Sprint teams up with Motorola for June 9 event, finally launching a Tegra 2 device?

Sprint and Motorola have a little special something up their sleeves, and are rolling them up to show off their latest "collaborations" at a press luncheon on June 9th. Since big bosses CEO Dan Hesse and Sanjay Jha will be in attendance, and the event will be held during Apple's WWDC, we have a feeling this is going to be something big. Whatever this project is, it's been kept under the radar very well -- until now. We're hearing buzz about a Tegra 2-powered device planned for a launch next month; different reports have come out over the last few days claiming Sprint will finally take a turn sporting a Tegra 2 Android -- the yin to the EVO 3D's yang, we suppose -- sometime next month.

The device may be called the Motorola Photon 4G, a name that first appeared in a WiFi certification form (seen after the break) a month ago. According to the rumors, Sprint was ready to launch its own version of the Atrix 4G back in March, but stalled the phone's release in order to make a few design changes. Some of these changes supposedly include a 4.3-inch display, Gingerbread pre-installed, and a look that closely resembles the EVO 4G (it would even come with a kickstand). The Photon 4G is a probability for the event, but note that the invite mentions "collaborations," implying there will be more than one product to showcase. This could mean a Xoom with WiMAX is just about ready for primetime -- or perhaps it's something else magical and unexpected. No matter what's hiding in Hesse's pocket on June 9th, we'll be there to tell you all about it.


Android and Me, Phandroid

Google is blocking Android Market movie rentals on rooted devices because of copy protection

Rooting your Motorola Xoom won't stop you from getting an LTE hardware upgrade, but it will throw up a roadblock if you're trying to watch movies rented from YouTube / Android Market. Android Central points out a Google support document that details the "Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)" message users will see when they try to play a movie on a rooted Android device. Only Xooms with Android 3.1 have access to the service right now, but once support rolls out to all Android 2.2 or higher devices in a couple of weeks some will have to choose between their superuser privileges and Google's nascent movie offerings (at least until someone figures out a workaround anyway). So far rooting and jailbreaking hasn't put a stop to other movie rental services for mobiles (iTunes, Netflix) so even if Google blames the movie studios for the policy, it seems like an odd restriction for the company behind the "open" platform to have.

Android Central

Android Market help

4G netbook onslaught imminent as Verizon clears Novatel LTE radio to run on its network

Xoom owners might still be waiting for an LTE upgrade, but it does look like 4G netbooks and tablets could be hitting Verizon's network pretty soon. The carrier, known for its stringent testing standards, has cleared Novatel Wireless' E362 module to run on its network, paving the way for devices with embedded 4G radios. In addition to LTE, the module is compahttp://www.engadget.com/2011/05/20/4g-netbook-onslaught-imminent-as-verizon-clears-novatel-lte-radi/tible with CDMA and HSPA+ / UMTS technology -- a safety net for people outside the 55 markets (soon to be 147) where Verizon is serving up 4G service. Okay, so with no word on pricing or product launches, an onslaught isn't exactly imminent, but when it happens we'll try not to say "told you so."

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ComputerWorld Novatel Wireless

WiFi-only Motorola Xoom won't have Movies right away, Canadian Xooms getting SD support someday

If you're the proud owner of a Motorola Xoom, you will get Android 3.1, but we're afraid the timing and features included in that update may depend on where you reside and which one you bought. For instance, while both Verizon 3G and WiFi-only Xooms in the United States are seeing the latest Honeycomb slowly trickle in right now, Motorola says that the WiFi version won't have movie rentals available immediately after the update. What's more, though the new hotness doesn't seem to bring microSD card support to US devices, Motorola says that Canadian models will get that exact functionality "soon." What if you don't live in North America at all? We're afraid we can't tell you.

Droid-Life, Android Central

Motorola Forums, Motorola Canada (Facebook)

Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on

That  Android 3.1  update that Google announced during I/O is slowly rolling  out to 3G  Xoom owners as we speak. How'd we know such a thing? Why, it  just landed  on our in-house Xoom, of course! Most of the changes to  Honeycomb are  happening under the hood -- better HTML5 support, faster  performance,  and USB host functionality for connecting peripherals like  game  controllers and mice -- but there are some improvements  that  will be a lot more obvious to the user. Perhaps our favorite is  the  addition of resizable widgets. For the moment only the email and  Gmail  inbox, calendar and bookmarks widgets can be stretched or shrunk,  but  we're sure others will follow. We're particularly appreciative of  the  expandable calendar widget, which always felt a tad cramped. The  task  switcher also received a much requested upgrade and now lets you  scroll  through your last 18 launched apps, instead of just the five  most  recent. Lastly, the Android Market now offers movie rentals,  alongside  books and apps, which range in price from $1.99 to $4.99 for  24 hours of  playback. There isn't a ton of revolutionary stuff going on  here, but  it's certainly a welcome and worthwhile update. Check out  the video  after the break to see Android 3.1 in action.