First, HTC announced that forthcoming smartphones would not have the bootloader software locked, allowing for the installation of non-market apps. Yesterday, Motorola reps revealed all sorts of information about Motorola's Photon, bootloaders and MotoBlur, leading to new rumors conjecture about the changes and power of the Droid Bionic that leaked photos refute.
A Motorola rep told one reporter that the Motorola Photon 4G would not have a locked bootloader. Reps never mentioned the word MotoBlur, leading several blogs to declare that MotoBlur is dead. Features of MotoBlur remain on Motorola smartphones, such as the Motorola Photon but just aren't being called anything special.
We've sent a text message to the Motorola PR rep to get official word about MotoBlur.
In the meantime, since the Motorola Photon's bootloader is unlocked, bloggers are also reporting that, when the delayed Droid Bionic is released, it should have an unlocked bootloader also. The Motorola Photon is a close clone or sibling to the Droid Bionic.
The Motorola Photon was announced to have a 1700mAh battery, and it appears that the Droid Bionic will have an even bigger battery. Currently, all the 4G LTE smartphones on Verizon in the Awesome 4G-Threesome (HTC ThunderBolt, Droid Charge and LG Revolution) have less than optimal battery life.
Recent leaked photos of the Droid Bionic,
from Phone HK, show Android 2.3.4, a MotoBlur-style 3D home screen
carousel, connections to a laptop dock, possible GSM radio (for world access), a 4.5" touchscreen and 1750mAh battery, which will
really help with 4G data use. We made a copy of the Google translation of the page. If you speak Chinese and can translate it better, please post your translation on our Facebook page.
Let's look at the PR announcement about the delay of the Droid Bionic:
"Motorola's DROID BIONIC LTE smartphone, first announced at this year's
International Consumer Electronics Show, will launch this summer with
Verizon Wireless. Based on compelling feedback since the show, we are
incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer
experience. This includes expanded features, functionality and an
improved form factor. Motorola Mobility and Verizon Wireless are very
excited about bringing the 'new' DROID BIONIC to market."
The "form factor" change could mean a bigger battery. So far, all of the 4G LTE smartphones on the Verzion network, the Awesome 4G-Threesome, have battery issues. It could also mean 4.5" screen size.
Previously announced specs of the Droid Bionic include a dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch qHD
touchscreen, an HDMI-out 1080p connection, a front-facing VGA webcam
8MP camera, 512MB RAM and 4GLTE. It should also come with Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth and GPS.
Read all Motorola Photon or Droid Bionic articles.
