motorola

These days, almost every smartphone contains the same bag of tricks, with little to differentiate handsets, apart from the hardware and maybe some software extras.

Sure, one might have a better camera, more external or internal storage, and other specs that help us tell one phone from another. But on the whole, you can access e-mail, text messages, and social networks from them all, share photos and videos, surf the Internet, and install any number of apps.

This kind of uniformity is actually good news, since it means that even midrange smartphones can be just as capable as high-end products, even if they have a smaller screen or shorter battery life, for instance. Of course, there are some smartphones that stand out from the crowd for a certain physical or software feature. In no particular order, here's the current crop of unique handsets that have me looking twice.… Read more

A smartphone deal like this doesn't happen often. AT&T is selling the Motorola Atrix HD for just 99 cents with a new two-year contract as part of its Cyber Monday promotion.

Sure you may say the Atrix HD isn't all that new, but the phone isn't very old, either. Heck, the handset made its debut this summer, which, no matter how you slice it, wasn't a very long time ago. But what kind of device will a dollar bill net you? A pretty good, one judging from the 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, big … Read more

Oral arguments in the patent trial between Microsoft and Motorola Mobility wrapped up today, with perhaps billions of dollars in patent royalties at stake.

The case, which centers how much the software giant should pay the wireless technology company to use its patents, concluded after six days of testimony. U.S. District Judge James Robart has set a deadline of December 14 for both sides to deliver their closing arguments in the form of post-trial briefs. Robart is expected to render his decision in the spring of 2013.

Motorola holds patents that are part of the H.264 video and … Read more

Republic Wireless, the service provider that made waves last year with its super-low $19 unlimited voice, data, and text messaging plan, is back and open to all.

The company garnered headlines and a lot of buzz for its plans when it launched a year ago, and consumers likewise gravitated toward the service -- the service provider had to shut its beta trial shortly after it opened up because of a surge of demand.

Republic Wireless, which buys and resells capacity from Sprint Nextel's network, is able to deliver such a low-priced service because it's betting that users will … Read more

Today is a sobering one for many Droid Razr owners like me. We're officially walking around with smartphones that are almost worthless, at least from the perspective of one major retailer.

Best Buy is letting go of the basic 16GB Droid Razr 4G LTE phone for free with a new Verizon contract for today only. I paid $199 for mine with the same strings attached about eight months ago.

If you're the kind of person who can live without the latest version of Android (the Razr comes with Gingerbread, but you should receive the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade … Read more

Motorola has officially outlined the details for its Trade Up Program which gives previous buyers a $100 credit for select smartphones. The initiative, first announced in September, is designed to keep consumers from switching handset makers over the lack of Android updates.… Read more

SEATTLE--Microsoft will square off with Google's Motorola Mobility tomorrow in a federal court here, arguing over how much the software giant should pay the wireless technology company to use its patents.

The case pits the two tech titans against one another in an arcane but significant battle over reasonable fees companies can charge for use of technology based on patents considered essential.

Motorola wants royalties that Microsoft says could reach $4 billion a year to use video streaming and Wi-Fi technology that it has baked into Windows and its Xbox video game console. Motorola holds patents that are part … Read more

Besides President Obama, the big winner on Election Day was big data.

Big data's patron saint -- FiveThirtyEight blogger Nate Silver -- won the battle to predict the outcome of the contest between Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Where breathless pundits brandishing equivocating polls shouted from the rooftops over the last few weeks that the race for the White House was a "toss-up," or "too close to call," Silver and other poll aggregators sat back and calmly told anyone who would listen that the math told another story: Obama's re-election was never … Read more

A U.S. district court judge in Wisconsin has just dismissed Apple's patent case against Motorola Mobility, now a Google unit.

According to the blog Foss Patents, which was first to report today's decision, Judge Barbara Crabb, of the Western District of Wisconsin, dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning that Apple will have to successfully appeal her decision to revive the case. Apple can't simply refile in another district court.

Apple filed suit against Motorola Mobility in March 2011 after Motorola sought 2.25 percent of all net sales on iOS products that use essential industry standard … Read more