Motorola Droid 2 welcomed with mixed reviews

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With the highly anticipated release of the Droid 2, it was expected that this would be a must have smartphone. Granted, it is a very good smartphone that is more than capable to hold its own, but its lack of overall improvement over the original Droid left many early reviewers wanting more.

To begin with, the keyboard on the Droid 2 is still difficult to type with, with the keys not being particularly easy to press. The keyboard overall is still an improvement, but most were hoping Motorola would make it as perfect as possible. Bigger problems than they keyboard however include buggy wifi operation and mediocre call quality. There have also been reports of inconsistent Flash performance.

One lacking feature that is surprisingly missing: no HDMI.

Another disappointment for some users is that unlike the original Droid, the Droid 2 uses Motoblur. Many people have said they prefer the vanilla version of Android.

Not everything is bad though. The Droid 2 is the first phone to ship with Android 2.2 Froyo, runs a 1Ghz processor, has a 5 megapixel camera, and a relatively sleek design.

In comparison to its Droid X cousin, the Droid 2 is just not that upgrade worthy. Its a good phone, but it does not differentiate itself from the original Droid enough to make it a real hot item.

The one cool thing about this phone though, is that Verizon and Motorola are going to release a R2D2 version of this device in tribute from the character in Star Wars.

Droid 2 coming thursday, Droid discontinued.

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Add another high end smartphone to this summer's list of super powerful phones. The Droid 2, which shortly follows the Droid X in its introduction into the market, is expected to be available for sale on Thursday. The Droid 2 not surprisingly is expected to run Android 2.2 with the Motoblur skin. This device is expected to cost $199 with a 2 year agreement with Verizon, or $599 without.

In addition to this news, the days of the original Droid are over. Verizon has announced that they are no longer selling this device, which in the 9 months it has been on the market, it has helped demonstrate the true potential of the Android operating system.

Android 2.2 Not Coming to Droid X Until September

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According to a Motorola employee, Android 2.2 will not be out for the Droid X until early September. This is big disappointment for Droid X owners, as the device has been riddled with software bugs, most of which are expected to be fixed with the update. It also appears that the original Droid will not obtain full Flash support until August 18th. Unfortuanately for these owners, they are going to have to play the waiting game, while Evo and Nexus One owners enjoy Android 2.2 in its entirety.

Froyo 2.2 on Evo 4G, Motorola Droid

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As expected, yesterday Android 2.2 Froyo was released for the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint and now today customers using Verizon's Motorola Droid can manually obtain the update. Although not much was changed aesthetically, just a few minor tweaks here and there, there was a big change under the hood. The new OS is speedier and more efficient, and web browsing is now noticeably quicker as well.

The biggest feature of Android 2.2 however, is full Flash 10.1 support. You know those flash based games on websites that never worked on your phone before? Well now they do, thanks to this update. Other updates include new security options, voice dialing over bluetooth, and new management features.

The performance of the new Android OS is perhaps the biggest advantage of upgrading next to Flash support, and now that Froyo is rolling out, we should begin to hear leaks of information about the next future OS version, 3.0 Gingerbread.

*Note: Many people have asked me why Android 2.2 has been nicknamed "Froyo". Google has given a nickname to each version of the operating system beginning with cupcake (1.5), followed by donut (1.6), then eclair (2.1), and now froyo (2.2). Froyo, for those who don't know, is short for frozen yogurt.

Droid to get Android 2.2 in the next week

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According to verizon's website, the Motorola Droid will be updated to Android 2.2 within the next week. This will make the 3rd device with the updated operating system, behind the Nexus One and the Evo 4G. Unfortunately for Droid X users, Verizon is still being vague, stating that Froyo will be available sometime late this summer.

Note: I apologize if the posts over the next few days are short, as I am getting my laptop repaired and am having to make posts on my phone.

Smartphone Showdown: Apple iPhone 4 vs HTC Evo 4g vs Motorola Droid X vs HTC Droid Incredible

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This year has truly become the summer to buy a smartphone. So many great choices, but which one to get? Lets break it down in a summary here:

Apple iPhone 4 (AT&T): Ah, the ever so popular iPhone. This year, the iPhone has a bit more competition than in the past. The iPhone 4 comes in either 16gb or 32gb (not expandable), 5 megapixel camera, VGA front facing camera, and an impressive 3.5 inch retina display. The iPhone runs iOS4, and has access to Apple's App Store. The iPhone is powered by Apple's A4 processor (unknown clock speed, reports say 1ghz).

*There are reports of signal issues if held a certain way. Apple is giving away free bumpers to help issue.

HTC Evo 4G (Sprint): This amazing device has a spec sheet to dream of. The only phone on this list that can run on a 4G network, which makes its mobile hotspot feature (in which you can connect up to 8 devices) very useful and effective. It also sports a 8 megapixel rear facing camera, as well as a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera (useful for video conferencing). This device also has a 4.3 inch screen, and a speedy 1ghz Snapdragon processor. This phone runs Android 2.1 with HTC Sense. Other notable features include an HDMI port and a kickstand. It comes with 1gb internal memory, and an 8gb micro sd card (expandable up to 32gb).

*Many users report poor battery life, over the air update may have partially/fully fixed this.

Motorola Droid X (Verizon): This smartphone is very similiar to the Evo, with a few differences. To begin with, it has a 4.3 inch screen, just like that Evo, but it is thinner and taller (screen size is measured diagonally). The Droid X also has an 8 megalpixel camera, but no front facing camera. This phone features a 1ghz ARMv7 processor. This phone also runs Android 2.1 with Motorblur. The Motoblur software has been greatly improved, but HTC Sense is still superior. The Droid also supports a mobile hotspot feature for up to 5 devices. This device also includes an HDMI port. This phone comes with 8gb of internal memory and a 16gb micro sd card (expandable up to 32gb).

*Reports say it cannot be modified, hackers and power users will not like this.

HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon): This speedy phone has a 1ghz Snapdragon processor, an 8 megapixel camera, 3.7 inch screen, and has 8gb of internal memory, with a micro sd slot that supports cards up to 32gb. This smartphone runs Android 2.1 with HTC Sense. An overall impressive phone.

Conclusion:

Best Smartphone: HTC Evo 4G

2nd place: Apple iPhone 4

3rd place: Motorola Droid X

4th place: HTC Droid Incredible

In my comparison, the winner is the HTC Evo 4G. However all of these phones are great phones, and it really is up to personal preference. For some users, the Evo's lack of battery life (most likely will last 1 day at most) will make the phone impractical. However, with Apple's signal issues, and the lack of a front facing camera on the Droid X and Incredible, I feel confident that the Evo 4G is currently the best phone on the market. Please, let me know what you think!

Good luck getting your hands on any of these!