Moto's Bionic is Dead?

[Castor Troy]

According to a very reliable source over at HoFo it appears the Bionic has been scrapped. This will come as some very bad news to those waiting for this handset.

There are no specifics as to why, only this short message:
Motorola "Targa" 4G pre-release thread - Page 7

Thoughts?

UPDATE: Motorola kills the DROID BIONIC Etna, with the Targa to replace it - Phone Arena

Source: Hofo

 

[DolfanCole]

Not sure I believe it, reliable source or not. I just think there's too much invested by both Motorola and Verizon to just scrap it. Verizon announced it at CES as a flagship device (1st dual-core and part of their introductory LTE lineup), and Motorola has had it on the main page of their website ever since.

Another thing ... what device would replace it? And why? Are there hardware and/or software issues that would cause the Bionic to be scrapped? If so, why would a "similar device" not also have these issues? It seems that if it can be corrected for a similar device, why not just do it in the Bionic.

So many things, for me, point to this just being too hard to believe.

 

[Castor Troy]

This gentleman who posted this is rarely if ever wrong. I will agree however that we should all just wait and see how this pans out.

 

[DolfanCole]

BMX is rarely, if ever, wrong too.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/motorola-droid-bionic/53609-release-date-20.html#post820420

I'm with you though. We'll see how this pans out. I've been set on this phone ever since it's announcement at CES. If it does get canceled, I'm gonna be pissed.

 

[Hand_O_Death]

It is not confirmed and the man that posted it is not even sure. No with that said, he is not the type of person to post with only a hunch, so it may be true, which would totally such. I wanted a Moto Tegra 2 with high specs and a high quality screen. Looks like it is more wait and see, but IF the Targa is the replacement, they better get their stuff together and announce something soon.

 

[p08757]

I'm still okay until LTE is live in my area. The Bionic would be a sweet phone. I guess I will see what else is available when LTE hits..

Sad news if true.

 

[Suntan]

If this were true, why is the Bionic still prominently on the main page of the Motorola Mobile website?

-Suntan

 

[tropper]

Guys this may possibly be another case of the missing phone goes to Alltel like the HTC Merge did?

 

[SnydersWeb]

LOTS of contradictory info..

The Panda/BlackManX says it will release but will have issues and this guy says it won't ever see daylight. Unfortunately none of it can really be confirmed either way.

At this point I've resigned myself to just settling in for the long haul and looking at whatever Moto/VZW releases and puttering along with my Droid1.

The Targa looks like a very nice handset. If the Bionic does become an official no-go it would be a pretty nasty little embarrassment for Moto. HTC and others will come out smelling like a rose to be there at the genesis of VZW's LTE market while Moto has been silently suffering a comedy of errors. Hopefully this will expedite the Targa's release if this is indeed true.

If nothing else it's interesting to follow for the sheer soap opera...

 

[Suntan]

Guys this may possibly be another case of the missing phone goes to Alltel like the HTC Merge did?

Perhaps.

The guys over at Phandroid are saying they have a second ?reliable tipster? that confirms this.

Basically, this means I have tomorrow to decide to jump on that 1 yr Tbolt option? :-\

-Suntan

 

[alphanu22]

this better not be true... if it is true Moto best be taking it off there site
DROID BIONIC BY Motorola - Android Social Smartphone - - Overview - Motorola Mobility, Inc. USA

i been waiting for the Bionic for while now...

 

[grn4frk]

Im tired of this silence. Motorola or Verizon needs to tell us something besides treating us like ****. They've taken away almost every reason to stay with Verizon besides their network. N

Now this happens? I would be in another carriers store right now who already have the phones that we've been waiting months for, if it wasn't for their good signal

 

[Friend-O]

Yup, I posted that quote from wnrussell in the Bionic "Release Date" thread here this morning. I also posted a quote from FAUguy, a HoFo mod, in the same thread a couple of days ago that expresses those exact concerns. And now it appears that Phandroid has a reliable tipster that's confirming it too, according to Suntan. With the contradictory statements from BMX, it's obvious that someone is being grossly misinformed. Time will tell who that is...

 

[ffac789]

I can't decide if I want to get the Bionic if/when it comes out, or if I should wait to see if anything is announced on the Targa. The Targa looks to be an even better phone than the Bionic, albeit it will come out much later.

Maybe I'll stick with my boring and pain-in-the-butt Storm 2 for a little while longer and get a tattoo instead with my money, and just wait for the Targa. I've heard only good things about the Droid X, and if the Targa is supposed to be like the LTE-capable brother of the Droid X, then I'm definitely in.

I just hate waiting, and I hate my current phone -______-

 

[Preach2k]

Has anyone gone to the Motorola Official Forums to see if this is a rumor or is there any truth to it.

 

[moosc]

well u missed that boat. VZW has already stopped one year

Perhaps.

The guys over at Phandroid are saying they have a second ?reliable tipster? that confirms this.

Basically, this means I have tomorrow to decide to jump on that 1 yr Tbolt option? :-\

-Suntan

 

[DolfanCole]

My mind is just going crazy with this rumor. Here are some somewhat random thoughts on the subject ...

(1) Maybe this is a negotiating ploy. Maybe Verizon and Motorola are at a stalemate and one just said, "Well, we'll just cancel the device altogether", to try and force the other's hand. For instance, I could see Verizon saying that they want 1GB of RAM versus the 512MB, and Motorola's not budging on it. So, Verizon says they'll just cancel the device to try and force Motorola to cave.

(2) If it's being replaced by the Targa, why? From everything that I've seen, the Targa and Bionic will have similar hardware specs, with the exception of the rumor that the Targa might have a quad-core CPU (although a late year/early next year release to go along with it). So, in a sense, they are similar devices except for the form factor. Is that enough to cancel one device in favor of another?

(3) Also, if there are hardware and/or software issues with the Bionic which have caused the cancellation, why are they not also with the Targa due to the supposed hardware similarities? From what I've seen the Targa will be dual or quad-core, qHD 4.3-in display, 4G LTE, much the same as the Bionic.

It seems the story is growing legs though. PhoneDog has posted the story to go along with Phandroid and HoFo.

 

[Castor Troy]

well u missed that boat. VZW has already stopped one year

17th is the last day.....

 

[Suntan]

well u missed that boat. VZW has already stopped one year

1 yr is no longer an option online. You can still go to a store and get a 1 yr contract until Sunday.

-Suntan

 

[diverbelow]

well u missed that boat. VZW has already stopped one year

VZW stopped the 1 year upgrade online, but you have until 4/17 to call in to Customer Service for 1 year upgrade.