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See how the Moto X is made (video)
Not everyone gets to walk behind the tech industry's velvet ropes. So when Motorola opened the gates to its Fort Worth, Texas facility -- the place where custom Moto X's are made -- we were there to bring you an inside look. And in the interest of getting you even more intimately acquainted with the Google company's assembled in the USA smartphone production hub, we have something almost as good as being there: a behind-the-scenes video tour. So, what are you waiting for... an invite? Head past the break to glimpse phase one of this whole new Motorola and see Governor Rick Perry spike an iPhone 5.
Motorola's American Dream: unbridled customization, two-day shipping and a Texas factory
It wasn't supposed to happen this way: Motorola had picked the date for its Fort Worth, Texas facility's dedication ceremony first. But then Apple went ahead to claim the date and stole the day's spotlight with its new iPhone reveals. No matter, as the gathering of press, factory workers and bold-faced names -- Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- seemed minorly preoccupied with the major news of the day. We were in the midst of Nokia's old manufacturing plant, after all, now the birthplace of all custom-made Moto X's and there was the spirit of American manufacturing to celebrate. To drive that point home, some very Springsteen-ish tunes were pumped over the loudspeakers as we all patiently awaited the end of Cupertino's product showcase and the start of Motorola's "we can too make it in the USA" toldja moment. I even half-expected Miley Cyrus to jump onstage with an assortment of teddy bears brandishing raver-hued Moto X's. She didn't and an Americana Twitter-trending hashtag moment was missed. Still there was one exceptional and unscripted highlight waiting in the wings. It wasn't CEO Dennis Woodside nose-thumbing at those unnamed rivals that said US-based production could and would never happen. Nor was it Schmidt's patriotic pledge to the Texas facility: "This is a bet we're taking on America ... on Texas [and] on this incredible workforce that's assembled here. We think this is a very, very safe bet." No. It was the moment Woodside presented Gov. Perry with a Moto X -- designed with Texan colors -- and Perry, in response, unceremoniously spiked his iPhone to the floor below. Yes, the moment is caught on tape.
Google Street View gives you a tour of where Moto X's are born
Ever wonder how Motorola's stateside assembly of the Moto X compares to giants such as Foxconn? Well, now you can go on a digital tour of the facility via Google Street View -- that is if our extensive gallery of up-close-and-personal photos doesn't do it for you. Google and Motorola have introduced the new virtual destination to celebrate the Fort Worth factory's official launch, so anyone with internet connection can check out where the company assembles the 100,000 phones it ships each week. And if you're tired of looking at sterile white factory walls, you can always use Street View to coo at animals, climb lofty buildings and conquer mountains instead.
Motorola's US factory now shipping 100,000 Moto X phones a week
If you're anything like us, you're wondering just how well Motorola's Fort Worth factory is coping with demand for Moto X smartphones. The answer? Well enough, thank you: CEO Dennis Woodside just told Reuters in an interview that the US-based plant is shipping about 100,000 Moto X units each week. While that's nowhere near the millions of units that Apple or Samsung would ship in a similar space of time, Woodside notes that the factory is still ramping up. Current numbers also don't reflect sales, since only some devices already have buyers. We'd add that Motorola is targeting just a handful of countries versus the global scale of its rivals. It's doubtful that the company's Fort Worth production will ever come close to that of manufacturing hubs like Shenzhen, but there's early signs that the American factory is here to stay.
Visualized: Inside the Moto X factory
This is where the Moto X magic happens: a 455,000 square-foot factory in Fort Worth, Texas that formerly manufactured devices for Nokia. From start to finish, these human-manned assembly banks are where your Moto X Moto Maker creations are born, assembled, tested for quality and then shipped off. We'll have more to come from our big Texas excursion, but for now feast your eyes on this bit of mobile Americana.
AT&T flips 4G LTE live, nearly 97 percent of America wonders where the party is
According to Ma Bell, AT&T covers 97 percent of all Americans. Of course, that's including those "one bar of EDGE" places that are uncovered so far as reality's concerned, but regardless of all that -- there's no denying that AT&T's LTE launch is on the subdued side. With Verizon rolling out five times more LTE markets this month than AT&T is even launching with, the country's largest GSM carrier definitely has some catching up to do. Regardless of the standings, the company appears to have (quietly) gone live with five LTE markets as of today, with Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas / Fort Worth and Houston getting first dibs. The source link below takes you to the new coverage map, as well as to a promise from the carrier to expand "4G LTE" (not to be confused with the other 4G, more accurately known as HSPA+) to 15 major metropolitan areas by the year's end. Notice how rural areas aren't mentioned, despite plenty of grandstanding near D.C.? Don't worry, guys -- it's just Rethinking Possible. [Thanks, Marcus]
MetroPCS fires up another LTE market: Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas
Look out, WiMAX -- LTE is blazing a path, and it's one that leads directly to the market you're aiming for. Shortly after launching its first commercial LTE market in Sin City, MetroPCS has just lit up its second in the Dallas / Fort Worth area of Texas. Monthly plans start at $55 per month (including all taxes and fees), and as with customers in Vegas, DFW users will also be looking at the dual-mode Samsung Craft ($299 in contract-free form) in order to take advantage. The carrier has reiterated that it hopes to launch even more LTE markets "later this year and in early 2011," which means that your 3G phone is getting more antediluvian by the minute.
iPhone coming to The Shack: Dallas and NYC this month, nationwide in 2010?
So we knew a select number of authorized resellers would start stocking iPhones soon, and thanks to a tipster, it looks like we might be getting a glimpse at a none-too-surprising recipient of the new order. As these pics from an anonymous tipster show, "big hug for your mobile life" retailer The Shack will be getting AT&T's flagship device soon, with a letter supposedly from EVP of store operations Bryan Bevin (found after the break) adding that the 3G and 3GS rollout will begin this month at some company-owned locations in the Dallas Forth Worth and New York City areas, with a nationwide rollout in 2010. Not that you necessarily needed more places to tempt you with the device, but it's always fun to have options.
AT&T gets official with Total Home DVR in Dallas / Fort Worth
No surprises here, but AT&T has done its duty by pumping out a press release to match up with information discovered late last week. As of now, the recently released Total Home DVR software is available to U-verse subscribers in the Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas area, and if you're curious as to what that adds, you can catch up right here. Hey AT&T, why not just present us with a nice, neat time table so the rest of your users aren't just in the dark? Thanks in advance.[Thanks, Anthony]
U-verse Total Home DVR comes to St. Louis and Dallas / Fort Worth
Considering that St. Louis, Missouri was one of the first locales to receive 2 HD / 2 SD from AT&T, we suppose it's no real shock to hear that some residents of that city are already sucking down the update. Announced earlier this month for the Bay Area, AT&T is apparently rolling its Total Home DVR software out to at least two more major metros: St. Louis and Dallas / Fort Worth. The carrier told us that the rest of its markets would get blessed soon, but we'll admit, we didn't figure "soon" to mean "next week." Any others out there getting notification of the update on their set-top-box?[Thanks, Anthony]Read - Total Home DVR to St. LouisRead - Total Home DVR to Dallas / Fort Worth
TWC spreads Dallas' 11 newest HD channels to Irving / Las Colinas
So Time Warner Cable promised outlying areas of Dallas / Fort Worth that they'd have access to these 11 high-def channels within nine months of 'em landing in DFW. It has been just under four months now, and we're hearing that residents of Irving, Las Colinas and other surrounding towns are finally seeing the likes of CNN HD, TBS HD, History HD, A&E HD, Discovery HD, National Geographic HD and a smattering of others. Still, we're hesitant to believe that everyone in the region is covered, so be sure and let your status be known below. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Chip]
