The Bionic may be deemed an old Android device now with the likes of the Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX and the Droid 4 carrying the flag for Motorola, but try telling that to loyal Bionic owners who are more than happy with the functionality offered in their device.

The one feature that most Bionic owners crave for though is Ice Cream Sandwich and considering that it has been almost six months of waiting, it doesn’t look like Motorola are prepared to release their official update any day soon. This has prompted a lot of you to try your hand at a few custom ROMS via a rooted handset and earlier this week, we heard that a brand new version is available to try out.

Older Ice Cream Sandwich builds for the Droid Bionic lacked the support for 4G LTE data, but you’ll be happy to hear that the latest update rectifies this. According to a report from Droid-Life, this is actually due to Motorola’s recent official firmware update for the Bionic, and of course the clever people at DroidModderX for fiddling with that update and emerging with an all new Ice Cream Sandwich build.

It looks like this is the most stable version yet, with the only notable feature not working so far being the camera application. Everything else works fine though, so you should head over to this link for the download and installation notes if you want to try this out. One word of caution though, you’ll need to be running the latest Droid Bionic firmware which is 5.9.902 otherwise this won’t work. If you want to study this build in finer detail, there’s also a full changelog up at the link above to read through as well.

If you have a Bionic and are willing to give this a try, let us know how you get on. Who needs the latest smartphone when great custom updates like this become available? Having said that, it would still be nice for Motorola to show some love to those who insist on waiting for the official update.

More About: Droid Bionic, Motorola, Verizon

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Over the weekend we gave you a useful Ice Cream Sandwich reference guide, which gave you a list of the confirmed handsets and tablets so far that will be getting an update to Android 4.0 ICS. One of those handsets included on the list is the seemingly forgotten Droid Bionic, which now finds itself way down the pecking order with the Droid RAZR and Galaxy Nexus on the way.

That doesn’t mean that the Bionic is poor handset though, and far from it as it is still a speedy little device and is another of Verizon’s 4G LTE devices if you had forgotten. Now seems like the perfect time to pick one up if you had previously been interested in it, as Amazon are now offering the device for a stunning $119.9 retail price, as reported from Phandroid. This is a huge discount from Amazon’s original listing price of $699.99, and there isn’t no catch either. Obviously you’ll need to hook yourself up with a calling and data plan but at $120, you’ll find it hard to find a similar price for a 4G phone in today’s market.

And don’t forget, the Droid Bionic has already been confirmed to be getting an update to Ice Cream Sandwich, making it in our books, the cheapest route to Ice Cream Sandwich, since the Galaxy Nexus and Droid RAZR are going to be $299 on contract, excluding expensive data plans for 4G LTE with Verizon. If you read reviews for the Droid Bionic, you’ll find that the device is still one of the best on Verizon at the moment, although there are some concerns about battery life so that is something to bear in mind.

Head to Amazon’s product page here if you want to buy one. Let us know if this deal interests you or if you have found a cheaper alternative to Ice Cream Sandwich.

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Is ”seemingly forgotten” a fair tagline for the Bionic? A few months ago, it was the most anticipated Android handset in history – until Nexus Prime / Galaxy Nexus rumors started to take over. Now as we move into 2012, it looks certain that the Bionic will be pushed into third place in Verizon’s pecking order after the Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Droid RAZR.

The good news for owners though, is that you’ll be getting the update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Motorola has just issued an update to their Twitter account informing everyone abou the news, and also confirming once again that the Motorola RAZR and Xoom tablet will get Ice Cream Sandwich again, just like we told you here and here.

Here is the message that they put on Twitter, as reported from Droid-Life:

”@nightdragon70 DROID BIONIC will get an upgrade to ICS. We’ll have more info on timing after Google releases the final version”

As for other Android handsets aside from the Droid Bionic, Nexus S and Droid RAZR that have already been confirmed, Motorola wasn’t prepared to be so open about forthcoming updates. When quizzed on whether or not the Droid X would be getting Ice Cream Sandwich, Motorola had this to say in response:

”@snakesnake449 We’ll release devices to get the ICS upgrade 6 weeks after Google’s public push. Hope this helps!”

Motorola and Verizon are pretty solid when it comes to updating handsets, so we’re guessing that the Droid X will definitely get Ice Cream Sandwich at some point. If the handset does get the update, you would feel that the likes of the Droid2, Droid Pro, Droid 3 and Droid X2 will also be getting the update. It is obviously an anxious wait though – many of you have probably just decided to go for the Galaxy Nexus rather than hold out for an update that may never happen.

Do you own the Bionic or another Droid device on Verizon?

More About: Droid Bionic, ice cream sandwich 4.0, Motorola Droid X

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The S II and the Bionic will be the main competition for the 4S, well just until the Nexus Prime is released. We already know just how much more powerful the new iPhone is compared to the current version, but the real test comes when it has to go head-to-head in a smartphone showdown with rival models. So let’s see how they fare, thanks to a little research from Engadget?

Now you may have thought that the 4S would have come out on top in almost all categories, but that is not the case. There are a few areas where each handset shines, but it will not be until real world tests begin that we will get a true sense of the power of the iPhone 4S.

We will always compare the 4S first, the S II next, which will then be followed by the Bionic. The first test is the CPU, here we have a 1GHz Dual-core A5 compared to a 1.2GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos or 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 and a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430. Then there is the memory, likely 512MB compared to 1GB for each.

Screen sizes are 3.5, 4.3 or 4.5 and finally 4.3 inches. Storage is 16GB, 32GB and 64GB for the iPhone 4S, and 16GB for the other two. However, the latter two does benefit from microSDHC expansion.

All three handsets benefit from an 8-megapixel camera, but from what we have seen the 4S will have the edge, as it uses far better lens technology. These are the most important features, but we were shocked with the battery results, as the iPhone 4S performs poorly when compared to the Bionic, as it gives away at least 2 hours when using 3G.

Do you think that the iPhone 4S is worth the upgrade?

More About: apple, Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II, iPhone 4S

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Early signs are far from perfect, with many reviews touching upon potential worries with the battery life. However, the one positive note about this issue that there is a secondary extended battery available if you feel like the Droid Bionic is not perfoming as well as it should be.

If you are considering buying the extended battery from Verizon for $25.99, which you probably should since it’s still half price for the time being, then you will have to part ways with a considerable chunk of ‘sexiness’ on your Droid Bionic, as the battery is noticably bigger and will add that extra bit of luggage inside your pocket.

[pic: Droid-Life]

If style isn’t an issue for you at all, then we really would recommend it. It is becoming more and more apparent that 4G LTE data seriously eats away at your battery life, so paying $25 for a 2760mAh battery as opposed to the shipped 1735mAh battery is a pretty big difference, one which you should notice right away when resuming with your daily Bionic duties.

Of course, we’ve also heard the argument that Motorola and Verizon shouldn’t be charging extra for a secondary Droid Bionic battery when the standard one doesn’t work as well as it should – have no lessons been learnt from the Thunderbolt after all? Either way, customers are going to have to make a decision sooner or later on whether to sacrifice the Droid Bionic’s sex appeal for more battery juice in the long run.

What are your opinions on this argument? Most of you will probably agree that the extra battery is worth the money, but are you more concerned about the extra weight and looks of the Bionic once the battery is equipped inside?

More About: Droid Bionic, Verizon

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Not bad at all, but definitely a lot better than the Thunderbolt it seems. The worrying factor which may be putting consumers off from their purchase of a Droid Bionic is conflicting reports about battery life, as we’ve heard both praise and criticism for the Droid Bionic, supposedly dubbed as the best Android handset on the market today.

An recent article over at Cnet praised the battery life on the Droid Bionic, claiming that it offered a good 7 hours and 55 minutes calling time with 4G LTE data switched on. This increased to almost 10 and a half hours on the Droid Bionic when 4G was switched to 3G mode, so this does seem like Motorola have been working hard on trying to eliminate battery life fears during the handset’s well documented period of exile.

However, a few other reports have questioned the battery life on the device, suggesting that the great features on the device may be overshadowed by poor battery life – the same disease which plagued the Thunderbolt. ConsumerReports have touched upon this matter in their first impressions here, while a review over at ThisismyNext actually listed poor battery life as a disadvantage of the device, adding that ”it’s clear that the battery life of this phone succumbs to the drain of LTE service.”

For those of you that have been using a Droid Bionic for a few days, would you agree with the claims that the battery life on the device is a bit disappointing after so much promise? Drainage when using 4G LTE may prove to be one issue which cannot be avoided, but it remains to be seen just how big of a problem it may become for consumers, and also Verizon and Motorola in the long run.

More About: Droid Bionic, Motorola, Verizon

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We recently informed you about the bonus accessories on offer for those who purchased the Droid Bionic at Costco, but now we have heard that there are also some straight up cash discounts available if you decide to purchase the phone online, as reported from Phandroid.

If you take a look at the Droid Bionic listings at both Motorola and Verizon, you’ll see that they are selling the handset for $249.99 and $299.99 respectively on a two-year contract with Verizon. However, if you visit Amazon’s listing for the Droid Bionic, you will see that the online retailer is selling exactly the same deal but for $180 with no hidden catch, an instant $120 saving from Verizon direct which is fantastic for bargain shoppers.

We’ve also stumbled across another deal which may be available via Let’s Talk for the Droid Bionic. According to this listing, the handset is available for the even lower price of $160 when applying the coupon code ”take20back” during checkout. These two deals alone make it look slightly embarassing for both Motorola and Verizon with the deals available elsewhere, so it really is worth shopping around before you ahead to either store direct to buy one.

Have you spotted any other deals available for the Droid Bionic both in-store and online? It looks like Amazon and Costco offer the best deals for the Bionic at the moment, but we have a feeling that further deals will be available along the way – we just hope that you haven’t paid the full $299 for one as you may live to regret it.

More About: Droid Bionic, Motorola, Verizon

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In case you didn’t know, rooting is now a legal option for new smartphone owners and it’s become a common tool for those who want to explore a few more features and customization options on a specific handset, features which are not usually available out of the box.

Considering that the Droid Bionic is nothing short of a beast in terms of hardware capabilities, we have a feeling that a lot of you will indeed be interested in going down the root avenue which is why you’ll find the following guide helpful. The guys over at Droid-Life have compiled a quick, easy and most importantly working Droid Bionic rooting method, as they have discovered that it’s actually the same method used to root the likes of other Droid handsets such as the Droid 2, Droid X and even the recently released Droid 3.

If you want to give the Droid Bionic root method a try, head to this link for full details, while you may find an additional guide over at RootzWiki useful too. If by chance you are looking for a method to unroot your Droid Bionic, we also have good news for you, as you’ll find another guide from Droid Life here showing you the easy steps to unroot your Droid Bionic and return it to it’s original out of the box state.

Overall, how is the Droid Bionic handling for you? Is the battery life impressive or giving you an early headache? We have spoken a lot in the past on how the Droid Bionic would stand up against the mighty, but still unreleased iPhone 5 – do you think the Bionic is a good contender for best smartphone of 2011 or is it too early to tell?

More About: Droid Bionic, Motorola, Verizon

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In the meantime, we have some unboxing screenshots of the highly anticipated device to show you, letting you see just what the Droid Bionic is all about and if it meets your expectations before you rush out to the shops and buy one as an impulse purchase.

The Droid Bionic is Verizon’s next 4G LTE capable handset, and it comes equipped with key features such as a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1GHZ Texas Instruments dual-core processor, a fantastic-looking 8 megapixel camera with a VGA front camera and also the ability to record videos in 1080p HD quality.

The unboxing we have to show you comes courtesy of the guys over at PC Magazine, as they have uploaded a series of screenshots showing the new device in all its glory. Below is a sample of one of their images.

Aside from their unboxing screenshots, they have also provided their first impressions of the Bionic, and as you may have guessed – it looks like the Bionic is shaping up to be something special and a device which was well worth the wait. One of the most pleasing things about the handset which owners will appreciate is the fact that the Bionic comes installed with the very latest version of Android Gingerbread – 2.3.4. Hopefully the device will also be eligible for an upgrade to Google Ice Cream Sandwich when that becomes available later on in the year.

Have a look at their article for the rest of the screenshots. If you are looking for an unboxing video instead, we have included one courtesy of Phonedog for you to take a look at below. Does the Droid Bionic meet your expectations on first glance or not?

More About: Droid Bionic, Motorola, Verizon

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For those of you that are thinking of buying the Motorola Droid Bionic from Costco, you may want to see some leaked images of an apparent deal that should be on offer within the next 24 hours. You can see the particulars in the images found in this forum post.

The tipster explains their sources and also explains that CostCo will be offering the Motorola Droid Bionic on Verizon for $299.99, although on a contract as normal. While you’re tied in to a new contract, you will get some freebies if this leak is correct.

They claim CostCo will offer a Navigation Dock, Docking Station, charger and an extra battery all for free. You should expect the phone to go on sale anytime after the official release, which is September 8th. If you’re thinking of buying the Droid Bionic, let us know what you think of the deal at CostCo? Is it worth $300, or are you waiting for something a little more special from the likes of Best Buy?

More About: Costco, Droid Bionic, Motorola

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