electrify

Motorola Electrify M getting Jelly Bean jolt

If you own a Motorola Electrify M on U.S. Cellular, a sweet treat is coming your way soon. The svelte device will receive access to an Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update starting February 12.

A close cousin to the Motorola Droid Razr M on Verizon, the Electrify M features the same 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor, 8GB of internal storage, and a 4.3-inch AMOLED (960x540 pixels) screen.

Also like the Razr M, the Electrify M offers a speedy 4G LTE data connection plus an 8-megapixel camera that captures 1080p HD video. Weighing just under … Read more

Motorola Electrify M bring more LTE to U.S. Cellular

U.S. Cellular today announced its next 4G LTE smartphone, the Android-based Motorola Electrify M. It will join the lineup in the coming days.

Powered by 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the handset goes on sale on the carrier's Web site on November 8 and in retail stores the following day. It's the third handset in the carrier's Electrify line after the original Electrify and the Electrify 2.

Pricing will vary depend on whether the buyer is in a 4G LTE market. Live inside the 4G footprint and your cost is $99.99 after a $100 mail-in … Read more

SpaceX rocket engine shut down at launch

Monday's CNET Update finds a few problems:

Although it appeared to be a flawless launch, there was a problem with one of the engines of the SpaceX Falcon 9. About a minute after takeoff, one of the engines detected a drop in pressure and shut down. Video posted on YouTube shows debris falling off in what some have called an explosion. SpaceX said the engine did not explode, but rather the protective fairing for the engine ruptured due to the pressure change. The other engines compensated for the failed engine, as was designed to happen if there was a … Read more

Android users outraged over Motorola's broken promise

Doran Else bought his Photon 4G last October, lured by the fast dual-core processor and by the close relationship between Motorola and its new owner, Google. Motorola had recently joined the Android Upgrade Alliance, promising to release operating system updates to all its phones for 18 months following their release.

But for Else and thousands of others, those operating system updates turned out to be a mirage. Last Friday, buried in a Motorola forum, the company quietly abandoned its update pledge, killing off plans to ever update the Photon 4G. The Electrify, a re-branded Photon available on the US Cellular … Read more

U.S. Cellular to sell Motorola Electrify 2 and Defy XT

U.S. Cellular just announced plans to offer two new Android smartphones, the slim Motorola Electrify 2 and rugged Defy XT on August 1 and August 3.

The Electrify 2, a follow-up to the original Electrify will ship running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and 4.3-inch LCD screen featuring Motorola's ColorBoost enhancements. … Read more

Smartphones for world travelers (roundup)

If you're in the U.S. and frequently travel overseas for business or pleasure, a smartphone with world-roaming capabilities is a good thing to have in your travel kit. The smartphone part of the device gives you access to all the productivity tools you need to get work done on the road, and the world roaming lets you touch base with your colleagues, friends, and family back in the States.

Here are six of the latest world phones we've tested recently, but there are plenty more to choose from.… Read more

Motorola Electrify set to sizzle at U.S. Cellular for $199.99

Keeping up with its promise to deliver eight smartphones this year, including one from Motorola, U.S. Cellular unveiled that it will offer the Motorola Electrify later this month for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Similar to the Motorola Photon 4G for Sprint, the Electrify features a 4.3-inch qHD display, a dual-core 1GHz processor, 16GB of internal memory, an 8-megapixel camera, and a front-facing VGA camera. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread phone also has an HDMI port, comes with the Webtop app, and is compatible with such accessories as the HD Station.

U.S. Cellular did not … Read more

Electric cars: iPhones of the auto industry?

Depending on who you talk to, electric cars pack the disruptive force of either Dell PCs or the Apple iPhone.

Regardless of your choice of analogy, the auto industry is facing the kind of technology-based competition it hasn't seen in years.

And in this game, start-ups claim to have the upper hand on the incumbents.

"This is probably something that has not been seen since we moved from the horse to the engine," said Henrik Fisker, the CEO of Fisker Automotive, which is designing a luxury hybrid electric car, the Karma.

"We suddenly have an open … Read more