Motorola Droid X: Thoroughly Reviewed
by Brian Klug on July 20, 2010 4:27 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Motorola Droid X
- OMAP
- Mobile
FM Radio
The X, like the EVO and a number of other smartphones also doubles as an extremely expensive FM radio.
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FM Radio
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The application is a bit different and has the same masculine red-robot theme to it that the whole Droid brand does. It works well and even tunes the radio data broadcast names and info. There was also a scan and auto create presets feature. It didn’t find one or two stations that I could tune manually, but that’s forgivable.
Skype Mobile
The X bundles Skype Mobile, a Verizon exclusive for BlackBerry and Android smartphones. The situation is relatively interesting. While skype to skype calls are free, and skype always is ready to receive calls, the implementation seems to be little more than a skype number and dialer - calls actually go over Verizon’s 1xRTT network same as any other voice call. Turn the cellular radio off, and you’ll find pretty quickly that you can’t place calls over WiFi data. As a result, call quality over Skype is exactly the same as a normal cellular call on CDMA.
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Skype Mobile - Works only over Verizon Wireless
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It works, but what everyone is really waiting for is bonafide Skype (with real VoIP) on Android. Complete with video calling support.
Keyboards on the X
While we’re on the subject of what software comes preinstalled on the X, we might as well talk about the keyboard. The X comes with two keyboards, Swype, and the Blur customized multitouch keyboard. In effect, I’d argue that the X comes with the best keyboards I’ve seen preloaded on an Android device yet.
Multitouch Keyboard
Before I dive into Swype, let’s talk about the default selected Blur multitouch keyboard. In a word, it’s awesome.
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Default Multitouch Keyboard - Characters, Symbols
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The combination of being relatively clean, basic, visual, and the larger screen size makes the multitouch keyboard excellent. I found myself typing on the X just as fast as I could on other devices right out of the box, despite not having a hardware keyboard. To some extent, the Blur keyboard is seems to derive key placement inspiration from iOS, but has slightly taller keys.
I’ve talked with a lot of people who love the HTC Sense keyboard - I found that although it was better than the default Android keyboard, it still was far too visually busy and distracting. This is one place where I think Motorola has actually added something valuable to Android on the X - a multitouch keyboard without more extras that just make it visually confusing.
There’s a few other things that the Blur interface adds to text input. Start typing, and for the first couple of keystrokes, you’ll see a red circle with others around it - it’s a symbol that begs you to tap and hold.
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Magnification, Press Gesture - iOS inspired much?
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Do just that, and you’ll get the eyeglass-like cursor place tool exactly like what iOS has. If you long press without the red circle being present, you’ll get the normal pop up to edit text and change the input method.
Honestly, I think this is perfect. It’s a ripoff of iOS, but even Jobs acknowledges the value of copying from great artists. In this regard, I think the Motorola customization offers something valuable.
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numberoneoppa - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
Can't wait, I look forward on your impressions on Samsung's touchwizz overlay, from what I can tell, it rather hurts the GUI performance. :(Zebo - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
Would be nice if these smart phones reviews had a large table for quick access to pro's and con's of each phone.Each box/catagory in the table could be based on 1-10 with a little narrative or to as simple as just check mark for superiority.
Hey it's a perfect review so i had to make something up to nag about:)
Droid X seems to be top dog android...- Evo is unsuitable you actually USE the phone's unlimited plan with it's poor batt life but just as nice too. Hard to pick.
radium69 - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
Thank you Brian & Anand, for this in depth review.I find your articles to be very interesting, and well written!
Keep up the good work!
mvmorr01 - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
Thanks, cool app!LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
(quote)"The Droid X is the spiritual successor to last year’s Droid."(/quote)Actually, I'd say the upcoming Droid II is the sequel, as it has a fully tactile keyboard, as opposed to the touchscreen Droid X. I'd say the Droid X is a new product rather than a successor.
I'm waiting to see what the Droid II can do --I won't buy a smartphone that doesn't have a physical keyboard.
tbuck79 - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
I have a Droid X, the WiFi is terrible on my Netgear Router but at work on a Linksys router it's fine (both are single band N), however, using any WiFi the distance is really bad with the X, compared to an iPhone 4 in my other hand, the iPhone can get MUCH farther away from the AP than the X, could you guys see if there is an actual problem with range on the X?WaltFrench - Saturday, July 24, 2010 - link
you must be holding the X the wrong way.Ratman6161 - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
The Droid and the Doid X are both Android 2.1 and both are soon to be upgraded to 2.2 (mine already is). The run the same apps and do the same things (weather or not you like Motoblur and find it an advantage is up to you). The Droid will basically do everything the Droid X does - just not quite as fast. So "obsolete" is a matter of perspective. That's what Verizon and Motorola would like us to think. They just love people like your friend who ditched his Droid for an Incredible and now wants to ditch the incredible for a Droid X.Lets face it - it's evolution not revolution. If you are always trying to have the latest cool gadget, you are always going to end up disappointed and with a much thinner wallet.
Good review though. If I were buying today I'd probably go with the X. But with another year to go before the next upgrade, something else will come along long before I'm ready to buy.
digipro55 - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
Incredibly well written and through review. I can admit I didn't understand all the jargon in the performance tests but it certainly is a wealth of knowledge concerning the best Android phone on the market. Thanks again for a very informative reviewAikouka - Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - link
Hey Brian, just to let you know, the mini-HDMI to HDMI cables are available at Monoprice, but of course it sounds like you were looking for one ASAP from a B&M store :). So I guess if you know you'll need one, you can order one, but it also looks like they're not terribly commonplace as you mentioned as they're kind of expensive on Monoprice compared to standard HDMI cables.