DROID X by MOTOROLA (Verizon Wireless)

Call quality: We found call quality on the Motorola DROID X relatively clear: we could hear callers loud and without distortion, while callers said they had no problem hearing us clearly. We rarely needed to adjust the volume using the corresponding buttons on the side of the cell phone. Another plus is that regardless of how close you hold the smartphone to your face, the “End Call” button never seems to get “accidentally” hit. Additionally, there was no degradation in call quality when we used the speakerphone or when we used a Bluetooth headset, and we could still hear callers in a noisy environment, such as a crowded store.

The Droid X by Motorola has a slim profile.

Audio quality: The playback of music through the Motorola DROID X’s speaker is solid; songs sounded loud, but not distorted or tinny. The cell phone has a 3.5mm headset jack so you can use your own high-end headphones to listen to music stored on the Android phone, however, unless they are also cell phone compatible you won’t be able to take calls. If you plan on using the FM radio feature you’ll need a wired 3.5mm headset for the feature to work. Additionally, the smartphone supports stereo Bluetooth so if you prefer to go wireless, you can always listen to tunes via an optional Bluetooth-enabled stereo headset.

Menu/phone book: The Motorola DROID X runs Google Android Operating System (OS) 2.1, the same as the OS currently found on the DROID Incredible by HTC. The cell phone will be upgraded over-the-air later this summer to receive the latest Google mobile OS, Android 2.2. The Motorola DROID X has a speedy 1GHz processor so it’s one fast smartphone: loads web pages quickly (it also has pinch and zoom for web pages), plays streaming videos without any lag time, and switches between apps on the cell phone with ease.

Overall, the user interface is fairly straightforward and icon friendly. To access the cell phone’s applications simply select the up arrow at the base of the home screen and they’ll appear. There are a few things to note about navigation. If you’re in a screen and want to go back to the previous screen simply press the back arrow. If you want to exit a program simply press the button with a picture of a house. Whenever you’re in an application and want to do more, press the Menu key and a set of options will appear. Additionally, when you are navigating through the cell phone’s seven customizable home screens dots appear at the bottom of the display so you can just tap one of those and it will take you directly to the corresponding screen.

The Google Android OS is really all about having all your contact information in one spot and constantly synched. When we say all your contact information we mean all – including social networking sites, multiple e-mail accounts, messaging (messaging is threaded – so you can see a complete text message conversation in one view), and even photo services where you may have accounts created. You can add all pertinent account information easily when you set up the device. If you want to sync with your computer simply connect it via the included microUSB-to-USB synching cable and it will appear as an additional drive on your desktop, making it easy to drag and drop files from a computer to the cell phone’s MicroSD card or internal 16GB memory. We should note we did have some difficulty getting the phone to work with a MacBook Pro.

Messaging: The Motorola DROID X can handle multiple e-mail accounts, either corporate e-mail or web-based e-mail. Setting up an e-mail account couldn’t be easier. If you don’t do it when you’re initially setting up the Android phone, then select e-mail from the menu, hit the menu button and choose setup accounts. It’s just a matter of knowing user name and password. The smartphone does the rest. We should note that if you delete an mail on the cell phone it also deletes it in the account that appears on the computer.

Use the 8.1-megapixel camera to take pictures or shoot HD video.

Camera/video: The Motorola DROID X has an 8-megapixel camera and a dual LED flash (yeah, it’s bright). Overall, picture quality is acceptable, though when the flash is on red-eye tends to occur. We’re happy to report the camera has a fairly fast shutter, however, you’ll need to really press down on the red button on the side of the phone to capture images. Another plus is that you can add the geo location and even create custom tags for pictures, which will make them easier to organize. Colors are true and details are sharp. Once you snap a picture, you can save it, trash it, or share it to a multitude of options including Picasa, Bluetooth, social media account, send it to a retail printer, and various messaging options. As for camera settings, you can control the flash, pick picture a picture mode (panorama assist, single shot, multi-shot, and self portrait – a setting that won’t take a picture unless the camera can detect a face), set scenes, and shoot with Color Effects (Normal, Black and White, Negative, Sepia, Solarize, Red Tint, Green Tint, and Blue Tint).

Additionally, you can view and shoot 30-second videos on the cell phone. Shooting videos is pretty easy and the quality is acceptable. Well, it should be, it shoots video in 720p HD. Like a video you captured on your cell phone? Why not watch it on a HDTV? It’s pretty easy to do since there’s a micro HDMI port at the base of the cell phone. However, you’ll need to get a separate microHDMI-to-HDMI cable to use this feature. That said if you’re home has DLNA-compliant products you can watch it on a TV or computer over a WiFi network.

Speaking of video if you want to watch movies are that spacious 4.3-inch screen there’s a BlockBuster Mobile app pre-installed or you can download other movie apps as well such as mSpot Movie. You can also download access to Verizon’s VCAST services.

Music: As noted, the Motorola DROID X smartphone has a music player. You can listen to songs stored in MP3, AAC (Apple’s audio format), and WMA (Microsoft’s audio format) formats. There aren’t many music-centric features included in the player, but it has the ones we’ve come to expect: Repeat, Shuffle, and Playlists (you can even create playlists on the cell phone). There’s even a Party Shuffle where the phone creates playlists from the music on your phone. If you like it you can save it. We should note that Android adds all voicemails to the music files, so don’t be surprised if a voicemail comes up in the Party Shuffle. Plus, you can save tunes stored in your cell phone as a ringtone Another plus is that you can share songs via Bluetooth.

The Motorola DROID X comes has 8GB of memory on board and comes with a 16GB microSD card pre-installed and can accept up to a 32GB microSD card. Out-of-the box you will have plenty of room to store music on this cell phone. Besides adding your own music to the cell phone, there are quite a few free music applications that you can download from the Marketplace such as Pandora and Shazam. Plus, the Android phone has a FM radio, though you’ll need to plug-in headphones with a 3.5mm headset jack in order to use it.

Connectivity/Bluetooth/WiFi/Mobile HotSpot:The Motorola DROID X is loaded with connectivity options. Of course, it has Bluetooth and it can be used to connect to a Bluetooth headset (we found call quality was decent when we used the Motorola T505), and even transfer contacts, pictures, and music to other Bluetooth-enabled devices. It also sports built-in WiFi (802.11n – so this is going to be pretty secure), so you can use this smartphone to log onto available WiFi networks to surf the Web or send/receive e-mail. It’s a nice feature and it just takes moments to set up. The only thing you need to know is the WiFi network you want to use and password if needed. Since this cell phone has a 3G Mobile HotSpot app, you can share the 3G data connection with up to 5 other WiFi-enabled devices.

Look and feel: The Motorola DROID X isn’t just a good looking smartphone, it’s also surprisingly light-weight. The real showstopper is its gorgeous 4.3-inch touchscreen display. It’s bright and viewable in direct sunlight. The entire front of the cell phone is essentially a large screen. In case you’re wondering, the screen is slightly larger than the iPhone. Of course, the cell phone attracts its fair share of fingerprints, but that’s the case with most touchscreen cell phones currently available. The back of the Android phone has a black rubberized like casing that helps the cell phone from sliding around.

The included HDMI port lets you connect it to a TV.

Beyond the large screen there isn’t a lot more to describe. It has the Android standard 4 dedicated keys across the bottom of the display for Home, Menu, Go Back, and Search. On one side, you’ll find volume keys and a bright red camera button. On the other side you’ll find a microUSB port and a microHDMI port and on the bottom of the cell phone is the microUSB port and HDMI out port. On the top of the DROID X is the power/lock button and the 3.5mm headset jack. Turn the cell phone around and you’ll see the camera lens and flash. You’ll need to remove the black rubberized casing from the back of the Motorola DROID X to access the MicroSD card slot. Overall, the cell phone feels good in the hand. If you have smaller hands you likely won’t be able to wrap your fingers around the smartphone, but you’ll probably still enjoy using it.

Keypad: As noted, the Motorola DROID X is all touchscreen and as such it only has a touchscreen QWERTY keyboard. However, for those who like the Swype technology that keyboard is also on board. We were impressed with the amount of times we tapped the correct letter on the first try and how well Swype works. However, the Motorola DROID X lacks a trackpad, so if you use apps that require a trackpad you might have some issues using those apps. That said, we rarely missed the feature.

We were a little disappointed in the Motorola DROID X’s battery life. When WiFi was activated, battery life drained a bit faster. So you’ll likely want to get an extra battery or a car charger for the commute home. The good news is that when it’s connected to a computer via the USB-to-microUSB cable it can be recharged. We were typically able to get about a full day of battery life, which is on par for these types of cell phones. We should note that depending on what applications you download to the smartphone, battery life can drain faster.

OtterBox Defender Series Protective Case for the Motorola DROID X/X2 Our Price: $49.95 Add with Phone

View All Accessories »