motus Archive

  • Pics: Motorola Motus is real, coming to AT&T as Backflip (or Enzo)

    Pics: Motorola Motus is real, coming to AT&T as Backflip (or Enzo)

    Posted on December 17, 2009 | No Comments
    motorola-enzo-3 Remember that crazy lookin' Motorola-made Android handset that leaked out a few days ago? The one that appeared to have a flip-out keyboard on a big ol' hinge? It's real - and it's heading for AT&T.

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  • Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T

    Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T

    Posted on December 16, 2009 | No Comments
    Just when we though this decade had run short on phone form factors, Motorola comes along to blow our minds with this new Backflip / Enzo / Motus device. Amazingly, the most interesting part of this device might not even be the reverse hinge design, which flips the keyboard back behind the screen and faces out when not in use, but the fact that there's a clear-as-day AT&T logo on it -- something we'd heard rumored, but dared not believe until we saw it with our own eyes. The rest of the leaked photos go on to corroborate earlier rumors: there's a touchpad on the back of the keyboard to aid in no-look scrolling, it's running Blur on top of Android 1.5 (with a few AT&T apps, Yahoo search and no Gmail), and it runs the same 528MHz processor as the CLIQ. Hard to believe this very same company builds the Droid.

    [Thanks, Jeff B.]

    Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Motorola Motus AT&T rumor gains momentum

    Motorola Motus AT&T rumor gains momentum

    Posted on December 9, 2009 | No Comments
    We can't confirm the details here, but we've received some pretty in-depth information about the Motorola Motus' possible launch on AT&T that would seem to largely corroborate what we've been hearing so far:
    • Sure enough, the keyboard flips backwards so that it's facing out when the phone is "closed." When it's open, the underside of the keyboard has a trackpad that allows you to scroll the screen while typing with your thumbs (it's unclear how well this'll actually work in practice). There's also a third hinge position that keeps the phone upright -- perfect for use as a video display or alarm clock.
    • There's a 5 megapixel cam and LED flash mounted on the keyboard (notice that white spot in the lower left?) designed to be used as a webcam, but we don't know whether this'll function as a traditional 3G video call (we'd doubt it) or over some other service.
    • It runs Blur. If you like Blur, congrats; if you hate it, our condolences.
    • The keys are backlit and said to be "domed" -- that's not really conveyed in this spy shot we've seen, but it's hard to say for sure.
    • It's said to be about three-quarters of an inch thick, "enough to be bulky in your pocket."
    • Our tipster says he thinks he was told it runs Snapdragon, which would run counter to our current intel that has it running the CLIQ's 528MHz MSM7201A. At any rate, he says it "seemed very responsive," which is a good sign.
    Now here's the bummer: apparently our guy was told that it wouldn't be ready until April or May of 2010, which would truly suck if AT&T really intends this to be in its first batch of Android devices. He couldn't get a market name out of his contact, but we're guessing "Motus" isn't going to stick. At least, we hope it isn't.

    Motorola Motus AT&T rumor gains momentum originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Motorola registers ‘Backflip’ name, could be for the Motus

    Motorola registers ‘Backflip’ name, could be for the Motus

    Posted on November 25, 2009 | No Comments
    We think there's probably a really good reason why landscape QWERTY handsets don't hinge in reverse, but hey, everyone gets a little wild and crazy once in a while, right? Cellpassion has discovered that Moto has recently secured rights to the "Backflip" name in Europe, which would dovetail nicely with that allegedly leaked image of the upcoming Motus a few days back -- we hadn't really considered it the first time around, but on second look, we can imagine how this wouldn't be your average mechanism here. Sadly, the latest rumors have this thing based on Android 1.5 when it hits next quarter, suggesting that Motorola's having a hell of a time updating BLUR for newer builds -- and that could be a huge sticking point for 'em going forward.

    Motorola registers 'Backflip' name, could be for the Motus originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Motorola Motus specs leaked, headed for AT&T?

    Motorola Motus specs leaked, headed for AT&T?

    Posted on November 20, 2009 | No Comments
    Slowly but surely, the Motorola Motus is coming into focus -- sort of. Hot on the heels of that super blurry shot we saw yesterday, BGR has some specs for the mid-range Android set, which seem to indicate this one's not much more than an AT&T-oriented variant of the Cliq: 850 / 1900 / 2100MHz 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 3.1-inch capacitive 480 x 320 display, microSD expansion, MOTOBLUR, and a Qualcomm MSM 7201A CPU, which will undoubtedly be clocked at 528MHz. Unfortunately, there's no word on what version of Android is on this thing, but we've got the sinking feeling it'll be 1.6, given the last-gen hardware and Blur UI. Not the most impressive first Android set for AT&T -- let's hope there's a better surprise in store.

    Motorola Motus specs leaked, headed for AT&T? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Android-fueled Motorola Motus specs get spec’d

    Android-fueled Motorola Motus specs get spec’d

    Posted on November 19, 2009 | No Comments
    (Get it? Specs, spec’d, spectacles? Anyone? Come on – maybe it’s not funny, but at least it shows I know.. uh.. words.) I’m not too sure what to think of the Motorola Motus yet, but one thing is for sure: that form factor is crazy. The photo that leaked just a few hours ago already seemed [...]

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  • Android-powered Motorola Motus caught on film, apparently in the middle of an earthquake

    Android-powered Motorola Motus caught on film, apparently in the middle of an earthquake

    Posted on November 19, 2009 | No Comments
    motorola-motus-motofan-ru There seems to be an unspoken style guideline amongst spy shot shooters: find the worst lighting possible, ditch the flash, and down 3-4 cups of coffee before snapping away. Unfortunately, the spy behind this shot of the Android-powered Motorola Motus played by all the rules.

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  • Motorola Motus spied, snapped by the worst camera in history?

    Motorola Motus spied, snapped by the worst camera in history?

    Posted on November 19, 2009 | No Comments
    Given what we've heard and seen so far, we wouldn't say we're "excited" about the upcoming Motorola Motus -- it's just a midrange Android set, after all, and the Droid has taught us that Moto's capable of so much more -- but a spy shot's a spy shot, and we'll take what we can get, right? We can't confirm the authenticity of this positively awful photo spotted on motofan.ru, but it looks roughly like what we'd expect for a 2010-spec Android phone designed to appeal to the masses. The usability of that trick keyboard is an open question -- the Droid has already proven that the company isn't afraid to sacrifice a little usability for +5 points in the thin and sexy departments, so we'll just have to wait and see where this puppy lands.

    [Thanks, Vitala]

    Motorola Motus spied, snapped by the worst camera in history? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Motorola Motus gets FCC approval, Sholes Tablet looking legit

    Motorola Motus gets FCC approval, Sholes Tablet looking legit

    Posted on November 9, 2009 | No Comments

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    Whenever a Moto with triband HSPA hits the FCC, we're naturally going to end up scouring the documentation -- what can we say, it's in our blood -- and today we've found a model claiming to be the rumored Motus. As a refresher, this is a device we'd heard would rock the Android midrange with a 5 megapixel AF cam, 3.1-inch QVGA display, and HSPA for a Q1 '10 release, so it's not much more than a tweaked CLIQ as far as we're concerned -- but the big news here might actually be that the Motus filing adds legitimacy to the leaked roadmap where we'd originally heard of it. That document made mention of a "Sholes Tablet" that takes the already-high-end DROID / MILESTONE further upmarket with an 8 megapixel cam and xenon flash, and as you can imagine, we'll be listening to our friends at the FCC pretty intently over the next few weeks to see if we can catch that one sliding through.

    Motorola Motus gets FCC approval, Sholes Tablet looking legit originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Purported Motorola roadmap uncovers Sholes Tablet, Motus and other mythical mysteries

    Purported Motorola roadmap uncovers Sholes Tablet, Motus and other mythical mysteries

    Posted on October 14, 2009 | No Comments

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    Okay folks, this is the moment where hauling a spoonful of NaCl down the chute would be highly recommended. DialAPhone seems to have unearthed what looks like a Q4 2009 - Q1 2010 Motorola roadmap, and while the finds are certainly intriguing, we're still hesitant to believe this thing is legit. For starters, this is obviously a European plan, so what we're viewing here may never make the tedious journey across the pond anyway. Secondly, how many of you honestly believe Moto's cooking up a Sholes Tablet? Exactly. That said, we'd be the first to drool should that device (or the Motus and / or Zeppelin) launch early next year, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be scraping the floor for details when CES kicks off in just a few months.

    [Thanks, dejan]

    Purported Motorola roadmap uncovers Sholes Tablet, Motus and other mythical mysteries originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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