Operating Systems

Congratulations...It's a DROID!!

As expected from the numerous leaks on the internet the third generation of the Motorola Droid series hit the market.  The Droid 3 is the latest in what was once the flagship product of the Motorola family.  Sporting a new keyboard, larger screen, and dual core processors this beast is poised to take the market.  Lets take a look at the specifications from Verizon.com

Network

• All–Digital, 800/1900, CDMA EVDO rev A and GSM 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS

Dimensions

• Dimensions: 2.5(w) x 4.9(h) x 0.5 (d) inches
• Weight: 5.9oz

Operating System

• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS with Motorola Application Platform

Display

• 4” qHD 960 x 540 Touch Screen Display

Keyboard

• 5–row QWERTY Keyboard with Ergonomic design
• Physical slide out QWERTY Keyboard

Battery

• Battery: 1540 mAH Li–Ion
• Usage Time – Up to approx. (min.): 550 Minutes
• Standby Time – Up to approx. (hrs.): 300 Hours
• SAR: Head: .77 W/kg; Body: 1.46 W/kg

Memory / Processor

• 16GB Internal memory for emails, texts, and apps
• Dual Core 1Ghz processor

I am on my 2 week mark with my new Droid 3 and so far I love it.  Coming from the Droid 1 the keyboard is stunning and does not feel stiff as my last phone.  It reminds me more of a Blackberry keypad where you get a nice click but almost no resistance.  Typing is fluid and quick once you get use to the slightly shifted keys.

The screen is equally stunning.  I had my worries due to the screen being a Pentile design however I see almost no fuzziness in even high contrast views.  As full brightness it is readable outside in everything but direct sunlight, a huge plus for me when I have to check emails on the walk into the building.  Some people do see slight pixilation so i would suggest checking the device out in a story before ordering.

The phone is fast, very fast.  Animation is quite smooth and games play flawlessly.  That speed does come at a bit of a price as the battery life does suffer.  Dropping the brightness and disabling the GSM radio (or removing the SIM card) help a lot with the battery.  There is an extended battery that also helps and adds very little to the width of the phone.

In hand the phone feels solid and about the same weight as the Droid 1.  It has similar size and weight to the Droid x.  The battery cover bothers me as it is the only plastic feeling part of the phone.  Removing the battery cover is easier with a screwdriver or some other leverage but can be done by hand.

As far as the software there is a ton of bloatware on the phone.  Blur seems to be much better than previous versions but I found msyelf quickly moving to ADW EX again.  The social apps are fairly well done but lack some customization.  They also seem to have some issues with networks like LinkedIn.  The gallery app needs some serious work to allow for folders as albums, however the link to the social media services along with DLNA capabilites makes up for the current shortcomings.

The remaining apps are bloat and I will be very happy once Root is unlocked and they can be removed.

On the note of Root this phone has a locked Bootloader, so custom roms are going to be a pain for now.  This may change as it is ether unlocked by developers or Motorola unlocks it (they promised the Atrix will be unlocked so it is not out of the question).

Another negative is the lack of 4G.  For a phone that was once the flagship of the Android movement this is a oversight that should not happen.  Rumors are that the Bionic will have 4G and will end up being the flagship product in the future.

Overall I love the new phone.  If you are looking for a good upgrade and can live without 4G for a few years this is a great path to take.