Verizon Wireless on Friday announced that both the Motorola DROID RAZR and the DROID RAZR MAXX have been cleared for an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is a particularly significant since the RAZR MAXX is reportedly Verizon’s best-selling device and its upgrade to ICS would be a big help in ending user woes, since most Android devices are currently still stuck on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. ICS was supposed to be the grand uniting version of Android that standardized the user experience across different device types, but so far it’s been slow in rolling out and is still has an adoption rate of below 10%. Hit the jump for the full release.
DROID RAZR and RAZR MAXX Upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich; Global Ready
The DROID RAZR and the DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola will be the first 4G LTE smartphones on the Verizon Wireless network to be Global Ready.
The upgrade, which will begin on June 22, will also upgrade all smartphones in the DROID RAZR family to the popular Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.
Ice Cream Sandwich features upgraded functionality and new features, such as Face Unlock. By looking directly at the screen, the smartphone recognizes its owner and automatically unlocks the device. It also includes Direct Access Lock Screen, which allows you to easily open camera, text messages, and dialer from the lock screen.
Customers can use the front camera to video chat with friends and family to share summer stories or even just to wave hello. The new Video Calling icon makes it easy to access video chatting apps like ooVoo and Tango.
The upgrade also enhances the voice input technology, typing your words as you speak emails or texts. Speak continuously for paragraphs at a time, add punctuation and even edit mistakes with voice input.
As a Global Ready device, customers with the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX will be able to have voice and data service in more than 220 countries, when subscribed to an international plan.
Additional information on the ICS upgrade can be found on the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola support page.
