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Motorola's revived RAZR is a fashion-forward foldable
Few phones were as iconic and as ubiquitous as the original Motorola RAZR. Celebs used them constantly, fashion houses cooked up designer mashups, and it wasn't long before friends, family members and co-workers all started carrying them, too. The RAZR was, in other words, an absolute phenomenon, and now it's back. As countless reports and leaks have confirmed, though, it isn't the RAZR you grew up with. This new version, which will sell for $1,500 when it launches on Verizon next month, is Motorola's first foldable smartphone, and unlike any other foldable we've played with this year. It doesn't unfold into a small tablet. It doesn't pack loads of cameras or flagship components. It is, by Motorola's admission, a "design-first" kind of phone. That might sound concerning to some, and after a bit of hands-on time in sunny Los Angeles, people who demand peak smartphone performance or superior battery life might be a little disappointed. That's OK, though. Motorola's priority here was to build the kind of foldable device that regular people would want to use, and despite some compromises, I think the company might be onto something.
Motorola's foldable display RAZR leaks ahead of today's launch
Motorola's upcoming foldable display RAZR has leaked just hours before the company is likely to announce it at an event in Los Angeles. These new photos of the phone come courtesy of a Federal Communications Commission certification. And while they don't reveal much about the phone we didn't already know, they do provide us with our best look at the device yet.
After Math: It's sequel season
Friday's announcement that the second coming of Into the Spider-Verse will arrive in theaters on April 8, 2022, came amidst a flurry of franchise follow-up news. Motorola really is bringing back its famed Razr flip phone, Blizzard confirmed the new editions of both Diablo and Overwatch are on the way, and even Jack Ryan came back from hiatus early to launch the show's second season.
Motorola's foldable RAZR may have been spotted in the wild
Yesterday a flurry of leaked photos showed Motorola's upcoming RAZR posed for press pics, but now a picture has surfaced on China's Weibo network claiming to show one in the wild. Sunniton posted this picture saying it was the real thing, showing the device fully unfolded, in someone's hands. The chunky bottom chin is on full display, and what appears to be a notch at the top. At this point we've heard all about its purported $1,500 price, midrange-ish specs and of course, the flexible screen inside that might bring back the classic feeling of snapping a phone closed to end a call. Yesterday's pictures also showed that the device could be used by touch with it folded closed thanks to controls and a small screen on the outside that's also useful for taking selfies. With less than two weeks to go before Motorola's planned press event on November 13th, we can only wait and see what else leaks out before the device is officially revealed.
Motorola's foldable display RAZR leaks in first official-looking images
Perennial leaker Evan Blass has shared what looks like our first offical look at Motorola's upcoming foldable display RAZR phone. In contrast to the fan render Motorola used to tease the phone back May, the image Blass shared appears to be an official marketing image. Unsurprisingly, the device looks a lot like the original RAZR, complete with a thick bottom lip. Thanks to the flip phone factor of the device, it looks like the front-facing camera will allow you to take both selfies and regular shots by folding out the display. There's also what appears to be a front-facing fingerprint sensor on the chin.
Motorola invite hints at a 'reinvented' RAZR
Earlier this year a Motorola exec confirmed to Engadget that the company was hard at work on foldable phone technology, and rumors about a new RAZR-branded device just won't go away. Now CNET reports it's sending out invites for a November 13th event in Los Angeles that promise the "highly-anticipated unveiling of a reinvented icon."
Lenovo stole a fan's video to promote the foldable Motorola RAZR
Yesterday, Lenovo shared a promotional video for the rumored foldable Motorola RAZR. While the 30-second teaser was shared with members of the media during a group interview and was accompanied by the Lenovo logo, it appears that the company used video from a fan and branded it as its own. The footage that was played by Lenovo was actually spliced together from a render created by tech YouTuber Waqar Khan. According to Khan, he didn't give Lenovo permission to use the concept images that he created. Engadget has reached out to Lenovo and Motorola regarding the video and will update this story if we hear back.
Lenovo shows off foldable Razr with a fan render (updated)
It's no secret that Motorola is working on a foldable phone. According to Sina Tech, Lenovo shared a video with media today that shows the new, RAZR-like phone in action -- Engadget has since learned the video was an edited fan render Lenovo was using for a press demo. The video offers a glimpse of the device folding in half and opening flat.
Motorola confirms its foldable phone is coming
By now, it's not much of a secret that Motorola is working on a folding phone of its own: A patent for such a device surfaced late last year, and a subsequent report in The Wall Street Journal basically confirmed the company's plans. Despite the ensuing hype, Motorola has mostly kept quiet about its progress, but in an interview with Engadget this week, Motorola VP of Global Product Dan Dery shed some additional light on the company's ambitions.
Motorola patent teases a RAZR-like phone with a foldable display
A newly-discovered Motorola patent may be our first look at Lenovo's rumoured RAZR foldable phone. Unearthed by 91 Mobiles, the filing contains several illustrations that seem to show a handset with a folding screen on the inside and a second, smaller screen on the outside.
Motorola's next RAZR revival could be a $1,500 foldable phone
Motorola's RAZR flip-phone is reportedly set for a $1,500 foldable makeover. The new handset could arrive exclusively through Verizon as soon as next month, per The Wall Street Journal's sources. You can blame that massive price tag on the expensive components required to build a foldable phone (just ask Samsung, which apparently has its own $1,500 flexible handset slated for a February 20th reveal).
ICYMI: Snap Inc. knows people want its video sunglasses
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Snap Inc. dropped a Spectacles vending machine in Southern California and the sunglasses were snapped up in no time. If you don't have the thousands of dollars handy that you'd need to pay for them on eBay, you can virtually try them on inside Snapchat by taking a photo of the ghost logo on the Spectacles site (which is what I did in today's photo. Ugh.). The video of the vending machine giggling to earth is here. The story about Samsung filing a patent for a smartphone that folds in half is here. The Nature study about monkeys being able to walk again after paralysis is here. And while there are many things to catch up on this week, we recommend reading up on President-elect Donald Trump's pick for the Environmental Protection Agency's transition team. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
What to expect from Lenovo's Tech World event this week
Lenovo is pulling out all the stops this year. While it's no stranger to big launch events, this company is hosting a Tech World keynote on June 9th that promises a little bit of everything, including Motorola's latest flagship phones and the first commercially available device using Google's Project Tango mapping technology. But what exactly are we going to see? And are there any wild cards in store? We've rounded up the leaks and rumors to give you a good idea of what to expect when Lenovo and Moto take the stage in San Francisco this Thursday.
Motorola's legendary RAZR flip phone is making a comeback (update: nope)
The year was 2004, and Motorola had just announced what was then an insanely thin flip phone, the RAZR V3. It was -- and still is -- a head-turner, and eventually over 130 million units were sold in total. Such were the glorious days of Motorola. Twelve years later, the now Lenovo-owned brand appears to be prepping a relaunch of this legendary model, according to its teaser video of a nostalgic walkthrough at a high school. "Flip back to the Razr days of yesteryear and get ready for the future." Well, our money's on an Android refresh of the RAZR flip phone, and we're already quite stoked about that. The big unveil will take place at Lenovo Tech World on June 9th, and we have a feeling that this new RAZR may overshadow the new Moto X devices that are also expected there. Update 6/5: Alas, it's not to be. Motorola tells The Guardian that it's not re-releasing the RAZR when Tech World kicks off on June 9th. The clip was ultimately a reminder of how Motorola changed the mobile world with its thin flip phone, rather than the hint of a full-scale revival. Your 2004 self is going to be so disappointed.
Gadget Rewind 2004: Motorola RAZR V3
It's our 10th birthday, and to celebrate we'll be revisiting some of the key devices of the last decade. So please be kind, rewind. Motorola had been slinging its "hellomoto" campaign for several years by the time the RAZR V3 hit the scene in 2004. It's likely that you'll remember the iconic design of this handset, either as your communicator of choice or with a faint twinge of envy at never having scored one yourself. This ultra-slim flip phone had a backlit keypad that screamed Tron and its magnesium and aluminum outer shell gave it a lightweight, yet solid build. Motorola made the right move by providing an array of colors to choose from -- not quite the rainbow of flavors that today's Moto X offers, but it was enough to satisfy those with funkier tastes. As its name implied, the RAZR V3 was the switchblade of cellphones and cut a strikingly sharp figure, especially when flipped open. A minor downside to the design was its width; at just over 2-inches it was an exception at the time, although still a few notches below what most of us are pocketing today.
Motorola Droid Ultra and Droid Maxx for Verizon hands-on (video)
Like clockwork, Motorola and Verizon have refreshed their joint Droid lineup, and we're here to check out all three devices. The two more premium handsets, the Droid Ultra and Droid Maxx, are the most promising of the bunch for advanced users, replacing last year's Droid RAZR HD and RAZR Maxx HD and offering the requisite 4G LTE connectivity. Both of those smartphones were at the top of their game in 2012, and that trend appears to continue here -- the Ultra and Maxx are very similar, with the latter boosting the battery capacity, enabling power users to make it through a full day. Like its predecessors, the Ultra and Droid Maxx (pictured above) sport Kevlar bodies, both of which look sleek and feel sturdy. The Ultra we saw has a glossy red finish, which Motorola helpfully suggested is "a lot like a sports car." The Maxx, on the other hand, has a soft-touch black finish. At any rate, we prefer the Maxx's look; as we've said about Samsung's Galaxy lineup, a glossy, plasticky finish tends to look cheaper. Both phones feature a 10-megapixel camera with a f/2.4 lens; we'll have to wait for our review units to test the shooter's mettle. What the Ultra's design does have going for it, though, is an extra-thin profile. At 7.18mm, it's already being touted as the "thinnest 4G LTE smartphone available." At 4.94 ounces, it feels very light, and though it sports the Droid family's usual boxy form factor, the edges are gently curved to make for a nice fit in the hand. It packs a 5-inch, 720p Super AMOLED display, which, while not quite as pixel-dense as the Mini's 4.3-inch TFT panel, offers crisp images, vibrant colors and wider-than-average viewing angles. The Ultra is priced at $199, 100 bucks higher than the Mini and 100 lower than the Maxx.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 22nd, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Refresh Roundup: week of April 15th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Motorola outs RAZR D1, D3 in Brazil: dual-SIM support, Jelly Bean and more
Folks around the interweb are still wondering what a certain unidentified Motorola smartphone could be, but while we wait for that mystery to unfold, the company's taken the time to announce a pair of new Android handsets in Brazil. The RAZR D1 and D3 clearly nab a design cue from their M cousin, however both are packing smaller 3.5- and 4-inch displays, respectively. Screen size aside, the better-specced of the two, the D3, boasts an undisclosed 1.2GHz, dual-core CPU alongside 1GB of RAM and a 2,000mAh battery, while the entry-level D1 is loaded with a 1GHz CPU, the same amount of RAM and a slightly less powerful 1,785mAh cell -- plus, each one offers dual-SIM features and runs a rather fresh version of Google's OS, aka Jelly Bean. Per Motorola Mobility, Brazilians can now snag a D1 beginning at R$ 549 (about $280) for the dual-SIM model; the D3, on the other hand, is expected to hit shelves "in several weeks" with a starting tag of R$ 799.%Gallery-181487%
Motorola lists phones that won't get Jelly Bean, offers $100 credit to buy a phone that will
Back in September, Motorola Mobility announced that some of its handsets from 2011 and later wouldn't be making the jump to Jelly Bean. In an effort to smooth things over with exiled customers, the company pledged that it would offer a $100 rebate to those who trade up to a select Motorola smartphone. Today, the Google-owned Android maker has released a list detailing which phones qualify for this promotion. If you're among the many who purchased a Droid 3, Droid X2 and Photon 4G, it looks like an official update to Android 4.1 is out of the question. It should be noted that this offer doesn't affect your wireless contract's terms and conditions (read: ETF may still apply). However, if you're just aching to pick up a Motorola phone that released in 2012, then why not score a $100 credit for your troubles? Move past the break to see which other devices made didn't make the cut.
