Database Develop

How many are happy or not happy.

Just wanna know how many people are happy with this phone and keeping it.
Vs
Returning it.
Besides the obvious bugs/screen etc.
I like it but I don't love it but not enough to return it.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

Love it. Keeping it.

Keeping it fersure... getting 10megabits down with 6/up. snappy and fast... rooted here.
came from a droid incredible with a dope rom from skyraider... I was running for 36 hours at a time with no kernel changes or undervolt... so my only complaint is the batt life sucks in comparison.

r4ph said:
Keeping it fersure... getting 10megabits down with 6/up. snappy and fast... rooted here.
came from a droid incredible with a dope rom from skyraider... I was running for 36 hours at a time with no kernel changes or undervolt... so my only complaint is the batt life sucks in comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to 4G. Its not the phone its 4G that sucks your battery. I will say this; The bionic is by FAR the best on battery life compared to all 4G phones on the market right now.

I adore it. I came from a Moto Droid that had a display that died on me, so I was waiting for this.
Yeah, the screen's pixels are a little annoying at times, but other than that its speeds are INCREDIBLE, the new motoblur or whatever it is called now isn't obtrusive (the phone is actually fast enough to run it where it is actually attractive), and best of all it feels great in the hand.
Also, the extended battery's replacement back for the phone doesn't add that much width to it, making it a really good purchase. Shame none of the cases they had in stock support the extended battery.
One thing that I think people ignore when writing about new phones is the sound quality, and many people I have called are astounded when I tell them that I'm on a cell phone. I was on the highway going 60 mph with the windows and roof open, trucks all around me, and my dad thought I was on a landline when I called him. However they made the microphone, they got it down perfectly.
Now, I *NEEDED* a phone because of work, so it isn't an option to wait for the Droid Prime or the iPhone 5. Am I happy with the Bionic? Absolutely. Would I have waited for an even better phone if I could have? Perhaps.
I feel like when phones come out, they are outdated within a few days unless it's an iPhone. Eventually you have to bite the bullet, and I think that the Bionic is the best bullet I've ever bitten into!

Feoen said:
I adore it. I came from a Moto Droid that had a display that died on me, so I was waiting for this.
Yeah, the screen's pixels are a little annoying at times, but other than that its speeds are INCREDIBLE, the new motoblur or whatever it is called now isn't obtrusive (the phone is actually fast enough to run it where it is actually attractive), and best of all it feels great in the hand.
Also, the extended battery's replacement back for the phone doesn't add that much width to it, making it a really good purchase. Shame none of the cases they had in stock support the extended battery.
One thing that I think people ignore when writing about new phones is the sound quality, and many people I have called are astounded when I tell them that I'm on a cell phone. I was on the highway going 60 mph with the windows and roof open, trucks all around me, and my dad thought I was on a landline when I called him. However they made the microphone, they got it down perfectly.
Now, I *NEEDED* a phone because of work, so it isn't an option to wait for the Droid Prime or the iPhone 5. Am I happy with the Bionic? Absolutely. Would I have waited for an even better phone if I could have? Perhaps.
I feel like when phones come out, they are outdated within a few days unless it's an iPhone. Eventually you have to bite the bullet, and I think that the Bionic is the best bullet I've ever bitten into!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the sound quality is superb. I don't sound like a robot coming from tb. My battery is awesome. From 630 to 12 only down 30% moderate use and that's alot. Glad that some peeps are happy.
Ill love it once I root this bad boy and get things going but man in so scared scratching this phone lol out of all th phones I've own this is the mother load of trying not to get it nik or so. It's so shiney and im ocd. About my phones lol. The case I got was from Verizon its that double layer case with ruber and hard screen and I like that.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

Case that i bought was already fitted for extended battery so i asked the rep how do i get extended battery and he said that he had one in the back bought it and been on battery since then phone is great keeping
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

I also love my Bionic, having upgraded from the Droid I. The only thing which I think it's missing is a widget to turn on/off the 4g. Other then the already mentioned 4g battery woes it's awesome.

Wapples said:
I also love my Bionic, having upgraded from the Droid I. The only thing which I think it's missing is a widget to turn on/off the 4g. Other then the already mentioned 4g battery woes it's awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM7 on the Tbolt has a toggle, but ya, I can see this as a pain on this phone. However, if you are using 4G - try juice defender. When the screen is off it will turn off data (and you can have your data turn on however often you wish to check for new data etc).
Highly recommend it.

I had to charge my phone yesterday twice. I went about 1.6hrs on the original charge then fully charged it. With heavy use it needed a charge around bedtime(2130). Today I got it off the charger at 0530 and used it heavy for about 40 mins, then barely touched it and it's at 70%. I have juice defender and it set to CDMA only. I do not like the battery life so far but I has ATK on it. I took it off and will see how it goes. I think the task killer is more harm then good.

Does anyone know the battery life with 4G turned off?
No 4G at all in my state yet, but our area should be getting it this year.

eakrish said:
I had to charge my phone yesterday twice. I went about 1.6hrs on the original charge then fully charged it. With heavy use it needed a charge around bedtime(2130). Today I got it off the charger at 0530 and used it heavy for about 40 mins, then barely touched it and it's at 70%. I have juice defender and it set to CDMA only. I do not like the battery life so far but I has ATK on it. I took it off and will see how it goes. I think the task killer is more harm then good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah and I would imagine there is a lot of bloat that can be removed with custom ROM's or tweaking CPU settings.
//oops.. double post.

I am so temped to say forget and go back to old faithful.... Ip4. I can go like two entire days on a single charge. I admit I have never used an android phone without the ATK. Maybe that's my problem.....

I like it coming from two Htc phones. Im only having an issue with the vibrate sounding really annoying like its broken and the battery only dropping by the 10's. It dropped from 100 to 90 then to 80%. Nothing in between. Im on an extended battery and seems to be doing okay so far.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

How bad is the thickness with the extended battery, VZW is selling them local for 25 bux

And the battery by 10s is normal for the new motorola phones

Keeping. Best 4g phone on Verizon
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

Toss me in on a keeper.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

DroidTh3ory said:
Toss me in on a keeper.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Myself as well. My only complaint is that with the extended battery it makes it feel like I'm holding a brick when compared to regular battery, but that's a small complaint considering how well the battery performs... It's just how thin the device is when compared to other LTE devices with regular battery...

Rooted in seconds and im really happy with it now. Just make sure you update the bb binary once rooted. It makes a hell of a difference imo
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

Droid4? LTE...

I'm going to be pissed if this comes out soon. I just got my D3 a few months ago
http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/27/motorola-droid-4-exposed-to-our-wandering-eyes-comes-with-lte-i/

If this is true my D3 will hit ebay and I'll buy a nexus. This is just bad business, asinine.
I don't see how they can do this to consumers and think it's okay. I signed an additional 2 years onto my 1 year for this phone, just to be ****ed in the ass 3 months later. I will not buy anything but nexus in the future. One phone a year, like it's supposed to be.

http://www.droid-life.com/2011/10/27/exclusive-first-pictures-of-the-droid4-by-motorola/
Can see VZ bloatware on one of the pics -- would assume this is fairly close. Moto/VZ appear to be really jerking around customers these days - I am sure Bionic customers are upset that the Droid RAZR came out so quickly (although the gap between Bionic and RAZR is much smaller), and now us Droid 3'ers have this Droid 4 coming out. I am more interested in how much RAM this thing has - LTE still sucks down too much battery life for my taste, and non-removable battery is non-ideal - I like the the slim Motorola extended batteries - the 1900 mah one for Droid 3 adds essentially no thickness and lasts a lot longer than stock 1500.

Rlin5741 said:
http://www.droid-life.com/2011/10/27/exclusive-first-pictures-of-the-droid4-by-motorola/
Can see VZ bloatware on one of the pics -- would assume this is fairly close. Moto/VZ appear to be really jerking around customers these days - I am sure Bionic customers are upset that the Droid RAZR came out so quickly (although the gap between Bionic and RAZR is much smaller), and now us Droid 3'ers have this Droid 4 coming out. I am more interested in how much RAM this thing has - LTE still sucks down too much battery life for my taste, and non-removable battery is non-ideal - I like the the slim Motorola extended batteries - the 1900 mah one for Droid 3 adds essentially no thickness and lasts a lot longer than stock 1500.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Non removable battery is an instant do not want from me also, but I'm just pissed about this ****. I will never buy another motorola phone, I'm done. Give me Nexus or give me death.

I paid full retail for this phone right when it came out, I'm pretty pissed. If that comes out within the next few months (from the looks of it, it will) it'll be goodbye moto and hello nexus for me.
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App

Yeah ill be pretty frustrated @ moto too.... problem is I can't live without a keyboard and for some reason moto is the only company willing to put out higher end keyboard phones

Well, the Nexus looks great (as long as you are ok with something that big - I am not), and I do love the idea of a pure Google experience, but nobody has actually used one; we have no idea how good or bad it will be. And, this is a Samsung phone, and is coming out even closer to the launch of the Samsung Charge than any the presumed D4 is coming to the D3. This is the reality - you reach a point to get an upgrade, you get the upgrade, and you stop worrying whether something slightly better is coming out in a few months - because it is.
I'm ok with a thinner device with non-removable battery - I have chargers everywhere, including in my car, and there are plenty of great portable charging devices that you can get for phones like that. After tons of issue with the Bionic over two weeks dropping data (3G, in areas where I know I have a solid 3G signal), I'm happy to have the D3 for the next 19.5 months, and give plenty of time to Moto and VZW to get LTE truly ready for prime time - because it's not quite there now. The D3 is a great phone and I'll be fine with it; not a single data drop since I've had it, and battery life is about the same as the Bionic (when it was running CDMA only).
I do think that this angle-cornered design of the Razr and this prototype is a bit on the unattractive side, though, compared with the Bionic/D3.

I don't mind that they are putting out another version of the Droid soon. It's a losing battle to have the latest and greatest phone. What bothers me is what will happen to OS updates. Will phones get abandoned quicker?
Also did anyone else notice non-removable battery, looks like I wouldn't buy it. I pay an and a leg for a phone along with a plan and both Verizon and Motorola act like they own your phone. Do they not realize why people buy Android phones? I can upgrade/swap batteries, I can run whatever programs I want, I can add a memory card, etc.

for people like sims and whitty who have been doing a lot of work on the d3 and are being ostracized, i firmly believe this is an idiotic move on moto's side. I'm probably gonna go the nexus route if the d4 drops as soon as everyone is speculating it is. This is some major bs.

At least I have the Transformer Prime to look forward to....
But seriously. Ugh. Waco has no 4G of any kind and won't for years to come so this doesn't affect me too much, but still. This will take away a huge amount of potential users and will piss off all the D3 buyers, especially the ones like me who bought it on full retail.

I hope the D4 will have no global radio, so I will not be tempted. ;-)

Most people won't have 4G for at least another year. By then, that phone will be obsolete, I wouldn't sweat the small stuff.
*If you're not on Gingerbread, you should be shot*

Really, who cares about 4G when the 3G part is not on par with a 3 years old Sonyericsson phone ?

Good God some of you are getting worked up over a phone. It is not a big deal just let it go.
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App

MrObvious said:
Good God some of you are getting worked up over a phone. It is not a big deal just let it go.
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a big deal because if someone wants a qwerty are they going to buy the 3 or the 4? We'll be left behind with a smaller community, as great as it is. It's just frustrating and I've had it with moto's bull****.
Sent from my DROID3 using xda premium

rweb said:
I hope the D4 will have no global radio, so I will not be tempted. ;-)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting point, if it does have a GSM radio, this will be the first Global capable phone with LTE. How wold that even work, 2 SIM cards?

Non-replaceable battery will keep it off my list too. I'm in the NYC Metro Area and I know a few people with LTE phones, Bionic, Charge and TB. All have the same complaint, the battery life is horrible and they have constant connection issues. I'm waiting until next year summer-fall when the 2nd or 3rd generation LTE chips come out.

i was pissed then i saw no removable battery the i was like i dont care lol. i choose unlimited 3g over limited 4g any day i got grandfatherd over so its all good

Motorola can't be serious, Droid 3 is only about 4 month old.
And I don't really like the curved design

jellman said:
i was pissed then i saw no removable battery the i was like i dont care lol. i choose unlimited 3g over limited 4g any day i got grandfatherd over so its all good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're on unlimited data now (using 3G), when you switch to a 4G phone you stay on unlimited data (now using 4G).

Should I get a DROID RAZR MAXX or a Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

I'm deciding on both. I need input on battery and reception. I work a lot so I barely use data and my Inc2 needed charge every night with less than average use. I do love ICS, what do I do?!?!

Galaxy nexus on my choice
Seems like you don't stay on your phone all day at work so would you really need the Maxx? Plus if you have a desk job you ciuld just hook up the charger.
Ics takes my vote on this
O and I don't like that you cannot remove the battery from the Maxx it makes me UN comfortable and makes me feel liner I own a iPhone
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Galaxy nexus, Motorolla has not behave properly with the bootloader's unlock, so if you want a customizable phone, go for the nexus

Nexus. It's not locked down like the Motorola, and since you're here at XDA i assume you like to do things with your device(s). Also:
- 720p display
- ICS

Nexus - Pure Google, need I say more?

bb4arson said:
Galaxy nexus on my choice
Seems like you don't stay on your phone all day at work so would you really need the Maxx? Plus if you have a desk job you ciuld just hook up the charger.
Ics takes my vote on this
O and I don't like that you cannot remove the battery from the Maxx it makes me UN comfortable and makes me feel liner I own a iPhone
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't work at a desk but I am a shift supervisor at Starbucks so I usually have my phone on Airplane Mode. Then I am usually at school and that is when I have my phone on but on vibrate. Another thing is that for some reason I get low reception around my house even though I am 1 mile or less away from a cell tower (according to Verizon rep).

LordManhattan said:
Nexus. It's not locked down like the Motorola, and since you're here at XDA i assume you like to do things with your device(s). Also:
- 720p display
- ICS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I LOVE to play with my phone's internals and all that good stuff that makes you stay up till 2 a.m.

[Q] Purchase Hesitate Plse Advise

I loved my OG droid. Battery life was kinda lame, new phone were coming out so I got a TBOLT. Tbolt is very lame.
deciding to get a droid 4. im worried about these screen issues, everyone cries about 2 things. the battery and the qhd screen.
is it really THAT bad? I hardly play games and maybe watch you tube once in a while. if i do a play a game is it going to ghost that bad?
if i do any media its a psx game or angry birds on the pooper. occasionally ill try a new game out but nothing big.
if im not using the droid will the battery go down? that makes no sense if it does (alot), my tbolt now is at 5 hrs 95% turned off data.
i read alot on the web and text/chat often.
should i not get this phone bc of battery life and screen?

The screen is not THAT bad. I think it's fine personally. It stutters when scrolling through text but I don't think it's a big deal. Is it as nice as the gnex or razr? No, probably not. But I think it's fine. I have played Dead Space on it with no issues.
Battery life is fine for me with moderate use. It makes it through a full day for me. 4G defenitely sucks the juice depending on how much you use it. I will usually plug it in to the car charger on my way home from work just to be safe.
If you don't need a keyboard there are better phones out there. But this is definitely the best keyboard phone out there and totally worth the trade offs IMO. Wouldn't have wanted to type all this using an on screen keyboard that's for sure!
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA

Thanks man, btw how bout this locked bootloader? whats that mean exactly?
are we going to get the rom support as we did with og droid?

Having a locked bootloader isn't as big a deal as some make it out to be. The way I understand it the only thing this really affects is the ability to flash custom kernels. Is it BS? Yes. But it's not the end of the world.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA

The locked bootloader is thankfully a minor annoyance thanks to the community and SafeStrap recovery. I have already tested CyanogenMod 9 alpha, and it worked smoothly.
Personally I am very happy with the screen. See my posts in "is the Droid 4 the best keyboard phone" for more information.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA

DroidOG > Droid4
I have the DroidOG and loved it. I was so reluctant to leave it, but when I got this phone, I was surprisingly impressed.
Battery life is not much different (at least for me) with this phone compared to the DroidOG.
Keyboard is amazing. I love what Motorola's been doing to their devices.
I have a Zagg on mine and the screen isn't as bad as I was expecting. I use the Droid 4 and a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket (which has a Super AMOLED Plus screen) and am not disappointed by the Droid 4 at all.

Droid 4 Screen
The screen is NOT that bad. You will get use to it. The only bad thing about the screen is the blur that occurs when you are scrolling test. Some apps are worse then others. PowerAMP has a pretty big blur when you scroll through text but with the stock web browser you don't really notice that blur on the text when you scroll. Another thing to keep in mind also is the qHD screens are pretty battery efficient which is definitely needed on a 4G LTE phone. Don't let the screen be a deal breaker because it really is a great phone IMO.

awesome guys thanks for the replies.
how is everyone's battery? How long can we get on a full charge?
if it can make a whole day 15 hours i'll be happy (moderate use) of course.
id be only using 3g and turning of data completly 8 majority of the day. (no service at works drains drains the bat searching for signal)

I leave background data, wireless and 4g connected all day, it does just fine. Needs a charge by the end of the night, but usually not before unless I spend several hours gaming or listening to music and keeping the screen on because I'm dumb. It does pretty good.
Could still go for a big fat battery backpack, though.

punkonjunk said:
I leave background data, wireless and 4g connected all day, it does just fine. Needs a charge by the end of the night, but usually not before unless I spend several hours gaming or listening to music and keeping the screen on because I'm dumb. It does pretty good.
Could still go for a big fat battery backpack, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't bother with wifi, but I do keep 4g on, and I get about the same results.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA

I duno whether to get a droid 4 or not and if yes will there be an international version with the gsm active? Any help please? And is the screen worse than the samsung galaxy s1? Thank you
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA

mygmy said:
I duno whether to get a droid 4 or not and if yes will there be an international version with the gsm active? Any help please? And is the screen worse than the samsung galaxy s1? Thank you
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basic advice, if you really want a keyboard, get the Droid 4. If not, go with Galaxy Nexus or Razr Maxx. I have heard that there is a GSM radio built into the Droid 4, it just isn't active. Assumption is Motorola will activate it at some point but who knows for sure. I don't have any experience with the Galaxy S1 but I think the screen on the Droid 4 is fine. Maybe not as pretty as some others, but it is not bad at all. I like it just fine. Performs will in sunlight which is a plus as well.

kwyrt said:
Basic advice, if you really want a keyboard, get the Droid 4. If not, go with Galaxy Nexus or Razr Maxx. I have heard that there is a GSM radio built into the Droid 4, it just isn't active. Assumption is Motorola will activate it at some point but who knows for sure. I don't have any experience with the Galaxy S1 but I think the screen on the Droid 4 is fine. Maybe not as pretty as some others, but it is not bad at all. I like it just fine. Performs will in sunlight which is a plus as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you and yeah i need a qwerty that's y i think d4 is the best qwerty phone till now
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA

Droid 4 worth getting still?

I am up for an upgrade on my company cell phone through Verizon. I have been looking forward to a physical keyboard hoping to see the Droid 5 by now.
At this stage, is the Droid 4 still a decent phone?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD

dmwagner said:
I am up for an upgrade on my company cell phone through Verizon. I have been looking forward to a physical keyboard hoping to see the Droid 5 by now.
At this stage, is the Droid 4 still a decent phone?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it is. Motorola is doing away with the droid series. X phone here I come!. Lol
Sent from my XT894 using xda app-developers app

Sure. The phone isnt bad. The battery just comes from a subpar time period. Be ready for that going in.
Sent from my DROID4 using xda app-developers app

I am coming from a Droid Charge which makes it to about 2pm each day before needing the battery changed out.
The Droid 4's battery, is it accessible to be swapped out easily?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

dmwagner said:
I am coming from a Droid Charge which makes it to about 2pm each day before needing the battery changed out.
The Droid 4's battery, is it accessible to be swapped out easily?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite the opposite. Its fixed to the phone by screws and a ton of glue.
Its a bit of an issue but for people who can charge often not so bad.
If im honest with you ide avoid the droid 4 now. I love it but thats only because of the fold out keyboard which i cannot survive without. So it depends on what you need it for. If there were a better option with a keyboard like this ide be straight on it

Battery life is much much better than the Droid Charge. Overall the phone itself is a pretty significant improvement over the Charge.
If a slide out physical keyboard is on your must have list, the Droid 4 is still a fantastic phone.
I take mine off the charger at 6:30 am and put it back on the charger around 11:00 pm (at @ 20% battery). I don't use it much for phone calls really....as I just don't care to talk on the phone. Texts, emails, apps primarily......

Rooted with cm10.1 and nos entropy scripts and my battery lasts all day cuz of entropies battery calibration
Sent from my XT894 using xda app-developers app

Still the best qwerty on Verizon
I LOVE my Droid 4, especially after rooting and using Eclipse JB right now. Looking forward to trying out other ROMs including CM10.1, since with Safestrap this phone is so easy to play with ROMs on since you get different rom slots you can install into. I find the battery life entirely acceptable under Eclipse, which is already improved over how it was stock. The Jelly Bean update that was pushed out recently improved performance on this device and the keyboard is by far the best qwerty keyboard out there. Unless you can pick up a Photon Q on Sprint, I'd say the Droid 4 is a safe bet, and will blow away your old Droid Charge easily. If you can wait, X Phone might be something fancy if it's announced at I/O next weekend, but I doubt it'll have a keyboard or physical buttons

There is no question that the Droid 4 is still the best hardware keyboard option on VZW.
Battery life is sufficient for most users to make it through a day of use without needing a recharge but is heavily dependent on specific network conditions and usage patterns.
The radios are excellent and the 4.1.2 JB release has the closest to AOSP UI of any of the OEMs and functions well even for users that are not interested in rooting and ROMs and other modifications of the device.

I still love my Droid 4. Even though it is outdated hardware-wise, it still deals with everything thrown at it very nicely. The keyboard is incredible, and if that is important to you, it's absolutely worth it. I weep at the thought of having to get a non-qwerty phone

Thanks for all the input here.
After some serious soul searching I have concluded that the most important feature in a phone to me isn't a keyboard, it's battery life. I think I am going to go with the Droid Razr Maxx HD.

dmwagner said:
Thanks for all the input here.
After some serious soul searching I have concluded that the most important feature in a phone to me isn't a keyboard, it's battery life. I think I am going to go with the Droid Razr Maxx HD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great choice there, easily the best phone on verizon right now (............x phone anyone?)

Droid 4 is the best hardware keyboard phone there is ATM. There are phones that are better in every other way but if you want a keyboard you want the driod 4.
For battery I and others have tried the make an extended battery pack using the charge back. For my part all I got out of it was 2 bricked phones.
Sent from my DROID4 using xda app-developers app

I came from the original Droid, and swore to get another physical keyboard and ended ordering the Droid 4 on release. I've had the phone for a about a year and 3 months now, and I'm still using the same phone. That being said, there are a few things about the phone I regret, or wish it had.
There is a common problem with a crackling speaker. I don't hear as much about this issue anymore, so maybe they fixed it. I'm often working in loud enviromments where I need to turn the phones volume to max, but often times it's still not enough. I've used other peoples phones before (Blackberry, Samsung) and was able to hear just phone in the same place.
I've started using Swype in the last 9 months or so, and since then, I hardly ever use the physical keyboard. Swype just seems so "smooth" for lack of a better term. No constantly tapping on the keyboard or glass, and it's really fast just using my thumb to type. Looking back, I would have liked to get a phone without a keyboard for a thinner device.
Lack of support from Motorola to developers is a HUGE one for me, and I will mostly likely not purchase another Motorola phone unless something changes. I don't know if this is because of the contracts Motorola has with Verizon, or for other reasons. There are other brands and phones out there that are capable of running their own unique kernel, without having to use KEXEC to get around it.
On the positive side of things, I've felt no lack in this phone for horsepower or capability. I almost never have a problem with signal strength, and I've never seen this phone struggle to run any programs. The battery life is okay and enough to get me through the day to put on the charger again at bedside.

Yes, I would recommend it!
Unless the next generation of Motorola smartphones includes a high-spec QWERTY in their ranks, I'd definitely recommend this phone. The screen isn't the best, sure. But I'm a power user, and I love it. Yeah you'll have to charge it a good amount throughout the day, but for the ease of typing for a social-networking and text-maniac like myself, this thing is PERFECT!

In terms of qwerty phones, the Droid 4 is still one of the best (and on VZW it's pretty much the only). For the past few weeks I've been running Eclipse JB and my battery lasts all day and then some - that's with emails, texts, taking pictures, videos, a few games, the works. I've found that the stock JB sucks battery power, but a lot of the ROMs are much more efficient. CM10.1 has come a long way and will probably be my new main. Even the stock JB is fast and responsive, if you're not into rooting and installing a ROM.
The keyboard is excellent, and it looks like this might be one of the last qwerty phones for a while... which is discouraging, but if a hardware keyboard is big priority then I'd highly recommend grabbing a D4 before they're all gone. The lack of removable battery is a bummer, because that means that the phone will require service or some creative "surgery" when the battery eventually goes bad and needs to be replaced, but I'm hoping there will be a new flagship qwerty phone by then (or aftermarket batteries available for the D4). \
Bottom line, get this phone!

After flashing cm10 and using nos entropy and its battery tweaks and ram tweaks I have no lag or battery issues. Phone usually comes off charger at 7am and goes on charger around 1am and still has 20%+ and that's heavy use of 4g GPS and music. Absolutely get this phone. Take the time to root install safe strap and cm10 + nos entropy ram and battery scripts. Plus nova launcher? Perfection IMHO.
Sent from my XT894 using xda app-developers app

I love my D4. Still a great phone for cheap compared to what's out there now. Love the physical keyboard, and a dedicated number row is fantastic.

I looooooooove the keyboard on the D4. It's so awesome, especially with real number keys. It makes entering the MyCoke Rewards codes a breeze. I really hope to get a few years of use out of this phone or until another awesome keyboard phone comes out. If one doesn't, I suppose I'll eventually have to embrace onscreen keyboards, but am not looking forward to that day.

Don't have a droid 4 I have a sidekick 4g but I am looking into this phone
An for on screen keyboards search the phones name and bluetooth keyboard an find on that is like a case an there you go never have to deal with on screen keyboards again c:
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