3. Droid 2 by Motorola (Verizon Wireless) - Hardware and Design
The Droid 2 by Motorola is the oldest of the three, but represents an update to the original Droid by Motorola, the first Android smartphone to land on Verizon Wireless. In its own way, the original Droid was one of the sparks that started the Android wildfire that continues to burn today. That original Droid is gone now, retired by Motorola and Verizon Wireless and only available in refurb-form now in limited supplies. The Droid 2 hit the scene in August and brought some slight changes in the hardware design and some more significant changes under the hood to the original Droid.
The Droid 2 by Motorola ships with Android 2.2 “Froyo” pre-installed, which means it also supports Adobe Flash. If you’re unfamiliar with the device or its predecessor, the model is a slider, which means you can use it in portrait or landscape view, but when shifted into landscape view you can slide the screen upwards to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Under the hood you’ll find a 1GHz processor – a hefty upgrade to the processor in the original Droid – Bluetooth, 802.11 b/g/n wireless, and 8GB of on-board storage for the Android OS and apps. Verizon Wireless also includes an 8GB SD card that can be replaced with a card as large as 32GB. The Droid 2 also has built-in Wi-Fi hot-spot functionality, which (for an added monthly fee) allows you to make your device a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 other devices.
You’ll also get a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash on the back with image stabilization and a variety of real-time color modes and image editing tools. Many of those features are included in Froyo. The display is a bright 3.7-inch 854-pixel by 480-pixel TFT panel, with an ambient light sensor and accelerometer that automatically adjust the screen brightness and orientation depending on your surroundings and the way you’re holding the device. The Droid 2 weighs in at just under 6-ounces, just enough heft to feel solid in your hand.
Motorola promises 315 hours of standby time and 575 minutes of continuous usage time, which varies of course based on the type of use. In our tests we got close to the promised standby time and fell a little short of the promised continuous use time when doing a talk test. Still, we got close to 7 hours continuous talk time, and could easily get a full day’s use taking calls and using the phone for games, e-mail, and Web surfing before even thinking about charging the battery. For most phone owners who are likely to charge their phones at night when they’re not in use, the Droid 2 will work well, even if you forget to charge overnight and have a few hours ahead of you before you can get to a charger.
The Droid 2’s speakerphone was loud and strong, and even playing music through the phone’s speaker was good. You’ll likely want headphones though; the built-in speaker is a bit tinny and not really designed for a robust audio experience. Regardless, the Droid 2 is one of a breed of smartphones that’s becoming rarer: phones that work well as smart phones but also take and place calls well. The Droid 2 is no superstar at audio call quality and clarity, but it’s some of the best I’ve heard on a smartphone, part of which is doubtlessly due to Verizon Wireless’ strong network coverage in our area.
- 1. The Androids You Didn't Know You Were Looking For
- 2. A Note about Google Android
- 3. Droid 2 by Motorola (Verizon Wireless) - Hardware and Design
- 4. Droid 2 by Motorola (Verizon Wireless) - Software and Apps
- 5. Sanyo Zio by Kyocera (Sprint) - Hardware and Design
- 6. Sanyo Zio by Kyocera (Sprint) - Software and Apps
- 7. Samsung Fascinate, a Galaxy S Phone (Verizon Wireless) - Hardware and De...
- 8. Samsung Fascinate, a Galaxy S Phone (Verizon Wireless) - Software and Apps
- 9. Conclusion: Fascinate Provides Best Experience
FYI the touchscreen on the Sanyo sucks so much because it is indeed a capacitive touch screen.
I figured you know the specs of the phones your reviewing a little better.
I just picked up the sister device of the Fascinate, the Captivate from AT&T, for $20 with 2 year contract extending my current contract which was almost up from Amazon. For new customers, it's basically free from Amazon ($.01). The Fascinate is currently out of stock, but I believe it was $50 for new users. I don't know where the prices from this article were pulled from, but shop around. You can do much much better than $200.
FYI the touchscreen on the Sanyo sucks so much because it is indeed a capacitive touch screen.I figured you know the specs of the phones your reviewing a little better.
The screen on the Zio is capacitive - like all of the other phones in the review, and indeed most smartphones. The reason I wondered whether or not it was a capacitive touch screen was because it seemed to have the sluggishness of a resistive touch screen - you know, the kind you use a stylus with.
Being a capacitive touch screen does not equate sucking - if that were the case, we'd see many more smartphones with resistive screens, when indeed the opposite is true and capacitive screens dominate the market.
Just looking at your final review numbers for each... no matter how I average it out (assuming each category has the same weight) I see the D2 higher. You pointed out it has 2.2 w/ flash, lower price and no google-integration-shortage.
How again is the samsung winning? I have a Droid Incredible w/ the amoled, so I have no bias in this article. I've messed w/ the Droid X, D2 and original Droid as well. (friends and family) I've tested the fascinate briefly and know the samsung interface design queues from their old omnia. I still don't see how they are on top in this review... just reading what you have here does not paint it well.
You mentioned the Dinc having 2.1... FYI, 2.2 OTA update for non-rooted users came through quite a while ago, so all dincs have 2.2 like the D2.
Verizon has got quite a few phones now on that $150 price point...
You cite the D2's 720p video capture and it's mobile hotspot capability as selling points over the other two, but the Fascinate has both of these features. How did you miss that? The Fascinate is definitely the winner when you take these facts into account. Perhaps the verdict would lean more towards the D2 if Samsung were not rolling out Froyo to all their Galaxy S phones, but with that update considered there is no reason to pick anything but the Fascinate. Unless a hardware keyboard is a must for you, of course. Even then, the huge plus of a Super AMOLED screen is hard to pass up.
Just looking at your final review numbers for each... no matter how I average it out (assuming each category has the same weight) I see the D2 higher. You pointed out it has 2.2 w/ flash, lower price and no google-integration-shortage.How again is the samsung winning?
Good point - you're right, I think the Droid 2 actually is a more well-rounded and feature rich phone without the challenges that the Fascinate brings to the table, and all in all I think it's a stronger reccomendation than the Fascinate. Call it an editorial adjustment prior to publication, shall we? I do think though that the Fascinate offers the best multimedia experience of the group, especially when you take that beautiful Super AMOLED display into consideration!
You cite the D2's 720p video capture and it's mobile hotspot capability as selling points over the other two, but the Fascinate has both of these features. How did you miss that? The Fascinate is definitely the winner when you take these facts into account. Perhaps the verdict would lean more towards the D2 if Samsung were not rolling out Froyo to all their Galaxy S phones, but with that update considered there is no reason to pick anything but the Fascinate. Unless a hardware keyboard is a must for you, of course. Even then, the huge plus of a Super AMOLED screen is hard to pass up.
Excellent points here too! I'm actually aware of the Fascinate's HD video capture and hot-spot capability, but the fact that the D2 has them as well (as does every other Android phone on Verizon Wireless) were more of an equivocating factor than one that made it pull ahead, frankly. And the fact that 2.2 is "coming out soon" really can't factor in, since...well, it's not here yet, and the review unit I had (as well as the Fascinates in the field) simply don't have Froyo.
Still! I completely agree with you and said as much in the review: the Fascinate has the absolute best multimedia experience for video and gaming on Android hands-down. I think the Fascinate weighs heavily in that direction's favor, while I would still argue that the D2 is a more well-rounded balance of features and power for a more affordable price. Great points, though!
I'm not sure I agree. Regardless of variant, the Galaxy S phones are a flagship Android model. If selling 7 million phones is flying under the radar, I'd love to see what the Nexus S, for example, will manage. Maybe I've misinterpreted this particular conclusion; would "flagship" apply more to the Captivate, for example?
And the fact that 2.2 is "coming out soon" really can't factor in, since...well, it's not here yet, and the review unit I had (as well as the Fascinates in the field) simply don't have Froyo.
Shouldn't be long; it's been out for a short while in most of Europe. I got it on the 5th. Be prepared to perform a backup and hard reset though; it was an absolute dog for me before then and it's been almost perfect ever since.
I'm not sure I agree. Regardless of variant, the Galaxy S phones are a flagship Android model. If selling 7 million phones is flying under the radar, I'd love to see what the Nexus S, for example, will manage. Maybe I've misinterpreted this particular conclusion; would "flagship" apply more to the Captivate, for example?
Nope - I think you're on the right track - I think that the trick is that none of the reviewed devices represent a flagship device for their carrier. For example, Verizon really only pushed the Fascinate for the first week or so after its release. Their flagship Android phone is still the more powerful (although crummier screen) Droid X, and they'll still push you towards the less powerful Droid Incredible if you want a more social device. The Fascinate feels in a number of ways like an odd phone out on Verizon Wireless.
Even so, you're absolutely correct - the Galaxy S models other carriers have are flagship Android phones for them - I wanted to highlight some devices that may have been overlooked from their respective carriers.
Ah I get you now; not too easy when you're not familiar with the market Stateside.
> It would have been nice for Sprint to bundle the Zio with Android 2.2 “Froyo,”
> but it’s possible the device just isn’t powerful enough to handle it.
The Zio has the same processor as the LG Optimus S which ships with Android 2.2. The Optimus is getting good reviews for its good price/performance ratio.
I've had my Zio for a little over month now and have not noticed any issues with screen lag.
I've found that pages load much faster when using WiFi, but I live in an area with poor sprint coverage.