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Hey guys,
This is my first serious thread, so please hit me over the head with a frying pan if I did anything wrong. I won't take it personally. I tried to search the forums for an answer to this question but I couldn't find a thread about it, so here goes...
I'm sorta looking at the Droid 3 as a replacement for my Milestone. I've also looked at the Desire Z, but I'd really like to have a dedicated number row, which is one reason I'm not too keen on the Desire Z. So the Droid 3 looks pretty good to me right now, but it depends on how the keyboard feels.
My question is basically, has anyone who's owned a Droid or a Milestone (or any of the other phys-key phones) bought one of these, and can they tell me how the keyboard feels in comparison? Since I'd have to import it, I can't really go out to the store and try it for myself, which is what I'd normally do. Preferably I'd like to hear if the keys feel like they are just one plastic sheet, or actual different buttons. That's my main complaint with the Milestone, that all the buttons feel like they're connected and just cut out.
(Note: I don't want to start an argument about physical keyboards vs. virtual keyboards. I can't live without my QWERTY! )
Had an OG Droid with the bubbling keyboard issue. So in my experience this is much, much better. Keys feel great, perfect size, etc.
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium
I had an OG droid since day 1... 3 days ago I picked up a D3 and I have to tell you, the absolute best part about the phone is how exceptional the keyboard is. The Keyboard is the #1 reason I picked up the D3, I just cant stand using a touchscreen to type.
The phone has it's flaws, but I couldn't be happier having such an excellent keyboard. Totally worth it man.
i have 3 milestones, each with a slightly different physical keyboard (one completely flat, on slightly raised, and one really raised), and a couple of my mates have desire z's. i havent played with a d2/ milestone 2, but what i can say is that the d3's keyboard is infinitely better than any of my milestones, and better than the desire z's... the buttons on the d3 are much much easier to press than the ones on the milestone
it took me a while to get used to the d3 cause if the slightly larger size, but after a week or 2 i'm back to being able to type without looking, and i'm probably a little faster than i was with my milestone.
Thanks guys, that sounds reassuring! It sure looks like a good device too. I might hold off until some ROMs start showing up and development becomes fired up (Cyanogenmod is so lovely on my Milestone, I don't know if I could go back to stock), but it's definitely at the top of my to-get list with comments like that.
And yeah, I tried the Desire Z briefly with a friend and it was ok, but I didn't like the hinge (maybe it was my friend's set that was bad, but it didn't snap, so it would get stuck halfway, and if you held it upside down, it would just sort of hang there and get in the way of the keyboard)... And the number row is a big deal for me, too!
The keyboard feels like each key is an independent button. Sort of like the newer 'Chiclet' style keyboards on laptops and netbooks. Honestly, it is the best physical smartphone keyboard I have ever used.
The keyboard is the reason I got the Droid 3 over the Bionic.
D3 definitely feels like the keyboard has seperated keys, extremely nice to use in hand
I'm pretty sure this verdict will all depend on what phone you're coming from. I had a Touch Pro2 and that keyboard was amazing, arguable the best available to date. After having the D3 activated and under use for about 6 hours i'm not as impressed as I would have liked. One thing that is really bugging me is the sliding mechanism...I did see on all the reviews that they mentioned there was no spring in it but I really underestimated how hard it would be to open the keyboard, especially with the thin styling (not much to push against). I always find myself pushing slowly until i hear the 'click,' because i don't want to damage it but need to slide it all the way to reveal all the keys. Also the buttons are a little smaller than the TP2 so this will be a learning curve for me...it took me about a month to get used to a Blackberry I had as a temp phone so I'm hoping I'll get accustomed to this one just as quickly if not faster.
I'm almost positive in the end it will be more than satisfying. Just sort of a downgrade for me.
Easily the best physical keyboard I've ever used. The keys have a nice layout, perfect spacing and size, and the click is just right.
GoogleAndroid said:
Easily the best physical keyboard I've ever used. The keys have a nice layout, perfect spacing and size, and the click is just right.
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Like (almost) everyone says . . . they keyboard is exceptional. I thought the Atrix4g was well made, but this D3 takes the cake. It's hard for me to believe I once thought that HTCs were well-made phones. Moto has come a long way in build quality since my squeaky, uncomfortable-to-do anything with Timeport!
Ok so right now am looking for a phone to buy.
And had the droid x
And droid charge.
So my question is would anybody recommend the d3?
And how is the development for the d3 look in the future?
I heard about motorola unlocking the bootloader but when the day comes, will they only provide it with the new phones? Or would it be like an update?
Absolutely would recommend!
I wholeheartedly recommend the D3 - especially if you are looking for a physical keyboard.
Development is well under way and there are now at least 2 full working ROMs. I've tried both Steel Droid and Monster and both are great - i find monster to be faster and thats my preference.
When I first got the phone, I was pretty bummed that the locked bootloader had put a huge damper on development. Ever since root has been acheived, however, things have been much better and you could not pry my D3 from my cold dead hands.
I hear that Blur is much better than previous iterations, but I use launcher pro so I don't use blur at all.
heres a link to the ROM, Mods and Themes thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1289611
As much as I like my D3, I would not recommend it to anyone looking to get a new phone. unless you absolutely need a keyboard, I would wait for either the Droid Razr or Galaxy Nexus. Both will have better hardware and FAR better screens and will be LTE.
I got a D3 yesterday, after having the D1 the last two years. After about 20 hours using it, I love it. I really dig how fast it is, and the larger screen is nice too.
As soon as I got it home, I rooted it and ran the scripts to remove the VZW apps. I really don't see a need to flash a ROM since this D3 runs so smoothly already. I'd like to edit some PNG files here and there, and that will probably be about it for me. I remember the constant flashing of ROM's, SBF files, and themes on my D1. This time around, I'm really not looking forward to that. It feels to me like VZW and Motorola did a great job with the device as is once you skim off the bloatware.
Like SrulDog, I switched to LP immediately. I've been using LP since about the time it was released, so I am very comfortable with it. It runs great on the D3 too.
I say go for it. I don't know how it compares to the Droids you have owned, but I know it is much better than the D1.
-Mike
kishin14 said:
As much as I like my D3, I would not recommend it to anyone looking to get a new phone. unless you absolutely need a keyboard, I would wait for either the Droid Razr or Galaxy Nexus. Both will have better hardware and FAR better screens and will be LTE.
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Sure the screen looks crap sometimes. But I'm standing in direct sunlight in 100 degree weather right now and I can see every detail on it. Try that on an AMOLED.
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium
I have had this phone for a couple weeks and I am enjoying it. I had an OG Droid that the screen crapped out on me so this was nice because it works! I am used to the hardware keyboard on a Blackberry Tour/Bold 9650 but that's personal preference. I am getting used to this one though and I can fly on it so I guess it's pretty good for a keyboard.
A couple things I have done are root, freeze a few apps like VCast and run Autokiller at Strict, and the phone is as smooth as butter now. It has the same hardware as the Bionic really so I mean it's as high end as you can get. If you want 4G then as mentioned you should wait, but I have been getting great 3G speeds and yes I have to wait for the Market apps to download a little but it's a lot faster than it has been in the past with my OG Droid.
Well 4g isent really a biggy for me.
More like.batterry life and great rom features really
Androidsims said:
Sure the screen looks crap sometimes. But I'm standing in direct sunlight in 100 degree weather right now and I can see every detail on it. Try that on an AMOLED.
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium
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+1
/droid3
Great responses here! This is why I love XDA! To answer the question…yes, I would definitely recommend getting a DVD for all the reasons given above. Dev work is going well, CM7 is on the way, and we MAY have an AOSP rom by the weekend (permissions to port pending). The physical keyboard is outstanding, and the screen is good. Even though colors are a bit washed out, being able to view the screen in direct sunlight, with no issues, is a massive bonus. If you don't need the keyboard, and can wait a little while, I would jump all over the Nexus Prime/ galaxy Nexus/ whatever they're calling that 4.65" piece of sexiness! Either way, you'll end up satisfied imo.
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium
The biggest bugger for me is the lack of RAM. Phone would have been a whole lot better if it had 1GB ram instead 512MB only. The screen is a letdown IMO, but indeed is great in the sun and also better on the battery.
Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk
Aside from the occasional issues from being in Australia, I must say I recommend the Droid 3. It's excellent!
I still fail to see what the lack of ram is holding us back from. But I've already convinced pne person to buy this phone, and they text me damn near everyday to thank me.
sent from my MONSTERDroid3 from the XDA app
Two years ago the Milestone was an awesome terminal for its time.
Nice design, perfect size, one of the best display ever seen, incredibly good audio quality and decent CPU power.
The only drawbacks were the horrible battery life, the cheap keyboard and the crap camera.
The D3, although can't be considered a bad phone, is the shadow of what the MS1 was.
The performances (I mean the real ones, not the benchmarks) aren't on par with one years old phones, the crap camera and the poor battery life are still there, the keyboard is improved but is still built like a toy, while the phone grown more than the display, the display went from the best available to the worst ever seen, the signal sensitivity went from the top to the "below the average". The audio quality, while better than the HTC phones is not on par with the motorola ancestors.
As I already said, my Desire Z (aka G2) was a better phone in any area, excluding the audio level and the lack of the numeric ROW.
From my point of view was a boring phone, everything worked from the beginning, good battery life, great photos, super stable system, good keyboard, and fantastic tethering capabilities.
The display was also good, not as the one on the Milestone 1, but light years better than the Droid 3's one.
All in all I suggest to buy the D3 only if you can get a very good deal.
If you like a ready to go smartphone, a DZ/G2 is still a way better choice, especially considering its today average price.
gravenimage said:
I still fail to see what the lack of ram is holding us back from.
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x2.
i think people come from older phones and get hung up on the numbers when with a better processor and other amenities a 'low' RAM really isn't a factor and can actually make the phone faster with everything cached and saved to the system memory. I don't even check the RAM since i've never had an issue with slow or choppy speed.
Also i go a whole day with my phone and end with 30% battery at the end of the day. i use it heavy while im out, not as much when home from work but even then i come home with 50-40% battery. I'm not sure what you guys are doing to get poor battery life.
kern417 said:
x2.
I'm not sure what you guys are doing to get poor battery life.
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Usually just using it on modern networks.
The motorola basebands are usually poor (especially on the erly releases), and the power drain has a lot of variation depending on the generation and the make of the BTS/node-b, whatever.
Just for example when I got the milestone 1, with the initial firmware tha battery lasted less than six hour with a vodafone SIM, and almost a day with a three SIM.
The Solutor said:
Usually just using it on modern networks.
The motorola basebands are usually poor (especially on the erly releases), and the power drain has a lot of variation depending on the generation and the make of the BTS/node-b, whatever.
Just for example when I got the milestone 1, with the initial firmware tha battery lasted less than six hour with a vodafone SIM, and almost a day with a three SIM.
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Idk I hear people on Verizon say the same thing and we get pretty good service just about everywhere. sure at my old job where I was tucked in the basement my phone would die quickly but I couldnt blame that on the phone or the software, like you said it's the radio trying to get signal. I think it more depends on the user and how they use the phone/what services they run.
I had installed Juice Defender originally because i thought it would increase battery life, but i turn my screen on and off so much that it actually drained more battery from turning data off and on all the time, so now i only use it to automatically enable wifi when i'm home and turn off data while i'm asleep. maybe something like that could help you out?
All in all I think the D3 is one of the best Android options out. Plus i'm petty and like the fact that not everyone around here has one since it didn't seem to get a bunch of publicity...people still ask me 'What phone is that???"
kern417 said:
I had installed Juice Defender originally because i thought it would increase battery life, but i turn my screen on and off so much that it actually drained more battery from turning data off and on all the time, so now i only use it to automatically enable wifi when i'm home and turn off data while i'm asleep. maybe something like that could help you out?
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When I bought the MS1 "wi sync plus" was the program that saved the ms1 form a jump out of the window.
Btw i never tried any wi sync+ clone, like juice defender.
I'm about to purchased D3 today. Too bad it's hard to find one here. Already ask the seller to check with the supplier if there is any. I only found Motorola Atrix at one single shop here.
This is definitely my choice right now. In my opinion, 512MB RAM is enough for a dual core 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 SoC processor. PowerVR SGX540 is just nice, too bad that it only support OpenGL 2.0 and not DirectX as in Playstation Vita with PowerVR SGX543.
QWERTY keyboard has improved a lot this time. It had HDMI Type-D, Physical Button for Camera & Sound Volume & Micro-USB. I really hope it will get ICS update when it release and capable of USB Host. Another thing is that Motorola had been bought by Google, I believe Motorola will have latest update every time new Android version released. I hope so
One thing that make me stay away from Samsung Galaxy S2 is that it had one single port Micro USB for everything(HDMI through MHL, USB data, USB Charging, USB Host)
If i use HDMI output, then I cannot use USB Host at the same time. I wonder if the USB Host adapter connected to USB Hub, can it handle and recognize multiple device such as keyboard, mouse,game controller,USB Pendrive etc?
Yeah, but the way I understand it, even the phones that have 1gb of RAM right now (Atrix, Bionic) dont really have 1gb because 512mb is locked to be used with Webtop. And so far as I have been able to find, no other phone has more than 512mb right now. Can anyone confirm?
This mattered to me because I have an Atrix right now on AT&T and I absolutely love the phone, but can't take the ****ty service everywhere anymore, have to switch to Verizon. I had basically three phones I was looking at in the Amazon penny sale, D3, Bionic and the new Samsung qwerty, Supernova or something. So, if the above is right, the D3 I'm getting is essentially the same phone as my Atrix now without Webtop (don't care) or 4g (not here for years, boucou wifi) but with a physical kb, which actually makes it way better. I actually really, really like Gingerblur, and if it's slow I dig Launcherpro, so I should be good, yeah?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
This. Coming from an Atrix getting HDMI mirroring will be a big deal to me; I didn't buy any docks and haven't rooted or reflashed other than official 2.3 update, so the only thing I ever get over HDMI is the media player interface. Which is cool, but I want something else.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Hey everyone,
I'm about to buy the Droid 3, Bell version to work on the Rogers network. I have read there are issues with the speakers, random reboots, call quality issues? Have these issues been fixed? Should I avoid this phone or is it worth buying? I love Motorola. Would love to hear your experience with your Droid 3 since most of have had it since day one.
Thank you.
Had a problem with the headphone jack
The headphone jack stop working on my phone after a few weeks, couldn't return it or anything bought it off of craigslist. Wasn't a deal breaker for me though, got a pair of bluetooth head phones and been happy with it. Running the liberty rom with the sd card boost, and the phone flies.
Is the headset jack a known problem? I didn't read about that. Not a deal breaker for me because I use a BT headset as well. So everything is working great for you? Is the liberty rom better than steel droid?
Wirelessgirl said:
Is the headset jack a known problem? I didn't read about that. Not a deal breaker for me because I use a BT headset as well. So everything is working great for you? Is the liberty rom better than steel droid?
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I saw it on a few phones, but I don't think it is that common. I don't know about steel droid. I'm waiting on the bugs to work out enough to load hash's ICS rom.
Wirelessgirl said:
Hey everyone,
I'm about to buy the Droid 3, Bell version to work on the Rogers network. I have read there are issues with the speakers, random reboots, call quality issues? Have these issues been fixed? Should I avoid this phone or is it worth buying? I love Motorola. Would love to hear your experience with your Droid 3 since most of have had it since day one.
Thank you.
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Thespeaker issue is really quite minor, a garbled ringtone occasionally that fixes right away, I've never had a random reboot, I know others have but I believe its been fixed with the latest update. Never heard of call quality problems
Sent from my R800i using xda premium
Endoroid said:
Thespeaker issue is really quite minor, a garbled ringtone occasionally that fixes right away, I've never had a random reboot, I know others have but I believe its been fixed with the latest update. Never heard of call quality problems
Sent from my R800i using xda premium
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Thanks for posting. I see you're with Bell. How long have you had the phone for? How is it holding up so far? Also, were you able to root the phone? I want to get it and use it on the Rogers network.
Wirelessgirl said:
Thanks for posting. I see you're with Bell. How long have you had the phone for? How is it holding up so far? Also, were you able to root the phone? I want to get it and use it on the Rogers network.
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I've had it since shortly after release, when I first got it, on android 2.3.4 it was grabage, terrible battery life, issues with keyboard input so bad it was unusable, no dev for it. I was ready to sell it. Now that we have2.3.6 it an awesome phone. Between the software fixes and the ability to flash custom roms I have no issues with my phone. I love it. Rooting is no problem. Search for zergrush root method. Unlock for use on rogers is doable, I tried unlocking it for use when I travel in the states but had some problems getting a code but many others have sim unlocked theirs. I think its just persistance, if one place can't find the code, another will. I've heard a site called mobileincanada(I think) works well, I haven't tried it yet
Sent from my XT860 using xda premium
I played around with the XT860 last night and the keyboard is too wide for me to use. I have small hands and found there's quite a bit of travel when trying to type a sentence. I really want an Android with a physical qwerty keyboard but there aren't that many choices out there. I did try the Droid Pro but found the keys were too low and hard to press on. Any suggestions?
Wirelessgirl said:
I played around with the XT860 last night and the keyboard is too wide for me to use. I have small hands and found there's quite a bit of travel when trying to type a sentence. I really want an Android with a physical qwerty keyboard but there aren't that many choices out there. I did try the Droid Pro but found the keys were too low and hard to press on. Any suggestions?
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Coming from a blackberry I found the same at first. Was hard to reach the middle keys but I'm used to it now
Sent from my XT860 using xda premium
Endoroid said:
Thespeaker issue is really quite minor, a garbled ringtone occasionally that fixes right away, I've never had a random reboot, I know others have but I believe its been fixed with the latest update. Never heard of call quality problems
Sent from my R800i using xda premium
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I originally had a lot of problems with my keyboard, there's some sort of plastic overlay for the keys that wasn't seated properly or something. Moto fixed it. Have you played around with the SG 2 at all and just the onscreen keyboard? In portrait it might be exactly what you're looking for though I would expect in landscape it would be too wide again because of the size of the phone, other than that the Dext has a lot smaller keyboard but it's 1/4 the phone but it's also a slider.
Endoroid said:
Coming from a blackberry I found the same at first. Was hard to reach the middle keys but I'm used to it now
Sent from my XT860 using xda premium
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I use a BlackBerry as my main device but I'm having a lot of problems with it. I was thinking about switching over to an Android as my main device and BlackBerry as my secondary device. But nothing beats the keyboard on the BlackBerry. It's so easy to type on them. Again the issue I have is the keyboard is a lot wider than the standard BlackBerry keyboard that I'm used to for so many years. There's no travel required when I'm typing on my BlackBerry. On the XT860 I find that I am reaching for a number of keys. I don't think this is a matter of getting used to. It's the fact that I have very small hands. For me to transition to a touchscreen keyboard is extremely hard at this time. I'm not saying it will never happen. But I don't know if I could live without a physical keyboard at this time.
Any other suggestions? Help me please! I love Android!
Willis111 said:
I originally had a lot of problems with my keyboard, there's some sort of plastic overlay for the keys that wasn't seated properly or something. Moto fixed it. Have you played around with the SG 2 at all and just the onscreen keyboard? In portrait it might be exactly what you're looking for though I would expect in landscape it would be too wide again because of the size of the phone, other than that the Dext has a lot smaller keyboard but it's 1/4 the phone but it's also a slider.
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I played around with the SG 2 but I don't want to get a Samsung because they don't have an led notification light for alerts. As a BlackBerry user, I got so spoiled with the led notification light for alerts and it's a must have for me. So it's either Motorola, HTC, or Sony. Too bad the Galaxy Nexus is such a big phone.
I've been doing some research, reading some reviews, asking friends, etc. It pretty much all came down to the Droid 4 when asking for the best keyboard phone out right now. However, I want to your opinions cause.. well XDA seems to know pretty much know everything about phones.
So.. is this the best keyboard phone currently out? (I absolutely dislike on-screen keyboards). Are there better ones coming out soon? I think I've heard some rumors about the Droid 4 Maxx? (Probably total bogus) Thanks in advance.
The keyboard on the Droid 4 is by far the best i have used amongst the Droid series. (I had the D2G which I wore the keys off of and used a D1 along with D3 from friends). Also beats other keyboards from blackberry and WinMobile phones.
The number row is a huge improvement and I like the back-light around the edges of the keys.
Only issue I have found so far is that if you use SwiftKeyX for your onscreen keyboard then the caps lock key does not work, but that is a minor issue and should not affect you if you dont use or change from the default stock onscreen keyboard app.
Absolutely. I got the Droid 4 for the keyboard, after having a Droid 1, Droid 2, and having worked extensively with an LG Ally. The Droid 4 keyboard is the best. Period.
Plus, already rooted, and already it has a semi-stable Android 4.0 port.
i think so... thats why i bought it
Yes. Have never typed faster on a phone.
IMO Epic 4g/ Stratosphere KB is still better feel wise. I played with D4 and while it's an improvement on D2 and D3, the key spacing isn't as good as on the Sammys. Alas, Epic skips keys... don't know whether the issue was fixed on the Stratosphere
I actually love everything about this phone, BUT the screen. Why did they choose to go PenTile? Oh, and the non-removable battery.. I'm really questioning their decisions. I heard it was to reduce the thickness of the device?
iamandrewww said:
I actually love everything about this phone, BUT the screen. Why did they choose to go PenTile? Oh, and the non-removable battery.. I'm really questioning their decisions. I heard it was to reduce the thickness of the device?
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The screen was why I chose not to get it, ultimately. Why couldn't Moto use the same screen as Droid Razr?
iamandrewww said:
I actually love everything about this phone, BUT the screen. Why did they choose to go PenTile? Oh, and the non-removable battery.. I'm really questioning their decisions. I heard it was to reduce the thickness of the device?
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Is the screen really that bad? Was playing around with one today in the VZW store, and it didn't bother me at all. One of the advantages of that screen type is that it uses less power, which is a definite plus for a 4G phone without a removable battery...
Screen is fine
No, the screen is not bad. I live in the Mojave, where the days are bright, and I can see the screen just fine. Viewing angle is perhaps not the widest but then it's not my choice for a Superbowl party anyway. SAMOLED may look a bit brighter but that comes at a cost; display is never the top item on my list of what's draining the battery (even though my area has no 4g yet). Keyboard is fantastic; I really used the so-so keyboard on my D1, tried a bionic but found myself thinking, "I'll wait 'til I'm at my computer to send that email." If a good physical keyboard is important to you, and you want dual-core and 4g too, don't let the screen stop you. -GEF
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 PM ----------
I like the idea of a replaceable battery, but I never actually replaced the one in my D1. Thanks to iphone never having one to begin with, there are now plenty of external battery options that plug in via usb, and they're cheap on Amazon. -GEF
gefagan said:
No, the screen is not bad. I live in the Mojave, where the days are bright, and I can see the screen just fine. Viewing angle is perhaps not the widest but then it's not my choice for a Superbowl party anyway. SAMOLED may look a bit brighter but that comes at a cost; display is never the top item on my list of what's draining the battery (even though my area has no 4g yet)...
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 PM ----------
...I like the idea of a replaceable battery, but I never actually replaced the one in my D1...
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I actually agree on both counts. Personally, I have found the PenTile display to be very bright, and it has very nice contrast. It's not as "sharp", perhaps, as the older-style LCD displays, but it works significantly better in direct sun, even compared to AMOLED displays, and uses less power at full brightness. Honestly, I think that the benefits of the screen outweigh the negatives, especially when you consider that this is a phone, not a tablet. In other words, while I may spend hours reading text on my Nook Color, I don't generally use it in direct sun. On the other hand, I do often want to check an email, or get directions, even in the direct sun on my phone, and the PenTile screen excels at this.
As for the battery, it has been shown to be removable (sort of), it just takes a bit of prying. That said, I've never had to replace a battery in a phone that didn't go out within the first year. Generally, it seems that a battery will either fail within the first year, or keeps working.
Here's some info on the battery; it shows how to remove it:
http://www.batteryforum.org/t948-motorola-droid-4-xt894-battery-snn5905a
Thank you for the responses guys. Reading what you guys wrote about the screen is definitely a perspective changer. Seeing that PenTile even saves battery compared to other screens is a major plus as well. I also have major issues using my current phone in the sun so this screen is like a breath of fresh air.
On another note, removing the battery is way easier than I thought! Are there any extended batteries for the Droid 4 out there? I would think they are very rare to come around
I don't think we'll see any extended batteries, but I do expect to at least see replacement batteries soon enough.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA
Still prefer the keyboard on my TouchPro 2, but this one is only slightly worse. And far better than any of the other choices out there. The power button placement is wrong; it's on the keyboard body and it frequently gets hit by accident while I type.
On the TP2 I tweaked the kb backlight driver to soft fade on and off. I miss that; waiting for the D4 kernel source so I can get that going here too.
The display is acceptable in most apps and uses. Running Connectbot, you can plainly see the individual subpixels in all of the text and it's quite ugly; it also makes smaller fonts illegible. I'm finding that I hate this, over the week or so that I've had it.
Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk
how do you hold the phone so that you hit the power button while typing? i have never had that issue.
as for the pixelation... it is actually much less noticeable when running ICS so it might be a blur thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vha62lcGSgs
I mean seriously watching this video the buttons don't even vanish when you're in an app. I mean seriously how did Google think this was a good idea? Means you just hit them all the time or you have to be really careful where you touch and they don't change to which way you hold the phone.
How hard is it to A. Use that massive bottom part of the Bezel with Hardware buttons or B. Have some kind of gesture to hide them? I don't care if there is some rooted app out there, it needs to be standard, I just don't get how Google have overlooked this. People keep making a case that software buttons are better because you can change them....... have they ever changed? They've been the same standard design since I started using Android and whocares if they change in the future? I'm using my GS2 and the buttons work fine, just because they look different doesn't mean they have less functionality.
this may come off as I'm defending the Nexus 4 mindlessly but I'm not a huge fan of touch screen gaming. The whole reason I got the Evo Shift instead of a higher end phone was for the keyboard so I could play my games the way I like. I actually just bought a PS3 controller for my phone but I have to wait until Sixaxis Controller updates for 4.2. Though of course it doesn't work with most app store games, but I don't really enjoy playing those anyways
Venekor said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vha62lcGSgs
I mean seriously watching this video the buttons don't even vanish when you're in an app. I mean seriously how did Google think this was a good idea? Means you just hit them all the time or you have to be really careful where you touch and they don't change to which way you hold the phone.
How hard is it to A. Use that massive bottom part of the Bezel with Hardware buttons or B. Have some kind of gesture to hide them? I don't care if there is some rooted app out there, it needs to be standard, I just don't get how Google have overlooked this. People keep making a case that software buttons are better because you can change them....... have they ever changed? They've been the same standard design since I started using Android and whocares if they change in the future? I'm using my GS2 and the buttons work fine, just because they look different doesn't mean they have less functionality.
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This is not a Google problem, this is an ap developer problem. They can design the game to function like you want but they choose not to. Blame them, not Google.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
The whole point is to create the "physical button feeling" yet have them flexible for different apps. I think its a great idea! Physical buttons are annoying and are locked into doing only one function. Getting rid of the navigation buttons is like telling apple to get rid of the app dock at the bottom of their phone..... that's the way it was designed for the majority of users. If you don't like it then find a way to change it....you can its Android.
Dude chill... the software buttons are just another method like capacitive touch buttons..just incorporated into the screen. jus look at the specs of the nexus 4 as it has a 4.5 inch screen... if u cant live with that and want a bigger screen then fine move on and get the one x+ or something that has 4.7 inch screen plus capacitive touch buttons.unless you want THEM to disappear in an app too...
If we are going to complain about button placement can we not start with developers persistence with placing menu buttons at the top of most apps! They either have long fingers or small phones. I found this annoying on my SGS1 and very annoying on my Note 2, for obvious reasons. IMO Boat Browser is one of the few browsers that have placed the menu and navigation buttons in a sensible place.
I'm actually a big fan of the software buttons. This is one of the reasons I changed from the OneX to the Nexus4.
There are so many more interface possibilities with the software buttons, and as mentioned earlier the software devs need to make their apps more aware of their presence.
I haven't had to used on screen buttons with my gnex for about 10 months now and same with my Nexus 7 since I got it. There's a way to remove the on screen buttons by modding the res-framework apk. It's as simple as finding the option and and changing it then recompiling the new apk and pushing it to your phone.
Not sure if it's still this simple since I haven't had to do it for a while now that there are a few roms with the option to remove the Nav buttons. I would try if I had the Nexus 4 but that might not be for an while now.
I'm sure this feature will be included in nexus 4 roms too just be patience. I'm the meantime you can check out LMT, its a nav button alternative that uses pie menu that disappears when not in use.
If done right, the on-screen buttons are actually great.
If there are no dedicated buttons. they could either make the screen bigger, or remove the bezel on the bottom of the device, making it significantly smaller.
Also, there needs to be an option to hide them manually whenever you want, whether the application supports hiding the buttons or not. I know that there are such features in CM10 and other custom ROMs, but this needs to be a default feature on any device with on-screen buttons.
I like the buttons and they are not visible when viewing full screen video. That to me is when I care most about the screen space.
sent via xda premium with nexus 7
I love the buttons. Looks so much better than actual hardware buttons.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
A lot of us like the onscreen buttons. If you don't, get another phone. Most don't have them. Those of us that like onscreen buttons have like 2 options, you have 100000. If Google puts capacitive buttons on the next Nexus because of whiners like you, I'm gonna be really upset.
I would have preferred hard buttons and a full 4.7 screen. Similar to the One X. There are only 3 phones with on screen buttons. Most game devs are gone make thier games for the biggest market which is hard button phones.
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using xda premium
seamus5 said:
I'm actually a big fan of the software buttons. This is one of the reasons I changed from the OneX to the Nexus4.
There are so many more interface possibilities with the software buttons, and as mentioned earlier the software devs need to make their apps more aware of their presence.
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So am I. It makes navigating through the system easier and a lot smoother. Just like the multitasking icon, you don't have to press and hold like in the galaxy s phones for example. Also OP, the software keys disappear when you watch a vid, YouTube etc.... And you mentioned that they should use the bottom bezel, well that's where the notification light is.
Sent from my Nexus quattro using Tapatalk!
NardVa said:
There are only 3 phones with on screen buttons.
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Nope. There's lots. The two Nexus, all the new Motos, Sony have started using them (Xperia T), Asus Padfone uses them too.
I hate people like op. If you know that this device has on screen buttons - and you should know this by now because there was galaxy nexus with same buttons- why the fcuk did you buy it in the first place? The whole spec sheet is there, all the info about the phone is written down... I knew it has glass back I knew it has non removable battery or no SD card or friggin buttons. Don't complain if you know what you're buying
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
MattSkeet said:
I hate people like op. If you know that this device has on screen buttons - and you should know this by now because there was galaxy nexus with same buttons- why the fcuk did you buy it in the first place? The whole spec sheet is there, all the info about the phone is written down... I knew it has glass back I knew it has non removable battery or no SD card or friggin buttons. Don't complain if you know what you're buying
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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+1
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda app-developers app
The worst thing about this phone is its ability to attract users like the OP who don't bother to look at what they are getting and then to come in here on XDA and create the most ridiculous threads. I hate that about this phone. Anyone know a fix?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
At first I thought it would bother me coming from a Gs2 Skyrocket but really it looks so much better. It does make it so much easier to navigate and if you don't like em we have all the best devs migrating to the N4 so I'm sure we will have many different setup options soon. I'm loving the stock right now though buttery smooth.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I change my buttons all the time. Google may not, but I like my menu and search button. I much prefer on screen buttons.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2