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September 14, 2010 DROID X Motorola and Verizon
The Droid X Screen is just about right for website searches, video screening, and keyboard touches when typing messages and other text. I did find I often needed to expand the web pages so my finger could hit the correct place for small text links to other pages. The 5 separate touch screens can be accessed by flicking a finger on the screen. The home page is centered with 2 pages on either side of Home. I like the layout but wished I could see my family wallpaper photo. A Drop Down Status bar that can be accessed like a window shade is well hidden but, after finding it at the top of the screen, it very useful.
The Phone and Contacts icons at the bottom of the screen replace the hard buttons I was used to on other phones. The icon at the bottom center of the screen, a circle with a triangle in it, takes you to the mammoth list of currently installed APS or functions. There are 4 hard buttons in the lower front of the case. The left one (four little squares) gives you added functions for the tasks you see on screen at the time. The second, a little house, is to return you to the home screen. The circular arrow is to return you to your last location or task. The magnifying glass on the far right opens a search screen. The Droid X has helped me with GPS directions, locating restaurants, car dealers, and other places, reading and answering emails, checking websites, giving me a daily heads up on 50 to 100 news releases and articles I follow, and taking photos and videos. This is just the surface of what I have been able to accomplish while using the Droid X. I can hear it now “That isn’t new.” To me, and many others, the new thing is the ease of setup and use on these Android phones. The capabilities have been around for years. I just have never found them so comfortable that I could get to the point where everything comes together and works without a lot of headaches. I know iPhones have more APS and they are great for their users. I am just thankful that the rest of us are getting a similar break. After more than 2 months with the Droid X I can say it has capabilities that I have wanted to see collected in one place for years. At home or on the road I used the Droid X as my day to day phone. The need for a phone that would do most everything came about due to a pending birth in the family that required us to be away for home for about 4 or 5 weeks. The Droid X is exactly what we needed during the long visit. Camera I like a camera/video function that really makes a phone a camera. The Droid X came very close to that goal. With an 8 MP camera, HD video, HDMI output, and a great screen the Droid X created some very good stills and quite viewable video. I was disappointed there was no zoom in the video and the camera FLASH occasionally produced cloudy photos. I have added a few sample photos below and have quite a few photos/videos taken with the Droid X on my Flickr site. CLICK HERE TO SEE FOR YOURSELF.
EMAILS Texting and Attachments Playing Music, Audible books, and Video PREDICTIVE TEXT I did test GPS, Bluetooth, and WIFI. They worked without a hitch. The APP market was full of free or paid add-ons that helped us through the trip. Here is just a short list. I experienced a few total lockups on the Droid during the test period. I would say about four during the entire 2 month test. This did not happen during use but after charging overnight. The only answer was to remove the battery for about a minute and then reinstall it. The Motorola Droid X is listed at $569.99 and is available from Verizon (with a 2 year contract and a $100.00 Rebate for just $199.99. Overall the Droid X exceeded the capabilities of previous Android phones I have tested. This is to be expected and will continue to be the case as Android evolves.
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The Droid X is somewhat bulky at 5.47 oz, measures
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Harry Skevington has been involved with electronics since 1981. He has taught, written for, and provided support to, computer users since 1985. Information that will help consumers with buying decisions is more important than ever due to the current convergence of computers and other consumer products .
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