The ICX Development Team consists of  members DooMLoRD, KeiranFTW, XperiaPlayer, Deanboro or DJ_Steve and including some others from the  XDA Developers Community.  This group of heros have successfully built a customized port of Ice Cream Sandwich for Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY handheld device. Sony Ericsson became the first major vendor to offer an official ICS update, but it was initially meant for just three of their devices. While the ICS coverage for customers gradually improves, it apparently leaves much to be desired. Customized ROMs from ICX is nothing new, and in this case, of Sony Xperia PLAY such a ROM brings many treats of real Ice Cream Sandwich to the device.

For their Alpha 2 release:
– no random reboots!
– sound is working
– added stock ICS launcher
– added cpu overclock (up to 2 GHz)
– added file manager

To be included in next version:
– use DesireHD AOSP ROM as a base
– portrait mode will work
– and a lot more.

If you are an Xperia PLAY user, you may want to follow the rapidly evolving development thread here. By the way, the ICX Team is also known by their customized Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for Droid X:

The post Early Alpha ICS Type Port by ICX Appears for Xperia PLAY appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

A Droid X repair is very dicy and easy to screw up if you don’t know what you are doing. There is some material online that helps with the overall process of DIY repair but everything false short in some degree. This won’t be the end all guide but this is meant to fill in some gaps so you don’t screw things up rather than fixing it successfully.

We used a T-4 Torx screwdriver, heat gun and a pry tool as tools to complete the repair. On the low end, you can find the Droid X digitizer within the US borders for $75 and some pricing over $100. This is much higher than most digitizer screens, so while it is not the easiest to break (not hard either) it is expensive. Lucky for Droid X fanboys though, when the screen breaks the LCD can still be good. For some phones they are stuck together so a tiny crack can result in big dollars lost.

Prop off the top and bottom plastic caps on the edge of the phone. This is easy.

Once you unscrew the back you have to pry apart the back and front assembly with plastic clips that must be released without breaking them. This can be a nuisance but with any experience it is obvious that these things need to be pried with measured force.

After you have avoided breaking off the plastic clips it is on to the guts of the phone, it is onto lifting the motherboard.

It is really easy to damage the connecter so you can’t lift the motherboard completely. There is a connector connecting the LCD to the motherboard, you will rip this if you are not careful.

You will also notice black sticky foam gook (aka black sticky icky) that holds the digitizer connector in place. You will need to remove this, using tweezer to remove the phone without damage to the connector.

The digitizer has two connectors, with the smaller one being under a plastic ‘door’ that also must be released. The plastic door is very fragile and has black sticky icky foam to be a real headache.

The connectors can really screw you up so be careful not to tear the ribbon, bend the pins in the connectors and even break the black door.

Now, just reverse the steps of not f’ing up the disassembly of your phone and place in the new digitizer during reassembly. Steady hands and attentions spans help.

If this seems too difficult or you’re scared of making things worse, you can always send it in to be serviced.

[RepairLaunch's Motorola Droid Repair]

The post How to replace the Motorola Droid X Digitizer appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It feels like just yesterday that I was handing out chocolates to the trick-or-treaters, but the Christmas commercials have already started to populate our airwaves. One of the latest comes by way of Verizon to advertise its Droid line of phones and this almost “Nightmare Before Christmas” material.

Coke might have its polar bears, but Verizon has a big scary robot disguised as a kindly snowman. And it’s awesome. I really like the Droid commercials from Verizon, mostly because they remind me of things like Terminator, and this one adds a little festive flair to it. Bow down to your snowbot overlords.

The TV spot is used to promote the Motorola Droid 2 and the Motorola Droid X, which are shown as the “eyes” of the snowman. As one of the tree branch arms fall off the snowman, that now iconic robotic arm emerges. I’m not sure if these marketing tactics appeal to everyone, but most geeks like me probably dig it.

One other takeaway from the ad is that the price on the Droid 2 has dropped fifty bucks down to $149.99. Could it be that they’re looking to clean out the stock in preparation for a successor? You know, like the Droid 2 Global?

SOURCE: Android Guys

The post Droid 2, Droid X Snowbot commercial from Verizon shows Android’s dark side (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Here is the list:

• Stuck on Moto logo after reboot – this was tough on a very few owners. Sorry about that. A fix has been developed for this and should eliminate the problem. It will be distributed in a future software release.
• Random rebooting – while there always seem to be new conditions that can cause an electronic device to panic, we do have improvements coming that address and eliminate identified panic states. They will be distributed in a future software release.
• WiFi connection and stability – improvements in WiFi have been developed, to address several problem areas. They will be distributed in a future software release.
• Battery Manager “force close” errors – under some circumstances, pressing the battery icon under Menu > Settings > Battery Manager results in a forced close error. A fix has been developed for this and should eliminate the problem. It will be distributed in a future software release.
• Media won’t play – includes “sorry the player does not support this type of audio file,” custom ringtone stop working, video won’t play, etc. A reboot will restore full media function, but not permanently. We believe we have identified the cause of these errors. A fix has been developed for this and should eliminate the problem. It will be distributed in a future software release.
• Music files cutting off the final four seconds or so – a solution has been developed. It will be distributed in a future software release.

Motorola is also asking that their users provide them with feedback on the problems they are having. What a novel concept, listening to your users!  Some companies could learn from this.

There’s been no timeline given for an update that actually fixes these problems for normal users, but at least Motorola seems to be proactive in the process of rectifying the situation, rather than just waiting for the 2.3 update from Google.  It’s understandable for there to be urgency in releasing OS upgrades given the tight market for Android Smartphones, but with a built-in general disdain for the MotoBlur interface throughout the Android community, I would hope that Motorola would concentrate on releasing more stable updates in the future. After all, HTC upgraded the EVO 4G and Incredible to Froyo with a fraction of the problems that Motorola is having.

The post Motorola Admits to Releasing a Bad Froyo Build appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

What’s that? You thought overclocking the T-Mobile G2 to 1.344GHz was an impressive feat? How about overclocking another Android phone to be even faster than most notebook and desktop computers? It happened and it’s amazing.

A couple of guys from Team DeFuse took their hacking hands to the Motorola DROID X and DROID 2 smartphones, seeing how fast they could make that mobile processor go. After some mucking around, they managed to double the clock speed to a very impressive 2.0GHz… but they weren’t done.

While the release isn’t quite stable just yet, the duo felt that they could take it to the next level. Shortly after word broke out of the 2.0GHz accomplishment, Team DeFuse’s Matt comes forward with proof that he’s bumped the DROID 2 up to 3.0GHz.

Is this going to kill the battery life on the Moto smartphones? Definitely. Will it likely crash a thing or two, possibly caused by the intense overheating that will probably result? Yeah, most likely, but who cares? This is a face-melting accomplishment.

Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

SOURCE: BGR

The post Overclocking the Motorola DROID X, DROID 2 to 3.0GHz appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Motorola’s full-page ad in the New York Times makes it clear that the Droid X doesn’t need any add-ons to work properly. The add states, “At Motorola, we believe a customer shouldn’t have to dress up their phone for it work properly. That’s why the Droid X comes with a dual antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone anyway you like to make crystal clear calls without a bulky phone jacket.” It’s clearly a dig at Apple, who was forced to give out free cases to solve complaints about antenna issues with the iPhone 4. Will the ad convince disillusioned Apple fans to toss out their iPhones like rotten fruit? Or is the fact that Motorola bowls without bumpers nothing new to celebrate?

[Droid Life via Motorola's Facebook Page]

The post Jackets are for sissies: Motorola takes a stab at Apple appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Improvements:

• Improved battery charging status indicator.

• Smoother transition for camera and camcorder functions.

• Redesign of weather widget icons.

• Faster Exchange ActiveSync email loading.

• Streamlined organization of newly downloaded applications.

• Organized favorite contacts by call count.

• Updated Bluetooth connection for enhanced video sharing experience.

• Coordinated date and time across phone displays.

• Cleaner looking status bar for GPS symbol.

• Improved sync capabilities for 3G Mobile Hotspot.

• Faster Visual Voice Mail loading.

Enhancements:

• Take advantage of the enhanced, preloaded My Verizon application.

• Preloaded Amazon Kindle application lets you read Kindle books on your Android phone, including thousands of free books.

[Verizon Wireless]

The post Motorola Droid X to get updated by Verizon soon appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Motorola Droid X arrives at Verizon Wireless

The teaser trailer that we saw yesterday which some believed seemed to reveal more about the DROID X than we originally first saw. Well, some of those “leaks” were correct, and others were not.  Verizon Wireless and Motorola hosted a big event earlier today to officially unveil the DROID X and it looks to be quite the hot smartphone. Instead of that “leaked” July 2 launch date, we are looking at a July 15 release for this device. They also revealed the par-for-the-course $199 price point when paired with a two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate.

The DROID X from Verizon features a 1GHz processor, but it’s not a Snapdragon. Instead, it’s a TI OMAP unit under the hood. You’ll also notice that it lacks the physical keyboard of the Motorola Milestone/Droid.  Other highlights include the 4.3-inch 854×480 touchscreen, 8GB internal memory, 8MP camera with dual flash, microSD expansion (16GB included), Swype keyboard, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Exchange support, Flash 10.1 ready, and Android 2.1 with a “toned down” version of MOTOBLUR.

3G mobile hotspot functionality with support for up to five devices will keep everyone connected, but this comes at a $20 monthly premium. It may not feature the 4G connectivity of the Sprint Evo 4G, but the DROID X still looks really hot.

Smoking hot specs:

• Texas Instrument 1GHz Processor
• 4.3″ display with 854 x480 resolution, 400,000 pixels
• 8GB on board storage
• 8 MP camera with dual flash, HD camcorder
• 16 GB microSD card expansion (expandable to 32GB)
• Integrated Multitouch keyboard, optional Swype keyboard
• 3G Mobile hotspot functionality with support for up to 5 devices, 2GB cap, $20 monthly fee
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• Support for Exhange and Gmail for Business
• Adobe Flash Player 10.1 ready
• Android 2.1 with a toned down version of Motoblur

[Motorola via BGR]

The post Motorola DROID X smartphone official appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It could be just a distortion artifact rather than an Easter egg, but it looks pretty convincing. And there’s even more to be found too. Even keener eyes looked into the cyborg eye in the teaser video to see the reflection of several critical pieces of information.

During those first seven seconds or so, we can see mentions of a 4.3-inch WVGA screen, “buddy” icons, the Droid logo, HDMI output, and an 8MP camera. It’s hard to make out and you’ll need to pause and blow up, but they’re there.

Considering how soon July 2nd is, I’m surprised we have yet to see an official press shot of the DROID X. What do you think it’ll be like? This could just be a blur effect duplicating the 2010, but who knows.

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[Gizmodo via Briefmobile]

The post Verizon Motorola DROID X teaser video reveals more than you think appeared first on Mobile Magazine.