Research Lab Says Moto X Has ‘best performance observed in a mobile display to date’

[gadgetrants]

Moto X is apparently a superior and innovative device. But for reasons I cannot comprehend sales are clearly disappointing.

At my local corporate VZW store there is a dramatic difference between how the Ultra and Maxx are presented versus the X. The first time I saw the X I stumbled on to it by accident, and there was zero signage other than the 3"x3" price tag. To add insult to injury, that particular unit had a funky power cable -- even though it was plugged in it couldn't seem to hold the charge and the phone was stuck on the "too low to turn on" display. It wasn't until a week or two later that they fixed it and it was properly charged and working. Clearly a phone at that store that could get no love.

Don't know if it's worth mentioning but the story of the G2's release there -- as well as the One - are even worse. I really scratch my head -- pretty crappy marketing.

-Matt

 

[NOVICE]

Agree with regard to lack of advertising re G2. I saw it referenced in this forum several times and had to turn to the Internet to find out what it was.

 

[FoxKat]

I don't see why you'd want to limit yourself by carrying a spare battery pack that has to be plugged into your phone VS carrying around a spare battery that can just be popped into the device itself, making it less clunky and intrusive.

The same logic applies to the microSD card slot issue. If you need the extra storage space, you can buy a USB OTG cable and mount a flash drive. But like a portable USB battery, it's one of those things where it's sticking out of the device by a wire whenever you want to use it.

In retrospect my argument may have been somewhat convoluted. I don't want to "carry around" either a spare battery OR a backup battery (certainly not in my pants pocket), but given the choice to have one or the other available (such as in the glove compartment), should the phone reach a level of critical discharge I'd much rather;

A) plug into a backup battery pack and keep working

than to;

B) save what I was doing
B) power down,
B) remove the phone case,
B) remove the back of the phone,
B) pull the battery pack,
B) put the new (charged), battery pack back in,
B) replace the back cover,
B) replace the phone case,
B) power the phone back up,
B) and wait for the boot sequence to complete.

The battery pack is instantaneous and allows continuous, uninterrupted use of the phone as long as you do so before it's completely drained, whereas replacing the battery is a whole other animal, possibly involving loss of data. In other words the convenience factor of a backup battery far exceeds that of a spare.

As for the SD versus USB drives, well that's not even funny. I can put a MicroSD card in a pocket and not even know it's there, but to carry (again, in my pocket), a USB drive for the same type of backup is ludicrous. Furthermore, the MicroSD card would be in the phone and ready to use at 0 seconds delay and can be set as the default location for data storage such as pictures/videos/backups, etc., whereas I would have to go through a long process (similar to above), to connect, power up, open an app to access, and then copy files to the USB drive - in a nutshell again, there's no comparison to the convenience factor.

To summarize, power is fluid, data is not. If I need power there is a distinct window - a range of a segment in time (from now until when the phone reads 0% and shuts down on its own), where I can find a convenient source, I can plug in and get it instantly. I can continue what I was doing, basically uninterrupted and for renewed portability even a short burst of charging can last several hours. But since data is fragmented, if I need to store it, I want instantaneous access and 100% readiness and that is something a MicroSD card can give, but a USB drive can not.

 

[gadgetrants]

Wow, that ^^^^ was so eloquent and nicely-reasoned that for a second I thought I wrote it! LOL

-Matt

 

[livinginkaos]

Hey FoxKat - it's been a while ! As for the SD vs USB - I've got this new fangled thing from meenova.com that is a mSD to mUSB . I have to use it on the X since there is NO external sd slot.... yuck, anyway, if you haven't heard about them, check it out. Nice and sleek. (I bought 8 of them on pre-order to give away : )

 

[FoxKat]

Wow, that ^^^^ was so eloquent and nicely-reasoned that for a second I thought I wrote it! LOL

-Matt

:rofl3: Thanks, Matt. That was a nice little jab and gave me a smile. What do they say? Like minds think alike?

 

[FoxKat]

Hey FoxKat - it's been a while ! As for the SD vs USB - I've got this new fangled thing from meenova.com that is a mSD to mUSB . I have to use it on the X since there is NO external sd slot.... yuck, anyway, if you haven't heard about them, check it out. Nice and sleek. (I bought 8 of them on pre-order to give away : )

You are referring to the Kickstarter project - Mini MicroSD Reader for Android Smartphones & Tablets by Andy & Rich ? Kickstarter, https://shopmeenova.appspot.com/, but there's also the PQI Connect 203.

I like the 203 since it's compatible for both MicroUSB and USB-A. PQI is also coming out with a Connect 202 PQI Connect 202, which is essentially a OTG cable with integrated storage in the USB-A end, so it doubles as a direct connect coupler and a USB dongle. I want the blend of the two, a OTG USB cable with integrated MicroSD card slot. Then you have unlimited storage and still can couple to a PC or external USB drive if you wish. Of course the next feature would have to be a Y cable so you can plug into an external backup battery and power an external USB drive.

There's also this http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-OTG-Con...g_Plugs_Jacks_Wall_Plates&hash=item2ecb0e7623

And this http://www.ebay.com/itm/SmartPhone-...ory_Card_Readers_Adapters&hash=item2a31ef9f03

And this http://www.ebay.com/itm/SDHC-SD-MMC...=100010&prg=8344&rk=4&rkt=15&sd=181226413827&

Then of course, there's this RAVPower ® FileHub Wireless SD Flash Card Reader USB External HDD / SDD Reader with Built-in 3000 mah External Battery Pack and Portable Wifi Hot Spot




which essentially does it all...and the best part - it's wireless AND doubles as a wireless hotspot/hub, AND has 3,000mAh backup power for recharing the phone and/or supplying power to the external USB drive as well as powering itself for WIFI hotspot features. By the way, RavPower is a supporting vendor of DroidForums, so we especially like them!

 

[livinginkaos]

The meenova started on kickstarter but is in production now. The nice thing about this is it's small.

Sent From My DEV X

 

[FoxKat]

The meenova started on kickstarter but is in production now. The nice thing about this is it's small.

Sent From My DEV X

I am in 100% agreement...it's the smallest form factor of them all, and I would LOVE to own one. I like that it is so small and unobtrusive on my keychain. I think the cost is still too high and given I can get pretty much the same functionality from some others (though larger), at a fraction of the cost I would opt for the less expensive route. Now, once production is ramped up and I can get it for around $5, I'll buy.

 

[FoxKat]

I wish device manufacturers would employ this method for SIM slots: MicroSD/SIM combo connector

Only problem I see with that device is it would have to either be mounted on a corner to access both slots from outside the case, or mounted internally and centrally to be accessed from both the side and bottom. The latter means the case has to be a removable back (or access panel), whereas the prior means the corner, although accessible from outside is prone to bangs which could render one or both sockets inoperable.

The only real way I see this working is inside a removable back cover. Since I am a fan of non-removable batteries it wouldn't fit my preferred genre.