Planning on buying Razr Maxx - Looking for feedback

[bocabean]

I am planning to switch to the Maxx next week. My contract on Verizon is expiring in 10 days at which time I plan to say good-bye to my Blackberry Bold. I was an early adapter of the very first Droid back in 11/09, the day it came out. After a month or so of headaches, I returned it in favor of the BB. That wasn't the greatest phone in the world for me either, but from a business usage point of view, it has done the job. I have used BB for many years and I can see as well as most that their days are numbered.

Aside from the extensive battery life on the Maxx (one of the major considerations), I wanted to find out what everyone thinks in terms of using the phone as...well...a phone. How is the call quality, both on your end and on the caller's end. Has the Android platform improved over the past few years where it is now easier to make and terminate a call. I seem to recall on my first Droid that I had to go through several screens in some instances, just to make a call.

I am also interested in knowing about the quality of the bluetooth, both from an earpiece/headset (or whatever you want to call that) and with hands free operations in the car.

Has anyone used the docking station that turns the phone into what I see as the equivalent of a netbook? I anticipate a fair amount of business use for this option.

Finally, will it make a difference if I acquire the phone prior to the ICS upgrade? In other words, realistically, how involved will it be to switch to the newer platform once it is released? Would I be better waiting until sometime past the purported 6/12/12 release date? According to my retailer contact, it will take quite some time for Verizon to cycle through the existing inventory before they can just pull a phone off the shelf at random that will automatically have ICS installed.

I know the drill on updates, as I have gone through plenty of them, so I am looking at possibly avoiding a waste of at least a day. The flip side of this is that I am fearful of a price change if I do not take advantage of the trade-in now. I know that I will net a whopping $20 ($50 for the credit that Verizon tells me that I still have available for upgrading the phone, less the new $30 activation fee). I am also told that I will be grandfathered into the unlimited data plan, which I presently have. Not a bad deal.

One other Q. What is the maximum number of email accounts that can be maintained on the phone, aside from the gmail account? (I have both imap and POP3 accounts).

Ohh Ohh, one more Q. Any value in trying to reactivate my old apps such as Documents to Go, etc. Perhaps they will not transfer to the new device (talking about the old Droid and not the BB, which I know is not a feasible thing to do).

Thanks everyone. Hopefully I will have a better experience this time around.

 

[JOSHSKORN]

I can't answer all of your questions but I will say this. I have zero experience with BB. I came from a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone, which I cooked to Windows 6.5. It was a slow phone, and way before even 3g, let alone 4g. So the internet is blazing fast in comparison.

What has sold me most on the MAXX, which I'm sure is probably the same for many other DROIDs, are the apps available for it. Additionally, the battery life, too. Personally, I think the MAXX should set the new standard in battery life.

I wasn't going to buy the MAXX, but then I have heard, and misunderstood that Verizon was going to stop allowing existing customers to maintain the unlimited data plan, thus no more Grandfathering of your old plan. As it turns out, this is only partially true. The new policy, which I don't know when it will take affect, is such that you will pay full price for the phone if you are grandfathered into unlimited data. So basically, if this was in effect when I had bought my MAXX, I would've had to pay $650 for the phone, not $199. Now that's how I understood the new policy. If I'm wrong, I apologize.

That said, I probably wouldn't have minded paying full price for a phone, knowing what I can still get out of it with unlimited data. For me, that is more or less streaming of Pandora radio. I also get weather updates but that doesn't compare to Pandora in terms of data. Another thing I'm using my MAXX for is Google Navigation, instead of having to pay for VZ Navigator. I don't find it quite as accurate, but it's workable. For instance, I drove the other night to a bowling alley, Google Navigation led me to the corner just before the bowling alley, which was a house. I preceded another 300 feet and found my destination around the corner. That's just one use of Google Navigation. I will experiment more and comment when necessary.

I had purchased the Car Dock with charger for about $60 on Amazon. I'd received it and though I'd gotten ripped off for the quality that it looks, because it looks like it should've been half that price. I installed the app Car Ultra Home (I think) and am not using the stock car dock application. Car Ultra allows you to fully customize what apps are available in big buttons while driving, unlike the stock app which is pretty restrictive. You can add one option on the stock app but that's about it. My car stereo does not have an AUX jack, so I use a tape deck converter. It works. I used it with my old phone and I can definitely tell the difference in music quality, as well. I'm still experimenting with equalizers as I listen to heavy metal music and I'm not completely satisfied on the sound quality of MP3 @ 320kbit over CDs. I know I'll never get as good quality, but I'd like to get much closer.

Call quality is hands-down much better than what I'd had. The screen is better, not perfect, but at least I can put my hand over the screen and see what I'm doing. It was impossible with my previous model.

I was trying to hold out for a phone that supported USB 3.0 but again, the new Verizon policy made me decide to make my purchase. That, or I was looking at the DROID GALAXY NOTE on AT&T, which supposedly was going to be ported over to Verizon under the name DROID GALAXY JOURNAL. I have large hands, so a larger screen would be better for me. It sucks how you see ads of people holding the DROID RAZR MAXX, and assume its big, but then you realize it was being held by people with small hands. Still, it's bigger than what I had, which was about the size of an iPhone screen, I believe.

I haven't used Voice Command yet on my phone. I'm thinking I"ll wait for the ICS update before I get into that. I hear it'll be improved. I have though installed Iris on my phone which, it's ok. I don't see it being quite as effective as Apple's Siri, yet, but I had heard that something will be fully integrated with Android when Android 5.0 arrives in the Winter. I just hope it will work on the MAXX.

 

[RazrMaxxOwner]

First, I have had many blackberries in the past and other Android phones. The Maxx takes the phone experience to another level. It is better than my last BB in terms of quality as a phone and email device. It is by far the best business phone I've ever had. Corp email is often on my phone before it is on my work computer, and sound quality on phone calls and signal strength are also better than BB.

I have 4 email accounts on mine with no problems including Corp push, gmail imap and 2 pop3 accounts. It doesn't crash like other androids I've had. Bluetooth sound is excellent. I have the car and hdmi docks but not the other laptoplike one and those two are OK although the car dock really doesn't fit perfectly needs some work to pop in because it was originally made for the razr. My docs to go came over to this phone but it was a direct upgrade.... As far as ICS I don't have it so I don't know how seamless it will be to upgrade. My tablet went to ics immediately and all the apps came back but screen personalization of widgets could take time...

I would highly recommend getting it. Everything is so much faster and the 4g and wifi browsing make it so much more than a simple business phone. Corp account integration includes calendar and contacts sync like bb and you can see all your email folders as well.

The battery life makes it so you don't need battery saver apps which can slow down your business connectivity..

The laptop dock looks cool but remember this would be an android so it is not quite going to be like a windows laptop. There are office like apps but excel and word are not currently in existence on android (although that is expected to change by the end of the year). Other unported windows apps are not going to work natively but you can remote to windows machines.

 

[TisMyDroid]

Your docs to go will work with your Maxx. Download the free version from Play Store, then to get all the features of the paid version, you go in the app settings and put in your registration number. Of course when I went to do this, I could not remember nor had my reg # anywhere but there is a way to retrieve it from their website... I just don't remember exactly what I had to do to get it.

Also, I have 8 email accts and no problems with any of them.

Call quality is excellent.

I don't think you will be disappointed.

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

 

[JOSHSKORN]

The battery life makes it so you don't need battery saver apps which can slow down your business connectivity..

I have to say that I had an app that would conserve my battery, but I disabled it. Surely, it conserved my battery, but there was no way that my MAXX was going to run out of juice by the end of the day. I think my connectivity was compromised when my phone was set to conserve battery. I just need to remember to plug it in at night, which I do. I actually use an app to track my sleep. Basically, I just plug my phone in, lay it on the bed face down and turn on the tracking. I haven't quite figured out how the app works or if it does or not, but hey, it gives me an excuse to plug my phone in.

 

[bocabean]

Thank you everyone for the great feedback. I just got off the phone with the cell phone retailer that I work with and he expects to have the phone delivered on Monday, so I should be good to go then. With respect to the lapdock, I am still interested in checking it out. I recognize that it is not a Windows platform. The primary consideration for me is that I would install the Ignition app (the cell phone version of LogMeIn) so that I could connect with another computer that I keep at home. By using this, along with my regular laptop, when I am on the road, I can effectively give myself the availability of two monitors. Doesn't matter that the dock is not a windows platform, it just has to be able to remotely connect to one, which Ignition provides. I can also accomplish this by dragging along a small netbook that my wife and I share, however the larger monitor makes it very appealing.

 

[cdf3]

I think you did well by getting the phone prior to ICS. That way, if ICS has bugs, you'll know the phone you have will work fine. I'm excited about getting ICS, but I know there will probably be some apps that I use that might not work with ICS. Especially the ones that are no longer being updated. When ICS is released, I will wait and see what others report before diving in.


Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[bocabean]

You just answered another question for me. What you are saying is that loading the update is optional and that we can sit back and watch the message boards to read about everyone else's update issues. The more that I see what is available out there, the more that I recognize that this was a complete no brainer. Right now I am seeing that the battle between Samsung and Apple is really heating up. Apple's attorneys are apparently have or will shortly be filing for an injunction to prevent the S3's from coming a shore. When I looked at the features of the S3, it was clear to me that the likelihood that I would be using even half of them is a waste. Perhaps if I was alot younger. In any event, it appears to me that the Maxx is the clear winner now for any serious business user.

I am told that the shipment arrives at my supplier on Monday around noon. I'll swing by later that day as he has promised to through it onto the charger for me as soon as it arrives.

We have bought multiple phones from the same source and the owner is a networking colleague, as well as an authorized Verizon distributor, so I am confident that all will be properly handled.

Next week I will probably be posting questions regarding the best apps out there (for business).

Thanks again all.

 

[TisMyDroid]

You just answered another question for me. What you are saying is that loading the update is optional and that we can sit back and watch the message boards to read about everyone else's update issues. The more that I see what is available out there, the more that I recognize that this was a complete no brainer. In any event, it appears to me that the Maxx is the clear winner now for any serious business user.

Next week I will probably be posting questions regarding the best apps out there (for business).

Thanks again all.

Actually, I think what he meant was that after the update to ICS that he was going read the forums to see what kinds of problems people were having and wait before adding all his apps back on the phone.

I think when ICS is released we will be forced to update, either by getting numerous alerts until we install it or that it will eventually install on its own...but I'm not sure.

It is an excellent idea that once we have the ICS update that we install our apps a few at a time, wait to see if any of them have problems, uninstall them if they do and then reinstall the potential problem apps, one by one to find out which one is the problem, etc. I imagine there will be some apps that won't play well with ICS.

I think when you get your phone you will be very pleased. The phone is amazing! While you are waiting for it to arrive, read some of the threads, go to the smartphone battery discussions section and read about getting the best and most from your battery and you will be ready to dive in.

And by all means, ask any questions you may have. I think the people here on DF are the most helpful bunch you will find.

Enjoy!

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums