[k2at]

My son, the expert, says to get the Droid x because of the bigger screen. In any event, these new phones are just amazing.

[Dan =^..^=]

Our TV salesman switched from another smartphone provider to a Droid from Verizon and said that he loves it. It wasn't a Droid X but very neat device none the less.

[Boomer]

Niels,

Thanks for the screen size info. That's a good piece of the puzzle for me to have.

Besides wanting an internet connection, screen size is one of the main reasons I want to get rid of my old phone. The screen is tiny and when I am outside in the sun, the glare on that screen makes it nearly impossible to see.

When you get your Droid X, I hope you will share your thoughts about it with us. And like you, I also want to keep Verizon. Thank you.

Boomer

[getdul981]

I would love to have a Droid. Our contract with Verizon is up next month and I would like to upgrade our current LG enV phones to Droids, but we currently have a cell phone bill of around $65 per month. To upgrade to the Droid, after the initial purchase price, we would have a monthly bill of around $130 per month. We don't do texting, but I would like to have the capability of accessing wi-fi hot spots and that feature is not available without getting the Smart Phone and subsequently the data package. Does anyone know of any way to get the Droid withot having to pay for the data package?

[memason]

Champion6... The comparison chart you provided a link is very good and really shows the major differences between the Droid phones. At this point, it looks like the X is the one with the most options and largest screen.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by getdul981

Does anyone know of any way to get the Droid without having to pay for the data package?

Nope... it can't be done. All the smartphones on Verizon require the data package.

[getdul981]

That's what I thought.

[Niels]

Champion 6 - I'd be happy to show you the Droid X when I get it. Hopefully, I'll have it when you are visiting. It should ship around 8/18.

Memason - One of the complaints about the Droid X has been problems connecting to wifi. It seems that some people have reported that it drops the connection almost immediately but I have been told that problem was corrected with a software update. The wifi hotspot is an interesting feature but I mainly purchased because of the huge 4.3" screen. I'll let you know how it works after I have a chance to try it out.

Getdul981 - Yes, as Champion 6 posted, Verizon requires you to sign up for a data plan with the phone.

[chuckinca]

My grandmother's phone number was 2 longs and a short.



.

[memason]

Niels.... thanks for the update. I'll be looking forward to your assessment, once you've had a little time with the phone...

I just read a story today that Apple is buying millions of CDMA chipsets from Qualcomm.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20...mostDisStories

Of course, conventional wisdom has it that this is in preparation for the VERIZON iPhone in January. We have heard this rumor for the past couple years, so....

Technically speaking: CDMA networks are used by everyone except AT&T and T-Mobile, so they could be getting ready to release the iPhone to multiple carriers or this could all be another baseless rumor... time will tell.

[Niels]

Interesting story about Apple buying the CDMA chips. As I previously mentioned, I would have considered the iPhone if it was available on Verizon. As you mentioned, these rumors have been floating around for a couple of years and I got tired of waiting.

The DroidX will be the first smartphone that I have ever owned. A couple of people online have complained that the manual is not very helpful so I may have to do some online searching and playing with the phone to really start taking advantage of some of the phones features. Fortunately, I'm pretty good at picking up how technical equipment operates. As my son recently said to me, now that I'm retired I will have the time to play with my new phone.

[memason]

Verizon just announced the Droid 2. Should be available in stores by August 12th. However, I believe I would still like the Droid X more, with the larger screen and more features...

http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-200...ap;editorPicks

[Niels]

There was an interesting article in InfoWorld the other day. According to the article, AT&T has filed a 10Q with the SEC showing that it is preparing to lose iPhone exclusivity. Hmmm.....

http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/...xclusivity-383

[Niels]

Verizon shipped my Droid X early. I've been able to play around with it and will post my initial impressions. This is my first smartphone so I really have nothing to compare it to.

Positives - I love the huge screen as it makes it easy to read e-mails and view web pages. I also like the 4 hard buttons on the bottom of the phone. The camera seems to take fairly clear pictures of decent quality for a phone. Phone is relatively easy to use although I did have to look up a couple of things online. Phone calls have been clear and crisp. The Android operating system (version 2.1) has worked good so far and I'm looking forward to the upgraded version 2.2 being available soon.

Negatives - Most of the negatives I knew before I purchased the phone. For example, it's kind of big to carry around and because it has no physical keyboard the screen gets smudged with fingerprints. Also, as expected these days, the phone came with many programs loaded onto it (some are useful but some I'll never use). Many of these programs load automatically into memory but so far the Android system seems to do a good job of starting to shut unused programs down when it needs additional memory.

Although I have fairly small hands, I have encountered numerous instances where I typed the wrong letter or selected the wrong program. I was surprised how often this happens since the screen is so large. Maybe this will improve once I get used to the phone.

One problem I have had is widely varying 3G signal reception with the phone on the Verizon network. My signal will go from 4bars to loss of signal in a matter of minutes without changing location. Wifi coverage seems to be more stable.

I think the Droid X is a great phone and I'm happy with my choice so far. If anyone has any questions, just ask and I'll try to answer them.

[memason]

Niels.... thanks for the update. Sounds like a nice smartphone. I'm a little surprised at your Verizon issue though. I expected their network to be rock solid in TV.

Just wondering if you've experienced any of the more advertised short comings of the Droid.... specifically the low volume issue. Whenever you get around to testing the WiFi hotspot function, I'd be interested in how it functions in that capacity, as well.

I've been using my iPhone as a Hotspot for a few days now and I am very impressed with its capabilities. I used it today with 2 iPads connected and both downloading from the App store. Speed was rather good, but battery life [on the iPhone] took a real nosedive! To use this function long-term, you'd have to plug into a power source.

Thanks,
Mike