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Alright guys. I have spent (just a little over) a week with my droid, and decided to write up a bit of a review. I decided to get the droid as opposed to getting the Droid X, for several reasons, but primarily, it has an established community base.
Overall, I love this phone. I came from a LG Dare, so this is a big step up. Going from a crappy multimedia phone, (though the best dumbphone for verizon ever, and will be probably forever) to a high power phone like this sucker, its a big step. Im a huge techie, and even before I had the phone, I knew not only how I was going to hack it, but also how I was gonna do stuff with it that had never been done before. I will take this review categorically, with individual ratings, so here we go:
Running:
-4.2 Simply Stunning Froyo
-P3Droid's 1.2 GHZ Kernel
-Launcher Beta Pro, Swype, Advanced Task Killer, Weather Widget, Battery Status Pro, K-9 Mail, Tapatalk, FindMyPhone
Out of the Box Use (6/10) - Right out of the box, this phone is a bit intimidating. I got my phone activated in store (I wanted a smooth transition for my contacts) and then just dove in head first. To be honest, if I wasnt who I am, I could see people having a really big problem with this to get started. There is so many options and possibilities, and I really feel like after the phone was activated, it litterally was like your on your own now. I picked it up pretty fast, but if my mom or girlfriend got this phone, I feel like they would be pretty lost (maybe Im not giving them enough credit). I feel the phone should come with a (optional) longer tutorial, that would show you the notification bar, the settings, how to remove apps that run in the background, market, menu button, how to make calls, etc. Possibly just a cd with the droid, but I really feel like it was initally pretty confusing. The learning curve their happened really really fast though, once you get a hold of a little though, you learn fast. So initially it was a bit hard, but in the end, you pick it up fast.
UI (9/10) - the ui on this phone is pretty awesome. I love how smooth and crisp it is. The ability to customize it is incredibly amazing. Different backgrounds, widgets userbars, different homepages, it rocks. The 3d app drawer is amazing. It really makes me incredibly happy that I got a droid, and not a iphone. There is a few blips, some forcecloses (which I think I fixed), and I wish I could change the notification bar a bit, but other wise, very nice
Speed (8/10) - the speed is much faster than any phone Ive ever used. With the 1.2 ghz kernel, I can bring up apps and switch pretty quickly. My issue is sometimes the phone takes a bit longer than I think it should to load in (after the bootscreen) but after its going, it stays pretty stable. Ive had a few overheats where the phone restarted, but in the end, it works pretty well.
Sound (6/10) - Im a DJ, so Im pretty critical about sound. The volume on the handset speaker is fine, but the ringer could be much much louder. The speaker is located in a bit of a weird position aswell, so its a pain to try to put that speaker into your ear. The options for notifications are a bit bad too. The droid sound is awesome. Coolest ringer ever. BUT, its not enough. When it goes off, and Im asleep, I NEVER hear it. I have a notification app, but still, its not enough. Notifications should be longer IMO.
Video/Camera (9/10) - this is the one feature I havent really used all that much. My favorite is using it with Google Goggles. Its a great thing to use, really really helpful. Flash videos work really well on the phone (read my signature for a complete guide to watch full length tv shows and movies on your phone) The pictures are great quality, and better than most phones I've used
Navigation (10/10) - the navigation is awesome. First off, free=awesome. Secondly, just being able to be in a place that I have no idea where I am, and just search and in two seconds, be able to find a place to eat, is awesome. Dropped my girl off at work and had no idea where I was, found a place to eat, a VZW store, and a McDonalds to buy a drink in seconds
External Hardware (9/10) - the outside hardware is pretty nice. I love the slide out keyboard, the D-pad is awesome for browsing, and I love the sleek black look, and the gold accent. The battery casing was a bit difficult to remove initally, but now its alright. The Microusb, lock/power, and headphone button is really great. The Home/Menu/Back/Search buttons i kept pushing on accident, but used to it now where I dont do that. The one thing I think it lacks is a physical end call button on the phone, like one not on a screen. As well, a Composite out (NOT HDMI) would be greatly appreciated. I have an iPod with 160gb of storage, so I use that instead, but composite out wouldnt be bad. (The reason for composite and not HDMI is all tvs have composite, only some have HDMI. Aswell, if Im doing HDMI, Im either using my laptop, or a DvD.)
Battery (9/10) - The battery on this phone, regardless what anyone says, is pretty good. I was on the phone for 3 hours straight, then used internet, navigation, and texting, and my battery lasted a while. I know how battery intensive things like this phone are, but thats why I am prepared. I charge it at night, in the car when I drive, into my computer at school, and at my girlfriends house. In the end, I have surrounded myself with chargers, so I dont have to worry about whether or not my battery is dying. It does take some time to charge though. In the end, this phones battery aint to shabby.
Browser/3g/WiFi (10/10) - the internet on this phone is awesome. My campus is totally WiFi enabled, and the internet is fairly fast on it. I love being able to read something online right away, instead of having to wait for my laptop to boot. Or while I was driving my iPod died, so I quickly grabbed slacker radio, and was listening in seconds. Ive had a few problems and dead spots, but thats more VZW than Moto.
Wireless Tethering (10/10) - As I said, Im a DJ, and tethering is a lifesaver. I was at a gig where they wanted me to play a song that I didnt have, and in seconds I had it. The tethering works, works well, stable, and is very fast
Apps (10/10) - the app market is awesome, and running apps on the phone is so easy and quick to do. I love the selection, I love the games, and the possibilities seem endless. I can control my PC when Im at school, start a download on my computer, start a conversion, and when I get home, the video is ready to go. Or the VLC remote, a great app. So many apps, I cannot believe
Overall (9/10) - the phone overall is wonderful. It has some bugs and glitches, but in the end, I love it! A great choice, and I recomend it to everyone
NOTE: Its now 3:15, and I have to get up at 7 for an exam. Hope you enjoyed this!
Overall, I love this phone. I came from a LG Dare, so this is a big step up. Going from a crappy multimedia phone, (though the best dumbphone for verizon ever, and will be probably forever) to a high power phone like this sucker, its a big step. Im a huge techie, and even before I had the phone, I knew not only how I was going to hack it, but also how I was gonna do stuff with it that had never been done before. I will take this review categorically, with individual ratings, so here we go:
Running:
-4.2 Simply Stunning Froyo
-P3Droid's 1.2 GHZ Kernel
-Launcher Beta Pro, Swype, Advanced Task Killer, Weather Widget, Battery Status Pro, K-9 Mail, Tapatalk, FindMyPhone
Out of the Box Use (6/10) - Right out of the box, this phone is a bit intimidating. I got my phone activated in store (I wanted a smooth transition for my contacts) and then just dove in head first. To be honest, if I wasnt who I am, I could see people having a really big problem with this to get started. There is so many options and possibilities, and I really feel like after the phone was activated, it litterally was like your on your own now. I picked it up pretty fast, but if my mom or girlfriend got this phone, I feel like they would be pretty lost (maybe Im not giving them enough credit). I feel the phone should come with a (optional) longer tutorial, that would show you the notification bar, the settings, how to remove apps that run in the background, market, menu button, how to make calls, etc. Possibly just a cd with the droid, but I really feel like it was initally pretty confusing. The learning curve their happened really really fast though, once you get a hold of a little though, you learn fast. So initially it was a bit hard, but in the end, you pick it up fast.
UI (9/10) - the ui on this phone is pretty awesome. I love how smooth and crisp it is. The ability to customize it is incredibly amazing. Different backgrounds, widgets userbars, different homepages, it rocks. The 3d app drawer is amazing. It really makes me incredibly happy that I got a droid, and not a iphone. There is a few blips, some forcecloses (which I think I fixed), and I wish I could change the notification bar a bit, but other wise, very nice
Speed (8/10) - the speed is much faster than any phone Ive ever used. With the 1.2 ghz kernel, I can bring up apps and switch pretty quickly. My issue is sometimes the phone takes a bit longer than I think it should to load in (after the bootscreen) but after its going, it stays pretty stable. Ive had a few overheats where the phone restarted, but in the end, it works pretty well.
Sound (6/10) - Im a DJ, so Im pretty critical about sound. The volume on the handset speaker is fine, but the ringer could be much much louder. The speaker is located in a bit of a weird position aswell, so its a pain to try to put that speaker into your ear. The options for notifications are a bit bad too. The droid sound is awesome. Coolest ringer ever. BUT, its not enough. When it goes off, and Im asleep, I NEVER hear it. I have a notification app, but still, its not enough. Notifications should be longer IMO.
Video/Camera (9/10) - this is the one feature I havent really used all that much. My favorite is using it with Google Goggles. Its a great thing to use, really really helpful. Flash videos work really well on the phone (read my signature for a complete guide to watch full length tv shows and movies on your phone) The pictures are great quality, and better than most phones I've used
Navigation (10/10) - the navigation is awesome. First off, free=awesome. Secondly, just being able to be in a place that I have no idea where I am, and just search and in two seconds, be able to find a place to eat, is awesome. Dropped my girl off at work and had no idea where I was, found a place to eat, a VZW store, and a McDonalds to buy a drink in seconds
External Hardware (9/10) - the outside hardware is pretty nice. I love the slide out keyboard, the D-pad is awesome for browsing, and I love the sleek black look, and the gold accent. The battery casing was a bit difficult to remove initally, but now its alright. The Microusb, lock/power, and headphone button is really great. The Home/Menu/Back/Search buttons i kept pushing on accident, but used to it now where I dont do that. The one thing I think it lacks is a physical end call button on the phone, like one not on a screen. As well, a Composite out (NOT HDMI) would be greatly appreciated. I have an iPod with 160gb of storage, so I use that instead, but composite out wouldnt be bad. (The reason for composite and not HDMI is all tvs have composite, only some have HDMI. Aswell, if Im doing HDMI, Im either using my laptop, or a DvD.)
Battery (9/10) - The battery on this phone, regardless what anyone says, is pretty good. I was on the phone for 3 hours straight, then used internet, navigation, and texting, and my battery lasted a while. I know how battery intensive things like this phone are, but thats why I am prepared. I charge it at night, in the car when I drive, into my computer at school, and at my girlfriends house. In the end, I have surrounded myself with chargers, so I dont have to worry about whether or not my battery is dying. It does take some time to charge though. In the end, this phones battery aint to shabby.
Browser/3g/WiFi (10/10) - the internet on this phone is awesome. My campus is totally WiFi enabled, and the internet is fairly fast on it. I love being able to read something online right away, instead of having to wait for my laptop to boot. Or while I was driving my iPod died, so I quickly grabbed slacker radio, and was listening in seconds. Ive had a few problems and dead spots, but thats more VZW than Moto.
Wireless Tethering (10/10) - As I said, Im a DJ, and tethering is a lifesaver. I was at a gig where they wanted me to play a song that I didnt have, and in seconds I had it. The tethering works, works well, stable, and is very fast
Apps (10/10) - the app market is awesome, and running apps on the phone is so easy and quick to do. I love the selection, I love the games, and the possibilities seem endless. I can control my PC when Im at school, start a download on my computer, start a conversion, and when I get home, the video is ready to go. Or the VLC remote, a great app. So many apps, I cannot believe
Overall (9/10) - the phone overall is wonderful. It has some bugs and glitches, but in the end, I love it! A great choice, and I recomend it to everyone
NOTE: Its now 3:15, and I have to get up at 7 for an exam. Hope you enjoyed this!
