Droid X impressions

GregP24

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
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I got my Droid X yesterday and after a night of heavy usage I'd like to give my initial impressions.

First impression, the phone is big, but not in the 'OMG IT'S SO HUGE' kind of way. It fits comfortably in the pockets of my pants. I don't have the worlds largest hands, but the phone fits in them just fine. Coming from a Blackberry Storm 9530, it's a huge step up in screen size (4.3" vs 3.2"). In fact, I think the screen on the X is the entire size of my Storm. Typing is a breeze on this thing. I have fairly small hands and hitting space bar in landscape mode is a bit of a stretch for my thumbs. On my Storm, I had to press firmly on each letter and I had to type at a measured pace. Typing to quickly would cause the phone to hang for a few seconds and then it would just blurt out a string of gibberish. On the X, I can tap lightly and as quickly as I want. It handles 'speed' typing with aplomb. This is because the letters are much larger and the phone itself has much more powerful hardware.
This phone is FAST. It doesn't lag. It doesn't hang. Every app opens as quickly as it is pressed. The camera is a tad slow opening, however. I think my Storm fired up the camera faster than the X. Hopefully a future update will speed up the camera launching.
I haven't spent much time with Android phones, my only real experience being the 5 minutes I messed around with a buddies Nexus One. I found the tutorial to be very helpful in getting a feel for the OS. It is a little daunting at first. Android feels like an operating system. I always felt on my Storm that I was just interfacing with a GUI.
All in all, I am extremely impressed with this phone. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a high end smartphone.
The real problem I face now is keeping my wife from taking it and giving me her Storm!
 
Congrats, your experiences pretty much echo what I've found with the phone too.


Give launcher pro a look, it's a much better looking and smoother running replacement for the homescreens. You can still use the motorola widgets but they won't be resizable.
 
Be sure to check out your swype keyboard too. When you get to a message box, long click on the text box and then select "input method" then select the swype keyboard and check it out.
 
Cool. Swype is...different. It will take some time to get used to, but I can see how it would be faster than multi-touch.
 
I came from an Iphone and absolutely love the Droid X. The freedom compared to a locked down Iphone is great. I went ahead and canceled my wifes phone with AT&T and ordered her a Droid. Good riddance Apple and AT&T.
 
I came from an Iphone and absolutely love the Droid X. The freedom compared to a locked down Iphone is great. I went ahead and canceled my wifes phone with AT&T and ordered her a Droid. Good riddance Apple and AT&T.

Curious. What new freedom are you referring to? What are you able to do with your new phone that you couldn't do earlier?

I know most of the specs but I don't see most (actually any) being useful. I mean including Facetime on the iPhone 4th.

Been reading about all this freedom but no one seems to say what they are using it for.
 
Curious. What new freedom are you referring to? What are you able to do with your new phone that you couldn't do earlier?

I know most of the specs but I don't see most (actually any) being useful. I mean including Facetime on the iPhone 4th.

Been reading about all this freedom but no one seems to say what they are using it for.

Have you watched a video of an android UI walk-through? You get a number of home screens and can add widgets to each one, allowing you to check a bunch of information without launching any apps. With an Iphone all you get is a home screen full of apps.
 
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Same experience here. LOVE the phone.
 
Have you watched a video of an android UI walk-through? You get a number of home screens and can add widgets to each one, allowing you to check a bunch of information without launching any apps. With an Iphone all you get is a home screen full of apps.

Responding on my Evo.

I have been using the widgets but I'd hardly call that ripping off the shackles of the man. Not really liberating.
 
i get the sense that when people say that they have freedom, when coming from an iphone, is that the UI in android is more flexible, there are my configuration options, etc... i *think* that's what people mean. i don't know for sure, but i have the original Droid and love it. it doesn't seem locked down at all. one could say that it acts more like a computer and/or computer operating system inside a tiny phone rather than just a phone.
 
Curious. What new freedom are you referring to? What are you able to do with your new phone that you couldn't do earlier?

I know most of the specs but I don't see most (actually any) being useful. I mean including Facetime on the iPhone 4th.

Been reading about all this freedom but no one seems to say what they are using it for.

You can delete anything off the phone you want. Add music, videos, and pictures by just dragging and dropping them directly to you phone. No syncing. No need to use Apple's proprietary formats. You can make ringtones on your phone using an app, free turn by turn gps, widgets, tons more customizable options compared to an Iphone, use the email client you want, change your entire GUI to the one you want using programs like Launcher Pro, conntect to your wifi network and download music, songs, movies directly to your phone or stream them from you desktop, and the list goes on and on. It'd take me a day to put everything I enjoy about the Droid X and Android into words.

And this is from a person who got an Iphone on the day it was released and has had one since.
 
Drag and drop ANY file >>>>>> iTunes (only allows what Apple dictates) to move files from computer to phone and back. Android won me over in 15 minutes after a year with my 3GS.
 
Curious. What new freedom are you referring to? What are you able to do with your new phone that you couldn't do earlier?

Most people use the "freedom" term fairly liberally. All I can speak to is the feeling of being able to do whatever I want vs. being inside the bubble that is Apple.

The thing is everything you do on your iPhone goes through Apple at some point...your music, your videos, your applications....pretty much everything and there is no way around it.
When you get to Android and really start to use it, you realize all the small things that are great to have which were missing. Being able to change your backgrounds, having multiple fully custom home pages and having widgets were some of the first obvious things...iPhone eventually picked up on wallpapers. One could list many other things but I think in general the "Freedom" part comes from all the choices you have with Android.

There is a real community building around the platform from all these people with different types of phones and different experiences....feels like a PC revolution all over again and its pretty fun. I remember going to a conference and talking to 3 other guys (we all had Androids...2 Nexus Ones, an EVO and an Incredible) and each person had customized their phone to the point where it was hard on the surface to see the similarities :) We all shared all the nifty tricks we had figured out and custom launchers, programs etc we were running......wouldn't really be able to do that with 4 iPhones in a room.

In any case, the phones themselves function on a whole in a very similar fashion. Once you really start to use the devices it is the small things you start to notice which some people really love. Especially the part where everything isn't funneled through the mothership somewhere.

Just my opinion :)
 
I have to agree. I have had mine three days now and am having a blast. I cancelled AT&T also, in fact called them today with the news. I do like having the shortcuts for things I want access to fast and again it's my choice of what widgets I want. The seven screens is nice also. Too bad I can't have seven different backgrounds :). I'll have to try Launcher Pro and Beautiful Widgets just cause so many mention them but I have not had time to yet.

Tark
 
You can delete anything off the phone you want. Add music, videos, and pictures by just dragging and dropping them directly to you phone. No syncing. No need to use Apple's proprietary formats. You can make ringtones on your phone using an app, free turn by turn gps, widgets, tons more customizable options compared to an Iphone, use the email client you want, change your entire GUI to the one you want using programs like Launcher Pro, conntect to your wifi network and download music, songs, movies directly to your phone or stream them from you desktop, and the list goes on and on. It'd take me a day to put everything I enjoy about the Droid X and Android into words.

And this is from a person who got an Iphone on the day it was released and has had one since.

I still have an Evo. So I am still asking. I used to have Air Synch on my iPhone, it was pretty much drag and drop. Apple's "proprietary" formats are bothersome, but they have become pretty mainstream. I've changed the virtual keyboard on my Evo, still not as good as my wife's iPhone 4 (however, better than stock Evo).

I used to stream from my WHS to my IPhone. Took some doing, but it works.

If it would take a day to describe the sheer joy the Droid X brings you . . . well maybe, I;m doing something wrong with the Evo. I guess having a a dozen GUI's does not increase my productivity. Does not increase my battery life, does not make it faster for me to communicate with work. I dunno, have pretty widgets has not translated into making me more productive. Maybe just me. I'm not slamming Android (really) just trying to figure out how all this freedom makes me interact with production better. Yea, I'm not the one to play games on the phone.

I still disagree (my opinion, not necessarily the truth) that making a customized widget liberates a person.

I understand that people use "liberate" freely, but I'm still trying to figure out the once I left "the evil empire of Apple and AT&T" what I'm doing different with the phone. What was I doing before that I can NOW do BETTER. Am I missing out on it? Honestly the only thing I have noticed is a decrease in battery life. I am still getting hammer texts (pages) from work and now they show up as little rolodex symbols. Phone calls are just as clear, and the internet upload speed is BETTER (only because I used SpeedTest.net). Meaning no real world advantage (that I noticed).

I must be doing something wrong. Can't shake that feeling. Yes, I'm the average r-tard.

CoptCat, your little nuances to your phone are valuable. I guess its a difference in opinion. I don't think having a "cool" wallpaper necessarily improves flow. However, having the ability to speak and have it converted to text so I can "text" someone while driving is awesome. I have used that, but it only works (my experience) when I have a solid solid solid 3G signal or WiFi.

Oh yea, iPhone 4, Face Time, nah never saw a reason (for me) to use that.

Just wondering all this "game changing" of Android, and I still don't have my contacts loaded as Last, First and my Evo only lasts 8 hours (about 1/2 the time I need it to).
 
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I think that the primary draw of Android phones is that they are a viable competitor to iPhones. The marketplace is large and well stocked, the GUI is highly customizable. The OS itself does what iOS does, does some things better and some things worse and lets not forget the choice one has in hardware on Android phones. Don't like touchscreen keyboards? Get a Droid. Want an iPhone with a physical keyboard? Too bad. Want an Android phone with a large screen for data use? Get an EVO or a Droid X (don't forget the Dell Streak!). Want a smaller screen but the same power as the larger phones? Get a Nexus One, Droid Incredible, etc..
I might be wrong in my opinion but in the world of smartphones today, there's iOS 4, Adroid 2.1/2.2 and the also rans (RIM's OS5, and Nokia's Symbian OS). I know that RIM and Nokia have new OS's coming out later this year, but I doubt they'll be competitor's to Apple and Google's platforms. I think Microsoft has the only real shot at playing with the big dogs in the consumer smartphone arena. And even then, Windows Phone 7 is shipping missing key features.
 
Im using a Vibrant, but I agree with all the pro-android comments...LOVE swype too. I'm really glad the Vibrant came with it as default or I would have never tried it.

The Droid X looks like an amazing phone and I almost got it instead of the Vibrant. I will be looking at HTC's next offering and might switch when it comes out. I want the GSM version of the Evo (with I guess some upgraded features).

Although I really like the super AMOLED screen of the Vibrant, I think the Droid X/Evo screens are easier to read webpages on.
 
Has anyone compared the evo to droid x to captivate/vibrant? I'm trying ot pick between them :)
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I'm more concern with volume/clarity of reception and speed to load pages then the gui itself since that can be customized. I know the captivate/vibrant have a wicked nice screen but is sound (phone call) loud and clear (I have 20% hearing loss). I know the evo is nice and loud; but the droid x i tried in a shop had muted sound and low max volume (maybe other droid x are better). All things I'm leaning towards the droid ('cept of the low volume issue). I like htc sense better but the evo form factor is a bit of a turn off (as well as +$10 to the plan on sprint). The captivate has a wicked screen but the sound from it was a bit statically and very soft at max volume; also it locked up twice on me when testing it int he store (not a great sign).
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I am interested in comments if you have compared all three as I would like to pick one up around aug 7th (couple of trips so easier to deal with it after trips are over).
 
Just wondering all this "game changing" of Android, and I still don't have my contacts loaded as Last, First and my Evo only lasts 8 hours (about 1/2 the time I need it to).

I heard disabling the 4G chip saves the EVO battery a ton :) Just a suggestion as I know that thing def eats up some juice. Since 4G is so limited at this point might make sense to save the battery until you can really use it.

In regards to other stuff....you are right in that it is totally an opinion thing. It should and will be different for everyone, certain things mean something to one person and not another so it's hard to say what each persons experience will be. Obviously there are thousands that love both platforms so they are both doing it right on many levels :)
 
I just got mine yesterday and so far I really like it. Might root it later to get rid of some of the crap pre-installed on it, or maybe I'll just live with it. I can't wait until Motorola updates the phone with Froyo, it should be really nice. I was really lucky to find one too. The Verizon store had none, the store near me that sell Verizon phones and services had none, but Walmart had 2. They didn't have the display out for it yet, but I decided to ask and was happy when they said they had them. Before I got the Droid X I asked around about the Evo 4G, but there was a multiple week wait on that from Sprint and from Walmart.

I didn't have a lot of time to play with it when I got it because I had to get home and go to bed, but I played around with it a little on my breaks last night. I love the size of the screen and just the over all look of the phone. I think I may have found the first cell phone that I like.
 
I was at a Verizon store yesterday with a friend who was looking at Droid X and it was funny cause the guys working there just wanted to play with my Samsung Vibrant since they liked it so much.

So they pretty much convinced my friend to get a Vibrant or Captivate and she ended up getting a Vibrant cause she didn't want to deal with At&t
 
Have a 3G iPhone. 2 years Old. time to replace. been on the fence, but in the end, tired of massivly dropped calls i have had with the iPhone / ATT for the 2 years.

Verizon was out of stock, ordered a Droid X. The bigger screen for me really sold me on the X, and hopefully less dropped calls.

What are some must have Apps for Droid?
whats the best media player app?
etc


I wasn't a heavy user of too many apps with iPhone, but say, 3 screens worth.

The sales guy showing me how he can do almost everything with voice...that seemed awesome. The iPhone mapping app was a hassle. This thing.. "navigate to closest best buy.."..boing..done..that was impressive!

comes in this thursday. Stoked. this 2 year old iPhone is sooo slow!. That and simplicity of drag and drop, vs freakin iTunes! so h8 itunes!
 
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