Support NeoGAF

[purg3]

DROID X Delivers More Browsing, More Connectivity, Personal HD Video and Enterprise Features – All on a 4.3” Widescreen
June 23, 2010 -- BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID X by Motorola. DROID X does more with ultra high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; loads of memory; intuitive social messaging; Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 ready; and access to Android Market™, which has more than 65,000 applications, along with a host of unique Verizon Wireless applications such as NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™, V CAST Video, EA Need for Speed Shift™ and more.

“Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola. DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network.”

DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows. The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.

DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer. With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.


KEY FEATURES

-4.3" Touch Screen WVGA Display— supports up to 16M colors
-8.0 MP camera with fast mechanical shutter (1/1000 sec) auto focus, touch–to–focus, and face recognition,
-720p HD Video capture with easy upload to YouTube, slow–motion capture, fast motion capture and more
-HDMI Output to play your recorded HD Videos on your HD TV at home in true 720p Hi–Definition (DRM protected content cannot be played via HDMI)
-DLNA Wireless sharing of photos, video, and music with other DLNA compatible devices (Server, Controller, Player, Upload and Download)
-Android 2.1 (Eclair) OS with Motorola Application Platform
-TI OMAP 1GHz processor with Dedicated GPU
-8GB Internal memory for emails, texts, and apps
-16 GB microSD card pre–installed on–device — up to 32GB microSD supported
-Integrated Google , Exchange, Facebook , Myspace, and Twitter Contacts
-3G Mobile Hotspot with support for up to 5 Devices

SPECS

* All–Digital, 800/1900, CDMA EVDO rev A
* 4.3" WVGA, 854 x 480, 16M colors
* Dimensions: 5.02" (H) x 2.57" (W) x 0.39" (D)
* Weight: 5.47 ounces
* Usage Time: Up 480 minutes OR
* Standby Time: Up to 220 hours
* SAR: Head: 1.43 W/kg; Body: 1.41 W/Kg
* Battery: 1540 mAHLi–Ion

REVIEWS

ENGADGET
GIZMODO
ZDNET
CNET

VIDEO

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

 

[DMczaf]

Is Verizon launching a Droid phone every month?

While Sprint launches an Android device every 12 months

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

already sold out. :lol

awesome phone tho...i want one

 

[Dizzle24]

I want this phone so bad. I love my rooted Eris, but this phone is sexier and more mature :lol

 

[TacticalFox88]

If only the internet cost wasn't so expensive. I'd be all over this.

 

[purg3]

already sold out. :lol

awesome phone tho...i want one

yeah, vzw.com shows shipping by 7/23 now :lol I got my shipping confirmation early today and fedex shows delivery for tomorrow. Super excited to get the phone.

 

[overthehill99]

What's with the weird UI and icons?

 

[reKon]

this will be my baby someday

 

[SolidC213]

Cannot wait to get mine!! T-mobile contract is up on the 28!!

 

[Epix]

Ouch.....

Locked, Encryption, and a self-destruct button -- all over a cellphone? It's not very often that I'm asked to write something and don't really want to write it. But there's this 800-pound gorilla in the room. Of course, I'm talking about the insane idea that a phone manufacturer would design a phone that self-destructs when you try to hack or mod it. If we're to believe what we read here at My Droid World (and there's no reason not to), the Droid X is exactly that. Join me after the jump, and we can talk a bit about exactly what might be going on and how it may affect this devices future.

Update: No sooner than we posted this did Droid modder Steven Bird brings up some good points. One is that no Droid X's have exploded just yet, and that an OMAP3 eFUSE isn't really a new phenomenon. It's likely there will be some major hurdles to overcome before we see custom ROMs on the Droid X, and it's just as likely that some very smart and talented people will be working on it. We still wish Android hardware would remain open, however, and that won't change. Thanks to everyone who sent this in. - Phil

Supposedly the Droid X includes a new piece of hardware called an eFUSE. Geeky types can read that link from EETimes. It's not really a fuse, but it's used to open or change a circuit and bring things to a grinding halt, just like what happens when a fuse blows. They're not bad things on their own. They can have useful functions, like shutting down a microprocessor if the temperature gets too high, or stopping a motor controller when resistance gets past a certain point (like if a wrench or person were stuck in the drivetrain). They're handy, and used in many things.

That's not what Motorola is doing with them. Supposedly (you'll see that word a lot in this article. Bare with me.) Motorola has designed a circuit that uses an eFUSE, or group of eFUSES, that can block the circuits of the X, causing it to not power on, if unsupported software is loaded on the phone. In this case, unsupported means any software not specifically designed by Motorola. (Commenters, go easy on me, I'm simplifying this on purpose. I want everyone on the same page -- we can discuss logic, nand gates, and JTAG programming in another place. ) Even worse, this is permanent to us. The phone will have to go back to Motorola for reconditioning to ever work again. That's crazy.

In a nutshell, if you try to enable the loading custom ROMS or flashing a new kernel, the X goes "click" and it's done. Forever. And there's no way you going to get warranty service on it, cause it happened when you were hacking at it. That's what we think we know. Until the first brave soul actually bricks his or her X, or Motorola comes out and verifies the information (And you should Moto, and you know it.). Until then, we wait. And guess.

Now, what follows is purely my opinion, so you know who to yell at. Android is open. That's why we have the ability to do things like install a new keyboard, or replace the SMS application with Handcent. And why people like Cyanogen and his team of merry douchesters can hack the living daylights out of things and create a better OS than Google or Motorola or HTC can. Or why you can overclock last year's best phone, and make it run as well as this year's best phone.

Will most people want to hack new or different software on their X? Probably not. Will anyone really need to use a custom ROM on the X? Again, probably not. But could a great phone be made even better if those that do want to were allowed? Maybe, but it's looking like we'll never know. I wont name names, but those of you who still rock the OG Droid know who I mean, and you're the people I'm complaining with anyway. More than a few well known hackers/developers/freakin Android geniuses have already written off the X, and won't be worried about working with it.

Shame on you, Motorola. You know how you'll still sell a metric buttload of Droid X's, but you also know you could provide a way for those that feel the need to tinker to do so without frying their brand new $569.99 phone -- and you could digitally mark these phones to void the warranty. Android users helped pull you out of the ashes -- don't write a good portion of them off.

 

[purg3]

Cannot wait to get mine!! T-mobile contract is up on the 28!!

I actually broke my AT&T contract so I could port my number to VZW and get this phone...

 

[aparisi2274]

I actually broke my AT&T contract so I could port my number to VZW and get this phone...

If I break my contract, I am gonna get the Incredible

 

[Corran Horn]

Damn that phone looks sweet. Wish it didnt cost as much, one day I hope to join you all in the cool smart phone era :/

 

[Fatalah]

If I break my contract, I am gonna get the Incredible

Posting from one right now. I feel shipwrecked. With the supply shortages, I never come across Inc owners!

 

[MCX]

I'd be interested if Motorola put vanilla Android on it.

 

[ZZMitch]

Want. But can't have!

Oh well, Moto Droid for another year it is! Woe is me

 

[ZZMitch]

I'd be interested if Motorola put vanilla Android on it.

Just use Launcher Pro on the marketplace, best app on the store. By far.

 

[Aesius]

I want this so bad.

Actually - I can't wait to just get a modern phone period. I'm stuck with my LG Dare until November when I resign my contract, as I refuse to pay full price for a phone.

But man - I really feel like a loser being the only person around without a smartphone :lol

 

[purg3]

Just use Launcher Pro on the marketplace, best app on the store. By far.

yeah, that's going to be one of the first things I download. I have no intention of using those motoblur widget shit either, just going to go with the standard FB and twitter apps.

 

[FlawlessCowboy]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

 

[ZZMitch]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

They have been since the incredable

I am not complaining though, rooting means you can "update" phones like the Droid to keep up with the Incredible and Droid X

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

So this is basically the Evo for Verizon?

Scary thing there about remote bricking by Motorola though. :/

Glad VZW customers finally get to see the sexiness of the large screen though.

 

[Aselith]

No hardware keyboard this go around? Or is it still in there?

 

[Lazy vs Crazy]

How does this stack up against the Galaxy S phones?

 

[purg3]

No hardware keyboard this go around? Or is it still in there?

nope, but it has true multitouch keyboard and comes loaded with swype. Droid 2 will keep the physical qwerty.

 

[theultimo]

Got the original Droid, not to sure I want to upgrade just yet.

Depending on iPhone Verizon.

 

[samus i am]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

The Eris was obsolete a month after it came out.

 

[Pimpwerx]

What's with the weird UI and icons?

Manufacturers can skin the interface. HTC uses a different "dock" from the standard Android interface as well. There are apps that can customize it to just about anything you want though. LauncherPro FTW. PEACE.

 

[Aselith]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

I would say the Droid is still relevant for people who want the hardware keyboard...one of it's touted selling points. The Eris is though.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Got the original Droid, not to sure I want to upgrade just yet.

Depending on iPhone Verizon.

Droid 2 in august.

 

[345triangle]

Ouch.....

i don't want to say this sounds like a big deal because i'm an iphone user and really am not interested in starting a forum civil war, but...this kind of sounds like a big deal? considering all the reviews say how much the custom OS thing sucks and how everywhere else says how awesome android 2.2 is, wouldn't a lot of people want to change the software on their "open" phone? it seems like it's taking away one of the major reasons people would want an android phone in the first place.

 

[Vanillalite]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

Droid is different than all the big phones that have come out as of late as it has a hardware keyboard unlike the Droid X, iPhone 4, Nexus 1, Evo 4g, HTC Incredible etc... so it still has legs.

That being said supposedly a true Droid sequel is gonna drop this fall, and there are already some promo images floating around the web.

 

[ZZMitch]

The Eris was obsolete the day it came out.

Fixed

 

[Cobra84]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

Droid is still the best phone with a real keyboard until the Droid 2 next month and the most popular for hacking and custom roms for the foreseeable future.

 

[DrForester]

Got original droid, and am kind of glad I can't upgrade to this yet nice as it seems. I hate that little hump where the camera is.

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Got original droid, and am kind of glad I can't upgrade to this yet nice as it seems. I hate that little hump where the camera is.

I still want an iPhone on Verizon, but don't wanna wait. I too want a hardware keyboard, so probably waiting for the droid 2 now.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Anyone else having wifi issues with the X? I can connect and browse a bit but get randomly disconnected. I have seen a few mentions of issues other places but not here yet.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

 

[Deleted member 1159]

So I don't think I'm eligible to upgrade until March, how likely am I to get Verizon to let me in on this without paying full retail??

 

[ZZMitch]

So I don't think I'm eligible to upgrade until March, how likely am I to get Verizon to let me in on this without paying full retail??

Not likely, I belief they are only doing upgrades for those whose contracts end sometime in 2010.

 

[Einbroch]

Don't want to make a new thread, so I'll post it here...

We have New Every Two (like so many others), and one phone is available for upgrade, but the other isn't until late October. We want to take advantage of the B1G1 free deal, but obviously it's not ready yet.

Has anyone had any luck upgrading early?

Edit: Holy crap at the posts right above...didn't think anyone would ask and answer the same question so early!

 

[The Last Wizard]

anyone having a problem with the battery life my battery is plummeting, in battery manager it says my display is using 97%. but i dont have anything thats seems heavy running, no live wallpaper, brightness is the lowest possible, and the screen timeout is at 15 secs. What else on the display could be using that much resources?

 

[ZZMitch]

anyone having a problem with the battery life my battery is plummeting, in battery manager it says my display is using 97%. but i dont have anything thats seems heavy running, no live wallpaper, brightness is the lowest possible, and the screen timeout is at 15 secs. What else on the display could be using that much resources?

It's massive size :lol

Give it a few more days and report back, hopfully the display isn't that big of a battery hog!

 

[J-Rzez]

So, the Eris and Droid are now basically obsolete?

Phones are really the only product to go "obsolete" faster than computer video cards, or at least damn close to the same time. But just like vid cards, buy a good one now, it'll last you long after it's been obsolete.

 

[WasteLand Soldier]

Posting from mine now and absolutely love it. It's light, slim, fast and it seems to be getting quicker the more I use it. Call me crazy but I think these phones learn. Is this normal for android phones? Coming from windows phone this seems like the best of both worlds. As far as battery goes mine died fast too but I charged with usb. I noticed that even tho it said full, wall charging charged it for like an hour more. We'll see how it holds up tomorrow but it could also be from playing with it so much.

 

[The Last Wizard]

It's massive size :lol

Give it a few more days and report back, hopfully the display isn't that big of a battery hog!

it's really annoying, it's like no matter what i do it doesn't even drop below 95%

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Anyone else having wifi issues with the X? I can connect and browse a bit but get randomly disconnected. I have seen a few mentions of issues other places but not here yet.

Any of you above getting this issue? The wifi will work for some time then stop working for a bit and eventually come back, very odd issue.

 

[Rentahamster]

So is the upcoming Droid 2 supposed to have better specs, or what?

Why release two similar phones in such a short timespan? Or are the Droid X and Droid 2 not that similar?

 

[DrFunk]

Droid is still the best phone with a real keyboard until the Droid 2 next month and the most popular for hacking and custom roms for the foreseeable future.

Till the Samsung Epic comes out

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

So is the upcoming Droid 2 supposed to have better specs, or what?

Why release two similar phones in such a short timespan? Or are the Droid X and Droid 2 not that similar?

Similar specs I believe, the Droid 2 keeps the keyboard though. That is the main reason to push both out in close proximity.