Moto's Bionic is Dead?

[ottscay]

This whole Bionic thing Have me wondering if The reason Why Motorola is doing this is to get away from Google and Start there own phone. Do you Guys remember this Article?

Motorola Apparently Not Satisfied With Android -- InformationWeek

This has nothing to do with that. Motorola basically has hurt feelings because last summer the Droid X saw a launch delay (and delayed access to Froyo) because Moto had decided to try and launch the phone without what Google considers to be required apps (in this case, Google's location based services). And now there's a lot of friction over the Xoom, as Motorola doesn't feel that Google did enough to make the software ready to ship, and blamed them for hurting sales (I would hazard a guess that it's not just how "finished" the OS feels, but Google Music and other killer apps were supposed to originally launch before the Xoom, and instead are now waiting on I/O, where they may just be a preview, depending on how negotiations go with the music industry).

Moto isn't going to drop Android, they're just looking at the possibility of rolling their own mobile OS as a way to have another option that gives them more control. Honestly it's a ludicrous idea - they should look at how hard it's been for companies like Nokia (with a huge software R&D budget) to compete, and then look at how well received their MotoBlur "enhancements" have been received and realize this isn't going to end well. But perhaps they just want some extra leverage to get a better deal from Google - if they develop concepts on a platform that will easily translate to Android as well then they aren't really losing anything.

 

[Cruiserdude]

^^I'm sure leverage is all it is. It could be a concept/development OS like Intel's Moblin, that they claim will be consumer-targeted but isn't really expected to be any sort of player. I don't imagine that Motorola is so ignorant as to abandon the OS that helped them return to prominence as a device manufacturer and is also rapidly becoming the world's most popular mobile OS. I can understand the "me too" Motoblur, although it does seem to need some work. But I honestly don't see them turning their backs on Android, as it would kill their entire business model. One only needs to look at the struggle WP7 seems to be facing as far as adoption. Although I personally am not a fan of Microsoft's business practices nor most of their software, they're still a HUGE company known for making by far the world's most popular desktop OS, and can't seem to get a foothold.

Moto can distinguish themselves by continuing to build devices with higher build quality and durability than other manufacturers, avoid software issues like the plague, and have superior battery life. HTC is known for making the most aesthetically pleasing devices, the intangible factor, and Samsung throws a dream set of hardware and the world's best screen technology together, and will hopefully work out their software issues. It remains to be seen what LG will bring to the table as far as high-end devices, but I don't see MOTO having much to worry about if they just keep doing what they do well.

 

[SharonW]

Fair assesment Sharon because you don't know me : )

I was a member/Mod/sMod/Admin at another Android site for almost 2 years and have since left. While new here my forum madness spans many years. I can assure you I am not an Apple Pie lover. In regards to the "sources" at HoFo I challenge you or anyone for that matter to check out their record and you will see it is impeccable. These guys don't EVER drop bad info. I don't want to defend them here because it's really quite pointless. People believe what they want to believe but if you do a little homework and research who they are and check out their track record you will see their leaks/info are ALWAYS accurate. I knew and a lot of others knew about the Bionic (Etna) all the way back mid '10.

Where do you think the leak from the Targa came from? The above document you just posted about the reported problems with the Bionic is old news. I was aware of that several weeks ago. Why? wnrussell and winston. The list goes on and on.

This is why I posted the info here. I have complete trust in the info they provide. Also if you noticed it went viral fairly quickly. That doesn't happen unless sources are well respected and trusted. With that said don't take my word for anything I just said check them out and see for yourself.

So thats my story. Pleasure to meet you by the way and no hard feelings I'm a newb here : )

Wow, your lack of defensiveness cows me. lol You're too damn genteel and calm. However, I do know the referenced information was old which is why I cited that it was posted April 4th. What perturbs me is that Android Central failed to report on it even though I sent it to them awhile back, yet "rumors" from message boards get billing. It's annoying, ya know? As another poster said, I tend to give more credence to analysts whose fortunes depend on their sources accuracy.

That being said, I really, really don't care to research your sources, not to knock you or them. Being the reasonable person you appear to be, I'm sure you can understand why one wouldn't want to waste time running down some anonymous poster's history of accuracy. Thus we are left to...well, trust or not those we meet in cyberspace and what they say. So you now have the opportunity to prove yourself and those you trust here. If this dire prediction proves true, then ah, we must now consider you and them worthy sources.

Oh hell, at this point I just feel bad for Moto. AT&T and their non-existent 4G has helped dent the Atrix's reputation. Google's rush on Honeycomb has dented the Xoom's entrance (although nobody's been reporting how well the Wifi model has been selling on Amazon which is BIG), and now this with the Bionic.

So my question is this. If everything centers around how well a dual core processor plays with 4G, what phone coming to Verizon has both? The Targa? If not, how could this be a replacement? The Samsung Charge isn't dual core. Is this an endemic problem with LTE or dual cores specifically? There doesn't seem to be a problem with dual core and WiMax. Or is this a problem with Moto engineers not being able to figure out how to make the two play nice together? If so, what about the Xoom's LTE future?

Lastly, pleased to meet you, too. I'm just naturally suspicious these days. I've seen too many games played in the most innocuous of places.

 

[Droid800]

Wow, your lack of defensiveness cows me. lol You're too damn genteel and calm. However, I do know the referenced information was old which is why I cited that it was posted April 4th. What perturbs me is that Android Central failed to report on it even though I sent it to them awhile back, yet "rumors" from message boards get billing. It's annoying, ya know? As another poster said, I tend to give more credence to analysts whose fortunes depend on their sources accuracy.

That being said, I really, really don't care to research your sources, not to knock you or them. Being the reasonable person you appear to be, I'm sure you can understand why one wouldn't want to waste time running down some anonymous poster's history of accuracy. Thus we are left to...well, trust or not those we meet in cyberspace and what they say. So you now have the opportunity to prove yourself and those you trust here. If this dire prediction proves true, then ah, we must now consider you and them worthy sources.

Oh hell, at this point I just feel bad for Moto. AT&T and their non-existent 4G has helped dent the Atrix's reputation. Google's rush on Honeycomb has dented the Xoom's entrance (although nobody's been reporting how well the Wifi model has been selling on Amazon which is BIG), and now this with the Bionic.

So my question is this. If everything centers around how well a dual core processor plays with 4G, what phone coming to Verizon has both? The Targa? If not, how could this be a replacement? The Samsung Charge isn't dual core. Is this an endemic problem with LTE or dual cores specifically? There doesn't seem to be a problem with dual core and WiMax. Or is this a problem with Moto engineers not being able to figure out how to make the two play nice together? If so, what about the Xoom's LTE future?

Lastly, pleased to meet you, too. I'm just naturally suspicious these days. I've seen too many games played in the most innocuous of places.

Its not a problem with dual-cores in general, its apparently a specific problem with Tegra 2 and its interactions with the MDM9600 and CDMA/EVDO chipset. Motorola doesn't stick with one chip-maker (like HTC does with Qualcomm) and the Targa is rumored to use a TI OMAP 4 dual core processor instead of a Tegra 2.

 

[1812dave]

I don't know, Dave, I kind of like it; but I keep my phone in my shirt pocket so it may be a little awkward!

I didn't like the other moto with a hump and the pic I've seen of the targa looks like a nearly identical form factor. I'd never get used to that. Just like I could never own a Honda Element (insert the name of any of the ugly vehicles you can think of). oh, and it's not "looks" that bother me re the hump--it's the practical aspect of it.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

What perturbs me is that Android Central failed to report on it even though I sent it to them awhile back, yet "rumors" from message boards get billing. It's annoying, ya know? As another poster said, I tend to give more credence to analysts whose fortunes depend on their sources accuracy.

When a date was never announced, it can not be delayed.
We don't worry too much about stock prices.
Maybe we know something or heard something different. That happens sometimes.

In any case, there's no need to get perturbed or annoyed. We saw it, made a few calls or sent a few emails and decided we didn't want to post it Keep sending them, cause I promise we read them.

 

[SharonW]

Its not a problem with dual-cores in general, its apparently a specific problem with Tegra 2 and its interactions with the MDM9600 and CDMA/EVDO chipset. Motorola doesn't stick with one chip-maker (like HTC does with Qualcomm) and the Targa is rumored to use a TI OMAP 4 dual core processor instead of a Tegra 2.

Ah, well then, that doesn't portend well for the Tegra 2 or Xoom's LTE then does it? Unless, the reason for sending a Xoom back to upgrade to LTE is to replace the processor?!?! But then, wait...what? They couldn't have known about the processor issue at the time of the Xoom's release.

Man, I think the rush to push out the next best and greatest is starting to take a toll.

 

[SharonW]

When a date was never announced, it can not be delayed.
We don't worry too much about stock prices.
Maybe we know something or heard something different. That happens sometimes.

In any case, there's no need to get perturbed or annoyed. We saw it, made a few calls or sent a few emails and decided we didn't want to post it Keep sending them, cause I promise we read them.

Oh, darlin', I'm going to read between the lines on that. Clearly, I didn't send it because of stock prices. I sent it because there had been absolutely no news whatsoever anywhere about the Bionic at the time and I thought y'all might appreciate some news and what that analyst had to say about a possible delay and find it worthy of reporting. I know I was baffled by the lack of anyone anywhere wondering about the Bionic. Usually, there are more and more leaks about specifics the closer a product gets to launch. And yet, even without an announcement date (other than CES when they said late Q2), this rumor from a blog or whatever manages to make it to the front page a couple weeks after that Barrons' report.

So, space in between reading suggests y'all know something. You, dickens. Good to know for future reference. Also, glad to know you're still reading mail-ins even from lowly sources as myself.

 

[vzwuser76]

Wow, your lack of defensiveness cows me. lol You're too damn genteel and calm. However, I do know the referenced information was old which is why I cited that it was posted April 4th. What perturbs me is that Android Central failed to report on it even though I sent it to them awhile back, yet "rumors" from message boards get billing. It's annoying, ya know? As another poster said, I tend to give more credence to analysts whose fortunes depend on their sources accuracy.

That being said, I really, really don't care to research your sources, not to knock you or them. Being the reasonable person you appear to be, I'm sure you can understand why one wouldn't want to waste time running down some anonymous poster's history of accuracy. Thus we are left to...well, trust or not those we meet in cyberspace and what they say. So you now have the opportunity to prove yourself and those you trust here. If this dire prediction proves true, then ah, we must now consider you and them worthy sources.

Oh hell, at this point I just feel bad for Moto. AT&T and their non-existent 4G has helped dent the Atrix's reputation. Google's rush on Honeycomb has dented the Xoom's entrance (although nobody's been reporting how well the Wifi model has been selling on Amazon which is BIG), and now this with the Bionic.

So my question is this. If everything centers around how well a dual core processor plays with 4G, what phone coming to Verizon has both? The Targa? If not, how could this be a replacement? The Samsung Charge isn't dual core. Is this an endemic problem with LTE or dual cores specifically? There doesn't seem to be a problem with dual core and WiMax. Or is this a problem with Moto engineers not being able to figure out how to make the two play nice together? If so, what about the Xoom's LTE future?

Lastly, pleased to meet you, too. I'm just naturally suspicious these days. I've seen too many games played in the most innocuous of places.

At this point there isn't a phone with a dual core chip & WiMax (not released yet). The Evo3D to which I assume you're referring to is not out yet, so they could very well have the same issues with it. The TI OMAP dual core may also have issues. We just don't know for sure.

A possible explanation why the dual core and LTE don't play nice (if this ended up being all of the dual core chips) is the current build of Android isn't optimized for dual core. If that were the case, the one good thing to come out of it would be seeing 2.4 coming out sooner.

Until we see a dual core running LTE or WiMax, we won't know for sure if it's widespread or chip specific. Plus, if it's strictly an issue with LTE (meaning not with WiMax also), it makes me wonder if that's why HTC, Samsung, & LG went the single core route. We won't know for sure for awhile (until the Evo3D & Targa get closer to release).

 

[bophead]

Well, I don't know if I will get a answer or not. But I emailed Motorola directly an asked for some clarification. Really don't know which phone to look at next, I was really looking forward to the Bionic. Maybe TB is in the future.

 

[Castor Troy]

Sharon you ask some very good questions and I honestly can't answer them because I don't know and haven't heard the EXACT problem(s) that they were/are having. I can only speculate, which I did in an earlier post.

So I don't bore you : ) with long winded speculation ill give you a quick repeat of what I think is the issue. The tech is so new and this is their first foray into it. LTE, radios, Dual Cores all new tech. Getting all of that to work in such a tiny little package is a HUMONGOUS undertaking. That's what I think is the issue. New tech and they are finding out that its one tough nut to crack. Mid 2012 they will start to hit their stride and have it fine tuned with equipment but until then its going to be some work.

Speculating over

Sent from my Droid

 

[pc747]

There is a reason the fruit has not pushed out an lte iphone yet. Just like every one else they are trying to catch up with technology. This year I expect a lot of oems to struggle with it and that is why I just threw in the towel and went a 1yr on the tbolt. It gave me something to play with while they figure all this out. I personally would not buy a device this year from an oem on a 2 yr deal. Actually I may consider it in q4 because by then they should have it figured out. Lte is new and there is a lot of pressure to get a product out the door. There was a reason vzw was so quick to discount the tbolt batteries, similar to the fruit giving away bumpers, they knew there was a problem and wanted to throw a band aid on the problem. Motorola, HTC, Samsung will get experience this year. Next year we will see more polished devices and software that will utilize the lte technology much better.

 

[1812dave]

There is a reason the fruit has not pushed out an lte iphone yet. Just like every one else they are trying to catch up with technology. This year I expect a lot of oems to struggle with it and that is why I just threw in the towel and went a 1yr on the tbolt. It gave me something to play with while they figure all this out. I personally would not buy a device this year from an oem on a 2 yr deal. Actually I may consider it in q4 because by then they should have it figured out. Lte is new and there is a lot of pressure to get a product out the door. There was a reason vzw was so quick to discount the tbolt batteries, similar to the fruit giving away bumpers, they knew there was a problem and wanted to throw a band aid on the problem. Motorola, HTC, Samsung will get experience this year. Next year we will see more polished devices and software that will utilize the lte technology much better.

What discount? Verizonwireless.com shows the std battery is $39.99.

 

[corymcnutt]

There is a reason the fruit has not pushed out an lte iphone yet. Just like every one else they are trying to catch up with technology. This year I expect a lot of oems to struggle with it and that is why I just threw in the towel and went a 1yr on the tbolt. It gave me something to play with while they figure all this out. I personally would not buy a device this year from an oem on a 2 yr deal. Actually I may consider it in q4 because by then they should have it figured out. Lte is new and there is a lot of pressure to get a product out the door. There was a reason vzw was so quick to discount the tbolt batteries, similar to the fruit giving away bumpers, they knew there was a problem and wanted to throw a band aid on the problem. Motorola, HTC, Samsung will get experience this year. Next year we will see more polished devices and software that will utilize the lte technology much better.

I guess what upsets me so much is, yes, LTE is new, to us, but Verizon has been working on this technology for years, and I'm sure that they shared that technology with the phone manufacturers so they could be ready to launch phones - after all, what good is the LTE network, if they have no phones to use on it? I do agree that we should see some extraordinary phones next year, but where does that leave us this year? I want a new phone in June/July 2011, not 2012! :'(

 

[pc747]

What discount? Verizonwireless.com shows the std battery is $39.99.

I got the extended battery for the price of the standard battery.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

What discount? Verizonwireless.com shows the std battery is $39.99.

Yep and the extended life one is still $49.99 just like it was when I got it a week after the launch of the phone.

 

[thebizz]

Good to see you hear ck missed you since my days at df. But it would be funny if they dropped this Phone. But from what ive read it could be an issue the tegra 2 and Qualcomm board used for it. But i wonder why the 4430 doesn't have the same issue

 

[bophead]

Got a reply from Moto which basically doesn't say anything. Here is their response:

"We are also excited for the Droid Bionic to be released to our valued consumers. Currently, there is no advisory when the official release date of the phone will be. We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and want to assure you that Motorola does value your feedback. "

The folks at the local Verizon didn't have any info except to say that HoFo was reliable. So looks like TB it is.

 

[vzwuser76]

Good to see you hear ck missed you since my days at df. But it would be funny if they dropped this Phone. But from what ive read it could be an issue the tegra 2 and Qualcomm board used for it. But i wonder why the 4430 doesn't have the same issue

Just curious why you mentioned Qualcomm. They don't currently have a dual core with LTE radio even in the works as far as anyone has heard. While I agree with you to an extent (I posted earlier that maybe that's the reason for the other 3 OEMs releasing a single core LTE phone), we really don't know it for a fact as there is no hardware with dual core & LTE currently other than the Tegra 2 Bionic.

Since the Tbolt was supposedly going to release last November as a 3G model & they pulled it add LTE capability they may not have: 1. wanted to rework BOTH the radio & the CPU, or 2. had the Qualcomm dual core ready for implementation in a device.

So far the only Qualcomm dual core coming down the pike with 4G capability is the Evo 3D, unless you figure in HSPA. But technically that's more of an evolved 3G whereas LTE and WiMax is more like 3.5G. It's possible that WiMax will not have the problems that LTE is having with dual core. Or maybe it does and they have more time to work on it (if they follow a June release like last year). Also their 4G network is mature & that may give them a leg up in setting up their dual core phones.

Since at this point we are missing a lot of necessary data to make a conclusion (is it all dual cores or not, is it only LTE or WiMax as well, etc.), speculation is kind of pointless. It's like trying to solve a+b=c when you don't know what the values are of a,b, or c.

The only thing that makes me think it's not all dual cores is if they're truly planning to replace the Bionic with the Targa that should mean that the OMAP processor doesn't have the issue. Either that or they haven't gotten to the stage with the OMAP where they discovered the issue with the Tegra2. Then again we don't know if there IS an issue. I swear this is like what Lewis Black said about trying to understand economics. "I tried to for a few minutes and then I had an aneurysm."

 

[Castor Troy]

Good to see you hear ck missed you since my days at df. But it would be funny if they dropped this Phone. But from what ive read it could be an issue the tegra 2 and Qualcomm board used for it. But i wonder why the 4430 doesn't have the same issue

Yes! I recognized the name but didn't put 2 and 2 together : ) awesome to see you bro!

Yeah from what I've heard and read it appears (not sure if there is any truth to it) that the Tegra 2 is causing the problem with LTE. If we see the Bionic reappear with a different processor it's a pretty safe bet that was the problem. But again thats only speculating. Hopefully we'll get a definitive answer as to what the ACTUAL problem(s) is.

Another member brought up a good point. All the Xoom's out there with the T2. It's a bigger package so they can fit more equipment in there but still the question remains. This could be a BIG problem.