Technical Specification: Input Voltage (DC): From 12 Vdc Nominal / From 10-24Vdc Maximum ; Input Current: 1.0A max at 12Vdc ; 75% minimum at dc output full loading and nominal DC input voltage range. Output Voltage: Vout: 5.0V, Range: 5.0 - 5.6V, Vpp: 200mA max ; Output Current (DC): 0 - 1.5A ; Protection: SCP : For short circuited protection and with auto-recovery function. Operation Temperature: 5 to 40 Degree Celsius ; Storage Temperature: -40 to 70 Degree CelsiusPrice:
Reviewed by:Kent German and Bonnie Cha Reviewed on: 10/28/2009 Updated on: 10/30/2009 Released on: 10/28/2009 The good: The Motorola Droid boasts a gorgeous display and the benefits of Android 2.0, including a faster Web browser, Google Maps Navigation app, and better messaging and contact management. It also offers excellent call quality, long talk time, and improved speed over previous Android devices.
The bad: The QWERTY keyboard feels flat and the dialpad control is restricted to the home screen. Music and video capabilities still trail behind the competition. Dual-mode functionality for world-roaming capabilities would have been a nice addition. The Droid does not support Bluetooth voice dialing.
The bottom line: Despite some design issues and a couple of missing features, the Motorola Droid is the most powerful and fastest Google Android device to date. It fully embraces the openness of the Android platform and offers Verizon customers a smartphone that certainly rivals the other touch-screen devices on the market.
Editors' note: On November 19, 2009, we updated this review to reflect further testing results.
On June 30, 2010, we adjusted the ratings to reflect new devices in the market.
You have to hand it to Verizon Wireless: though the Google Android operating system now extends to a handful of devices, the carrier was able to get the tech world "excited" about its first Android phone. First known as the Sholes, the Motorola Droid swirled into the gadget rumor mill this summer. And even as Verizon unveiled its television commercial attacking the iPhone, firm details on the Droid remained few and far between. That is, until now.
Officially announced on October 28 and set for a November 6 release, the Droid delivers on much of the hype. The display is gorgeous, the Android 2.0 updates are excellent, and the handset is lightning fast, particularly for an Android phone. We'll refrain from using the dreaded "iPhone killer" expression, but comparisons between the two devices are obvious, and we see the Droid as a real competitor to Apple's device. On the downside, we weren't crazy about the keyboard and dialpad accessibility, the calendars aren't fully integrated, and we'd prefer to see dual-mode (GSM/CDMA) capability. But for Verizon's first pass at Android, the Droid more than delivers. And even better, it's a clear departure from Verizon's locked-down past. At $199, the Droid is on par with T-Mobile's Android device, but it's slightly more expensive than Sprint's devices.
Design and display
At first glance, you might not think the Motorola Droid's design amounts to much. Its build is rather dull and the sharp angles result in a boxy look. But this is a smartphone with a lot of surprises, the biggest being the positively gorgeous WVGA display. At 3.7 inches, it surpasses even the iPhone and is firmly in the bounds of what we consider to be an acceptable size for a touch-screen display. Color support is generous (16 million hues) and the resolution (440x854 pixels) is some of the richest we've seen. We aren't kidding when we say that this display is bright and brilliant with vibrant colors and sharp graphics. It also lends itself well to the welcome Android 2.0 interface updates (more on that later).
Of course, with such a large display, the Droid is rather big (4.56 inches tall by 2.36 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick), but that's a small price to pay for the top-notch display. You'll notice that the Droid is heavy (5.96 ounces) compared with other smartphones, but the trim design keeps it portable. We also welcome the solid feel in the hand, even if the slider mechanism is a bit quirky. The actual sliding motion is quite stiff, but the front face doesn't really lock into place on either end. Indeed, we noticed that even a gentle nudge can start to close the Droid. No, it's not a big deal, but it's something to consider.
The capacitive display's touch interface is quick and responsive and we love the added multitouch capability. As with previous Android phones, there's vibrating feedback only for certain functions (like a "long press"), though you can turn off the haptic feedback completely if you desire. When we selected items and scrolled through long lists, there was no lag time in performing the command (more on that later, as well). You also can customize the display's brightness, backlighting time, and animations. The accelerometer will adjust the display's orientation as you rotate the Droid in your hands, but you can turn this feature off.
Outside of the upgrades from Android 2.0 and the Droid-specific tweaks, the basic interface will be familiar to Android users. You get only three home screens--we prefer the five we got on the Motorola Cliq--but you can customize each pane with widgets. And, of course, the central pane has the Google search bar. The main menu is accessible via the pull tab at the bottom of the display. The menu's design is mostly unchanged. You can move icons around and add shortcuts and folders.
Keypad and controls
Below the Droid's display are four touch controls: Back, Home, Search, and Menu. They perform the same functions as on other Android phones, with the search and menu keys being the most useful. The former activates Google search with just one press, and the latter opens relevant menu commands for various handset modes and features. Though the touch controls are responsive, they're not very big. And at the end of the day, we'd prefer actual physical buttons. We know this all comes down to a personal preference, but that is ours.
In a baffling change from previous devices, the Droid does not have a physical Talk control. Instead, you'll have to access the calling functions through a widget on the display. We're not in love with this change, mostly because we prefer to be able to call up the phone dialer without having to go through the home screen. For example, you have to close the browser if you want to make a call while viewing a Web page. The phone dialer interface is mostly the same. The buttons are square rather than round, but you get access to your call log, voice mail, contacts list, and favorites.
When you open the Droid to display the physical keyboard, the screen orientation will change automatically. Though many users will welcome a physical keyboard, we weren't particularly impressed. The keys are flush and squashed next to each other, which makes it difficult to text quickly or by feel. Also, though the buttons do give a slight downward "push," they're a bit slick and we were thrown off by the "dummy keys" on either end of the bottom row. On the whole it is a better experience than the T-Mobile G1, but typing is not nearly as comfortable as with the Cliq or even with the Samsung Moment. Sure, you'd probably get used to it eventually, but on the first pass we have our reservations.
The letters on the keys are large and backlit for dialing in the dark. Four rows of keys do mean that numbers and common punctuation and symbols double up with letters. That's common on smartphones, so we won't make a big deal and we like that the top row of keys isn't too close to the slider. Fortunately, there are a fair number of additional controls. We welcome the two Shift keys and the two Alt keys (they sit in pairs on either side of the keyboard), the large and convenient space bar, and the menu and search keys. You'll also find the usual back and delete buttons. Additional symbols, however, require a separate virtual keyboard.
Speaking of which, the Android virtual keyboard is largely the same, but Google says it revamped the keyboard layout for faster, more-accurate typing. We haven't noticed specific design changes just yet, but we'll explore a bit more. Also, as Google puts it, "the multitouch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers." When using either keyboard, Android 2.0 offers a better dictionary that includes contacts names.
The toggle and central OK button next to the display is easy to use. It can help you browse through the menus and select items, but with the exception of games, we barely used it given the fantastic display. It's flush as well, but it's quite large and accessible. On the downside, however, it does shrink the width of the keyboard. Some users may not mind, but we noticed its impact.
The remaining physical controls consist of a volume rocker and a camera shutter on the left spine. Both are almost flat, but we could find the rocker when on a call. The Micro-USB port is used for a USB cable and (thankfully) the charger. You also use it to connect the Droid with the multimedia dock. We're pleased with the 3.5 millimeter headset jack on the phone's top end. Not only can you use your own headset, but it's also in a convenient place. A stiff power control sits next to the port, while the camera lens, flash, and stereo speakers rest on the rear face. Unfortunately, you have to remove the battery to access the microSD card slot.
Features
The Motorola Droid offers a number of the same core features as previous Android devices, such as the HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment. However, it's distinct in that the Droid is the first smartphone to run Android 2.0, which brings a crop of new features and interface enhancements. For this review, we'll concentrate more on the new rather than the old, but to learn more about some of Android's main functionalities, please check out reviews of other Android smartphones.
Android 2.0 updates
As we mentioned earlier, the home screen and main menu on Motorola Droid don't look terribly different from, say, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G's at a glance. However, as you use the device, you'll notice subtle changes and enhancements that make the user interface a bit more refined and streamlined; the gorgeous display doesn't hurt, either.
Also, although it's a Motorola phone, the Droid does not use the MotoBlur software that we saw on the Motorola Cliq. Part of the reason is that the Droid is targeted for a bit of a different audience than the Cliq (read: older, more business-oriented) so it didn't really jibe with the experience that Moto and Verizon want to offer to its customers, and we think that was a good decision. In MotoBlur's place, there is a Facebook widget on the Droid that you can use to update your own status and scroll through your friends' updates. Other preloaded widgets and shortcuts include YouTube, a corporate calendar, and something called "Power Control" where you can turn on/off your wireless connections, adjust brightness, and so forth--quite handy.
Some other minor changes include the slightly revamped onscreen dialer mentioned in the Design section, as well a new lock screen that features a sliding curve that allows you to unlock the phone as well as adjust the its volume simply by dragging your finger from one side of the screen to the other.
E-mail, calendar, and contacts
Perhaps one of the top highlights of Android 2.0 is the expanded capabilities of the personal information management tools, including e-mail, calendar, and contacts.
The Droid now offers native Microsoft Exchange synchronization out of the box for e-mail, calendar, and contacts, in addition to support for Gmail and POP3 and IMAP accounts. Note that only Exchange and Gmail offer push delivery, while POP3 and IMAP messages are retrieved at user-specified time intervals, starting at every 5 minutes up to every hour. With Android 2.0, you can have messages from various accounts displayed in one unified in-box; messages are color-coded by account so you can visually differentiate them at a glance. Of course, you can also choose to separate them if you like to keep your personal and work lives separate.
Unfortunately (well, depending on your preference), it doesn't appear that you can combine work and personal calendars as you can on the Palm Pre. Instead, you'll find separate apps for your corporate calendar and your personal one. The corporate calendar is full featured in that you can send messages to meeting attendees, see who has RSVP'd to an event, and/or create your own invites and have it all synced back to your PC.
Hide Review Next pageWith the support for various accounts, contact management could get a bit dodgy, but the Droid offers a pretty smart contact management system. Similar to the Palm WebOS Synergy feature, the Droid merges contact information from various accounts, Exchange, Gmail, and Facebook, and combines them on a single contact card for an individual. When you pull up a contact, you'll then be able to see the contact's Facebook status, photos, various e-mail addresses, IM handles, and so forth.
There's also a handy Quick Contact feature: you simply tap on a contact's photo and a toolbar offers you the various ways to get in touch with that person. It's also smart in that you can choose to sync all your Facebook contacts or just those who are already in your contacts database.
Browser
Android 2.0 also brings some improvements to the Web browser, which now supports HTML5. You can add visual bookmarks and toggle between multiple windows through a simple list view. What's more, thanks to the aforementioned multitap support, you can now double-tap on the screen to zoom in and out of Web pages. It's certainly easier than tapping the magnifying glass numerous times, but we still like the simplicity and ease of use of the pinching gesture used on the iPhone or the Palm Pre.
Most importantly, though, the browser feels faster. With a cortex A8 processor and support for Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network, CNET's full site loaded in 14 seconds while CNN's and ESPN's mobile sites came up in 8 seconds and 5 seconds, respectively. For comparison, we checked out the same sites on the Samsung Moment for Sprint and the Moment's browser results were 40 seconds, 9 seconds, and 8 seconds in the order listed above.
Finally, while the Droid's browser doesn't have Flash Lite support, it does have a plug-in that will support Adobe's Flash 10 player when it's available. We also like the refurbished browser interface that includes bookmark thumbnails.
Universal search
With all this information stored on the Droid and the World Wide Web in the palm of your hand, search is key and the Droid certainly delivers on that front. From the home screen, you can easily enter terms into the Google search box either by typing or using Google Voice search and the Droid will search the Web, your text and multimedia messages, your contacts, and your multimedia library for any relevant results. It can search through messages, but you must be in your in-box to do so.
Google Maps Navigation
The Motorola Droid is equipped with GPS/A-GPS, but what's different is the new Google Maps Navigation app. While still in beta, you can now get voice-guided, text-to-speech directions, instead of just text-based instructions, on Google Maps. And the best part? It's free. You don't have to sign up for a monthly subscription or pay a day-use fee for a location-based service, such as VZ Navigator, and in fact, VZ Navigator isn't even offered as an option.
Google Maps also offers layered maps with traffic data, satellite view, and Google Latitude. You can perform searches simply by typing a term, or you can use Google Voice search and speak a business name or general category right into the phone. Once done, Google Maps displays your search results; you can tap on a result, which will bring up numerous options, including navigation, call, or street view. While all of this is wonderful, there are some limitations. For example, you can't plan multidestination trips.
Even with its restrictions, we were very impressed with Google Maps Navigation. We used the Droid for several trips, including one from the Marina District of San Francisco to Oakland International Airport. The phone's GPS found our position in less than a minute and created a route just as quickly, and results were similar in subsequent tests. The maps were bright and clear on the Droid's gorgeous screen, and as you drive along the route, upcoming turns are displayed on top of the display while your current street is located on the bottom right. There's also an option to switch to satellite map view, which is very cool.
The voice-guided directions are loud and clear, but the voice sounds a bit more robotic than most and the text-to-speech pronunciation wasn't quite as good. That said, these minor issues didn't hinder us from understanding the instructions or getting to our destination. En route to the airport, we did briefly lose our GPS fix when we first got on the Bay Bridge, but the Droid was able to quickly get its lock back. It was just as fast with route recalculations. One note about the Google Maps Navigation: it requires a data connection to work so if you happen to wander out of a coverage zone, the maps won't update even though the GPS will continue to track your position. Also, should you happen to get a phone call while driving, the Droid will display a call screen as usual, and you can choose to accept or ignore the call. If you choose to take it, Google Maps Navigation will continue to run in the background but won't give you turn-by-turn instructions until you're off the phone.
Our biggest complaints with Google Maps Navigation right now is that it doesn't always come up with the most efficient routes. For example, after exiting the freeway for the Oakland airport, it told us to take a small side street to get to the main entrance. While this route certainly takes you to the airport, we could have just stayed on the road we were on for a more direct path to the airport. Also, on our way back from the airport to San Francisco, it randomly told us to make a U-turn while on the Bay Bridge. The capability to create multidestination trips would also be nice to see in a future update.
That said, Google Maps Navigation is an awesome application, especially since it's free. The voice search capabilities are especially cool and useful for finding points of interest and yielded fairly accurate results in our tests. We also like that the app shows a street view of your final destination, so you get a better visual of the building. With a few added features and enhancements to the interface, Google could certainly change the business of location-based services and navigation in general.
We should note that a separate car mount will be available for $30. Once docked to the car cradle, the Droid will automatically display a navigation menu from where you can plan a trip, view maps and directions, and search businesses. Undocked, there's an app called Car Home that shows the same options.
Multimedia
One area that remains relatively untouched by Android 2.0 is the built-in media player. There aren't any major enhancements to the player in terms of interface or functionality, which is too bad. You still get support for MP3, AAC, AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI (to name a few), and Windows Media Audio 9 formats and the player includes shuffle, repeat, and playlist creation. You can advance and revisit previous tracks by tapping the forward and back buttons or you can swipe the album covers using the touch screen. Unfortunately, there is no syncing software to help you manage and transfer your music. As it is right now, you have to use the old drag-and-drop method using the USB cable or sideload them using a microSD card.
Of course, you can also download songs via the Amazon MP3 store. The store allows you to browse by album, song, artist, or genre. You can download the DRM-free songs over Wi-Fi as well as Verizon's 3G network, though the Droid advises you switch to Wi-Fi when possible since it's faster. We downloaded several tracks from Amazon using the carrier's 3G network and it took an average of around 1 minute and 15 seconds from purchase to download.
Music quality was quite good. Thanks to the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, we plugged in our Bose On-ear Headphones and enjoyed rich-sounding songs. We listened to a variety of music, from punk rock to pop to classical, and found a nice balance between treble and bass. Songs even sounded decent coming from the phone's speakers. There was plenty of volume and while slightly harsh, the audio wasn't as tinny as it is on some other smartphones we've tested.
Motorola offers a multimedia dock accessory, which also is sold separately for $30. When you slip in the Droid you get a nifty digital clock interface with instant access to local weather, the media player, the photo gallery, and the alarm clock. You can even change the backlighting color for a softer look. The dock is very handy as a stand for watching videos and you can connect the charger to power the phone while it's inserted. Unfortunately, a wired headset is not included in the Droid's box.
As with other Android devices, there's a dedicated YouTube app. You can comment on clips, favorite them, or share videos via e-mail and Facebook, as well as view them in high quality if available. Obviously, load times and quality depend on the video, but in general, we found that video playback was smoother and didn't require much rebuffering. One of the features that Motorola and Verizon highlighted when giving us a demo of the Droid was its multimedia capabilities, but we think that Google really has to step it up and make more moves, like expanding the video capabilities (for example, the capability to purchase videos from other services), in the near future to make the statement really ring true.
Camera
The 5-megapixel camera takes pictures in three resolutions and boasts a slick user interface. For example, it's now easier to switch to video mode. With previous Android phones, we've complained about the lack of camera editing options. Fortunately, Android fixes that problem by adding four white balance settings, several "scene" modes (night, landscape, sunset, and so on), three image quality choices, an autofocus, a macro setting, and seven color effects. The Droid also has a dual-LED flash.
Camcorder settings are fewer, but you can edit the video quality and the length allowed for each clip. You can film for 30 seconds if you're adding the video to a multimedia message, but you can go for up to 30 minutes in normal mode. When finished with your clips and shots, you can store them on the phone or transfer them off using e-mail, a multimedia message, Bluetooth, the memory card, or a USB cable. You even can upload shots directly to Facebook and Picasa with geotags.
Photo quality was decent, but not spectacular. Though colors were bright, our images were a tad fuzzy and had a pinkish tone. The flash adds a decent amount of light, but still is a bit dim in completely dark situations. Video quality is actually fairly good--it could handle action better than its Android counterparts and there was little pixelation. Indeed, a closer look at the specs told us why. Not only do videos record at a 720x480 resolution, the Droid films at 24 frames per second (fps) (video playback can go up to 30fps). You can access the media gallery directly from the camera interface. Once there, the normal Android slideshow interface lets you view your work.
Android Market
You can download free and paid apps and games from the Android Market. The Market's interface received a much-needed upgrade with 1.6--we like the white background and the more intuitive search. Android 2.0 doesn't appear to offer any additional changes, which is fine in the short term. On the other hand, the quantity and quality of apps continues to grow every day. For updates and reviews of available Android apps, visit our Android Atlas blog. Of course, you must store apps on the handset's integrated memory, which is limited to 512MB ROM and 256MB RAM. The Droid's memory card slot is only for saving photos, music, and other attachment files. You get a 16GB card in the box, but the slot is compatible with cards up to 32GB.
Basic features
Essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a calculator, and an alarm clock. And though we've said it before, we want Android to offer additional organizer options like a world clock, a notepad, a file manager, and a to-do list. Beyond the basics, you'll have 802.11b Wi-Fi, USB mass storage, Google voice search, Google Talk, instant messaging, visual voice mail, PC syncing, and speaker-independent voice dialing. Stereo Bluetooth is also onboard, but Android 2.0 adds object push and phone book access profiles.
Internal performance
The Droid makes a big leap in internal performance. Compared with its rather sluggish Android predecessors, the Droid is lighting fast when opening applications and menus, scrolling through lists and switching display screens. The integrated 600Mhz processor no doubt helps, but we came away impressed and almost amazed with the Droid's internal performance and its capability to run multiple applications at once.
Call quality and performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) Motorola Droid in San Francisco using Verizon service and call quality was excellent. We enjoyed crisp-sounding audio on our end, with little-to-no background noise, so we had no problems hearing our callers or using an airline's voice-automated response system. The signal was strong and consistent in most locations.
Our friends also had good things to say about call quality, though they could hear a slight echo at the end of sentences when we activated the speakerphone. On our side, we had no problems with the speakerphone; volume was plenty loud, with no disruptions. The Droid has a Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of M3 and T3.
We didn't have any dropped calls during our testing period and had no problems pairing the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset or the Motorola S9 Active Bluetooth Headphones. Bluetooth headset call quality was satisfactory
Unfortunately, the Droid does not support Bluetooth voice dialing or commands. In order to use the Voice Dialer feature, you first must select the icon from the main menu (you can move on a shortcut to the home screen). After speaking your command, you then must confirm it via a prompt on the touch screen. Though we found the voice dialing feature to be quite accurate--it successfully picked up a command when we were a few feet away--it is not an ideal scenario for people who need to be completely hands-free. We hope this omission is corrected in a future software update.
We admit we're disappointed the Droid doesn't have dual-mode capability for domestic CDMA networks and GSM networks abroad. The Droid is a nice device and we would hate to leave it at home when we left the country. Such capability would also be of great benefit to business users, who are among the Droid's main target market.
The Droid has a rated battery life of 6.4 hours talk time and 11.25 days standby time. We beat the promised talk time in our tests for a total of 7 hours and 35 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Motorola Droid has a digital SAR rating of 1.49 watts per kilogram.
Previous pageThe good: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G has a slim profile, a responsive optical trackpad, and external media keys. It also has Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, and a 2-megapixel camera.
The bad: The RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G is almost identical to its predecessor save for a few changes. The photo quality is poor as well.
The bottom line: Though we're disappointed that the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G didn't have more improvements over its predecessor, it's still a decent upgrade with the addition of 3G and GPS. Plus, it's quite affordable for an entry-level smartphone.
Even though we liked the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 that was released for T-Mobile last year, the lack of 3G and GPS was disappointing. Fortunately, RIM has rectified that with its successor, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300, which has support for T-Mobile's 3G network as well as GPS. It also offers a number of other improvements that we saw in the Curve 8530, like the 624MHz processor and 256MB internal memory. Admittedly, we're a tad disappointed that the rest of the handset is unchanged; the hardware is almost identical and the ... Expand full review
Even though we liked the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 that was released for T-Mobile last year, the lack of 3G and GPS was disappointing. Fortunately, RIM has rectified that with its successor, the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300, which has support for T-Mobile's 3G network as well as GPS. It also offers a number of other improvements that we saw in the Curve 8530, like the 624MHz processor and 256MB internal memory. Admittedly, we're a tad disappointed that the rest of the handset is unchanged; the hardware is almost identical and the features remain largely the same. Still, the Curve 3G does make for a great entry-level smartphone, especially as it is only $79.99 with a new two-year service agreement.
Design
A lot of the BlackBerry Curve 3G's design strikes us as de ja vu; it looks and feels very similar to its predecessor, the Curve 8520. Its measurements are about the same--4.3 inches long by 2.4 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick--and it weighs around 3.6 ounces as well. It has the same 2.4-inch display, the same media keys at the top, and, of course, the same QWERTY keyboard.
One of the minor design differences the Curve 3G has over its predecessor is that the optical trackpad is a touch more raised and rounded, which is a design tweak we like. We found it really responsive as well. Another change is that the 8520 had barriers separating the navigation keys, whereas the Curve 3G's navigation array is completely flat without any sort of division. We preferred the former, as it was a little easier to navigate by feel, but we weren't too turned off by the new design, either. Yet another minor change is that the back of the Curve 3G has is a texturized rubber, so it doesn't slide around when placed on a smooth surface, plus it offers a better grip when held.
Aside from that, the rest of the phone's controls and buttons are identical to its predecessor, so we'll point you to the review of the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for a more detailed design overview.
The BlackBerry Curve 3G comes with an AC adapter plug, a USB cable, a wired headset, a mini CD, and reference material.
Features
The RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G comes with BlackBerry OS 5, but RIM has said that it can be upgraded to BlackBerry OS 6, which we think will be quite an improvement. OS 6 will add a revamped home screen, universal search, easier access to messaging features, a new Web browser, and more.
It has the usual phone features like speakerphone, voice dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, and text and multimedia messaging. It also has a variety of instant messaging options like BlackBerry Messenger, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Windows Live, and so forth.
The Curve 3G continues the BlackBerry legacy of strong e-mail options with the ability to sync with your company's BlackBerry Enterprise server in addition to other corporate e-mail systems like Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, and more. You can also add your own POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail information, and it's smart enough to figure out settings from popular e-mail services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail.
The address book is limited to available memory and the SIM card can hold about 250 more contacts. Each entry has room for several numbers, e-mail addresses, and street addresses. You can assign a caller group, a photo for caller ID, and custom ringtones. Other tools include the calendar, a task list, a memo pad, a voice recorder, and a calculator.
Hide Review Next pageUnlike its predecessor, the Curve 3G has GPS/A-GPS, 3G, and Wi-Fi. It also has Bluetooth with support for A2DP stereo streaming. Mobile professionals will also appreciate the addition of document viewers that can open and edit Microsoft Office, Corel WordPerfect, and PDF documents. You can download more productivity tools and other apps from the BlackBerry App World. The phone has 256MB of flash memory (256MB RAM), but it also has a microSD card slot that can accept up to 16GB cards.
If you're tired of all work and no play, the Curve 3G also comes with a few multimedia options. There's a music player that supports MP3, WMA, AAC, and MIDI file formats, and a video player that'll play MPEG4, WMV, H.263, and H.264 video files. There's also a 2-megapixel camera on the back, which is very similar to the one on other 8500 series BlackBerry devices. It has 5x zoom and a camcorder built in.
We were rather disappointed with the picture quality. Lowlight photos were darker than we expected, and images were blurry and pixelated, with dull and muddy colors.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE/UMTS 1700/2100) RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G in San Francisco using T-Mobile's service. We were very impressed with the call quality on the whole. We had very clear audio on our end with little background noise or distortion. Voice quality sounded natural, and we were pleased at how close to landline quality it was.
Callers said the same thing for the most part. They said we sounded crystal clear with great volume and little to no static. In fact, when we turned on the speakerphone, callers said they didn't hear that much difference in our voice quality. We paired the smartphone with the BlueAnt Q2 without any problems.
We also enjoyed great 3G coverage from T-Mobile. The signal strength was good and the speed was satisfactory. We loaded CNET's full site in around 40 seconds and the mobile version of CNN and BBC in just 15 seconds each.
Though the 624Mhz processor doesn't sound like much, we experienced very snappy performance. Transitions were smooth and launching apps only took a second or so.
Music playback was also surprisingly impressive. The sound quality over the speaker had a good volume, though we still thought it was tinnier than we would like. Since the phone has a 3.5mm headset jack, we certainly encourage the use of a headset rather the speakers. We're especially grateful for the media player buttons on the top so we could control the music without having to unlock the phone.
The RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G has a 1,150mAH lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 4.5 hours and up to 19 days standby time. According to FCC radiation tests, the Curve 3G has a digital SAR of 1.12 watts per kilogram and has a M4/T4 hearing aid compatibility rating.
Previous pageThe good: The Motorola Droid 2 sports a sleeker look and an improved keyboard. The smartphone also features a faster processor, double the RAM of the original Droid, and ships with Android 2.2.
The bad: The Droid 2 doesn't have a front-facing camera and Android 2.2's new camera interface. It lacks HDMI port. Though the keyboard is better, keys are a bit stiff to press.
The bottom line: The Motorola Droid 2 offers a number of improvements that make it a worthy upgrade from the Droid and certainly a top choice for those who want a smartphone with a physical keyboard.
Editors' note: Portions of this review were taken from our evaluation of the Droid X since both smartphones share a number of features.
It's hard to believe that it hasn't even been a year since the original Motorola Droid came out, but as we all know, Android has exploded over the past few months and there are simply bigger and better smartphones out there. Enter the Motorola Droid 2. As the successor to the Droid, the handset offers a number of improvements, including a sleeker design, better keyboard, faster processor, and the latest ... Expand full review
Editors' note: Portions of this review were taken from our evaluation of the Droid X since both smartphones share a number of features.
It's hard to believe that it hasn't even been a year since the original Motorola Droid came out, but as we all know, Android has exploded over the past few months and there are simply bigger and better smartphones out there. Enter the Motorola Droid 2. As the successor to the Droid, the handset offers a number of improvements, including a sleeker design, better keyboard, faster processor, and the latest version of Android OS. It lacks some of the higher-end features of the Droid X, but it's still an outstanding device on its own. There are enough improvements to make it worth the upgrade, and it will certainly satiate the need for those who want a physical keyboard. The Motorola Droid 2 is available now for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. Verizon will also release a limited edition R2-D2 version of the Droid 2 in September. It will include exclusive "Star Wars" content and hardware designed to look like R2-D2.
Design
Clunky and boxy, the original Droid wasn't much of a stunner in the looks department, but the Motorola Droid 2 reveals a more refined design. Sporting rounder, more-tapered edges, the Droid 2 doesn't have such an abrupt look, and the silver-and-blue color combo is not only attractive but also makes the smartphone stand out in a crowd. It's still a handful; the handset measures 4.58 inches tall by 2.38 inches wide by 0.54 inch thick, but compared with the Droid X and HTC Evo 4G, the Droid 2 actually feels small. It's slightly heavy at 5.96 ounces, but it's a solid handset and has a high-quality construction.
On front, you've got the same 3.7-inch, WVGA (480x854 pixels) capacitive touch screen. Though it might not be as large as the displays on some of the latest smartphones, it's still a good size, as well as sharp and vibrant, so reading text and viewing Web pages, pictures, and video is quite nice. If you do need to get a closer look at something or want more screen real estate, the display offers pinch-to-zoom support and a built-in accelerometer. Both functions work smoothly and quickly.
The screen will also automatically go into landscape mode when you slide the phone open. This is, of course, because the Droid 2 has a full QWERTY keyboard. As a number of Droid owners will tell you, using the keyboard on the Droid isn't exactly a pleasant experience. The buttons are flat, and there's the D-pad on the right side that makes it incredibly awkward to use the keyboard.
Fortunately, Moto fixed a lot of the errors this time around. First, it did away with the D-pad, so now you can hold the phone as you normally would and type more comfortably. Second, the buttons have a slight bump to them, so they're easier to press. Still, they're a bit stiff, so that slowed us down a bit. By comparison, we'd say the Samsung Epic 4G's keyboard is better because of the extra spacing between the keys, but this is definitely an improvement over the Droid. Plus, you've also got the option of using of Motorola's onscreen keyboard and Swype, which is perfect for firing off quick text messages.
The Droid 2 keeps the touch-sensitive Android shortcuts below the display: menu, home, back, and search. Though we prefer the physical buttons on the Droid X, they were still responsive and provide haptic feedback. On the right side, there's a volume rocker and a camera activation/capture button. The top of the device features a power/lock button and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and on the left, there's a Micro-USB port. The camera and dual-LED flash are located on the back.
Verizon packages the Droid 2 with an AC adapter, a USB cable, an 8GB microSD card, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
User interface
Like the Droid X, the Motorola Droid 2 is running a toned-down version of Motoblur software. The latter looks nothing like what we've seen on the Motorola Cliq and Backflip. You still get widgets for your social-networking updates, weather, photo gallery, and favorite contacts, but they no longer take up huge chunks of space on your home screen, and you can even resize the widgets. It makes for a much cleaner experience, and you don't feel overwhelmed by all the information.
Aside from the Motorola widgets, you can also add Android widgets as well as shortcuts and folders to any one of the seven home screens. As you swipe through them, a small toolbar appears on the bottom to show you which panel you're on, and you can quickly jump to a page by pressing on the corresponding button. (After a couple seconds, the toolbar changes to a quick-launch bar for the phone, full menu, and contacts.) It certainly makes it easier than swiping through all the panels, but we definitely preferred the HTC Sense Leap screen feature, which gives you a quick thumbnail view of each screen.
Overall, the Motoblur experience is much improved; it's a more refined, sophisticated Motoblur, if you will. However, users coming from the Droid, which ran the stock Android UI, might need some time to acclimate, and even then it still might be too much for some. Just remember that, like all Android phones, it's completely customizable, so just keep tweaking the UI until you find a system that works for you.
Features
The Motorola Droid 2 is the first smartphone to ship running Android 2.2 out of the box. This means in addition to the Android staples we've come to expect, you're now getting Flash Player 10.1, voice dialing over Bluetooth, camera improvements, and more. We won't detail every new thing in this review, but you can read more about Android 2.2 in this article, and check out this post on some of the hidden features of Froyo.
Like other Android phones, the Droid 2 allows you to sync multiple e-mail accounts to the phone, including Gmail, POP3, IMAP, and Exchange, as well as social-networking sites. When you first boot up the phone, you'll have the option to add all your various accounts (you can also add them later if you wish), which is usually a matter of entering your log-in ID and password. If you're syncing up your corporate e-mail, you'll need additional information like your server address. We had no problems hooking up our Gmail, Facebook, Outlook Web Access, and Twitter accounts to our review unit.
Hide Review Next pageThe Droid 2 offers both unified and separate in-boxes. There are also security protocols for remote password control and wipe, so corporate users can protect their phone's contents from snooping eyes. The smartphone also features a unified calendar, so you can see all your various appointments at once. This includes Facebook events and birthdays. All appointments are color coded by accounts, so you can easily tell them apart.
The contact management system is pretty good. The Droid 2 merges contact data from your e-mail and social networks and combines them on a single contact card for an individual. However, we ended up with a number of duplicates and had to go back and link them up. We do like that you can tap a contact's photo and get a quick list of the different ways you can get in touch with the person, whether it be by phone call, e-mail, text message, and you get the idea.
Voice features include a speakerphone, speed dial, voice commands, conference calling, Skype Mobile, and text and multimedia messaging with threaded chat view. Bluetooth 2.1, 3G, GPS, and integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) are also onboard, and the Droid 2 can be used a mobile hot spot for up to five devices. We were able to connect the Droid 2 to our MacBook Pro, and based on five tests, we got an average download speed of 1.11Mbps and upload speed of 0.29Mbps. To use this feature, you will need to sign up for Verizon's Mobile Hotspot service, which costs an additional $20 per month and has a 2GB data cap. If you go over, you will be charged 5 cents per megabyte in overage fees. By comparison, Sprint's mobile hot spot plan for the Evo 4G costs $29.99 per month, but there is no data cap.
Aside from the standard Android apps, there a number of extras preloaded on the Droid 2. This includes BlockBuster On Demand, Kindle for Android, a demo version of EA's Need for Speed Shift, as well as such Verizon services as NFL Mobile and V Cast Video. The Android Market currently offers more than 70,000 apps in its catalog, and you can now save apps to an SD card. The Droid 2 also has double the RAM (512MB) of the original Droid.
Web browsing and multimedia
The Android's WebKit browser is quite capable in functionality and performance but even moreso with Android 2.2. As we mentioned earlier, one of the new capabilities of Froyo is Flash 10.1 support, so you'll be able to view and interact with Flash content, including videos and games. Sure enough, we were able to play videos from sites like CNET and ESPN, and even animated ads and splash screens were displayed on the pages. Videos took a little while to load but once it got going, the playback was continuous and looked great on the Droid 2's screen. We also checked out some Flash games on Kongregate.com, such as Pitch Hitter, and it was fun and seamless. Performance could be better, to be sure, but overall, we were quite happy with the experience.
For other modes of entertainment, the built-in music and video player supports a variety of music and video codecs, including MP3, AAC, WMA9, OGG, WMV, MPEG-4, and H.264. The music player isn't quite as attractive as the HTC Sense's Cover Flow-like interface but it gets the job done and gives you basic features, like shuffle, repeat, and on-the-fly playlist creation.
Interestingly, Motorola didn't upgrade the camera on the Droid 2, so you're still getting a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash. Camera options include different scene modes, effects, face detection, ISO and exposure settings, and more. Now, Android 2.2 brings new camera features, such as displaying some of these tools onscreen, so you can easily access them as you're taking photos, but unfortunately, Moto chose not to implement this functionality on the Droid 2. You still have to touch the right side of the screen to expand the tray of options, and the controls don't rotate when you turn the phone. It's not a deal-breaker, but it's certainly disappointing.
Picture quality was good. Colors came out bright and we could make out the subjects in our photos. We just wish the image was slightly sharper. Recorded video clips at the highest resolution (720x480 pixels) were watchable but looked very hazy.
The Droid 2 has 8GB of onboard memory and ships with an 8GB microSD card, but the expansion slot supports up to 32GB cards. You can share photos and videos through the usual avenues--e-mail, multimedia message, Bluetooth, Facebook, and so forth--but you can also stream media from your phone to a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-compatible device. If you're not familiar with it, DLNA is a standard that makes it easier to move content, like movies, photos, and music, from device to device. Since the Droid 2 supports this technology, you can stream media from your phone to other DLNA-compliant tech, like the Xbox 360, without having to go through a whole setup process. You can find a list of DLNA-certified products here. Unlike the Droid X, the Droid 2 does not have an HDMI port.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) Droid 2 in New York using Verizon service and call quality was OK. On our end, calls sounded a bit flat. It didn't interfere with having a conversation, but we definitely wished for richer audio. Friends also said that our voices sounded a bit far away and sometimes tinny, so again, the quality wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great, either. Speakerphone calls was pretty much what we expected: slightly hollow but clear and loud enough to have conversations in various environments.
We had no problems pairing the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones. We will test the voice dialing over Bluetooth capabilities once we get a compatible headset.
We didn't experience any dropped calls, and Verizon's 3G speeds were fairly swift. CNET's full site loaded in 24 seconds, whereas the mobile sites for CNN and ESPN both loaded in 9 seconds. YouTube clips loaded within several seconds and played back without needing to rebuffer and with synchronized audio and picture. Videos from our personal library also performed beautifully, and sound quality for music was balanced and rich.
One final improvement is a faster processor. The Droid 2 rocks a 1GHz TI OMAP processor, compared with the Droid's 550MHz processor, and the difference is noticeable. Apps launched without problem, and there was very little delay when working in and switching between multiple apps. We also played the demo version of Need for Speed Shift, and the smartphone was able to handle gameplay without problem.
The Droid 2 ships with a 1,400mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 9.6 hours and up to 13 days of standby time. We were able to get 6.6 hours of continuous talk time in our battery drain tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the Droid 2 has a digital SAR rating of 1.49 watts per kilogram and a Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of M3/T3.
Previous page Reviewed by:Kent German Reviewed on: 10/22/2009 Updated on: 10/29/2009 Released on: 10/07/2009 The good: The Samsung Moment has a bright display with a spacious keyboard. Productivity features are plentiful and call quality is clear.
The bad: The Samsung Moment's touch interface and controls were a little sluggish. The camera lacks editing features, call volume could be louder, and speakerphone quality was just average.
The bottom line: With its full keyboard and bright display, the Samsung Moment successfully rounds out Sprint's Android offerings.
In case you haven't noticed, the Google Android dam has broken. For almost a year, HTC was the only manufacturer to offer handsets with the operating system, but in the past month, Motorola and Samsung almost fell over each other to offer Android smartphones of their own. Moto gave us the satisfying Cliq and Samsung countered with the Moment. Though we're not sure which "Moment" Samsung is referring to (the company's product names baffle us regularly), it's clear that Sammy is taking its Android endeavor seriously. The Moment offers everything you'd expect from an Android phone while adding Sprint-specific media services. Other features are plentiful, and the sturdy design and comfortable physical keyboard offer a nice contrast to Sprint's other Android phone, the HTC Hero. The Android OS still has its quirks, camera-editing options are nonexistent, and we had a few performance complaints, but at $179 with service, the Moment, aka the M900, is cheaper than T-Mobile's Android options.
Design
You wouldn't be off base if you initially confused the Moment with Samsung's other touch-screen phones. Indeed, with its rounded ends and prominent display it looks a lot like the Samsung Rogue. Yet, a closer look will show that the Moment is larger than its siblings and its color scheme and soft touch material on its battery cover put it more in line with the Hero. The result is a rather unremarkable design, particularly when compared with its Android counterparts, but the smooth lines give the Moment a minimalist appeal.
The Moment is more than just large (4.6 inches by 2.34 inches by 0.63 inch), it's also quite heavy (5.67 ounces) for any kind of cell phone. The extra bulk is noticeable and the Moment can make for a tight fit in some pockets, but the trade-off is a solid device with a sturdy build. The slider mechanism is sufficiently stiff and the handset has a firm feel in the hand. We noticed, however, that when the slider is open the Moment feels a bit top-heavy. When typing, be sure to steady the back of the slider with your fingers.
Display and interface
At 3.2 inches, the Moment's vibrant AMOLED display is smaller than the iPhone's, but still large enough to allow for comfortable navigation. Though the resolution (480x320 pixels) is lower than on the Rogue, the rich color support (16 million hues) means that colors and graphics pop right off the screen. You can change the brightness, the wallpaper, and the backlight time, and you can adjust the accelerometer settings so that the display doesn't change automatically when you rotate the phone. A proximity sensor will switch the screen off when you're on a call.
The Moment ships with Android OS 1.5 so its three home screens and phone dialer interface will be familiar to Android users. The dialer features round buttons and offers quick access to a list of favorite contacts, though it lacks the additional shortcuts we liked on the Cliq. The main menu is also unchanged from other supported handsets; to access it, tap the small pull tab at the bottom of the display. Naturally, you can add or delete shortcut widgets and move them around the home screens. But in a change from other Android phones, the display offers vibrating feedback for the virtual keyboard and keypad (you can turn this feature off).
Though the capacitive display is mostly responsive, we noticed that there was a bit of lag time when opening the main menu and selecting some icons. The delay won't be noticeable to Android virgins, but veteran users of the OS should see a change, albeit very small, from other Android handsets. It also took a firm swipe to move between the home screens and through long lists. Perhaps a screen sensitivity adjustment would help, but the Moment doesn't offer one.
Keyboard and controls
We also had issues with the three touch controls below the display. The Home, Menu, and back buttons have a spacious arrangement, but our touch didn't always register during our initial hours of use. Similar to the finger swiping, you'll need to give an accurate, firm press. As with other Android phones, the Menu control opens the relevant commands for the feature that you're using.
Fortunately, the physical controls just below the display are better. You'll find large Talk and End/power keys and a square OK button that doubles as an optical mouse. The latter is a unique Samsung creation that acts like a touch pad. By swiping your finger cross the control, you can move the cursor or swipe between home screens. Though the optical mouse is tiny, it works well. In fact, it's so sensitive that you need to use it carefully. On the downside, we'd prefer to have a dedicated search control.
Other exterior features include a volume rocker on the left spine and a camera shutter and a voice dialing button on the right spine. A Micro-USB port on the left spine accommodates the charger and a USB cable. We thank Samsung for giving us a standard charger port and the 3.5mm headset jack on the Moment's top end. The camera lens, flash, and mirror sit on the rear side near a speaker. You will need to remove the battery cover to access the microSD card slot.
The Moment's keyboard is spacious and comfortable. The keys aren't quite as tactile as on the Cliq, but we could text quickly without making mistakes. Also, we like that with four rows of keys, numbers have dedicated buttons. Punctuation does share space with other characters, but that's a common feature on keyboard phones. The space bar is located in the center of the bottom row and we appreciate the set of four arrow keys. Other controls include back, return, and function keys, and a function button for accessing menus and typing special symbols and emoticons. The display will rotate automatically when you open the keyboard, but using the standard Android virtual keyboard you can type with the phone closed.
Contacts
Each contact in the Moment's phone book holds eight phone numbers, four e-mail addresses, an instant-messaging handle, a birthday and an anniversary, four postal addresses, company or organization names, notes, and up to eight chat addresses for services like Windows Live, Yahoo, and Google Talk. For caller ID, you can pair contacts with a photos and one of 16 polyphonic ringtones. You even can choose to send all calls from a contact directly to voice mail.
In a change from other Android handsets, the Moment will ask you to sync new contacts to one of your synced e-mail accounts. Though we understand the need for backing up contacts, we'd also prefer an option for bypassing that step. On the other hand, you can quickly import existing contacts from your synced Gmail account.
E-mail and calendar
The Moment offers a full range of e-mail options. Besides Gmail--as with other Android phones, the Moment requires a Gmail account--you can sync with major POP3 services like Yahoo and Hotmail and use the handsets' Microsoft ActiveSync feature to get push e-mail from Outlook. The Moment uses Moxier Mail for those work accounts, but the setup process is intuitive. And in a welcome change over T-Mobile's first two Android handsets, you also can sync your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts.
We synced an Outlook and a Yahoo account; in either case it took just a few minutes to get set up. Outlook messages arrived almost instantaneously on the Moment and they were gone from our PC soon after we deleted them on the phone. In-box folders are arranged as they appear on your computer, and you can easily search your messages or perform a bulk move or delete. When opening subfolders you may need to manually sync, but that's a minor point. Moxier Mail will display HTML messages, and you can view Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
Outlook appointments will show up on the Moment's calendar, which offers day, week, and month views and the ability to create new events and send them to the attendees. Outlook contacts will sync with your phone book, but tasks will appear in a special "Work Tasks" app.
Other features
Essentials include text and multimedia messaging, a vibrate mode, a speakerphone, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a nifty "Device self Service" that allows you to, among other things, quickly activate your phone. Some basic apps like a world clock and a notepad remain absent, and we're a little perplexed by the new File Viewer feature. Though we welcome the capability to view files that are stored on the phone--a feature not available on previous Android phones--you can't do anything other than delete the files once you find them. To be really useful, we should be able to move files as well.
Beyond the basics, you'll have 802.11b Wi-Fi, USB mass storage, Google Talk, instant messaging, Sprint visual voice mail, stereo Bluetooth, PC syncing, and speaker-independent voice dialing. The Moment also comes integrated with apps from Facebook, The Weather Channel, CNN, ESPN, and a demo version of Bejewled. Of course, Google voice search is also onboard and you can populate the home screen with a handy search widget.
GPS
In addition to the obvious Google Maps feature, the Moment also offers Sprint Navigation for real-time directions, a 3D map, and a points-of-interest database. Google Maps offers directions (though not in real-time turn-by-turn directions), standard map view, satellite view, and street view as well as access to Google Latitude.
Android Market
As with other Android phones, the Android Market lets you download free and paid apps and games. The quantity and quality of apps continue to grow every day, and Google will keep enhancing the Android Market interface as it updates the operating system. For more details on the Android Market, check out our G1 review. For updates and reviews of available Android apps, visit our Android Atlas blog.
Though we've said it many times before, we again have to mention that Android restricts app storage to the handset's integrated memory. On the Moment that's 256MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM. Granted, it won't affect most users, but it remains one of the OS' most peculiar characteristics and it's one that we hope Google changes soon. The handset's memory card slot is only for saving for photos, music, and other attachment files (you'll get a 2GB card in the box, but the slot accommodates cards up to 32GB).
Music and video
The Moment's music player is similar to its Android predecessors. Beyond the simple, intuitive interface, you'll find support for multiple files types, album art, playlists, shuffle, repeat, and an airplane mode for in-flight media use. To get tunes you can buy songs through the Amazon MP3 Store, which has DRM-free tracks. A single song costs about 89 cnets, and an album can cost anywhere from $5 to $9. Of course, you also can transfer music to your Moment using Bluetooth, the microSD card, or the included USB cable. We used the last method to successfully load a few tunes.
Video content is available through the standard YouTube app or clips that you load on the phone. As we said with the Cliq, we'd love to have an iTunes-like option for movie purchases and rentals. Both the YouTube app and the video gallery feature are easy to use.
Though there's little about the Moment that screams "Samsung," you'll know from the other media options that it is a Sprint device. The carrier added apps for Sprint TV (streaming and on-demand video), Sprint Movies, Sprint Radio, Nascar Sprint Cup, and NFL Mobile Live. Curiously, the Moment does not offer access to the Sprint Music Store.
Camera
We're not happy with the dearth of editing options on the moment's 3.2-megapixel camera. Forget color effects, a self-timer, a zoom, or even image size--you only can adjust the video quality and activate the camera flash. Sure, we're thankful for the flash and the self-portrait mirror, but we just can't abide a phone that doesn't let you play with the camera options. You can blame the iPhone for that trend.
On the upside, the Moment's photo quality was pretty good. Colors were relatively bright and the flash performs adequately, though our images were a bit grainy. Like on other Android phones, the shutter delay remains long. Videos captured with the Moment were about what you'd expect: movements in the video were blurry and colors were a bit off. When finished editing your content, you can save it to the phone, forward it to friends via e-mail or MMS, and transfer it to a PC via a memory card or a USB cable. The Photo & Video places app offers direct uploading access to MySpace, YouTube, Photobucket, and Facebook. The Gallery app offers an attractive and customizable option for viewing a slideshow of your photos.
Browser
When first opening the HTML browser, Sprint forces you onto its own Web portal. Although it offers access to news headlines, weather reports, and social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, we suspect that you'll want to move on immediately. Fortunately, you can do just that via the Menu control below the display, but here again we'd prefer a dedicated Search control without opening the keyboard.
The Moment's Web-browsing experience was comparable to other Android phones. Scrolling around Web pages was fluid outside of the occasional screen lag. The onscreen zoom controls were effective and we could select links easily, but keep in mind that the accelerometer only works when you rotate the Moment to the left. The handset supports copy and paste and tabs for your bookmarks, frequent sites, and history, but not integrated Flash Lite.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) Samsung Moment in San Francisco using Sprint service. Call quality generally was quite good, with natural-sounding voices and a strong, clear signal. The volume level could be louder, however, as we had trouble hearing when we were talking on a busy street or in a place with a lot of background noise. What's more, when we had the volume turned all the way up, we encountered the tiniest bit of voice distortion.
On their end, callers said we sounded good. A few didn't know we were using a cell phone, which is rarely the case when going wireless. Some callers had trouble hearing us when we were in those noisy places, which made us think that the Moment has a sensitive sweet spot. If we spoke directly into the handset, there was rarely a problem. Automated calling systems could hear us most of the time, but we had to repeat ourselves on occasion.
Speakerphone calls were average. We had to speak close to the phone and the sound on our end was muffled. We could carry on conversations, but we found ourselves switching to standard calls more often than not. On the other hand, we liked the speakerphone and mute touch controls that sit directly on the display when you're on a call. What's more, the phone dialer opens with a single touch.
Sprint's 3G EV-DO network offers a fast data connection with admirable reach. We could get a signal in most buildings and even when underground. Also, graphics-heavy Web pages, images, and YouTube videos loaded in seconds. Remember that the browser will default to mobile sites, so you might have to click around to find the full version.
The Moment offers an 800Mhz processor, which is improved over previous Android models. Once the touch screen registered our choices, applications opened quickly, but there was still a little bit of the Android sluggishness to which we've become accustomed. By and large, the Moment performed well and we didn't have any system crashes.
Not surprisingly, YouTube video quality was just blurry. If there was any difference between other Android phones, we didn't see it. In contrast, videos stored on the phone were fine. Music quality was decent, as well. The external speaker doesn't have the loudest output and the sound warbles just a bit. Try a headset for the best experience.
The Google Maps feature was moderately more accurate than on the Hero or T-Mobile's Android models. It still missed our location by a block most of the time, but it never lost us completely. The Samsung Moment is quite a decent navigator. During our testing period, the smartphone's GPS consistently found our location in a minute or less and did a good job of tracking our movements as we drove around San Francisco. We also used Sprint Navigation to plot a route from the city's Marina District to Santa Clara, Calif. The app was very quick to come up with directions and even alerted us to a traffic incident at the beginning of our trip; unfortunately, there were no alternative routes so we had to sit through the congestion. Voice directions were clear but a little on the soft side, and route recalculations were quick but didn't always offer the most efficient routes.
Senior Editor Bonnie Cha contributed to this section.
The Moment has a rated battery life of 5.5 hours talk time. Our talk time tests didn't quite reach that with a result of 4 hours and 36 minutes. According to the FCC, the Moment has a digital SAR of 0.67 watt per kilogram.
Previous pageNokia has announced the multimedia mobile phone that is the N96. This device is set to carry on from the Nokia N95, the mobile phone that has sold millions worldwide to date. Can it be a success? This article attempts to answer that very question, as we look forward into 2008 just who will take the crown of the most popular handset, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, or Samsung? Time will tell, but we think that it could be Nokia with the magnificent N96 device.
The first thing to note about the Nokia N96 is the inclusion of a digital TV tuner. Never before has a mobile handset contained such a feature and it looks like those people in the gadget world are sitting up and taking note. In theory this will mean that the user can watch TV on the move, signal depending of course. It has not been revealed as to whether or not this feature will be supported in the UK yet, but we hope that it will.
The Nokia N96 will have a large 2.8 inch screen making it ideal for watching TV shows and video. Most video formats are supported such as MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash video. This means that Nokia is attempting to converge TV, video and the internet into one seamless flow of information connectivity. No longer will you need separate devices for you r internet, films and phone calls.
An important addition is that of USB 2.0 connectivity. This allows for much faster data transfer between PC and phone. The N96 also supports HSDPA and WLAN, meaning hat you can download content wherever you are. For connectivity, Nokia is taking mobile communication to the next level. Overall if you are looking for a mobile phone that is a truly multimedia device then make sure that you consider the N96, it is looking to be the best handset of 2008.
For the very best contracts and mobile phone deals visit Best Mobile Contracts, the mobile phone comparison website. They compare over 29,000 unique deals from a range of online retailers. To sign up for alerts on the Nokia N96 visit the phone specific page now. If you are interested in the Samsung F490 then also visit this page for the latest mobile phone news and offers.
The good: The HTC Droid Incredible is blazingly fast, thanks to Verizon's 3G network. HTC Sense enhances the features of Android 2.1, and the smartphone features an 8-megapixel camera and 8GB of internal memory. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G are all onboard.
The bad: You can't use voice and data at the same time. The multimedia experience is adequate but still behind the competition.
The bottom line: With its polished design and user interface and blazing fast speeds, the HTC Droid Incredible takes pole position as Verizon's top smartphone and is now the Android device to beat.
Editors' note: Portions of the user interface section were taken from our review of the HTC Legend, since they share similar features.
When you put an adjective like Incredible in a product name, it better deliver the goods, otherwise you end up looking pretty foolish and probably have a bunch of angry customers on your hands. Fortunately for HTC and Verizon, though, it looks like this won't be the case because the Droid Incredible lives up to its name and then some. While the Android 2.1 smartphone doesn't offer any new, groundbreaking features, what it does better ... Expand full review
Editors' note: Portions of the user interface section were taken from our review of the HTC Legend, since they share similar features.
When you put an adjective like Incredible in a product name, it better deliver the goods, otherwise you end up looking pretty foolish and probably have a bunch of angry customers on your hands. Fortunately for HTC and Verizon, though, it looks like this won't be the case because the Droid Incredible lives up to its name and then some. While the Android 2.1 smartphone doesn't offer any new, groundbreaking features, what it does better than any other Android product on the market right now, including the Motorola Droid and Nexus One, is enhancing those features with better software (courtesy of HTC Sense) and combining it with a sleek design and lots of power.
Though a lot of eyes may be on the Sprint HTC Evo 4G and we have little quibbles here and there, we have absolutely no hesitation in recommending the Droid Incredible. It's hands-down Verizon's best smartphone, and one of the best and fastest Android devices on the market right now, so much so that we deem it worthy of our Editors' Choice award. The Droid Incredible by HTC will be available from Verizon Wireless on April 29 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
Design
The Droid Incredible is another example of HTC's and Design & Company's handiwork. Though the overall shape and design is similar to many touch-screen smartphones on the market, it's the finer details and the HTC Sense user experience (more on this later) that make the Droid Incredible different and a step above the rest.
Roughly the same size as the Nexus One, the Droid Incredible officially measures in at 4.63 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.47 inch thick and 4.59 ounces. It does feel a bit plasticky compared with the Nexus One, but it also finally gives Verizon customers (well, those who can live without a physical keyboard) a viable alternative to the Motorola Droid, as it still offers some of the higher-end features, such as the Snapdragon processor and high-resolution display, that are missing on the carrier's other Android device, the Droid Eris.
Oh, and what a beautiful display that graces the mug of the Droid Incredible. The capacitive touch screen measures 3.7 inches diagonally and has a WVGA resolution (480x800) just like the Nexus One, but in a side-by-side comparison, the Incredible's display appears smoother and more vibrant than that of the Nexus One.
In addition, it felt more responsive, registering every touch right away and providing a smooth scrolling experience. The built-in accelerometer was quick to change screen orientation, and the proximity sensor kicks in as soon as you hold the phone up to your ear to take a phone call. Our only complaint about the screen would be that it's pretty hard to read in bright sunlight and like many others, the touch screen is an absolute magnet for fingerprints and smudges, so we'd recommend keeping a screen wipe close by at all times.
The onscreen keyboard is HTC's own rather than the standard Android keyboard, which is fine by us since the buttons are slightly bigger for easier typing, especially in portrait mode. We made fewer mistakes and could type a bit faster on the Incredible than the Nexus One. That said, we were definitely jonesing for Swype after having experienced how fast and accurate it could be. Currently, Swype for Android is in closed beta.
Below the display, you have four touch-sensitive shortcut keys--home, menu, back, and search--and below them is a new optical joystick. Much like the ones found on the HTC Legend and the HTC Desire, it replaces the trackball navigator found on previous devices and operates much like a trackpad; you simply move your thumb over the control in the direction you want to move and you can even press down to select an item. Overall, it works as advertised, but the smaller size of the button makes it a bit awkward at first. In general, we used it mostly to scroll and select a smaller item on a Web site, such as a link, and used the touch screen for everything else.
There are very few other physical buttons on the Droid Incredible. On the left side, there's a volume rocker and a Mini-USB port and on top of the device, you'll find a power button and 3.5mm headphone jack. As with most all handsets, the camera and in this case, the dual LED flash, are housed in the back but what's unusual about the Droid Incredible is the back's topographic design and the phone's innards. Instead of a smooth surface, the battery door has bumps and ridges, and it's only after you pop it off that you realize it actually follows the lines of the internal parts of the phone. You'll notice that the insides of the phone are red. Does it add any value to the smartphone? No. But can we appreciate that HTC wanted to highlight some of the engineering that went into the device and make it beautiful inside and out? Absolutely.
Verizon packages the Droid Incredible with just the bare minimum: an AC adapter, a USB cable, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.
User interface
Many have asked about the difference between the Droid Incredible and the Nexus One, and one of the key differentiators is HTC Sense. The Droid Incredible uses Sense, whereas the Nexus One uses the standard Android user interface.
While there will be purists who prefer the standard Android skin, in most cases, we'd choose a device running Sense, and we think it's something that actually gives the Droid Incredible a competitive advantage. Out of all our custom skins for Android (Motoblur, TouchWiz, etc.), Sense is our absolute favorite. Not only does it give Android a more user-friendly interface, it actually, in many cases, improves on the core functions by better integrating the features.
Hide Review Next pageJust like the Legend and Desire, the Droid Incredible runs the newer version of HTC Sense, which was announced at Mobile World Congress 2010. This includes a revamped mail widget that can take you to a list view of all your e-mail instead of just one message at a time. Once in the mail app, there's a handy tabbed interface at the bottom that lets you view unread messages, attachments, meeting invites, and more with a simple touch. The Agenda widget also now displays your whole agenda on the screen, and like the HTC HD2, you get an animated weather widget right on the home screen that automatically displays the current conditions based on your location.
You also get a new Group Contacts widget, which lets you, well, organize your contacts by groups. For example, you can set up one for work colleagues, another for friends, and another for just family--whatever you please. The UI looks good, and it's simple to add contacts to a group, though removing them requires a few extra steps.
Another feature called Friend Stream provides a single place for all your social-networking needs, piping in updates from Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr all into a single place. Unlike Motoblur, it's not server-based; the phone connects to the sites and pulls information directly from there.
By far, our favorite new feature, however, is the Leap screen. By pinching the home screen (or pressing the home button if you're on the center panel), it brings up a thumbnail view of all your home screen panels, so if you have your favorite apps and widgets on those screens, you easily "leap" to the screen you want and access them. The Droid Incredible offers seven home screen panels, and there are different "Scenes," which presents a whole new set of seven home screen panels that you can customize by the theme of the Scene (Social, Work, Travel, Play, and so forth). Admittedly, it can be overwhelming, but the best part is that you can use as many or as few of the features as you want; the device is completely customizable to your needs.
Features
Behind HTC Sense, the Droid Incredible is running Android 2.1, which means you'll get the latest features available, including live wallpaper, voice-to-text capabilities, and Google Maps Navigation. The smartphone also comes with the usual Android staples, such as Gmail, Google Talk, a dedicated YouTube app, QuickOffice, and Android Market. HTC throws in a couple of its own extras as well, including its Twitter app, Peep, and Footprints, which allows you to geotag photos and add notes and audio clips to the "digital postcards," among other things. In addition, Verizon has its own channel in the Android Market, so you can easily find and download apps specific to the carrier, such as Visual Voice Mail, VZW Tones, V Cast Media Manager, and NFL Mobile.
Aside from Gmail, the smartphone supports multiple POP3, IMAP, and Exchange accounts and combines them in a unified in-box. There's a setup wizard when you first use to the device to help you bring in all your contacts from your various accounts, including the aforementioned e-mail types, Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. Often it's as simple as entering your user name and password, but you may need additional information when setting up your Exchange account. The Droid Incredible can sync your Exchange calendar and contacts as well. That said, we had some initial problems syncing our Exchange calendar to the Droid Incredible and had to remove and then add our account again to get it to work.
The contact management system is pretty good. If any of your contacts have Facebook updates, it will display them right next to their picture in the contact database. Again, Sense has done of nice job of making it easy to access as much information as possible with little effort. For example, you can see all your exchanges (text messages, call logs, etc.) with a single person from their contact card, and all your contacts are accessible within the phone app. However, we still had multiple instances of duplicate contacts and had to go back and manually link them together.
As a phone, the Droid Incredible offers a speakerphone, speed dial, smart dialing, voice commands, conference calling, and text and multimedia messaging with threaded chat view. Bluetooth, 3G, GPS, and integrated Wi-Fi are also onboard, and Verizon has said that the Skype Mobile app will be available for the Droid Incredible. The smartphone has the same WebKit browser as the Nexus One and Droid and offers Flash Lite and pinch-to-zoom support. If you want to use voice and data at the same time, you'll have to connect via Wi-Fi, because Verizon does not allow you use their network for voice and data simultaneously. The basic but drab music and video player have never been a selling point for Android, and that's still the case with the Droid Incredible, though HTC Sense adds a slightly more attractive interface to the player. Most important, however, is that it gets the job done and supports a good range of music and video codecs, including MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, OGG, WMV, MP4, and 3GP. In addition, there's an FM radio, but it requires a headset with a built-in tuner, which Verizon does not include in the box.
There are plenty of streaming radio services available in the Android Market, however, and there are several ways to get music onto the phone. Android doesn't have a native app for syncing your music from your PC to your phone, so you can either connect via USB and use the old drag-and-drop method or use a third-party app such as DoubleTwist to sync with iTunes playlists, podcasts, and more. Of course, you can also browse and purchase songs right from your phone via the Amazon MP3 Store, but it doesn't come preloaded, so you'll have to download it first. Storing your media files won't be a problem since the Droid Incredible offers 8GB of internal memory and an expansion slot that supports up to 16GB cards.
Another area where the Droid Incredible bests the current crop of top smartphones is the camera. Rocking an 8-megapixel lens and dual LED flash, the smartphone took excellent photos indoors and outdoors. Pictures had a good color and sharp definition, and there was very little shutter lag. Nighttime shots still looked a bit gray and dull, but it was certainly better than most other camera phones, and objects were clearly defined in the image. The camera can also shoot video at WVGA resolution; the video quality was acceptable but a tad grainy.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) HTC Droid Incredible in New York using Verizon service, and call quality was good, though not without issue. We enjoyed clear conversations with very little background noise or voice distortion, and there was plenty of volume--almost piercing at the highest level. Friends also reported good results with no major complaints about the audio quality on their side of the conversation. Though we didn't experience any dropped calls, there were a couple of instances where the sound cut out so we couldn't hear our caller. The situation was easily resolved by moving to a new spot, but it was nevertheless a bit annoying.
Speakerphone quality was nothing surprising. We could carry on conversations with relative ease and there was enough volume to continue in noisier environments, but callers did note that there was a slight echo. We paired the smartphone with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Heaphones with no problem.
Verizon's 3G network provided reliable 3G coverage throughout our testing period and with swift speeds to boot. CNET's full site loaded in 16 seconds, and CNN's and ESPN's mobile sites loaded in 4 seconds and 5 seconds, respectively. Meanwhile, the Slacker Radio app (1.02MB) took 11 seconds to download from the Android Market. YouTube videos took a few seconds to buffer, but once going played continuously, though quality was a mixed bag. We had much better luck with our own MP4 files as clips played back beautifully with clear picture and robust sound. Despite having a lackluster music player, songs sounded rich and full through our on Bose On-Ear headphones.
Out of everything, though, the one aspect of the Droid Incredible that absolutely knocked our socks off is general performance. The smartphone is armed with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB ROM and 512MB RAM and the Droid Incredible was one of the most responsive and fastest Android devices; heck, one of the fastest smartphones in general, that we've tested to date. The handset handled every task we threw at it without stumbling, and even with six open apps open, the Incredible never slowed down.
The smartphone comes with a 1,300mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 5.2 hours. In our battery drain tests the Droid Incredible provided 5.5 hours of continuous talk time on a single charge. In real-life usage, the smartphone was able to last just over day on a single charge with moderate use. According to FCC radiation tests, the Droid Incredible has a digital SAR rating of 1.4 watts per kilogram and a Hearing Aid Compatibility rating of M4/T3.
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