Motorola is now officially owned and operated by Google. The landmark acquisition was first announced in August 2011, but it did not become official until the deal gained approval from the United States, European Union, and China. Now that these three major hurdles have cleared, Google can start playing with its new toy.

Google has stated that Motorola will operate as a separate business, but it has replaced CEO Sanjay Jha with Dennis Woodside, a Google veteran who has experience at various operations in Europe and Africa. Though Jha will no longer run Motorola, he will continue during a transitional period.

“I’ve known Dennis for nearly a decade, and he’s been phenomenal at building teams and delivering on some of Google’s biggest bets,” Google CEO Larry Page said in an announcement of the deal. “Dennis has always been a committed partner to our customers and I know he will be an outstanding leader of Motorola–and he’s already off to great start with some very strong new hires for the Motorola team.”

Jha stepping down to make way for Woodside doesn’t come as a surprise; previous rumors suggested that this would happen once the deal closed. Still, there may be surprises to come following the acquisition. With Woodside at the help, might we see more stock Android phones, faster updates, or Google TV set-top boxes?

Google

The Motorola DROID 4, DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID RAZR, and the HTC Rezound were previously rumored to feature global capabilities in the near future in order to be used overseas.  Earlier today, Verizon Wireless confirmed the recent speculation to the public by issuing a statement saying the four devices would receive an OTA upgrade and then voice services will be available in over 220 countries with data being available in over 205 countries.

The benefits of being able to operate overseas means you can travel overseas with your smartphone — assuming a global roaming service is added prior to leaving the country.  In addition, the four devices are 4G LTE capable, therefore they come with SIM cards built-in and the SIM cards are already unlocked.  Verizon Wireless customers who own these phones can simply purchase a prepaid SIM card and pop it in while traveling as a second method.

The timeframe for the DROID 4, DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID RAZR, and the Rezound is simply in the Summer.  Hopefully, Verizon will release the OTA update sooner, rather than later.

[AndroidCentral]

We have some good news for Motorola DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX owners as Motorola recently updated its ICS Upgrade forum page to reflect some new dates.  The aforementioned Android smartphones on Verizon Wireless will receive the coveted Android 4.0 upgrade sometime in Q2, which implies in the next couple of months.  Since this information is straight from the Motorola website, we expect the time frame to be fairly set in stone.  In addition, the Motorola Xoom with 3G or 4G connectivity will also receive its own upgrade to Android 4.0 in Q2.

The Motorola forum page also mentions that the DROID 4 and DROID Bionic will each receive Android 4.0 in Q3.  The XYBOARD tablets will also get its own helping of Ice Cream Sandwich goodness in Q3.

Lastly, we will keep our eyes open for any exact dates in Q2 for the DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX, and the Xoom 3G/4G for the ICS roll-out.

[Motorola Forums]

UPDATE: Motorola has some bad news for anyone clutching a Droid 3 or Droid X2 – neither of those phones will receive an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Motorola confirmed that the Droid 3 and Droid X2 are stuck on “Will remain on Android 2.3″ status, meaning that it has no plans to update either device.  It’s an unsurprising but still disappointing move considering Motorola’s weak track record of supporting phones. If your gadget, like the X2 and Droid 3, aren’t slated for updates, here’s Motorola’s statement on why:

You may be wondering why all devices aren’t being upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Here’s the deal. We work very closely with Google and cell phone carriers for every software update. And, obviously we want the new release to improve our devices. If we determine that can’t be done—well then, we’re not able to upgrade that particular device.

Happy upgrading!

The Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX recently received a price cut from $299 to $199.  The most attractive aspect of the device is its battery life as it has a 3300 mAh battery providing up to 21 hours of continuous talk time.  For some customers, it was hard to justify a $299 price tag for a great battery life, but now the price may be a little easier to swallow since it is just $199 on a two year contract.

Ironically, the Motorola DROID RAZR still costs $199 on a two year contract, but I imagine Verizon will lower its price soon enough.  The DROID RAZR MAXX at the same price is definitely the better deal with the bigger battery, but at $199, it is one of Verizon’s top smartphones.

Recently, Verizon and Color for Facebook teamed up and the app on the DROID RAZR MAXX can be used to live stream 30 second HD clips powered by 4G LTE.  While this app sounds kind of cool, I can’t imagine myself using it that often.

If Android 2.3 is holding you back from purchasing the DROID RAZR MAXX for $199, then you should know that Android 4.0 should be right around the corner.

[Verizon Wireless]

In case the black, white, or purple Motorola DROID RAZR just doesn’t suit you, then Verizon wants to offer you a chance to purchase the same DROID RAZR in blue.  Currently, the Motorola DROID RAZR in a blue finish is available in select stores across the United States.  If your local Verizon Wireless retail store doesn’t have the blue model in stock, then you will simply have to wait until May 17 for a chance to purchase it online.

The DROID RAZR in blue will cost $99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and for a limited time, new account subscribers (or those looking to renew a contract) can buy double the data for the same initial price.  For example, 4GB of data will only cost $30 per month for the duration of the contract period.

The only major complaint about the DROID RAZR (in any color) at this time is the lack of Ice Cream Sandwich, however, Verizon and Motorola seem committed to providing Android 4.0 in the near future.

[CNet]

Verizon has great news for those of you out there still rocking a Motorola Droid 2, as you should find an OTA update (v4.5.621) weighing in at 14MB, that will install some bug fixes. This update addresses some issues that includes the phone turning on without any interaction from the user and one that replicates thumbnails in message threads. Luckily, the update will also allow users to be able to save their ringtones for the use of whatever they want to use them for.

If you haven’t received the OTA notice of the update, you can check for it manually by going to Settings > About Phone > System Updates. This shows if the update has arrived and is ready to be installed. Here’s the full change log:

Device Features

• Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.
• A Google Security Patch has been added to improve security level.
• Fixed issue where the device may power ON without user interaction.
• Adjusted camera settings will be saved, even after the device is powered down.
• Resolved possible device resets while playing music.
• Reduced Out of Memory errors.

Email, Messaging & Data

• Improved ability to access and receive Gmail messages when the Mobile Hotspot is turned on.
• Addressed error that replicated thumbnails in message threads.

Applications & Widgets

• WAV files can be played from Visual Voice Mail.
• Purchased ringtones are now able to be downloaded, saved and used where appropriate.

Tell us how the update went and how the phone works now.

Source: phoneArena

When the HTC Rezound, Motorola DROID RAZR, and Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX each launched, the only real disappointment was the fact that it would run Android 2.3 out of the box, and not the highly anticipated Android 4.0.  At the time of launch, Verizon reminded consumers that an upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich will take place soon.  Back on March 6th, Verizon Wireless revealed exactly which phones in its lineup would receive the upgrade but did not announce a possible roll-out date.  Needless to say, the DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX, and Rezound were all on the list earlier this month, and today, we now have possible dates courtesy of a Best Buy leak.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the possible time frames for a ICS roll-out to some of Verizon’s best smartphones in the market.  On April 4th, the Android 4.0 is slated  to be delivered Over-The-Air to the Motorola DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX.  Two days later on April 6th, the HTC Rezound is expected to receive the update.  Of course, this information is currently in the rumor stage since it is reported from a Best Buy leak and not Verizon.

However, we will definitely find out in the next several days whether or not this rumor turns out to be true.

[AndroidPolice]

Motorola has been pretty out of the high-end smartphone game while rivals made big announcements or saw their flagships appear in leaks. But the US-based company might just have what it takes to get back in the fight with the likes of Apple, Samsung or HTC.

The Droid Fighter could be Motorola’s flagship in 2012, with rumors pointing towards a Verizon April release. The smartphone doesn’t have a spec sheet attached to its name just yet, but its first leaked image gives us hope.

Looking very similar to the Motorola Droid RAZR (which is not a bad thing), the Fighter will most likely sport a large full HD 4.6-inch display. Even though the leaked pic is kind of blurry, we can’t seem to spot any physical buttons, so we can safely assume that the future Motorola smartphone will run Android Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box (hooray!).

The handheld could also come with a whopping 3,300 mAh battery, similar to the one featured by the RAZR MAXX (once again, not a bad thing), which should ensure a more than decent autonomy.

As I already mentioned, there aren’t any other tech specs and features known for the time being, but I certainly hope that this smartphone will feature a snappier processor than the dual-core 1.2 GHz TI OMAP powering the RAZR MAXX. A Tegra 3 quad-core chipset would certainly be too much to ask, but as far as I’m concerned, a 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 is still in contention to power Motorola’s gadget.

Stay tuned on our website in the coming weeks and don’t forget to check back on Androinica.com on April 12^th, when the Droid Fighter will supposedly be officially unveiled.

Via Pocketdroid.net

Verizon Wireless is proud to be the first American carrier to offer a smartphone running Android 4.0, but it does not want to stop there.  The carrier appears committed to bringing the latest version of the Android Operating System to as many compatible smartphones and tablets as possible.  Earlier today, Verizon published a list of smartphones and tablets from the major Android manufacturers that will receive an update to ICS in due time.  Most of the devices slated to receive the update are expected, but it is nice to see the ThunderBolt, DROID Incredible 2, and DROID Bionic make the cut.

LG has one lone device scheduled to receive the update to Android 4.0 in the high-end LG Spectrum.  Samsung has two tablets in the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.7 expected to run ICS.  The Motorola Xoom, DROID Bionic, DROID RAZR, DROID RAZR MAXX, DROID 4, DROID XYBOARD 8.2, and XYBOARD 10.1 will each recieve the update.  Lastly, four HTC smartphones will receive the update including the ThunderBolt, Rezound, Rhyme, and DROID Incredible 2.

A few smartphones missing from the Verizon list include the Samsung DROID Charge, LG Revolution, Motorola DROID 3, and the Samsung Stratosphere.  However, Verizon reminds us that it will continue to update the list as it learns more from the manufacturer about which specific devices will make the list.  If your device isn’t mentioned, then there is still a chance it will receive Android 4.0.

Unfortunately, there is no specific time frame mentioned for any of the confirmed Android 2.3 smartphones, but I imagine the roll-out for all will be complete before the year is over.

[Verizon Wireless]