Every now and then, something catches my eye and makes me say "wow." Sometimes it's a car that looks like it was pimped out by MTV's Xzibit or an incredible NFL touchdown pass that defies the laws of gravity. Everyone has a different "wow" trigger; some people love animals while others drool over breathtaking mountaintop views.
It is rare to find an object that has the same "wow" effect on nearly every person who sees it, but the latest goodie I have had the chance to play with accomplishes this epic feat. As soon as I pull it out of my pocket, every person I show it to exclaims, "Wow! That's huge." For those of you with dirty minds, it's not what you are thinking about. I talk about technology and this week's focus is Verizon Wireless's Droid X.
Verizon Wireless always boasts about its huge (ehh hem) network. It is the United States' largest cell carrier and it likes to frequently remind the public about how big it really is. Being a company obsessed with size, it is only fitting that Verizon would offer Motorola's Droid X ($199), an Android powered smart phone with one of the largest touchscreens available from U.S. carriers. Measuring 4.5 inches diagonally, the Droid X's beautiful capacitive touch screen is over 25 percent larger than the screen on the iPhone 4. It is perfect for watching movies, showing off photos or playing games with 3D graphics.
This phone has enough features to make any tech nerd drool. Along with its enormous screen, the Droid X has Wi-Fi access, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, an HDMI output, an 8 MP digital camera with LED flash and a whopping 16 Gig MicroSD card to increase its total storage capacity to 24 Gigs. These features propel the Droid X to the top of the multimedia phone food chain. The camera is capable of capturing 720p HD video and if the phones screen's isn't big enough to replay the action, the HDMI port can be used to display the video on nearly any HDTV. The phone's snappy 1 Ghz processor ensures that every app runs without lag. While testing the device, I ran many high power apps while streaming music on Pandora and I never experienced a drop in performance. This phone is quick. It effortlessly loads programs and switches applications. I never once felt like I was waiting for the phone to finish a task.
The phone can also serves as a 3G mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. When activated, up to five notebook computers or other Wi-Fi enabled devices can use the phone's 3G connection to access the Internet. The app that manages this service is very user friendly and can set up the phones Wi-Fi network in only a couple minutes.
The Droid X runs the Android 2.1 operating system, but Motorola added a few nice tweaks to the standard Android interface with its revamped Motoblur software. Like every Android device, the phone has access to the Android marketplace which has an incredible amount of free and paid apps and games. My favorite exclusive addition of the Motoblur interface is the functional lock screen. Most Android devices have a very basic lock screen that only has an icon to unlock the device. Motoblur's lock screen shows a large digital clock and adds a button to mute the ringer without the need to unlock the device. This addition might seem trivial, but the easy mute button might just save you from having your phone ring in the middle of a silent class lecture. The lock screen also has music controls on it when a song is playing. This is a must have feature if you plan to have your phone replace your iPod.
Although a phone over twenty-five percent larger than the size of the iPhone might seem daunting at first, the Droid X packs all of its beastly features into a tight and sexy package. The device is only .7 ounces heavier than the iPhone 4 so it never feels like you are hauling around a brick in your pocket. Its slick metal appearance gives the phone a very polished and professional look. Although the phone is designed for multimedia use, it never looks or feels juvenile.
Although the Droid X does not have a physical keyboard, its large screen allows for easy and accurate texting and e-mailing. The phone also allows for "Swype Texting." This new input method allows texters to simply drag their finger across letters on the on-screen keyboard to input words. Although it takes a little time to get used to, swype texting is amazingly accurate and intuitive and it allows for much quicker messages.
The Droid X's poor battery performance is my only complaint with the phone. The device can perform a huge variety of tasks, but its battery will die if you try to do all of those things at the same time. The phone's battery will usually last after a day of normal use with the Wi-Fi turned off, but heavy data usage will significantly drain the battery. When I configured the phone to check for new e-mails every 10 minutes, its battery would often drain after about 12 hours of use.
Despite the battery issues, I highly recommend the Droid X for any college student who loves entertainment. The phone is perfect for the daily necessities such as texting and e-mail, but the large screen, the incredible camera and the fast performance make it perfect for any college kid that wants to have a little fun between classes.
Final Reboot and Rally Grade: A-
