[1812dave]

I saw the Droid X.

the screen didn't seem as huge as the HTC EVO, which I presume is do to the difference in aspect ratio. Oddly, my Storm's screen didn't seem nearly as diminutive as I expected. When I saw the HTC EVO, THEN my Storm looked tiny by comparison.

The screen's black level seemed to me to be a bit better than the HTC, but inferior to the Storm. It wasn't "bad". I just wasn't "great".

Youtube videos in HD mode, look very, very good--like on my Touch.

Speaker sound not so great, but keep in mind I was in a busy & noisy Verizon store. I can't say definitely that the speaker was wimpy, but on my brief comparison, I think the Storm still gets the nod on speaker phone volume & clarity.

Incoming phone voice quality: dull and muffled (lacking high frequencies).

Didn't get a chance to ask anyone how my voice sounded to them.

Browser--what can I say? Awesome

Customization: not as many things to tweak as on the BB phones, but again, I didn't spend a lot of time checking into every conceivable setting.


Because I forgot to take my ultra bright LED flashlight to the store (to simulate sunlight shining on the screen) I can't say if the X would be washed out in daylight.

The unit got quite warm (it had a dead battery) while it was charging and being used by me.

Responsiveness: better than the Storm, especially in the phone app. It's much faster to accept phone numbers.

Couldn't judge balance due to being tethered to anti-theft cord.

BOTTOM LINE: I prefer the Storm overall, but there are some VERY GOOD points to be said for the X. It's just that for ME, the BB platform, coupled with the Storm's hardware, make it my personal favorite. Much of that bias is because of BBM, the very bright Storm screen (as with all BB models) that is easy to view in direct sunlight--not to mention the great black levels, and the notification LED (to name just a few obvious good features of the BB line of phones).

I'm glad I took the time to check out this phone. It makes me appreciate my phone all the more. I no longer have "new phone envy".

Camera: very stiff button on lower right side for taking pics. Final focus SEEMS to be softer than during the time the screen displays the focus "hunting". That may be an illusion, but I tried to focus on close ups repeatedly and each time, it SEEMED that during the moment the camera searched for best focus, the focus was sharper than the resulting image. Focus was reasonably fast for a cell phone so i didn't have much time for my eye to pick out the best focus prior to the pic being taken. It would be interesting to see pictures taken with the phone, displayed on PC or TV screen.

Please no flaming from Droid fans. It's a very, very nice phone. It's just that I prefer the Storm.

[jgreen1tc]

Idk what you mean by "black level" but the pros you listed (although very brief compared to the cons you listed) intrigue me enough to try it myself at a store. I might post how I feel afterwards.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[corymcnutt]

Thanks for the review, Dave; it will help keep my new phone envy in check too! I hope to get to a Verizon store to check it out myself, but only out of curiousity. I will hold off to see the S3 and OS6 or whatever they decide to put in the S3...by then Moto will have 1 or 2 more generations out for a new comparison!

[1812dave]

Idk what you mean by "black level" but the pros you listed (although very brief compared to the cons you listed) intrigue me enough to try it myself at a store. I might post how I feel afterwards.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Sorry, I thought everyone knows what " black level" refers to when discussing screens. It's how black, black appears. The deeper the black level, the better the contrast and the more accurate the image. Who wants to see GRAY blacks? The Storms have a much better black level than ipod Touchs and early iPhones, for example. I'm not sure if the i4 has improved black levels or not, as I wasn't impressed enough with the phone to recall if Apple improved the screen's black levels.

[jgreen1tc]

Sorry, I thought everyone knows what " black level" refers to when discussing screens. It's how black, black appears. The deeper the black level, the better the contrast and the more accurate the image. Who wants to see GRAY blacks? The Storms have a much better black level than ipod Touchs and early iPhones, for example. I'm not sure if the i4 has improved black levels or not, as I wasn't impressed enough with the phone to recall if Apple improved the screen's black levels.

Oh I see. That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying and thanks for your input on the phone. I gotta check that out to see if its worth the hype.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[titusilvering]

Anything that's newly launch, I say give it a week or two as cooling period. Read up reviews from every source you can find. And think about if it really suit your daily lifestyle and needs before signing new contract.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[aboutDbuzz]

Great review, Dave.
I was also at the store and played with Droid X. Having been using Android OS for over a year now, I can say that Droid X is much more faster and has done a very good job with the on screen keyboard. It is simply the best and supports multitouch (of course, it has been ported to HTC EVO 4G. Android hackers have a strong community that can do almost anything.). It also includes Swype for those that like that.
I also agree that the blackness is better in Storm 2. I took the phone outside in direct sunlight, it was good and usable at full brightness (my Storm 2 achieved same level at only 50% brightness). That said, it is really not an issue for me.
The loudspeaker was as loud as Storm 2's. Call quality was crisp and clear. Of course, Verizon has a great network and users will definitely enjoy a good connectivity.
I like the fact that Droid X has a dedicated camera button (missing in a lot Android phones) but there was a significant shutter lag. Good quality pics and videos. It does not however play HQ quality Youtube videos as HTC EVO 4G.(I am sure there will be a hack for that in no time).
The build quality is great but the 4 physical button at the bottom were lose, hopefully this will not be an issue.

Here are the reasons I will not buy Droid X if I am in the market for a phone. IT IS NOT FUTURE PROOF. It lacks 2 major features that will be desired going forward: a front facing camera and 4G (LTE) network support.
1.IF (and it is a big one at that!) Verizon is going to be rolling out 4G in Q1 2011, it makes sense to have a phone that will support that. This is July 2010 which means in 6 months Droid X will be obsolete (I know Android based phones are prone to that on a monthly basis anyway,).
2. Video call is here to stay and a front facing camera is a desirable feature. Although I am no Apple fan, but they definitely did a good job with Facetime making video call a staple for smartphones. I will bet that most of the high end phones that will be released from now onwards will include a front facing camera.

[EnergyPlus]

Doggone you, Dave...I was hoping to post a review of the X here myself. I've been anxiously awaiting this phone for some time now. I was on my way to a shoot yesterday morning and left home a bit early in hopes of stopping by VZW and seeing the phone. I was excited. When I arrived, I immediately noticed I was only the 3rd car in the parking lot. I walked to the door and damned near broke my fingers off as I attempted to open the door (guess I was a bit more excited than I realized). It was locked!!! LOL, it was only 9:35 and the store didn't open until 10:00. ARRGGGGHHHHH. I didn't have time to wait and again, this morning I was busy so, still haven't had a chance to check it out.

Good job on your mini-review though, thanks!

I saw the Droid X.

the screen didn't seem as huge as the HTC EVO, which I presume is do to the difference in aspect ratio. Oddly, my Storm's screen didn't seem nearly as diminutive as I expected. When I saw the HTC EVO, THEN my Storm looked tiny by comparison.

The screen's black level seemed to me to be a bit better than the HTC, but inferior to the Storm. It wasn't "bad". I just wasn't "great".

Youtube videos in HD mode, look very, very good--like on my Touch.

Speaker sound not so great, but keep in mind I was in a busy & noisy Verizon store. I can't say definitely that the speaker was wimpy, but on my brief comparison, I think the Storm still gets the nod on speaker phone volume & clarity.

Incoming phone voice quality: dull and muffled (lacking high frequencies).

Didn't get a chance to ask anyone how my voice sounded to them.

Browser--what can I say? Awesome

Customization: not as many things to tweak as on the BB phones, but again, I didn't spend a lot of time checking into every conceivable setting.


Because I forgot to take my ultra bright LED flashlight to the store (to simulate sunlight shining on the screen) I can't say if the X would be washed out in daylight.

The unit got quite warm (it had a dead battery) while it was charging and being used by me.

Responsiveness: better than the Storm, especially in the phone app. It's much faster to accept phone numbers.

Couldn't judge balance due to being tethered to anti-theft cord.

BOTTOM LINE: I prefer the Storm overall, but there are some VERY GOOD points to be said for the X. It's just that for ME, the BB platform, coupled with the Storm's hardware, make it my personal favorite. Much of that bias is because of BBM, the very bright Storm screen (as with all BB models) that is easy to view in direct sunlight--not to mention the great black levels, and the notification LED (to name just a few obvious good features of the BB line of phones).

I'm glad I took the time to check out this phone. It makes me appreciate my phone all the more. I no longer have "new phone envy".

Camera: very stiff button on lower right side for taking pics. Final focus SEEMS to be softer than during the time the screen displays the focus "hunting". That may be an illusion, but I tried to focus on close ups repeatedly and each time, it SEEMED that during the moment the camera searched for best focus, the focus was sharper than the resulting image. Focus was reasonably fast for a cell phone so i didn't have much time for my eye to pick out the best focus prior to the pic being taken. It would be interesting to see pictures taken with the phone, displayed on PC or TV screen.

Please no flaming from Droid fans. It's a very, very nice phone. It's just that I prefer the Storm.

[1812dave]

Doggone you, Dave...I was hoping to post a review of the X here myself. I've been anxiously awaiting this phone for some time now. I was on my way to a shoot yesterday morning and left home a bit early in hopes of stopping by VZW and seeing the phone. I was excited. When I arrived, I immediately noticed I was only the 3rd car in the parking lot. I walked to the door and damned near broke my fingers off as I attempted to open the door (guess I was a bit more excited than I realized). It was locked!!! LOL, it was only 9:35 and the store didn't open until 10:00. ARRGGGGHHHHH. I didn't have time to wait and again, this morning I was busy so, still haven't had a chance to check it out.

Good job on your mini-review though, thanks!

Ouch on the fingers!!! yikes!


You aren't missing much if you like BB phones. really. I liked the HTC EVO (differenet aspect ratio that the skinny X's) in some respects, but when all is said and done, the S2 is treating me well. No problems, great call quality, super reception, very nice (but smaller) screen. Can't beat the volume of the storm's speaker.

I pointed out the X to my wife while we were at Costco today. She barely broke stride as we walked past it.

The haters here will have to put up with me for the foreseeable future (unless they put me on "ignore" which is what I wish they would do).