Droid Doesn't? Why?

[WenWM]

In a world that Droid does, and does it for everyone... One guy apparently says it doesn't, well for him anyways. In an article he posted on Zdnet, Ed Bott, wrote saying why he doesn't like the Droid X and why he returned his right away regardless of what the reviews have been saying.

Now this is unusual for a person to pickup a Droid and put it back down, but I guess not everyone will have to like it.

Here is an excerpt from his article:

Initially, at least, I was seduced by the device—or, more accurately, by Verizon’s network, which actually works in my office. That’s a pleasant and striking contrast to AT&T, whose signal doesn’t penetrate to my home office at all and only reaches about half a bar on the other side of the house. My wife, who loves her iPhone 3GS, has learned that the best way to make it through an entire conversation on the iPhone is to sit in one spot on the couch and try not to move around too much.

Now what do you think about a statement like that... Do you think your love for the Droid is as far as what the reviewers say, or is it just because the Droid X is the greatest black slab to be released with Verizon's logo on it. Reply with your comments.

 

[pyro6128]

he didnt really say anything that was untrue. The droid X is big and for some people thats a deal breaker. And we all know that the display is the number one battery drain on our phones, and with the X's large screen thats even worse. Everyone I talk to who owns an X complains about the battery life being short and not lasting a day without constant charging. In terms of complexity, I agree that android can be a bit overwhelming for someone who just wants their phone to work and doesnt want to explore it. Thats why people who arent tech savvy love the iphone and think its the best.

Can't win everyone over I suppose. Aside from the battery issue though, everyone I know who owns an X loves it.

 

[thatisandwas]

Wasn't the X rated as having the best battery life among androids recently?

 

[johnomaz]

I dunno. I had an iPhone 3GS that is now my wife's. Whenever i have to use it, its frustrating to use. Seriously. Its kind of odd becuase its pretty much a kindergarten phone, but in how much Apple has dumbed it down, it is almost too dumb now.

I love my DroidX. Not because of the network either. Where I live, AT&T and Verizon are both great services. I switched from AT&T because of the tiered data plans at AT&T (which now Verizon may do soon...grrrrr). I use a lot of data. I stream a lot of music, at times download large files from my FTP server at home and a tiered plan would kill me big time. Though I was grandfathered in with AT&T, I wanted a new phone. I also wanted an Android phone. AT&T's selection was dismal and was all yahoo branded.

Anywho, it sounds like this guy is a tech dullard and if it has more than one big round button on it, its too complicated. People that want options buy Android, people that want style/current trend get an iPhone.

 

[SC Headbanger]

Not Making Much Sense

As a previous poster said, he didn't really say much. I know 2 people with X's. One loves it, the other hates it. Battery life being the reason for the latter. I tried to explain to him (like the other post mentioned), that the bigger the screen, the worse the battery drain is. I have an OG Droid, and love it. Best phone I've ever had. I'm not even rooted, and am impressed with just the stock features and battery life. The X for me is just too big, same with the EVO. I wouldn't mind having a D2, but I'm under contract and as mentioned, happy as can be with what I've got. All that being said, even with the D1, if you're on the internet a lot burning the screen, it's going to run the battery down too. I think this is why Blackberry users seem to like the performance of their batteries. As logic tells us, the screen is half the size, so it "should" last longer. I typically get a normal days charge out of my D1. I have several programs that run all the time, and dabble with Facebook, ESPN, ect and make 10-15 calls. I probably fit into the "normal" user class. The one complaint I've had from day one about the Droid is the lack of Bluetooth dialing. That is the one thing Droid doesn't do. Even with 2.2 it's not the same as with every other cell phone made in the last 10 years. You should be able to just hit your earpiece button like normal. I haven't tried it with a built in car Bluetooth system yet. I just can't beleive Android was released this way. Especially with all of the laws regarding headset use.

 

[ocpd44]

I haven't read the article yet. What I can say is, the X is the best phone I have ever owned. The battery is no worse than the 6900 or my old Storm. And, the tradeoff in useability vs. battery life is well worth it. Besides, with all the great apps out there (thank you, app makers), the phone is just plain fun.

Size? Obviously we have short memories for the Motorola Brick and even more recent evolutions from Audiovox. You'll get my X back when you pry it from my cold dead hand... or a better phone comes along.

Regards,

Jeff

 

[Bxrider117]

After reading this article, either this person isn't a smartphone user or he never owned the Droid X. His complaints for returning the phone are minimal and the fact that be states that he had the phone for two weeks and then ends the article by stating that after a fees hours of phone use, he returned the phone leads me to believe that he never actually owned the phone. Also if he was returning the phone what was he going to go back to.

 

[ocpd44]

Whoaaaaa, wait a minute. I just read the article and decided to go to Ed's main blog page. I don't get it. He is primarily a microslob reviewer. He can't actually say he likes Windows Mobile over Android? Actually, he never did say what phone he came from or went to. Will we ever know what Ed chose?

 

[chrmbly]

When one of your primary complaints is about the icon layout that you receive directly from Verizon, and you can't even be bothered to get rid of icons you don't use and customize your home screen, etc... I think it's safe to say you have missed the point.

 

[kennyc]

Well, if you look at the header, it all makes sense. "Ed Bott's Microsoft Report"

 

[jbjtkbw00]

Sad to say, I usually respect Ed's views on a lot of things, but he didn't even give this phone a chance. For the techie that he claims to be, he sure seems to want simplicity (read: handholding) when it comes to a phone. Android is like an automobile or a computer; many different varieties and you can customize it to what YOU want on the vehicle/device. I have over 110 apps on my Droid X, and I think I use the battery MORE because of the screen size. Since I know I use it more, I got the extended battery. I kill my battery because there's so much to do and the larger screen actually keeps me off of the main pc more.

No, the screen size isn't for everyone, but at 5' 4", it still goes into my pocket and fits into my medium sized hands quite nicely. Also, I've had the original bad boy Droid 1 and I still have an HTC Incredible (but it hardly ever sees usage). The Droid X is what I was waiting for. I miss a keyboard, but the screen real estate more than makes up for that.

Now let's put a dual core processor in a phone this size, and that will be my next device.

 

[gadgetrants]

When one of your primary complaints is about the icon layout that you receive directly from Verizon, and you can't even be bothered to get rid of icons you don't use and customize your home screen, etc... I think it's safe to say you have missed the point.

Precisely.

Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.

No. Ed Bott is a primadonna who wants a phone he doesn't have to actually use to understand. He notes:

Ultimately, what unsold me on the Droid X in particular and on the Android platform in general was its complexity. I understand why geeks love this OS. Like Linux, it’s a tweaker’s playground. I’m sure I could have solved all my problems by rooting the device, downloading a new kernel, and starting from scratch.

Complexity, WTF? Dude. It's. Not. That. Hard.

-Matt

 

[yahwarrior]

He should have bought an Eris if the X was too hard and big for him. The X was made for men who have grown size hands.

 

[stevonyc35]

dumping the droid

maybe this guy should have gone with the Droid 2 if the X was too big.
if he took the time to read droidforums.net maybe he wouldn't have had so many issues.

 

[gadgetrants]

maybe this guy should have gone with the Droid 2 if the X was too big.
if he took the time to read droidforums.net maybe he wouldn't have had so many issues.

I sometimes wonder if we need a subforum for discussing...how to put this...the more "psychological" side of ownership. For example, I think rooting is a big step for many people, and looks pretty intimidating. Then you do it, begin to feel comfortable with the process--go through a few recoveries :icon_eek:--and it becomes pretty easy. But from the beginner's side, I can understand the fear and hesitation.

The funny thing is...I ultimately decided to root my D1 and now I play with it all the time. And yet I can buy an entirely new device (e.g., Android tablet), and begin to feel that same "Oh, I don't want to mess it up!" anxiety.

-Matt