25-day review

[LoydroidX]

It's been almost 30 days since I first got the Droid X.  Before I purchased it, I cruised this board and others to read the "user reviews", so I think it's only fair to others who may be researching this phone that I share my experiences.  If this is not the forum to do this, please forgive me, and feel free to delete or move this post.

Pros: 

+Great, large screen

+Easily customizable

+Great, user-friendly apps

+Good camera and video playback

+Almost like carrying a "tablet" or laptop with you at all times. 

Cons:

(This is my second Droid X.  The first was returned after a week due to numerous random reboots.)

-I have experienced inconsistent non-Gmail email delivery.  Anywhere from one minute to one day.

-The Browser on my phone is only slightly faster than my old Storm 1.  I did some side-by-side speed tests with other phones at a couple of local Verizon stores, and the Droid X was always slower.  (And my connection is lost about once every day.)

-My phone does not vibrate (all settings set for vibrate; missed several important messages while in meetings; LED notification does not work consistently either.)

-I have had to do several "battery pulls".  Not as many as the old BB, but I didn't expect to have this problem with the Droid X.

-I'm experiencing poor battery life.  I have to plug in the charger on average every four hours, and this is with minimal use.  Tried various performance settings to no avail. 

-I experienced questionable call quality.  If I happen to say something while the other person is talking, it mutes their voice for a second.  Call volume is too low for me; difficult to hear outdoors or if others nearby are talking, even with the volume set to the highest.  .

-Although the apps are great and easily installed, I have had to "uninstall" almost as many as I have installed due to the possibility that they were interfering with the phone's functioning. 

Obviously, I have experienced many more "cons" than "pros", and this is disappointing to me.  There are many others who have had good experiences, and I do believe this is a good phone...just not what will work for me.  I'm now looking at the HTC Incredible, Samsung Fascinate, and Samsung Continuum.  (Does anyone here have any insight as to these handsets?) I might even have to go back to BB.

Thanks y'all. 

[gerio]

So having posted what you did in "fairness" to other readers here that might be considering getting a DX, would it be "unfairness" to post my exoeriences? 

Well, I will anyway...

I've had my DX since the say they were introduced. It has been nearly flawless. Vibrating as it should, syncing Gmail and Contacts as it should, notifications, it all works. Every 3 days, it seems, I have to shut down and restart the phone and every 2 or 3 weeks, I have to pull the battery. And I've had to do this with every phone I've owned since the Moto StarTacs.  As well as my computers (and all my buddies with their so-called Macs). Call quality has been nothing but near-perfect. The earpiece volume has always been fine, the ringtones were pretty low at first, but the 2.2 update solved that issue quite nicely. I don't get the battery life problem. My OEM battery would last from 5:30am until somewhere between 4pm and 6 pm, at which point, I put the phone on the mobile charger for the 45-minute ride home from work (and I work in a metal building, so the phone is working harder to get signal, but it's a solid one to two bars and I don't miss or drop calls) so the phone would get through the evening. With the extended battery, there's no need to charge the phone on the ride home, but I do it anyway. Google Navigation works great (as long as there is 3G signal). Camera is fine. The 3G service seems to always work.

I submit that even though this is your second phone, your experiences aren't typical and you should have that phone replaced again under warranty, not just simply exchanged. The things that don't work and the battery life tell me that something is badly wrong with that phone. The one thing that doesn't get mentioned is that the first charge on the Lithium battery is VERY important and is a precursor to how well the battery will perform during its life. The phone, when new, should be charged for several hours FIRST THING, then don't the battery get below 20% before charging again

Verizon, as much as I like them, owe you a phone that functions as it is designed to. Of course, I realize that you can't keep running back and forth to Verizon for a phone replacement, but I'd try one more DX and if that one turns out problematic as well, then I'd say you are justified in looking at another phone. The DX is a WAAAYYYY better phone than what you are experiencing. 

Good luck, please keep the forum, err, posted on your situation...

Geri O

[mortb]

I am both a Motorola Droid X and an HTC Droid Incredible user. I no longer have the Droid Incredible. It was a good phone, but the cons far outweighed the pros. I believe that the X is a much better phone. Bigger screen, easier to use, etc. I'm sorry that you are having so much difficulty with the X, but if you got the Incredible, you would have more difficulty. I too suggest that since you are still under warranty, to return the Droid X you currently have for a new one. Like they say, the third time is a charm

[crb79]

As with anything, you have to find what suits you.  Not everyone is able to drive a high performance vehicle, and the same with a high performance phone.  However remember that once you exchange to a different model, you will not get an additional 30days to try it out.  

With that said, I would not consider any of the options listed as a better device.  The HTC Incredible has many issues even beyond those that some experience with the Droid X.  

HTC and Samsung suffer from the manufacturers not standing behind their devices.   Both companies have a track record of making a device, giving it one or two updates/patches then forgetting about it and moving to a new product.  A perfect example are the HTC Touch series and the Samsung Omnia series.  However, between the two Samsung is the better manufacturer in that they make their own product and HTC depends on Samsung's scraps to supply their phones.  

BB is more business oriented, has less bells and whistles and thus less that can go wrong.  

In independent testing the Droid X scores higher than all other phones in both tech reviews and benchmark results.  Just to give you an idea, the Droid X processing power is nearly double that of Samsung's Fascinate series even though the Facinate has an independent 3d video processor.  And if you thought the battery life on the Droid X was bad, it has a almost 100 more minutes of talk time than the Fascinate series.

But, like I said, you need to find the phone that fits you.  Because you only get one 30day phone switch, so in all likelihood you will be stuck with the phone you trade for.

[gerio]

As I said in my original response, I feel that the OP's opinion of the DX isn't based on its performance, but rather the fact that he's has two bad phones. He hasn't had a chance to really experience the wonder, the magic, the goodness that we all know as the Droid X.

(Man, I do NEED some more COFFEE!!!...)

Seriously. if he gets another bad DX, I can understand why he's look for something else. I don't think he will be happier, but if he finds a phone that operates as it was designed as opposed to the 2 (or more) bad DXs, how can you blame him? 

I'm just glad that I know what the phone is capable of and I would never stop in my quest to find another good DX, should I have the need to.

(Actually, I was elgible to get an upgrade phone this month, so I ordered an Incredible. It arrived with 2 problems, so when Verizon replaced it, I had them send me another DX. I've just finished running it through its paces and it's every bit as good and solid as my first 5-month-old DX.)

Again, the OP needs to try another DX in hopes that he gets a good one this time. And note that if you get a warranty exchange, you'll get to keep your 30-day exchange deal as opposed to losing it if you simply exchange the bad DX for another phone (and possibly suffering more remorse that you can no longer do anything about).

Good luck, Geri O

[LoydroidX]

Thanks everyone for your support.  Last night, I found "Audio Buddy" which seems to have 'restored' my vibrations, and even allows me to create a "Phone Calls Only" profile that I had on the BB.  I've also begun using "K9" for email, and it has helped somewhat.  I'm getting all my emails quicker, but a few still lag around 30 minutes...and a couple have taken over 12 hours.  Maybe I'll create GMail accounts for these old AOL accounts. 

There was a browser episode today at lunch.  A bunch of us were searching an Italian meal.  I clicked on my browser, it stuttered for a while, but eventually got to the information we were looking for...unfortunately, my phone was the last one to get there...even a co-worker's Storm 1 beat me to it. 

I'm still having some battery issues, which I'll ask about in a new post (fair warning, y'all). 

BTW...as I was typing this, there was a commercial for a cough/cold medicine.  A monkey was holding an unbranded Droid X.  Hmmmmm...maybe that's a sign for me to keep trying with this. 

[gerio]

Glad to hear that you might be getting close to working out some issues.

I gotta say, my move to Gmail several years ago was the best move in my "Electronic Age" life that I've made (other than getting a Droid X, har, har...). It cleaned up my electronic communication life immensely as well as follows me around from place to place and lately, from provider to provider. 

Geri O