Once upon a time, cell phones were simple radios that allowed two people to speak to each other. Today, smartphones include voice calling almost as an afterthought, and manufacturers load their top models with so many features that the phones could conceivably replace their owners’ cameras, music players, and netbooks. Motorola’s Droid X is off to a rousing start, as it excites gadget geeks and smartphone lovers across America. Find out why Verizon’s latest Droid might be the greatest of them all.


W H A T ‘ S - H O T :
+ Motorola’s Droid pioneered the 854×480 resolution for Android phones. Rather than be confined to the Droid’s cramped 3.7-inch LCD, the Droid X’s pixels explode off its gargantuan 4.3-inch display, which has high contrast and deep colors, so that text is clear and sharp, while images look pleasing and natural. What was probably the Droid’s forte is also the X’s too. Like the Droid, touch is responsive on the X, and multi-touch works seamlessly.

+ The 1GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3630 CPU is faster than the commonplace 1GHz Snapdragon processor because TI has added POWERVR SGX graphics onto the chip for blazing 3D performance that is most apparent in benchmarks and will be better utilized in future games and apps.

+ Even with its fiery processing power, the X provides close to 8 hours of talk per charge of its 1540mAh battery.

+ The dual LED flashlight, 8-megapixel camera shoots some of the finest photographs of any phone, and 720p video capture looks clean and smooth.

+ Similar to the iPhone, the X has 8Gb storage onboard, so that an external microSD card (usually much slower) is unnecessary. Still, Motorola has generously thrown in a 16Gb stick. Combined, users have almost 24Gb directly out of the box.

+ Typical Motorola, the Droid X’s body is well built and feels rugged. At under .4 inches thin, the X is slimmer than most regular cell phones. I like the sleek design of the X, in spite of its hump. The front of the unit looks especially slick.

+ With HDMI and DLNA support, the X is readier for HD multimedia than other smartphones. Video quality through HDMI is about as crisp as it should be too.

W H A T ‘ S - N O T :
- Being 5 inches long and 2.6 across, the Droid X is a large phone that teeny hands might find cumbersome and uncomfortable. The hump back is somewhat unseemly, especially when seen from certain angles, so some might be put off.

- The locked down bootloader is a disappointment for many in the ROM community, but if you are unsure what a bootloader is, then you are among the 90% of consumers that could care less.

- The camera is slow and difficult to focus even on still objects.

- Although competent and fairly pretty, Motoblur takes a backseat to HTC’s Sense UI in the Evo 4G and Droid Incredible.

V E R D I C T :
As with most phones, the Droid X’s call quality is about average, being neither great nor bad. Lacking the famous slide-out keypad that distinguished Motorola’s Droid/Milestone from the competition, the X might not be the phone to get for tactile feedback adherents, who will undoubtedly be saving for the Droid 2. All other prospective buyers can rest assured that the Droid X is a new standard for Android smartphones and bests HTC’s Incredible and Evo 4G in some fundamental areas such as camera, processing power, build quality, and screen resolution. The X is not revolutionary, but it arguably is the best overall package. During the writing of this review, I struggled to find negatives to say about the X –it is that good. If you currently have an older Android unit that is on its last legs, then you should treat yourself to the newest Droid on Verizon. Although buying one is nearly impossible right now, you can sleep soundly knowing that by the time stores restock inventory, your X will be that much closer to the coveted Android 2.2 FroYo update due within a month or so.