purchase DX or DI?/rooting question/other android forums?

[Orionalias]

So feel free to comment on any of the three topics. I'm new to android and rooting, but I grasp the general idea of it, how to do it, and the usual benefits of it (over/under clocking, eliminating bloat, etc.).

I'm about to purchase my first android phone and I'm between the DX and DI. I'm well aware it's largely a personal preference situation, but feel free to comment on why you think I should get one over the other. If you were once in my predicament, what made you finally take a side? I'm down to essentially picking between UI's. Which one is better? More customizable? Does it even matter since I'll likely root the phone? Both UI's have 7 screens so they both have lots of room for plenty of apps and widgets, so what else matters? Is either faster than the other in real world application?

Rooting...I have more reading to do on the topic, but, like I said, I totally get why I should do it...I probably will. I was wondering if anyone could explain how rooting both the DX or DI would change the interface/look of the phone? Would it at all? Does rooting the DI eliminate Sense? If so, what does it look like without it? Any different from the (mostly) stock android 2.1 on the DX? Are there any pics of the before and after looks of either phone?

Glad to have droidforums, but what other android forums do you recommend for staying up to date on new apps/rooms/news?

Sorry for the length...figured I might as well get all my questions out in one post.

 

[christim]

I have the original droid. For me I'd go with the DX. The screen size is a big selling point for me. The rest of the specs are good and getting Swype (keyboard app) included is another plus for me because I use it now.

 

[Orionalias]

that 4.3 screen certainly is a big pro for the DX. i'm wary of preloaded apps typically, as most of the time it becomes bloatware rather that something of use, but indeed i would probably download swype even if it didn't come with it already. to be fair, i can get swype on the DI as well, i'd merely have to grab it from the market.

 

[Orionalias]

sorry all, I'm bumping my thread because I'm really hoping for some help, primarily on my questions about rooting and how it alters the look of the interface on the DI. I'm likely going to go for the Incredible, so I'm just wondering what exactly is Sense and what is stock android, because I don't know what I'll be getting rid of if I indeed root. alternatively, can I root the DI but still install Sense so that I have some of its unique features?

 

[mdloops]

No brainier

Droid X has better screen, more built in capabilities, built by a better company.

I can't understand why you, or anybody else, would get the incredible over the Droid X. They are in different leagues. From the looks of it the X is better than the yet to be released Droid 2. The incredible never caught on for a reason and I am sure will be phased out soon.

Don't buy based on rooting it. The Droid X with android 2.1 has twice as many features as an original Droid and runs faster. I have used both and own the original Droid. If after all this you still do t know what to pick, flip a coin because you are beyond hope. Jk, but not really...

 

[baniels]

I don't have the Incredible, so I can't speak from personal experience. But I have found what seems to be a good tour of its Sense UI.

[video=youtube;8cSBzo8J_uk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cSBzo8J_uk]YouTube - ‪HTC Droid Incredible: Sense UI & Widgets Tour‬‎[/video]

I had the Droid 1 for 7 or 8 months. I purchased the Droid X on release day and passed the Droid down to my wife. I was a little nervous about not having a "Vanilla" OS. That was partially due to the questions about whether or how long it would take for the X to be rooted. It turned out to be very soon after release.

Messing with the Blur (Motorola's UI overlay similar to HTC's Sense UI) is still a bit dangerous, but removing or renaming the bloatware is not a problem at all (with the right knowledge anyway (removing some things can cause problems if not replaced before an OTA or factory reset (for the time being))).

The Blur is not really getting in my way. A few elements of it are actually well implemented and quite nice. The ability to remove certain elements of Blur, or even all of it, will come in time, I suspect.

Again, I don't know a thing about the DI. Is it still heading toward end of life, or was that rumor squashed? I would be hesitant to jump into a device with a plateaued or shrinking dev community, so you may want to find the answer to that. What can and cannot be removed from Sense is not something I know.

What I can say is that after having the X for 3 weeks or so now, I don't think I'll ever go to a smaller device. The X is really a beautiful piece of hardware. I suggest you demo them both.

Hopefully I have contributed in some way to your decision-making process.

 

[Torzi]

I currently have the incredible, but I'm returning it for the X.

The incredible is a great phone... it's a bit smaller than the X, and fits comfortably in the palm of the hand like a good remote control. It looks sharp and performs solid, I haven't had a single problem with it in terms of bugs. The mic is pretty terrible for video, and the battery could last a bit longer, but I have a feeling that's going to become standard with these types of phones.

I'm a little bummed about losing this screen. They're made by Samsung using the same process for the new galaxy S phones, though there's a few extra steps there to boost brightness... which this phone could really use in daylight. The contrast and colors are spectacular in most situations though, and the touch response is snappy and satisfying.

Overall, it's very sharp and responsive, and I would recommend it for most users who are interested in having a fairly compact phone and super info tool with solid app/game performance. Fine for quick pics/videos where you're not too worried about quality, but most digital cams will do a much better job (even at lower res).

There are several reasons that I'd rather have an X though, such as:
-45nm process on the TI processor (vs 65nm on the Snapdragon). Less power, and typically able to overclock higher.
-faster RAM
-better graphics processor on X
-stock 720p vid support (though INC gets it w/ froyo)
-camera image stabilization (INC desperately needs)
-HDMI out
-bigger display (for my meaty hands)
-more stock flash memory
-wireless N support (INC needs custom ROM)
-Motorola's 2nd generation of android device (experience)

On paper, it's a better device. I've only held a display model of the X though, so I can't really give a functional comparison.

At the moment though, the X is rootable, but custom ROMs can't be used (and may never be) because the boot-loader is protected. Google "Incredible custom ROMS" or look in that forum section for more info on what's been done with the incredible. I'm sure there will be incredible users for at least a couple of years... it's really a great phone.