In the next couple of weeks, Verizon will be releasing an onslaught of 4G LTE devices that are appetizing. My mouth is watering just a bit, and I am having a bit of trouble deciding. I like HTC phones, hate the radios. LOVE Samsungs screens and the Nexus looks amazing, if a little large. The fact that you can’t add memory to it reminds me too much of the i*hone, and I can’t stand that idea. The Droid RAZR looks like my choice. It’s got what I like, 4.3″ qHD screen (minus the crappy pixel qi), big battery and removable memory, not to mention the reputation of Moto’s radios is second to none. Still am not convinced enough to pull the trigger, but when they’re all in the store, I’m heading over to handle them. I’ll post pics and tell you which one I chose and why when I’ve got it home.
I’ve just seen more evidence that Verizon is VERY SOON going to be sending out the Android 2.2 (Froyo) update in the very near future. While speaking with customer support (who also said she is waiting for her upgrade next month to get the “new Samsung” device) I was looking over the specs page for the Incredible, as they are talking about sending me one as a replacement for my Droid that keeps shutting itself off. On the features page, notice the line that says this is an “Android 2.2 experience device”. Yeah, I saw that too… Interesting eh?
Dropped by the Verizon store today to check out the 2 newest Droid branded phones. Got to tell ya, I’m impressed with the feel of the big X, not so much with my beloved Droid’s younger sibling. Droid X was snappy moving from screen to screen, while the 2 was a bit slugggish. Looking at the Quadrant benchmarks, I am excited to see how much better X gets when Froyo is officially loaded. Here are a couple of bad screenshots (taken with Droid 1 camera) of the stock scores.
Update: I was talking to some customers and they were asking how Droid was different than Android. They mentioned that they saw something called Android at the T-Mobile store and didn’t know what it was. Score one for Verizon marketing.
Hey Droid X owners, you may just be doing a little dance tomorrow. According to mydroidworld.com, there will be an official Froyo (Android 2.2) release leaked into your hands tomorrow.
Click through on the link to grab the deets!
Facebook for Android was updated early this week with a sleek UI and a rich set of new features.
The improvements include video playback, the ability to view and RSVP for events, respond to friend requests without leaving the app, and an updated home page; the latter gets a draggable notifications drawer, a photo reel for easy viewing of friends’ photos and videos, and the ability to post a status update or search for friends with just one click. Unfortunately the update also included a battery draining wake-lock feature that kept the app churning away in the background.
Late Thursday, another update was released, this time fixing the battery problem. Could it be that the CEO of Facebook demanded a better app, now that he’s using his Nexus 1 to update? Or maybe it’s the former Google app developer that’s now in charge of mobile apps at Facebook. Whatever the reason, the update is slick and adds the kind of functionality a smartphone user looks for in a social networking app.
Facebook for Android is available in the Android Market.
Verizon/Motorola Droid X - July 15, 2010
I watched with great interest all of the hoopla Wednesday on the release of the Droid X by Motorola. Many of us thought there would be a concurrent announcement of the upcoming Droid 2, which is really just a slight re-design of the current Droid, WITH THE BUTTONS MOVED! For the life of me, I don’t get why every Android handset maker doesn’t put the four action keys in the same place. I use my wifes Eris, the buttons are in the original arrangment (same as G1), but my Droid has the new (at least until HTC and Verizon released the Incredible) key arrangement. It’s frustrating to not be able to go from Droid to Droid using the same key arrangement. (Rant mode off)… Now, I have seen the X and I LIKE IT! Some folks are going to tell you that a 4.3″ screen is too large. Let’s take a moment… 4.3″ could very well be the new standard for touch-only phones. This is a great size for viewing a video, browsing the web and everything else that we now do on our smartphones, outside of the time we’re actually on the phone. It makes enough room for the virtual keyboard to be completely usable, while not being too large. The form factor is thin and light, lighter than Droid 1, and fits nicely in a pocket. The 720p video recording will come in handy when you are watching your kids play baseball, or dance in that all important recital. Everything you now do on your laptop can converge to your handheld device, plus you can make some phone calls. This is the future, and it’s so George Jetson I’m giddy with excitement. Do I care that it doesn’t have a front facing camera or LTE radio? Absolutely not. When Verizon is ready (can you say 2GHz Droid), they will release the LTE device with front facing camera and blow all of our minds. And I’ll be there to stand in line to get one. Will you?
Today in New York Verizon Wireless, along with Google, Motorola and Adobe will unveil the latest in the Droid family of smartphones. The rumor mill is fired up and most expect that they will pull the (not so secret) veil off Droid X, the 4.3″ behemoth set to rival Sprint and HTCs EVO 4G. The big question today will, no doubt, be whether Verizon and Motorola will provide this gem with an LTE radio. Much talk has been bandied about the web on Verizon’s launch of LTE (4G) this year. Would Verizon want to release a smartphone that isn’t ready for the new networks? Will they announce plans to launch LTE along with Droid X? Will they simply release a super-fast 3G smartphone and wait until later to release their rumored 2GHz smartphone later this year on LTE? I know, there are a lot more questions than answers here, but until after the event (starting at 1pm EST), we just don’t have the answers. And with Adobe at the event, does this mean the X will be launching with Froyo? Also, what of the Droid 2 that has been seen in the wild? More to come after the event.
There have been various reports around the interweb today mentioning that the 2.1 firmware update push has started. Word from Verizon is that the update is still in testing and not ready for prime-time as yet. HOWEVER, the evidence available to us now shows 2.1 running on an Eris, in this pic…
THIS Eris got the 2.1 update... how 'bout yours?
Just noticed that the page outlining the details of the 2.1 update has been taken down by Motorola. The only things not in this update are the 3D launcher and the Live Wallpapers. The only reason I say they’re not in the update is that they are not listed in the details. Omission doesn’t necessarily mean that it wont be there, but it is not on the list.
I also wonder why they took down the details page? Could there be a delay? Are they revising the update details to include one of our pet wishes? As sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our Droid… We’ll just have to wait! Which I know we all love!
- Qualcomm MSM7627 processor (Same as the Palm Pixi)
- Two ARM cores integrated into a single chip – a dedicated CPU core and a dedicated modem processor – for an unparalleled level of integration:
- 1. 600MHz applications processor with floating point unit and L2 cache
- 2. 400MHz modem processor
- Supports both CDMA2000® 1xEV-DO Rev. A and UMTS HSDPA 7.2Mbps/HSUPA 5.76Mbps, and GSM.
- In addition to the two ARM cores, features 320MHz application DSP for multimedia supporting full 30 fps WVGA encode/decode, 200MHz hardware-accelerated 3D graphics core supporting OPEN GL 2.0, high-resolution camera, integrated GPS
- 12mm x 12mm footprint
- Optimized power consumption
- 3.1-inch touchscreen at 320×480.
- Dimensions: 4.55×2.4×0.61 inches.
- Weight: 6.35 ounces
- Talk time: Up to 340 minutes
- Standby time: Up to 440 hours
- Horizontal slider keyboard.
- 3-megapixel camera.
- EVDO Rev. A.
- WiFi b/g
- aGPS
- Audio formats: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, MP3
- Video formats: MPEG-4, h.263,
- Bluetooth with A2DP
- HTML 5-compatible Webkit browser.
- MicroSD card up to 16GB.
- Speakerphone.
- VCAST music with Rhapsody
