinking the DROID 2 was going to be the same, you’re out of luck.  The deuce runs the same version of Android that the X has.  It’s very Motorola and very Verizon.  But that’s ok.  It comes with all of the same Moto widgets that the X has, which are cool, and includes the Verizon goodies like Mobile Hotspot.

The Ugly…

I’m happy to report, that I have yet to find any “ugly”.  The Market was a bit wonky, but it always is with new phones.  Someone must have flipped a switch last night, because the Market issues that I was having disappeared.

The DROID 2 is available now for $199.99 (contracts, rebates, what-not) at your local Verizon Wireless store, or your favorite electronics retailer.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review.  If you have any specific questions, comment here or tweet at me (@breon).

…Kinda. You see, Motorola has had the hardest time promoting MotoBLUR to the general public. It’s as Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha has said, “With MOTOBLUR, we have found that being able to convey the value proposition around MOTOBLUR is not an easy thing to do in a 30-second ad spot. We have decided that we will focus on the value proposition of products and not MOTOBLUR as a brand name in its own right.”

Jha goes on to say how “you will see increased functionality in MOTOBLUR,” but in all honesty, this almost seems like an announcement of defeat. It’s a shame too. Had Motorola stayed on top of updates for their custom UI, much like HTC has with Sense, this might be a different article. At this point in the game, there really is no point to a custom UI that just organizes your social networks. Because essentially, that’s all BLUR adds. Now, with anything Eclair or later… much of that functionality is built in. Not to mention, with the release of Gingerbread fast approaching, the need for custom UIs will (hopefully) be non-existent. This isn’t necessarily the last you’ll see of BLUR (in fact, BLUR 2.1 is due out anytime now), but don’t expect to see it in the spotlight much.

Just do me a favor and ask yourself this: bad thing? Nah.

Via Android and Me

Well what do we have here? The last time we heard about the Motorola Cliq finally getting an update to Eclair 2.1, was in a leaked road-map for T-Mobile that covered from July, until November. According to that road-map, the Cliq and Cliq XT should see BLUR 2.1 by early August, or about a week from now. Now this doesn’t mean you should expect the official update any sooner (or even by early August at all), but a Motorola Cliq running 2.1 and MotoBLUR has been spotted in the wild. How you ask? The Android community of course. Reports are coming in that the new ROM a little sluggish at first, and may be a little buggy, but other than that all is good. You can grab the ROM here, but be warned, this is in no way official and you may have to recreate your BLUR account (no big deal right?). For more info on the process, check out ModMyMobile now. I used to own a Cliq for awhile, and I must admit, the only reason I didn’t like the device was the firmware. It was very solid, and in my opinion, the hardware keyboard just barely edged out the G1. Now that 2.1 is out and about, I’d definitely like to give it a once over.

Via Android Central

Bell Canada recently announced the release of the Motorola DEXT.  This Android 1.5 packing device is the same as the CLIQ here in the States.  It has a 5 MP AF camera and slide out QWERTY keyboard.  $79.95 CAD isn’t a bad price for an Android smartphone these days.

Bell launches the exclusive Android-powered Motorola DEXTâ„¢ featuring MOTOBLURâ„¢: mobile social networking just got better

MONTRÉAL, May 14, 2010 – Bell today became the exclusive Canadian carrier of the
Motorola Dextâ„¢ touchscreen smartphone. Powered by the Androidâ„¢ operating system,
the Motorola Dext is the first Bell Mobility handset to feature MOTOBLURâ„¢.

MOTOBLUR syncs all contacts, posts, feeds, messages, e-mails and photos from
sources such as Facebook®, Twitter®, MySpace and Gmail™ as well as work email
Exchange and more. With continuous updates, automatically delivered to live
widgets, MOTOBLUR offers immediate access to all the things that matter most to
clients without switching between different mobile applications.

The Motorola Dext is easy to setup and worry-free, personal information and
settings are stored secured off the device. If the handset is ever lost or
stolen, it is easy to find with the integrated aGPS or even wipe data through
the MOTOBLUR online owners’ portal. If a client needs a replacement device,
important information can be quickly restored directly through the new handset.

The Dext also offers access to more than 38,000 apps at Android Market and comes
pre-loaded with Gmail™, Google Maps™ and YouTube™ as well as Bell’s TV & Radio
app that delivers live TV and commercial-free radio services.

The Motorola Dext – which also comes equipped with a 5 megapixel
camera/camcorder, WiFi access and a 2 gigabyte memory card (expandable up to 32
gigabytes) – operates on Bell Mobility’s HSPA network, the largest and fastest
high-speed wireless network across Canada.

The Motorola Dext is available for as little as $79.95 on a three year contract
with a minimum $50 voice and data plan or for $399.95 without a contract.

For more information, please visit Bell.ca/DEXT.

About Bell

Headquartered in Montréal, Bell is Canada's largest communications company,
providing consumers and business with solutions to all their communications
needs, including Bell Mobility wireless, high-speed Bell Internet, Bell TV
direct-to-home satellite television, Bell Home Phone local and long distance
phone services, and IP-broadband and information and communications technology
(ICT) services. Bell is proud to be a Premier National Partner and the Exclusive
Telecommunications Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games.

Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE). For information on Bell's
products and services, please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on
BCE, please visit www.bce.ca.

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and focused
on advancing the way the world connects.  From broadband communications
infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video
and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people,
enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile.

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $22 billion in 2009.

For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.

Android, Android Market, Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube are trademarks of
Google, Inc.

For more information, media may contact:

Julie Smithers
Bell Media Relations
(416) 528-9409
julie.smithers@bell.ca

Linda North
Hill & Knowlton (for Motorola Canada)
(416) 413-1218 x4595
linda.north@hillandknowlton.ca

Specifications:

• Compatible with the HSPA network
• Global access
• Speed: Up to 7.2 Mbps
• SIM card
• Operating system: Android 1.5
• Touch screen with slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• Wi-Fi
• 5.0-megapixel camera with autofocus
• Text, picture and video messaging
• MP3 player
• Email
• Downloadable games, wallpaper and ringtones
• Full HTML Web browser
• Live TV
• Bluetooth® 2.0
• Radio
• GPS, Google Mapsâ„¢, Google Latitudeâ„¢, eCompass
• Internal memory: 256 MB
• External memory: 2 GB microSD included (compatible with up to 32 GB)
• Battery life: Standby time: 325 hours; Talk time: 6 hours
• GSM: (850/900/1900/2100)
• EDGE, HSDPA (850/1900/2100)

Box contents:

• Motorola Dext smartphone
• 2 GB SD card (preloaded)
• Battery: Standard Li-ion 1420 mAh
• 2-piece charger (power adapter and USB cable)
• Stereo headset
• Get Started Guide (English and French)

Hey… Don’t I know you from somewhere? I know I’ve never actually met you, you just seem really familiar. I think the last time I saw you, you were doing math. What’s your name? The Flipout? Interesting. Alright, alright, alright. Enough of that. I’m sure all you faithful DroidDog fans know what I was talking about. Let’s forget that just happened shall we?

What you are looking at is the first official pictures of the new Motorola Flipout supposedly destined for AT&T. The rumored specs go a little something like this: Android 2.1, 2.8″ screen, 512 ROM/256 RAM, GPS, WiFi, 940 mAh battery, and a 700 MHz processor. At first glance you might think that the Flipout is the one tween/teen phone to rule them all. I mean, it resembles a makeup compact and comes in green, pink, and black. Then again, if you look a little closer, the QWERTY keyboard looks very usable and that 700MHz OMAP 3430 can handle Flash 10.0 whenever Adobe is ready. I don’t want to be too quick to judge on this one so I think I’ll wait for more info before saying something I regret. What say you AT&T users, would you rock it?

Via Android and Me