Credit where credit is due: the Droid Razr Maxx seems like an excellent phone.

[thermal]

I currently own an iPhone 4 which I'm very happy with. I'm eagerly looking forward to the iPhone 5 in six months, with a strong possibility of upgrading if it offers the hardware improvements I'm looking for.

In the meantime, I enjoy reading CNet and other sites about the latest in tech. I am an Apple fan, but I'm also a technology fan.

As such, I want to say well done to Motorola for building a very impressive phone in the Droid Razr Maxx. I especially like the battery life and the design & materials (scratch-resistant kevlar back).

I believe it's good for Apple to have strong competition. It continually pushes companies to bring out incredible products. And in the end, it's the costumers who win.

 

[WhoAmI2]

Ok, sounds good.

I often like to share my personal feelings but typically put them on a facebook update or my blog. I'm new here so it's cool to know I can come and do that here too!

 

[DakotaGuy]

I'm loving my RAZR MAXX. Imagine a 4G LTE device with battery life that exceeds a 3G device. Yes it's really that good. Plus it is still pretty thin because you don't need some ugly extended battery on it. I think if your on AT&T and can actually get fake 4G on your iPhone 4S then you might be happy with the speeds, but Verizon's 3G network is slow. With the MAXX you can talk and surf at the same time when your connected to a 4G network.

This phone is selling well since few stores can ever keep it in stock and orders are usually a few days out. Sure it isn't selling like an iPhone, but I bet it is one of the best sellers Verizon has right now.

 

[batting1000]

You can talk and surf on the iPhone too, nothing new here.

 

[lordofthereef]

You can talk and surf on the iPhone too, nothing new here.

Not on Verizon's network you can't.

 

[kre62]

I hear the screen on that phone is absolutely terrible. The perfect example of PenTile gone wrong.

 

[irDigital0l]

i like any phone that is amazing

 

[cynics]

I hear the screen on that phone is absolutely terrible. The perfect example of PenTile gone wrong.

While not as good as an iPhone it's pretty good. Most of the bad rep came from hearsay, like you "heard" it was bad.

 

[B777Forevar]

Too bad it has a locked bootloader.

 

[DakotaGuy]

While not as good as an iPhone it's pretty good. Most of the bad rep came from hearsay, like you "heard" it was bad.

Exactly. I don't have any issues with the qHD Super AMOLED display on this phone. It's not a Retina display but MUCH better then the PenTile displays used in past Moto smartphones.

I think the iPhone 4S might be a great AT&T device, but on Verizon it's pretty hard to be sitting with an old EVDO device when you live in the middle of a 4G LTE area. The biggest issue that LTE phones have is battery life. The RAZR MAXX not only fixes this issue, but actually provides battery life that exceeds 3G smartphones while running on LTE.

Even with a huge battery the device is pretty thin and fairly light. I'd say you have to give credit to Motorola for being the only one that builds a stock LTE device that doesn't need to be plugged in during the day or have a big ugly extended battery tacked onto it.

When it comes to network speed and the ability to talk and surf at the same time I am only speaking of the Verizon network. Once you have experienced their 4G LTE network it would be very hard to go back to an old EVDO only device.

 

[chrono1081]

I currently own an iPhone 4 which I'm very happy with. I'm eagerly looking forward to the iPhone 5 in six months, with a strong possibility of upgrading if it offers the hardware improvements I'm looking for.

In the meantime, I enjoy reading CNet and other sites about the latest in tech. I am an Apple fan, but I'm also a technology fan.

As such, I want to say well done to Motorola for building a very impressive phone in the Droid Razr Maxx. I especially like the battery life and the design & materials (scratch-resistant kevlar back).

I believe it's good for Apple to have strong competition. It continually pushes companies to bring out incredible products. And in the end, it's the costumers who win.

Everyone says this same thing but its never really true when it comes to Apple, they've always been innovators.

 

[Edge1978]

My friend got the Razr Maxx and she's in love. She used to have a Thunderbolt in which she had to plug it in at about 4:30 after unplugging it at 9:00. She said at the end of the day after extensive use she still has about 40% left.

 

[scaredpoet]

Everyone says this same thing but its never really true when it comes to Apple, they've always been innovators.

I have to disagree. Yes, Apple likes to do its own thing, but lets face it, in order to go a different direction, there must be a direction to divert from. Without that, Apple would have little motivation to innovate significantly. Why bother if there's no competition?

the RAZR Maxx is a great Android phone. Though, I do wish they'd retire the RAZR name, and come up with something else.

Would I switch to it? No. Still a good phone though.

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

Everyone says this same thing but its never really true when it comes to Apple, they've always been innovators.

To be an innovator you have to make use of newer technology in ways that no one else has before. Does Apple do a good job of 'refurbishing' past ideas so to speak and implement them into their products? Yes. Do they yield higher results then the original ideas ever did? Yes. Is it always original? No.

My Samsung Solstice(2009), for example, was a feature phone and had the ability to download updates over the air via 3G. The iDevice did not get this feature until a tad later down the road(2011).

 

[DakotaGuy]

Everyone says this same thing but its never really true when it comes to Apple, they've always been innovators.

Well usually I would agree with that, but in this case Apple is behind Moto when it comes to building 4G LTE phones. The MAXX proves that battery life isn't an issue and with some smart engineering you can pack that battery in without making the phone thick and ugly. In fact the MAXX is thinner then the iPhone 4S! Of course it is wider and longer, but almost all larger screened Android phones are these days.

I'm not saying that the iPhone is a bad device. It isn't. It is great, however the RAZR MAXX proves other companies are also capable of designing great products.

 

[chrono1081]

I have to disagree. Yes, Apple likes to do its own thing, but lets face it, in order to go a different direction, there must be a direction to divert from. Without that, Apple would have little motivation to innovate significantly. Why bother if there's no competition?

the RAZR Maxx is a great Android phone. Though, I do wish they'd retire the RAZR name, and come up with something else.

Would I switch to it? No. Still a good phone though.

They bothered with both the iPad and iPhone. Before the iPhone the closest phone to it was a Blackberry, which anyone who had one back then (myself included) can tell you it was hardly a user friendly device.

As for the iPad, nothing yet came out like that before. Same goes for the iMac. Apple crammed a computer into a monitor when it was first released in a small, desirable form factor.

To be an innovator you have to make use of newer technology in ways that no one else has before. Does Apple do a good job of 'refurbishing' past ideas so to speak and implement them into their products? Yes. Do they yield higher results then the original ideas ever did? Yes. Is it always original? No.

My Samsung Solstice(2009), for example, was a feature phone and had the ability to download updates over the air via 3G. The iDevice did not get this feature until a tad later down the road(2011).

It doesn't have to always be original, but many of their ideas are very original, hence why everyone copies off of them. Sure Apples taken some ideas but you'd be hard pressed to find a device out there today that wasn't somehow inspired by Apple.

 

[cynics]

New iPhone is coming!! It is rumored to have a bigger screen, LTE, more ram and maybe a higher clocked processor!!! Soooooo innovative!!! (sarcasm intended)

 

[TheGdog]

Exactly.
I think the iPhone 4S might be a great AT&T device, but on Verizon it's pretty hard to be sitting with an old EVDO device when you live in the middle of a 4G LTE area.

Personally I have zero issues with the Verizon 3G network where I am. I use it to stream Spotify when I drive, no issues with that. AT&T is horrible where I live, always dropping calls. I have friends who said that they would give up the iPhone to get off of ATT. It all depends on where you live.


I don't have an issue with the hardware end of android phones, but android IMO a disaster for an OS.

 

[kre62]

While not as good as an iPhone it's pretty good. Most of the bad rep came from hearsay, like you "heard" it was bad.

Is this hearsay?

http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/8/2547725/a-closer-look-at-the-droid-razrs-screen

The screen is junk.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Personally I have zero issues with the Verizon 3G network where I am. I use it to stream Spotify when I drive, no issues with that. AT&T is horrible where I live, always dropping calls. I have friends who said that they would give up the iPhone to get off of ATT. It all depends on where you live.

The Verizon 3G network is fine and has better coverage then AT&T, however once you have a 4G LTE phone on Verizon (with a good battery) it would be hard to go back to 3G EVDO only. Case in point.

I just ran a speed test on Verizon 4G - 23197 kbps down - 13672 kbps up.

With 4G disabled and on 3G only - 1325 kbps down - 796 kbps up.

Yep just a small difference.

Is this hearsay?

http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/8/2547725/a-closer-look-at-the-droid-razrs-screen

The screen is junk.

I guess it might be an issue if I spent all day looking at my screen with a magnifying glass.

If the RAZR MAXX has a junk screen what does that say about the slow and outdated 3G EVDO only radio in the Verizon iPhone.

 

[TheGdog]

The Verizon 3G network is fine and has better coverage then AT&T, however once you have a 4G LTE phone on Verizon (with a good battery) it would be hard to go back to 3G EVDO only. Case in point.

I just ran a speed test on Verizon 4G - 23197 kbps down - 13672 kbps up.

With 4G disabled and on 3G only - 1325 kbps down - 796 kbps up.

Yep just a small difference.

Yea, I have no experiance with Verizon LTE 4G so I guess I don't know any better. I just don't want to switch platforms for a faster connection. But very valid point. Can't lie, those speeds would be cool and I do live in a LTE area.

 

[TG1]

My Razr/Razr Maxx summary:

Likes: 4G LTE, 2x data promotion from Verizon, superior call quality

Dislikes: phone is too damn big, display is so-so (not terrible, but I definitely miss "retina"), camera is so-so (iPhone takes better pix).

 

[Macman45]

I currently own an iPhone 4 which I'm very happy with. I'm eagerly looking forward to the iPhone 5 in six months, with a strong possibility of upgrading if it offers the hardware improvements I'm looking for.

In the meantime, I enjoy reading CNet and other sites about the latest in tech. I am an Apple fan, but I'm also a technology fan.

As such, I want to say well done to Motorola for building a very impressive phone in the Droid Razr Maxx. I especially like the battery life and the design & materials (scratch-resistant kevlar back).

I believe it's good for Apple to have strong competition. It continually pushes companies to bring out incredible products. And in the end, it's the costumers who win.

Funnily enough, the last non iPhone I owned was the original Razr....It was way ahead of its time in design, style and function....I haven't held one of the new Android Razr's but I'm bound to come across one sooner or later...Looks a good product.

 

[ericrwalker]

Will it blend?

 

[kdarling]

Before the iPhone the closest phone to it was a Blackberry, which anyone who had one back then (myself included) can tell you it was hardly a user friendly device.

A Blackberry wasn't the closest relative to the iPhone, not by far.

In 2006, before the iPhone, my WinMo touchscreen smartphone had Google Maps, voice control, medical and notetaking apps, browsing with double-tap zoom (Netfront), weather widgets, TomTom navigation and Slingplayer over 3G. I had an account with the Handango store for apps.

At the time the iPhone first went on sale in mid 2007, you could get a WinMo touch phone with "retina" (over 300 PPI) display. E.g. the Toshiba Portege G900 and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1.

As for the iPad, nothing yet came out like that before.

Actually, there were several attempts to make a user friendly tablet, but they couldn't succeed without the ooomph of a large company behind it. (It was also too early for good wireless comms and broadband.)

For example, the FreePad was a Norwegian project back in 2000, with the stated goals:

...to provide a device, together with a suite of Internet and telephone services, that takes care of the everyday needs of ordinary people -- to check bank balances, play games, read newspapers . . . useful services."

"it must be so easy to use, that your grandmother can use it"

Like the much later iPad, it had a 10" screen, instant startup, a finger friendly simple UI, an onscreen keyboard, and basic apps like the Opera browser for internet access. It even had plans for a "FreePad Software Central" app store, where users would have to go for certified software downloads and upgrades.

It doesn't have to always be original, but many of their ideas are very original, hence why everyone copies off of them.

What ideas do you think were original? There's almost nothing in iOS that hadn't already been done in prototypes or commercial touch applications and mobile OS's in non-direct-consumer markets for years. I know, because drivers, UIs and apps have been my business since the 1980s. (I was programming capacitive touchscreen tablets for casinos in 1994. The gambling industry has nearly unlimited money for R&D.)

Sure Apples taken some ideas but you'd be hard pressed to find a device out there today that wasn't somehow inspired by Apple.

I agree, but it's not inspiration because of any new inventions.

Other manufacturers are inspired by the fact that Apple has popularized certain things... most importantly, a finger friendly UI and a central app store... and made a lot of money by doing so. Others want to be on that popularity wagon.

It's just like with the packaging. Apple did not invent white boxes with pictures, but they have popularized them at this point in time.

Note that I am VERY happy that Apple popularized touch. It has made my skills much more desirable as well