Hardware

We don’t usually do this, but if you want to save a few minutes, go back and read our review of the Motorola DROID RAZR from November of last year. As far as the hardware goes, the MAXX is almost exactly the same. Come back here when you’re done. Still with me? Here goes. The only physical difference between the DROID RAZR and the DROID RAZR MAXX is that the Kevlar-checkered back panel curves less coming from the 8MP camera and speaker bump, making more of a natural slant to the bottom of the phone than a sharp curve. This extra girth to accommodate the battery makes the phone 8.9mm thick – considerably thicker than the RAZR, yes, but still as thin or thinner than any LTE phone on Verizon. The only LTE-enabled device that even comes close is the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket over on AT&T.

The extra thickness and weight actually make the phone a little easier to hold – instead of biting into the side of your hand as you expend extra grip on tapered sides, it rests naturally on your palm, like a “normal” phone. That also makes the relatively large 4.3-inch screen easier to use for extended periods. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same phone you love… or don’t. The awkwardness of the top-mounted charge and HDMI ports, not to mention a tough tiny door for the SIM card and MicroSD card (16GB included in the $300 asking price) are counter-balanced by the rock-solid build quality and highly polished feel of the device.

Software

Remember when I said that the hardware was almost exactly the same as the DROID RAZR? Doubly true for the software. As a matter or fact, I’m convinced that it’s exactly the same software, as the “Model number” entry in the About Phone section of the Settings Menu says “DROID RAZR”. Take that as you will: Motorola’s highly customized version of Android 2.3.5 is solid and reliable, though it’s a long, long way from stock. The Smart Actions app seems to be doing a  lot of work in the background. There’s a lot of bloatware apps, some of which can be removed and some of which can’t. I’d be excited about the prospects of custom ROMs working on both the RAZR and the RAZR MAXX – if it weren’t for the fact that both have locked bootloaders, and likely will for the length of their retail lives.

Media and Call Quality

 The RAZR’s AMOLED screen returns to make photos and videos pop off of the device, and it’s more than suitable for extended watching. Thanks to that massive battery, you’ll be doing a lot of it, too – more on that later. Thanks to a protracted run time, most users can leave the screen brightness as high as they like – a definite bonus. Photos and videos taken with the 8MP 1080p camera are good, but not spectacular. Like most tiny sensors crammed with eight million pixels, blur and artifacts crop up as soon as you leave ideal lighting behind. Call quality is good, but not great. We got much better results with the LG Spectrum in the same location.

Battery

This is the proving ground: where we learn whether an entirely new model of RAZR (and the ire that Motorola and Verizon have received from early adopters) is justified. In a word, yes. Cramming in a 3300mAh battery – nearly double the capacity of the original RAZR – into a body this thin and light is nothing short of a technical marvel. The largest of 1st-generation LTE phones couldn’t manage a package this comfortable even with much smaller batteries, and as we’ve learned over the last year, increasingly powerful hardware and a fast LTE connection demand it.

So, what’s the RAZR MAXX’s battery life? Your mileage will vary, of course, depending upon your usage patterns and area. My experiences over a week of use lead me to believe that no ordinary user could exhaust the RAZR MAXX’s battery with a single day of normal use. When left alone, the phone draws almost zero power on idle – or at least seems that way. When in active use, the draw is a little more believable, but outlast every single phone we’ve ever tested with a standard battery, and most of the extended batteries as well (which, in many cases, are in the 2500mAh range).

As I write this review, the DROID RAZR MAXX sits next to my keyboard begging me for a charge. To get it into this state took some doing: it’s been mostly idle for just over three days. But I didn’t want an example of how well the phone could do sitting in a cupboard, so I tracked my usage including a couple of torture tests. I estimate that there’s about three hours of web browsing, another hour of talk time, and plenty of quick text and email checks spread throughout the trial.

At two occasions I attempted to drain the battery as quickly as possible. The first was streaming a 2-hour Netflix movie at full screen brightness, maximizing the use of the screen, data connection and processor all at once. After two hours, the battery had dropped about 25%. Later I spent an hour and a half using the phone as a wireless tether, which cost about 15% of the remaining juice. Either of these activities would strain any other phone, and would leave my Galaxy Nexus gasping for some electrical breath.

It’s not all good; the enclosed RAZR design means you can’t remove the battery if you somehow manage to drain it all in one day. And strenuous activity like that Netflix movie will still cost you dearly – though I’d estimate that you could get through 3-4 full-length films before petering out. But there’s no denying that the DROID RAZR MAXX is the longest-lasting smartphone out there, bar none.

Wrap Up

If you’re trying to decide between the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX, stop. You want the MAXX. A little less fashion appeal is absolutely worth it for the best in a short field of all-day battery champions. I only wish that customers were given the choice two months ago, or at least before their return period was expired. There’s no way around it: that’s a jerk move. Even so, if you want a Verizon and/or LTE phone that goes the distance, and can forgive the anti-modder locked bootloader, the MAXX is your man.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID RAZR MAXX

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : January 13, 2011

Release Date : January 26, 2011

Also Known As : RAZR MAXX, DROID RAZR MAXX

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution :
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.15 Inch
• Width : 2.27 Inch
• Depth : NA
• Weight : NA

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 3300 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 380 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : NA

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 850
• 900
• 1700
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Hardware

As noted above, the Spectrum shares its innards with the LG Nitro HD: a 1.5Ghz dual-core processor is paired with a full gigabyte of RAM, and the now-standard 8 megapixel camera does its duty on the back end of the phone. For storage you get a relatively feeble 4GB, but a freebie 16GB MicroSD card may be more useful, depending upon whether you like a little more flexibility in your storage. Without a doubt thew most impressive part of both smartphones is the screen, a 4.5-inch 720p panel that’s a true IPS LCD, the same technology that goes into professional graphics monitors.

And here we see the first and most recognizable shift from the Nitro HD: while both phones feature the same screen on their spec sheet, the Spectrum’s is undeniably clearer, brighter and much more pleasing to look at. When the Nitro HD launched it had the highest-resolution screen on AT&T, but the various Galaxy S models outshone it thanks to Samsung’s Super AMOLED panels. The screen on the Spectrum isn’t quite as bright as an AMOLED, but it’s close, and the vividness and color accuracy are at least as good. Add to that the impressive viewing angles of IPS, and you get a screen that rivals almost anything out there. To illustrate my point, here’s a photo of both phones on either side of a Galaxy Nexus, all at maximum brightness. The Spectrum is on the left.

Unfortunately, the Spectrum falls short of the Nitro HD in basic ergonomics. A glossy plastic exterior (shared with the international version) makes the phone slip and slide in your hand – not helped by the fact that it’s noticeably heavier than other high-end smartphones. Part of that is due to the 1830mAh battery, which does it credit, but other phones have the same or more juice in a smaller body. It’s attractive enough, in a vanilla sort of way -spun aluminum accents make for a phone that isn’t just another slate. I appreciate the ability to remove the MicroSD card without pooping out the battery, but I’m not overly fond of designs that kick the search button to the curb, as LG has been doing for some time.

Software

Gingerbread beckons for all new Android buyers save those choosy Nexus folk, and here we see it in LG’s customized interface garb. LG’s skin isn’t unattractive, but it does get in the way more often than it helps – particularly in the Spectrum’s app drawer. You’re given two options: an alphebetized vertical list or a grid that’s split up by category. If you want an A to Z grid – as almost all smartphone users will be expecting – you’re out of luck.

Launchers aren’t necessarily a death knell for a phone’s software, since they’re almost literally a dime a dozen on the Android Market. But pre-installed apps, particularly those that can’t be removed, are. I counted no less than 24 superfluous apps from LG and Verizon, none of which can be removed by the user. Old mares that no one really wants like Blockbuster and the Vcast App Store rear their ugly head, and while I use things like Kindle and Netflix on a regular basis, the fact that they’re include by default and I’ve got no say irks me something powerful. If you’re an advanced user and intend to root or otherwise mod the Spectrum, find a good ROM or prepare to spend lots of time cleaning the device of unwanted apps.

All that said, the phone does zip through the interface well. It positively aced the Quadrant test, with a score hovering in the 2650-2700 range. A little experimentation with some of my favorite high-end games confirmed that this wasn’t a fluke. There’s plenty of power justifying the bulk in the Spectrum, so gamers and video junkies will not be left wanting.

Call quality and battery

Like the Nitro HD, the Spectrum handles calls very well. Even in my relatively isolated home, a couple of bars’ worth of signal provided a loud, clear conversation. It must be said that the Spectrum performs much better than the Galaxy Nexus in that regard – though that isn’t saying much. Battery life is likewise good. Even spoiling myself with a screen near full brightness (the better to make those colors pop!) the phone lasts through a full day of moderate browsing, calling and texting without complaint. I’d say that it’s got the best battery on Verizon… if I didn’t also have the downright amazing DROID RAZR MAXX sitting next to it.

Media 

That brilliant screen isn’t just for looking at text and glossy icons, you know. Videos, whether streamed via Netflix, Youtube or played locally, look great on the Spectrum. Thanks to the IPS panels color accuracy and AMOLED’s tendency to oversaturate, it’s even better than the Galaxy Nexus. If you’re a video junkie, the LG Spectrum is well worth your consideration for the screen alone, to say nothing of the LTE wireless connection to banish buffering. The 8MP camera doesn’t fare so well. Even in ideal light is has a habit of washing out, and in indoor settings grain and blur become problems fast.

Wrap up

There’s a lot of great options on Verizon right now: The Galaxy Nexus for the die-hard modder, the DROID RAZR for the fashionista, the Rezound for the audiophile. Where does the Spectrum fit in? Well, at $199 it fits well below the others, and has an excellent screen, solid battery life and great call quality to recommend it. If these things are the most important to you, by all means go for it. The only real downside is LG’s software and the non-removable apps within it. If you can get over this, the Spectrum is a good choice at a good price – just don’t expect it to win any beauty contests.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Spectrum

Manufactuer : LG

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : January 09, 2012

Release Date : January 19, 2012

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.5 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : True HD IPS

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.33 Inch
• Width : 2.71 Inch
• Depth : 0.42 Inch
• Weight : 142 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1830 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon S3

CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 4 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

The first thing you’ll notice when opening the ms01′s eco-friendly packaging is their unique styling. Yup, that’s real wood that those buds are made out of, which the company claims makes for a more rich and acoustically correct experience. The metal frame extends to 8mm speakers housed in comfy foam tips, and you get four sizes to choose from. Also included in the package are a pair of ear clips for active wear (which are, unfortunately, almost useless), a snappy cord organizer and a canvas carrying bag to keep it all together in.

The ms01 earbuds are marketed as a “studio monitor”, and aren’t meant for sweating it out in the gym. They also don’t include in-line controls or a microphone – for the latter, you can try some of the other models in the ThinkSound store. The cord is reinforced with Kevlar, and if that isn’t enough protection, they come with a one-year warranty. The headphones aren’t really intended for mobile phones, but we’ll forgive that, and you’re about to find out why.

UPDATE: Apparently all of ThinkSound’s current models are rated for a good bit of sweat resistance. Thanks to ThinkSound CEO Aaron Foster for his timely response in the comments section. 

What these buds do best is sound: they’re nothing short of the richest and most accurate-sounding earbuds I’ve ever had, short of custom-fit models at three or four times the price. The 18-20khz range makes mids and highs absolutely clear, and while bass is a little lacking, the sound is rock-steady all the way through even the highest volumes. And that’s pretty high, thanks to what ThinkSound is calling passive noise isolation, AKA “a fit that’s good enough to block out a good chunk of external sound”.

I was skeptical of this claim… until my CES roomie knocked on our hotel door three times without me hearing. With four sets of tips you’re sure to find one that makes a good fit in your ear canal. It’s not going to block out busy road noise or a screaming baby on a plane, but with even light music playing you should be gloriously free of distraction.

At $99.99 MSRP I probably wouldn’t have bought the ms01 earbuds for myself… until I tried them out. If you want great sound with no frills and unique styling, they’re well worth the entry price, and they’ve replaced my trusty old Sennheiser over-the-ear headphones for everyday listening. There are a few issues, like the aforementioned earclips and L/R icons that are almost invisible on the shiny metal bands. But overall the ms01 earbuds are the best lightweight, high-fidelity pair you’re going to find for a hundred bucks. Investigate the ts02+mic and ts01 Sport models if you want a microphone and sweat resistance, respectively.

If you’re familiar with Logitech’s desktop speakers, or any of their more expensive products, the Z515 will seem familiar. A metal grate is surrounded by solid-feeling plastic and a hinged kickstand, with minimal controls on the back. For status indicators you get only a power and connection light. A USB receiver and software is also included, if you’d like to connect it to a computer without Bluetooth. The only other way to get sound into the speakers is via a standard 1/8th-inch next to the power jack, though unfortunately, the necessary cable is not included in the box. A simple cloth carrying case rounds out the package.

Upon first opening the Z515, I seriously wondered if Bluetooth connectivity was included at all. There’s no indication of Bluetooth compatibility anywhere on the box or the device itself – not even the trademark “B” rune near the FCC information, where you’d expect it to be. The packaging pronounces that it’s designed for “iPhone and iPad”, and it includes the obvious USB connector that tucks into a slot beneath the kickstand. Feeling somewhat ashamed, I actually broke out the instructions, where Bluetooth pairing was explained: power the device on, then hold the volume up and down buttons. After that, it became simple enough.

The speaker system itself is about the size of a rolled up newspaper, though nowhere near as heavy. It slips into its carrying case easily enough, though you probably won’t need it with the solid build. Throw it in your bag or a jacket pocket and you’re good to go. The sturdy kickstand and metal front leave me with no complaints, and at a full blast I’ve managed to get between  4 and 5 hours of performance. That should be plenty of time for a short roadtrip, and to find an AC outlet at a party.

There’s only three button controls: power, volume up and volume down. That’s well and good, but for a Bluetooth speaker system I would have liked to have seen some playback controls on the unit itself – it’s easy enough to implement via the A2DP protocol. I suppose the idea is that you’ll be carrying your phone or tablet with you for control, and on that count, the extremely reliable connection shines. I was able to walk with my phone to the back door of my home, about 40 feet away from the z515 through three different walls, without the music ever skipping or dropping. That’s easily one of the best A2DP connections I’ve ever seen.

The unit is loud, if not thunderously so. It’ll be more than enough to entertain a full room at a party or get together, but you’d be hard pressed to shake the neighbors’ windows. It managed to fill my living room well enough, which is as well as something this size could be expected to do.

The only real downside to the Z515 is Bluetooth sound quality. It’s good enough for MP3 playback, but audiophiles will be turned off by some shaky highs and fuzzy lows. That’s not really Logitech’s fault: Bluetooth A2DP just doesn’t have enough bandwidth for true hi-fi performance, and you won’t find anything better on other Bluetooth speakers, even something like the much more expensive Philips Fidelio AS851. I’d say it’s about as good as a solid satellite radio signal – it should be fine for Pandora or some medium bitrate MP3s, but anything better simply wouldn’t sound good enough on the Z515. Sure, you could use an audio cable, but that kind of defeats the purpose of a portable, wireless speaker.

As far as value goes, it depends on what you’re looking for. The $99 list price is more than I’d spend on the Z515 myself, but it’s comparable to other portable speaker systems of this quality.  However, look around online and you can find the Logitech Z515 in the $75 range, a much more tempting proposition. If you often find yourself traveling and straining to hear music over your phone’s tiny speaker (and don’t want to fiddle with headphones), I’d say it’s a pretty solid investment. It’s certainly the best option among its competitors, with very reliable build quality and performance.

Check out our video hands-on for a better look at the Logitech Z515′s features:

Hardware

The original XOOM was no slouch when it came to hardware, but the Tegra 2 device has only seen a slight upgrade to its core components here. The processor gets a bump to a dual-core 1.2Ghz chip, using the same 1GB RAM. The same 1280 x 800 LCD is in place, though that’s definitely not a put-down, and the rear camera is 5 megapixels. But the most striking difference between the two models is the updated design.

The DROID XYBOARD 10.1 shared the ubiquitous DROID label, but not without good reason. The new tablet feels like a Motorola DROID product, solid, heavy, and suprisingly slim for its functionality. A rubberized border isn’t exactly a head-turner, but it makes the tablet much easier to hold on to, especially in a single hand. It’s a comfy tablet, and while it’s nowhere near as light as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, it feels like it could take a beating in a jacket or backpack without needing any kind of case. The power and volume buttons have been move to the back. They’re right where your right index finger can easily reach them, but thanks to a slighly sloping part of the back panel, they’re much less likely to get an accidental tap than the standard side-mounted buttons. It’s a nice touch, though I understand that not everyone is a fan. Try one out at retail before making your judgement here.

There is one area that the XYBOARD falls short of its predecessor: the MicroSD card slot is absent, replaced by 16, 32 or 64GB of on-board storage. (The original XOOM was initially released with a non-functional slot, then upgraded later.) On the bottom of the tablet you’ll find a standard MicroUSB port for charging and syncing – a big plus in my mind, as all too many Honeycomb tablets require proprietary cables for that function. A mini HDMI port is there as well. On top you’ve got an infrared port, a la the Vizio tablet and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, that the built-in Dijit app uses for controlling your home theater.

An active stylus is included in the package, powered by a tiny AAAA battery. While this is a nice addition, especially if you plan on using some of the included note-taking apps, it doesn’t offer much more than a slightly smaller and more precise pointing function. It doesn’t really hold up to the alternatives like the HTC Flyer, though that stylus costs exta. It’s nice to have around, but odds are you’ll be stashing it in a desk before long.

Software

With Verizon branding the new tablet as “the first 4G LTE tablet worthy of the name DROID”, you would expect a lot of carrier apps and bloatware. And yes, they’re present, just after the super-sized DROID eye finishes its maniacal stare. But in yet another pleasant surprise, nearly every single non-standard app can be uninsulated from the get go. This is a much appreciated choice, and you’ve got to hand it to Verizon for the decision. There’s a few stragglers like MotoCast, but for the most part you can get to a nearly clean Honeycomb 3.2 experience, albeit with a lot of customized icons.

Honeycomb itself runs quickly on the XYBOARD with no complaints are far as slowdown or stuttering is concerned. The tablet scores between 2700 and 2900 on a Quadrant Advanced benchmark – very nice. Playing the included Madden NFL 2012 confirmed that the tablet’s no slouch when it comes to gaming, but it likely won’t look like much once quad-core Tegra 3 tablets start arriving en masse.

The addition of an IR port is one I’m quite fond of, though the Dijit app leaves a lot to be desired. It controlled my Vizio TV just fine, but balked on my rather standard DirecTV DVR, even with dozens of built-in profiles. And it couldn’t learn the codes from my standard remote, a trick that programs on the old Palm Pilots were pulling ten years ago. On the plus side, the guide was easy to set up and navigate. If all your home theater equipment is supported it’s a fun way to do some couch surfing. Otherwise, don’t throw away your regular remote just yet.

Battery and media

The 5 megapixel camera is better than most tablet cameras. Granted, that’s not saying a lot, but it’s a considerable improvement over the original XOOM’s shooter. Photos and videos are crisp and clear, so long as you have decent light. The XYBOARD doesn’t outclass 8 megapixel tablets like the Transformer Prime or HTC Jetstream, but it’s more than adequate for quick shots at a party or on a road trip. But bring along a charger, because I managed just under six hours while using 3G data exclusively. I don’t live in a Verizon LTE area, but you can expect the battery life to be significantly less if you enable the greater speed. The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

Value

And here we come to the one real sour note of the XOOM 2 DROID XYBOARD 10.1: the price. With a starting price tag of $529 for the 16GB version, all the way up to $729 for the 64GB version, it’s no cheap piece of tech. That would be just about bearable, if it weren’t for the fact that you’re also saddled with a 2-year Verizon contract. There’s no other way to put it: that’s way too expensive, and way too much of a commitment, for something that’s essentially a media consumption device. It’s not as bad as AT&T’s baffling price on the HTC Jetstream, but it’s still a lot more than I’d ever shell out. The smaller 8.2-inch version is $100 cheaper at each storage level, but still a hard price to pay when WiFi tablets are cheaper and free of continuing expense.

Wrap Up

I was surprised at just how solid the hardware and software of the DROID XYBOARD 10.1 turned out to be. But for the lackluster battery life, it’s a worthy successor to the first Honeycomb device. But the simple fact is that it’s too expensive to recommend over its competitors. Those wanting high-end power should wait for the Transformer Prime, those wanting always-on data should check out the cheaper options at T-Mobile. The only device that the XYBOARD really beats on all fronts is the 9-month old Galaxy Tab 10.1 at the same price. Verizon, AT&T et all: my kingdom for an Android tablet that follows the iPad’s lead (for wireless pricing, anyway) and doesn’t force me to sign another contract!

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID XYBOARD 10.1

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : November 03, 2011

Release Date : December 09, 2011

Also Known As : XOOM 2

Display

• Screen Size : 10.1 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : LCD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 10 Inch
• Width : 6.83 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 599 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 3.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS

FM Radio :

NFC :

We have an unboxing video and some hands-on with a few accessories from Motorola below but for now we’ll focus on this portable slate, its goofy name, and the hardware under the hood.

Hardware
The original Xoom was the first Honeycomb tablet and first with a dual-core NVIDIA processor — not counting that awful FroYo powered Viewsonic G-Tablet. The hardware was nice but compared to the iPad it was a bit on the heavy/thicker side and wasn’t the easiest to hold for long periods. The DROID XYBOARDS have completely took a new direction. They are thin, lightweight, and powerful but other than those key points this is still a XOOM if you ask me.

The new XYBOARD 8.2 feels great, has an eye-pleasing matte finish that is surprisingly easy to hold coming in at 216 x 139.8 x 8.99 mm and 390g — although it wont win any beauty contests. Sadly the power button is still on the rear. I hate flipping it over to make sure I hit the right button — or guessing and hitting the volume instead. Sadly this is one thing I’d really like to change but the sleek design didn’t make it extremely easy.

The specs are pretty similar but a few things have changed. Here we have an 8.2″ device with the same 1280 x 800 HD resolution. The processor has been swapped out to a faster dual-core 1.2 GHz SOC with 1GB of RAM, 32GB internal storage, 4G LTE, and a pair of cameras. The display is IPS and is a vast improvement over the first-gen XOOM so that is a plus. We have no SD slot but it does offer micro-USB (for charging) and I’m glad there isn’t a proprietary cable for that. It also sports an infrared port and can be used as a large universal remote when your not streaming content out the micro-HDMI.

Sadly it seems Motorola and Verizon rushed to market with these to meet this holiday sales time and this tablet is right on the edge of two important things. A quad-core processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. For someone that needs an excellent tablet with 4G connectivity right now though — this is great but its reign wont last long.

DROID XYBOARD 8.2 hands-on and unboxing

Software
The software is everything we’ve come to expect from Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Most tablets I’ve docked points if they have Gingerbread and while it’s too early to do the same with tablets and Ice Cream Sandwich, I just wish they’d have waited and released with the ice cold treat on board instead. What we do have though, is a larger DROID as Motorola has included their Blur UI changes that are present on all DROID phones. The changes to Honeycomb were extremely light and more to just match their other devices because it’s pretty minimal and performance is still excellent.

Being a DROID branded device it does have plenty of Verizon bloatware but you should be expecting that so I wont comment further there. We do have some worthwhile apps pre-loaded like Evernote and the awesome Madden 2012 NFL game. Not to mention Blockbuster, Amazon Kindle, and Netflix. Android 3.2 Honeycomb was more stable and smooth here than many in the past — including the original Xoom and the benchmarks below seem to back that up. I found zero slowdown from the changes by Motorola so that shouldn’t concern a potential buyer.

Benchmarks
As usual we like to run a few benchmarks to see how everything is performing and handling its day to day tasks and the XYBOARD 8.2 actually blew other tablets out of the water — not counting that quad-core Prime although we did get a higher Quadrant with this little guy. Rocking a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a 1280 x 800 resolution I wasn’t expecting much but I scored over 3100 in Quadrant (more than most tablets) and Vellamo was at the top of the charts. More info is in the full gallery below.

Camera
Motorola’s equipped these slates with a decent 5.0 megapixel camera on the rear with LED flash. Sadly just like many Motorola devices in the past while the UI is neat the shutter speed is extra slow and makes for a difficult time snapping a photo. Once I was able to hold still long enough for the awful autofocus and shutter speed I got a few decent shots. I’d rather use my smartphones camera but this will do if absolutely needed. Here’s a sample with more down below.

Battery Life
The XYBOARD 8.2″ is powered by a 3,980 mAh battery and is small enough that can be charged by a simple micro-USB cable. Charging from a computer or phone charger was extremely slow but the included charger did the job well. Using the tablet for some heavy Madden 2012 gaming followed by some benchmarks I found the need for a wall socket after around 6 hours which was pretty decent for the battery size. Other larger tablets pack a bigger punch so this seemed about average to me. Standby battery was excellent however — and using it off and on briefly without and major gaming sessions it’s been on for over 3 days with a single charge.

Accessories
Verizon and Motorola are offering a smart cover similar to the iPad 2 but the design was quite terrible and I couldn’t get it to work well enough to even warrant a photo. They do however offer an HD Dock for $59.99 from Verizon.com that works quite well and is universal to other Motorola devices — shown in the video sample below along with the wireless keyboard.

Wrap-Up & Value
Now value is determined more by the user and his/her needs. If you’d like a great WiFi tablet this is not for you. If you’re needing a 3G/4G capable tablet that also manages to be extremely portable and powerful this would probably be my first choice. With tethering and hotspots I’d rather get a cheaper WiFi model myself but that option isn’t available for everyone. Pricing start at $429.99 for the 16GB 8.2-inch version, all the way up to $729.99 for the 64GB 10.1-inch version — all with new 2-year contracts of course. They may be released as the XOOM 2 later with Wi-Fi only but for now Verizon is your only way into one of these tablets and sadly they are way too expensive.

Yes the new XYBOARD tablets are worthy successors to the original. They have amazing build quality, decent battery life and excellent performance but I can’t help it but want something more for the price. The unique design is nice and they do get a few added points for that. All in all I’ve enjoyed this tablet and been taking it everywhere with me all week but the price and handcuffs that come along with it have me thinking twice about a purchase. Everything you’d like to know about these tablets is available from our timeline, followed by the photo gallery and full specs below.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID XYBOARD 8.2

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : November 03, 2011

Release Date : December 09, 2011

Also Known As : XOOM 2 ME

Display

• Screen Size : 8.2 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : NA

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 8.5 Inch
• Width : 5.47 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 386 Grams

Battery & Power

• Battery Capacity : mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 3.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MP3
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS

FM Radio :

NFC :

Hardware
We already know plenty about this tablet so I figured we’d jump right into the hardware specs for a quick rundown before I unleash the slew of pictures and games on you. If you’ve been living under a rock and didn’t know, the Prime features a 10.1″ Super IPS display with a 1280 x 800 resolution — nicely covered in Gorilla Glass. Under the hood is the good stuff we already should love and that is the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and its lovely 5th companion core (more on that below).

Now the magic here isn’t just that ultra-powerful processor but also in the optional keyboard dock — making this a full out portable computing solution similar to a laptop. Just like the original Transformer this is not a necessity, but is an awesome addition that would be amazing for anyone — especially students.

The keyboard dock isn’t included or needed to enjoy this slate, but it will give you a wide array of options not to mention extend the battery life from 10-12 all the way to 18 hours of continuous usage. We’ll cover more on the keyboard below and right now will continue with the tablet hardware. We were lucky enough to get the purple model (Amethyst Grey), and the Prime also comes in a Champagne Gold for those not in touch with their feminine side.

Right now nothing is faster or hotter than the Prime (the Fire doesn’t hold a candle to this), and we have been giving it a spin for a few days and have thoroughly enjoyed it. With a quad-core processor capable of speeds reaching 1.4 GHz, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage (64GB available) and a decent 8 megapixel camera around back this has everything you’d ever need from a tablet and more. Here is a quick gallery of a few pictures then you can see plenty more in the full gallery below.

The front is dominated by a flat surface of Gorilla glass and the bezel is a bit large but we can live with that. The back is a solid piece of brushed, radial spun aluminum that looks and feels great and is very sturdy. Sadly it does scratch easy, is a fingerprint magnet, and always feels a bit cold to touch but I’m not complaining because I’ll take it over cheap plastic any day of the week. One important thing is we now only have one speaker rather than the two stereo outputs like most tablets. It is also located exactly where almost all users will place their palm while holding the device, especially while gaming. Sound was very muffled and I wish they could have found a better location, but it’s not that bad.

I am happy however with the location of the volume rocker and the power button. Most tablets including the original Transformer they are next to each other. I’ve always hit the wrong one on accident and it gets a bit frustrating. The Prime’s power/wake button is nicely placed on the top left of the device away from the rocker. It could be quite a bit bigger if you ask me — I missed it more often than not.

Keyboard Dock
The kicker here is not only that quad-core but also the optional keyboard dock. This accessory alone is the single best option for any tablet or device around. Giving extended features, extra battery power, charges the slate and even has USB and a standard SD slot for even more storage. Not to mention this little beauty makes it become a full on laptop — minus the Windows or OSX.

The keyboard is the same aluminum design and feels great and very sturdy. It will run you $149 but is definitely worth it, especially for students or anyone wanting to get some serious work done on this beast. The aluminum design comes from their ultrabook line and the keyboard makes it as close to one as you’ll get. the chicklet style keyboard is extremely easy to type on — even if it’s a bit small being only 10″. The touchpad is extremely useful, accurate and sensitive and I’d almost go as far as to say it could use an option to lower sensitivity. With dedicated home and search buttons for Android, music controls, screen capture, and more the keyboard gives you everything you’d need and more right at your fingertips.

Instead of explaining I’ll just let you watch my quick hands-on video with the tablet and keyboard dock. As well as our good friend Chris Burns giving it a glance too.

ASUS Transformer Prime and keyboard hands-on

For those wondering the dock has a few little rubber bumpers to protect the aluminum finish as well as the tablets glass from injuring each other so that isn’t a worry. The two together might not be the easiest to open but after spending a few days with it I’ve learned to quickly slide a fingernail in and turn it sideways to easily open the slate, but a little notch somewhere would have been nice. The trackpad is easy to disable for those wondering that also. While typing I accidentally slid it around and opened a few things and lost my place during typing but a quick toggle and you’re good to go.

To sum things up with the tablet and keyboard in terms of hardware — they are everything you’d expect from a $499 premium tablet device. The additional $149 for the keyboard is an excellent option for those who need it and I’d highly recommend you pick both up.

Software
Running along with Android 3.2 Honeycomb nothing is actually all that new and if you’ve ever experienced an Android Honeycomb tablet you’ll feel right at home. Only things are smoother, more fluid and overall just a better experience. ASUS has changed the standard notification pop-up in Honeycomb and added plenty of enhancements like battery meters for both the slate and the keyboard dock. I don’t need to explain this as the video did a great job but we also have quick toggle widgets for all the power modes to take full advantage of all 4 processing cores, or set it to power safe mode to conserve battery life. Other then a few visual changes to Honeycomb nothing has changed. ASUS does have a few custom settings for the keyboard dock and built-in screen capture features but that is about it.

There is absolutely zero bloatware with the Transformer Prime other than a few ASUS apps such as their online backup service. Obviously this being the first NVIDIA Tegra 3 device NVIDIA was nice enough to load up a few awesome games you can expect to hit the market soon. Shadowgun and a few others are already available but we have exclusive Tegra 3 optimized versions and will be showing you them all on video over the next few days. Stay tuned because you’ll want to see the absolutely stunning visuals from Bladeslinger later in this review.

Not everyone that buys this tablet will be getting the included keyboard dock, in fact most probably wont so I wont focus all of my attention on that. Using this as a tablet its everything you’d want and then some. The added power of the quad-core makes Honeycomb even faster, games look better and more immersive, and keeps this tablets future bright with Ice Cream Sandwich and whatever else lays ahead.

Performance and Benchmarks
We ran a slew of benchmarks and performance tests and while this is always something we focus on, obviously real world results are what’s most important. Whether it be old apps like Quadrant Advanced that aren’t taking advantage of all that the quad-core has to offer, or the tests just being not as accurate as we’d hope the results here weren’t overly impressive. I will say that real world usage (where it really matters) and gaming this tablet is by far the best and fastest around. Until more Tegra 3 slates hit the market if you are a gamer this is a must buy tablet.

I wont break all the benchmarks down too much because we have plenty of them. We also did an in-depth comparison of the original Transformer vs Prime vs iPad 2. That link will break everything down completely and is a must read for those benchmark fans. Below is AnTuTu since it seems to be most accurate with showing the real world performance across all the processing power inside this aluminum device so I’ll show that and the rest are available from the full gallery.

Performance for most games was already exceptionally great with NVIDIA Tegra 2 tablets and we’ve never experience so much as a slowdown or lag with most popular games so there wasn’t an easy way to compare with the Prime. Although seeing the enhancements to Shadowgun and others thanks to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 should be plenty of proof for all you readers. I’ll get into all those games soon but for now we have another video demo showing an incredible upcoming game called Bladeslinger. This is basically Shadowgun meets Infinity Blade meets Half-Life 2. You are a Bladeslinger that has a huge machete attached to a revolver and I wont explain much and instead let you see the video. The graphics are truly incredible and this was just a quick demo of a pre-production version of the game. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for all of us Tegra 3 tablet owners.

Bladeslinger on the ASUS Prime and NVIDIA Tegra 3

Camera
Tablets may not be the ideal solution for any photography moment and holding something that large has never really interested me for even a quick photo. Many tablets have opted for weak and measly 3 megapixel cameras to keep the cost down but this is one more area where ASUS has really stepped it up. While the camera is nothing extremely amazing and enough to write home about, it is by far the best camera of any tablet — but that isn’t saying much.

ASUS equipped the Prime with an extra special 8 megapixel camera around back with LED flash and f/2.4 shutter capability. While lugging around a 10″ camera never really appealed to me I was able to snap some great photos with the Prime. The auto focus was slow at times and would get a little confused and stutter for a moment but for the most part was very quick and took excellent shots. Below is a picture taken with the ASUS Transformer Prime of its new keyboard dock just for an idea of how good the image quality can actually be, especially in a medium lit room. More photo examples are also in the full gallery below

Battery Life
The first thing that comes to mind when you hear a quad-core mobile device other then the wow factor is probably battery life. I for one was extremely worried about how this would actually handle real world scenarios but I’m happy to report that between ASUS — and more importantly NVIDIA — the Prime lasts plenty long. All the details and power saving info on the quad-core is available from our official Tegra 3 announcement, plus a few hints on the companion core are right here.

The short version here being the cores only charge up and consume battery life as they are needed and shut down when they are not. Small tasks such as viewing photos or browsing the web and market are powered by the fifth companion core seen above. So technically this has five cores, not four. This is nothing new though. In our battery tests running the Prime non-stop it achieved a little over 10 hours of continuous use before running out of juice. Using the additional battery inside the keyboard dock the Transformer Prime played back movie continuous for almost 17 hours straight. That is mighty impressive and I was very pleased with my results.

Now most users wont play even 8 hours straight so while that is nice to know, it isn’t an ideal test. Instead I used the device off and on for more than a few days with a single full charge. I played over 2 hours of Shadowgun, browsed the web, updated all my applications, ran a few benchmarks and went to bed. Then enjoyed the tablet plenty throughout the next morning. The image above is about what I’ve achieved using the slate off and on as a normal user would, and that is just the tablet with no keyboard dock. It’s safe to say that most will be able to enjoy well over 30 hours and more off a single charge while using this tablet. That was set to “normal” mode which will use the most power and battery possible. Setting the Prime on power save mode I’m sure it would last far longer.

Wrap-Up
To wrap things up I’ll start by saying this — I’ll take two please! Hopefully if a tablet is what you’ve been wanting for this Christmas you’ll make sure your parents, wife, or significant other knows the ASUS Transformer Prime is what you want, and it will be available starting December 19th at retail stores nationwide. Just enough time to buy it and wrap it up for Christmas.

Pick your poison

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has by far been my absolute favorite tablet for a long time, and the 8.9″ brother has a special place in my gadget bag too — but the ASUS Transformer Prime has stole the top spot, that is for sure. Android tablets have been making a huge surge lately and the winning combination will be the Prime, NVIDIA Tegra 3, and Ice Cream Sandwich. This is the next step in Android’s tablet future and I’m extremely excited to be able to enjoy it. We’ve already seen a glimpse of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on the Prime and when that officially comes things will only get better.

You may or may not want the fancy keyboard dock and that really doesn’t matter. Whether you choose to add that awesome accessory to the Prime or not you’ll still have one of the absolute best, fastest, prettiest, thinnest, and most powerful tablets available on the market. So what are you waiting for?

This is not the end of our review either because I’ll be showing you more hands-on with all the amazing Tegra 3 games over the coming days. In the meantime you’ll have to enjoy the videos above and all the images below in the full sized gallery. If you haven’t reserved your Prime yet, you probably should.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Transformer Prime

Manufactuer : Asus

Carrier : NA

Announced Date : November 09, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As : Transformer 2

Display

• Screen Size : 10.10 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x800
• Screen Type : IPS+

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 10.35 Inch
• Width : 7.12 Inch
• Depth : .33 Inch
• Weight : 586 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Polymer

• Battery Capacity : 6579 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 3.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 3

CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz

Core : 4

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 64 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Instead of simply stacking your threads with different contacts, Touch creates a “wall-like” user interface. It consists of “Experiences” and general instant messaging content. The Experiences are essentially photos that can be instantly taken from your device’s camera or uploaded straight from your internal storage. If you’re an avid Facebook Messenger or GroupMe fan, then you’ll see much of the same functionality, but in a different layout. Just like Google+ Hangouts, you’ll find the ability to group chat within Touch as well.

The real deal when using instant messaging applications is to make sure finding friends is easy, and fortunately Touch does this very well. There are four options for finding friends. The first is rather simple – just search for friends by their Username or E-Mail address. If it doesn’t exist, then the application prompts you to send out an invitation. Could it get any easier? Yes. By logging into Facebook within the application, users can tell who does and doesn’t have Touch installed. Finally, Touch can index your device’s address book for contacts that currently have it installed; though many applications (like Tango) have this as a primary feature, Touch universally searches among Android OS, Apple iOS, and BlackBerry OS.

The features provided through Touch are quite polished, yet a few others would make the application stand out even more. With such strong competition with Facebook Messenger, Google Talk, and GroupMe – it’s important to give people a reason to convert. The first feature that may need a little broadening is Experiences. Touch users should not only be able to upload photographs, but also video content and their general location. It may be a stretch, but integrating Twitter and RSS feeds would fall in excellently within the layout. Though it doesn’t directly use their messaging service, it would draw a wider audience unto their application. Finally, it would be beneficial to have a desktop messaging client accessible through one’s browser.

Overall, I definitely recommend giving Touch a try – it works extremely well and has plenty of features to make social messaging fun. From a usability standpoint, it didn’t lag at all and was extremely responsive. However, on our Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich) the app force closes. This shouldn’t be too much to worry about, as I foresee an update right around the corner.

Hardware

I’ll be honest: the Nitro HD isn’t much to look at. In an LTE field dominated by the Striking DROID RAZR, the targeted HTC Rezound, the unique HTC Vivid and even the attractive yet vanilla Samsung Skyrocket, the Nitro HD comes off as the most bland of the bunch. With an all-black textured rear cover and a front bare save AT&T branding and just three capacitive buttons, the phone looks like a darker, slimmer version of the Motorola ATRIX 2. Remove the battery cover and you’ll see a MicroSD card slot that’s accessible without taking out the battery (always a plus) and generously filled by a 16GB card, the better to make you forget about the phone’s measly 4GB of on-board storage. The phone feels light, without being remarkably so, and solid, but not so solid that you’d be anything less than cautious.

If you’re interested in the Nitro HD over its contemporaries, it’s almost certainly for that 1280 x 720p IPS LCD screen. It’s absolutely sharp – you won’t be counting pixels without a microscope – and the colors are quite accurate, but it’s missing something essential for a modern smartphone. The default and auto brightness settings are way too low, even for typical indoor use, and jacking up the brightness manually eats away at your battery quickly. A 1.5Ghz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM is fast, but not blazing – I regularly got between 2500 and 2700 on a Quadrant test.

There are a few odd design choices, too. A top-mounted MicroUSB port hidden behind a plastic tab is awkward. The relatively small power and volume buttons are tough to find in the dark. But all that being said, it’s a fairly standard device – large, but not overly so for a 4.5-inch screen. If you’re set on a 720P smartphone and need AT&T service, no part of the hardware is a dealbreaker. Across the entire phone, the only hardware I really miss is the capacitive Search button.

Software

LG’s customized iPhone-aping interface runs on Gingerbread 2.3.5. It’s a familiar site if you’re used to Samsung’s TouchWiz, and even runs a little faster than most of the Galaxy series of phones.There’s a fair bit of AT&T bloatware included, but as with other recent high-end phones, most of it can be manually removed, for which I’m quite thankful. However, there are two frustrating exceptions: Zynga Poker and Yellow Pages. The former is non-removable probably out of some sort of partnership, but the latter must stay put because it’s actually integrated into the dialer.

And speaking of the dialer: it’s pretty awful. Android’s perfectly serviceable phone app is superceded by LG’s flavored version, which is slower, less intuitive and makes you work harder to quickly access your contacts. A half-dozen or so non-removable AT&T service numbers don’t help matters. The unnecessary customization extends to the browser, where another iPhone-inspired element rears its unwanted head in a permanent lower navigation bar. There’s no way to remove it or the upper bar, meaning that a lot of the space on that nice 720p screen is reserved for non-web elements. For surfing, install Dolphin Browser HD or a suitable alternative right away.

All that being said, the interface itself is fast and smooth. If you’re an experienced Android user you can get around all of these little foibles with third-party apps, but that doesn’t mean the changes aren’t bothersome. The locked Zynga and Yellow Pages app are particularly annoying when all the other bloatware can be removed so easily.

Calling and Battery

On a positive note, the LG Nitro HD is hands-down the most reliable and clear AT&T phone I’ve tried yet. Even in my home, which is in borderline EDGE/3G territory, calls were nearly as good as a landline. It’s an impressive achievement for LG, and not an inconsiderable point for prospective owners, even in heavy urban areas. If you want a superphone with reliable signal and good voice quality, this is it. I wasn’t able to make the trek to an LTE-enabled area for this review, but there’s no reason to think that our previous tests won’t hold true for this device.

Battery was another story. The Nitro HD quickly cut down to half juice after 3-4 hours of moderate use. This may have been because I set the brightness higher than normal, but re-enabling the (altogether dark) automatic mode didn’t seem to have much effect. The phone puttered out after a little less than eight hours of browsing and apps. I’d say that getting through a full day with anything except very light use will require an extra battery or at least one solid recharge session.

Media

Photos are another area where the Nitro HD shines. I’ve gotten so used to 8-megapixel smartphone cameras that underwhelm that I was shocked when the phone delivered some impressive stills. In my ideal photo tent the snapshots were keepers, and even when I had to rely on flash photos turnes out unusually bright and free of blur. Video is another beast entirely, though – even at 1080p, the recordings are good for YouTube at best.

Wrap Up

The LG Nitro HD is a study in compromises. On one hand you have bland styling, some awkward customizations to Android, a rather dim screen and poor battery life. On the other you’ve got superb call quality, still photos and higher resolution than any phone available on AT&T. If you absolutely must have AT&T LTE, I’d still go with the Galaxy S II Skyrocket at the same $249 price tag – even with a relatively low-res screen it’s the most solid phone around. But if you put a premium on call clarity and getting the most pixels for your buck, the Nitro HD is pretty much your only choice… just keep a charger handy.

By the way, AT&T ‘s offering the LG Nitro HD for $100 off in some markets, bringing the MSRP down to $149.99. Click this link to see if it’s available in your area.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Nitro HD

Manufactuer : LG

Carrier : AT&T

Announced Date : May 31, 2011

Release Date : December 04, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.5 Inch
• Resolution : 720x1280
• Screen Type : LCD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.27 Inch
• Width : 2.67 Inch
• Depth : 0.41 Inch
• Weight : 127 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1830 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Scorpion

CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 4 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

FM Radio :

NFC :

First of all, the hardware lives up to Samsung’s high-end standards. That is to say that the phone is sturdy without feeling especially expensive, but it’s also much lighter than you’d imagine for a phone this large. And it is large: the 4.65-ich, Super AMOLED display is one of the biggest available for Android, and thanks to an amazing 1280 x 720 resolution, it doesn’t disappoint. Note that this is the same resolution as the HTC Rezound, but the Super AMOLED panel makes it even more enjoyable to use.Despite some community outcry, the PenTile display wasn’t a problem – there’s simply so many pixels shoved into a relatively small area that it isn’t noticeable.

The phone’s curved design is a holdover from the Nexus S. While it’s certainly eye-catching, it doesn’t really affect usage one way or the other. The Galaxy Nexus keeps the bottom bulge common to the family, but the phone itself is so slim that it’s barely noticeable. Samsung has kept its standard power button on the right and volume rocker on the left configuration, with three electrical contacts (for docks) also resting on the right side. Charge and audio ports line up on the bottom.

Inside you’ll find a fast, if not screaming, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. It’s married to a full gigabyte of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of on-board storage. The lack of a removable SD card is highlighted by the fact that the Galaxy Nexus doesn’t use a standard USB mass storage mode, instead opting for MTP mounting. This is slightly jarring, but in practice it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.

The 5MP camera performs well, but doesn’t live up to Google’s lofty promises at the Hong Kong event. Performance just isn’t up to snuff with the latest Android superphones or the iPhone 4/4S. That said, the super-fast shutter is definitely welcome, and live video effects are a fun, if ultimately trivial, addition.

Call performance was above average, thanks to the multiple-microphone system first shown on the good old Nexus One. Unfortunately the battery was rather typical of top-tier Android phones, which is to say that it lingers at just around a full day’s worth of charge on average use. The 1750mAh battery lasted for more than 15 hours on light use, but constantly playing with the device (as the reviewer admits to – and who can blame him) brought it down to the 8-10 hour region. Remember that Google’s review units are the international HSPA+ version, not the Verizon LTE version, which will have an extra 100mAh of juice.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which we’ll cover later, makes the Galaxy Nexus the best Android phone on the market. Even after more manufacturers start releasing ICS hardware, the Galaxy Nexus will remain a competitor, albeit not in the camera or battery departments. But between Samsung’s typically excellent quality, an absolutely gorgeous display and the promise of fast and easy software updates directly from Google, it’s definitely leading the pack for the moment. Now if only we could get a freakin’ bone from Verizon here in the U.S.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : GALAXY Nexus

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : December 15, 2011

Also Known As : Nexus Prime

Display

• Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.33 Inch
• Width : 2.67 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 135 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4460

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

I’ll mention a little about the hardware to start and then direct your attention to my quick hands-on and unboxing video. I’ve also compared it to the other big dog on campus regarding dual-core sliders in the myTouch 4G Slide from T-Mobile. The AT&T Samsung Captivate Glide features a 4.0″ Super AMOLED display at 800 x 480, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and a pair of quality cameras. We also have the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor at 1.0 GHz, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Yup, only 4 GB and around 1.89GB is usable but we do have a micro-SD slot for additional storage options. For now here is the unboxing video:

Samsung Captivate Glide hands-on and unboxing

Hardware
Like mentioned above we have a brilliant and bright 4″ Super AMOLED display and it looks great as usual. Unlike most dual-core Sammy phones we are running on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor here and performance is just fine. The Glide does feature an 8 megapixel camera on the rear with flash and 1.3 up front for video chat. It has a 4 row slide-out QWERTY keyboard that is well spaced, decent travel, and overall a very enjoyable typing experience.

The Glide is a perfect blend of the original Captivate and the new Galaxy S II. Keeping the same screen size as the original while getting a bump in specs and a hardware keyboard for those in need. As usual we have the 3.5mm headphone jack up top as well as the micro-USB port for charging. I’d rather it be on bottom but that is just nit-picking. Power button is on the top right side just like all Samsung phones of the recent past with the lone volume rocker on the left bezel. Below is a small gallery around the phone.

For being dual-core and having a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard Samsung has managed to keep the Glide quite thin. It’s not as fat as the myTouch4G Slide shown in the video above and its much lighter too. It does have the usual Samsung plastic and feels a bit cheap, even more so than some past Samsung phones. Most likely that is to help hit that awesome low price of just $149 with a new 2-year contract. Here’s another view to show you how thin it really is.

Software
Running on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread with the latest Samsung TouchWiz UI performance is just as you’d expect from a Samsung device. The latest Touchwiz features like motion control and the improved camera interface are all welcomed changes and anyone stepping up from the Captivate or another Samsung Android device will be very pleased, and comfortable. The dual-core keeps performance speeding along and I’ve yet to experience any slowdown. AT&T and Samsung also have very little bloatware, something I’d glad to see. They’ve bundled Asphalt 6 racing for free — awesome! We have Amazon Kindle, Asphalt 6, ATT Navigator, Facebook, Qik, and Quick Office pre-installed as “bloatware” and that is all. I’ve seen way more in the past, so good job guys.

I wont talk about software much because we all know what to expect with Gingerbread. Whether this will get upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich remains to be seen, but it’s completely capable. For what it offers most users will be plenty happy here.

Performance
As usual I’ve ran a few benchmarks real quick just for a comparison. Most Galaxy S II’s score well over 3500 in Quadrant Advanced but they all have a slightly faster processor. We got around 3380 in Quad here, I never broke 3400 but considering the slower CPU these results were great and are about where I’d expect them to be for a Samsung device. Vellamo wasn’t as nice to the Glide, I’ll let you see for yourself below.

Battery Life & Camera
We do have a 1650 mAh battery included which is a nice size and the same many larger screen devices have. Running with a 4.0″ screen and that huge battery the Glide lasted me almost an entire day. I seem to be having a few problems where standby life wasn’t quite as good as I’ve seen from recent phones but I’ll keep testing that. The Captivate Glide should get all average users through an entire day with enough to spare.

Camera is 8 megapixels on the rear with flash and Samsung continues to offer some of the best cameras for Android, something Motorola needs a little help with. While it only records 720p and no 1080p it did an overall good job in that category too although a bit choppy compared to the Galaxy S II. Auto focus was fast and stable and I had no issues with bad or blurry results. Here are a few camera samples in case you’d like to see.

Wrap-Up
Overall I’m actually pretty pleased with the Captivate Glide for what it is. Not a top end flagship phone but definitely better than mid-range. It has a surprisingly decent feel that doesn’t seem too cheap and is as close as you can get to a Galaxy S II, without actually getting one. I keep sliding it partly open on accident trying to hit the power button but that is something users will get used to and wont be an issue. The screen may be smaller then some but the dual-core processor and QWERTY keyboard should make plenty of keyboard fans very happy. I’d say the Glide is one of, if not the best QWERTY slider Android handset available.

Again this is no Galaxy S II and the 4G is not LTE, only HSPA+ but that didn’t seem to slow things down here much. While some may opt for the bigger, better, faster Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket for those wanting a great phone at a great price that also has a keyboard the Captivate Glide is perfect. The Glide will be available November 20th starting at $149. Enjoy all the photos in the full size gallery below.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Captivate Glide

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : AT&T

Announced Date : October 11, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.00 Inch
• Resolution : 480x800
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : NA
• Width : NA
• Depth : NA
• Weight : NA

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Tegra 2

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 8 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Before we continue, note that we’ve got reviews of each of the devices mentioned above that you ought to take a peek at since they’ll be mentioned below again. First there’s the HTC Thunderbolt, aka the only other HTC device on Verizon’s LTE network. Next there’s the HTC Sensation 4G, the HTC smartphone your humble narrator still calls the most perfect total package in an HTC device to date. Finally there’s the DROID RAZR by Motorola, the Verizon LTE device that I’m voting as the top choice for an Android smartphone running on Verizon’s LTE network today. What we’re about to look at, again, is a device which you can find first in our HTC Rezound hands-on. You can also find a hands-on video review of the device in the text review here.

Hardware

What you’ve got here is one of the thickest smartphones on the market at 13.65mm, with the other dimensions at 129mm tall and 65.5mm wide. Inside this rectangle you’ll find a 4.3-inch 720 x 1280 pixel resolution S-LCD display, one that’s certainly up for battle against the highest resolution smartphones on the market if you just consider the pixels per inch. While the iPhone 4S has 329.65 PPI, the Rezound has 341.54 PPI. The Rezound’s main contender, the DROID RAZR, has 256 PPI but does have a Super AMOLED display meaning you’ve got an obvious difference in the device’s capacity for brightness, as shown here, noting the Rezound is on the left and the RAZR is on the right:

The Rezound has the superior pixel density, but the brightness and the inability of your average everyday user to see the difference between the pixel differences without holding both next to one another make the RAZR have the upper hand here. Also see how the display is a visible amount closer to the glass than the Rezound is, this making the whole situation seem more up close and personal. There it something to be said for how wide both devices are, noting here that the Rezound will be able to fit in more normal-sized palms better than the above-average wide chassis on the RAZR.

That brings us to the appearance of the device – as the Rezound looks to be continuing where the Incredible 2 left off, we’ve got a phone that both does not stick out in a crowd but feels rather solid. The red ring around the camera lens on the back, the red capacitive buttons on the front and the read speaker face above the display all make one feel like they’ve got something special, and the Beats “b” logo on the back seal the deal, but you won’t get the “oohs” and “ahhs” you would with the RAZR or the HTC Sensation. If you take the time to hold both the HTC Sensation and the Rezound in your hands, you’ll like the Sensation better – I certainly do. The trade-off here is in the audio quality (no Beats!), the slightly less impressive processor (not by a whole lot), and the lack of LTE (Sensation is T-Mobile), but the chassis are as close to perfect HTC has ever gotten on the Sensation, it feels so sweet.

That said, if you’re upgrading from anything less than a 720p display from any other HTC device, you’ll be utterly pumped by the upgrade to the Rezound. The same goes for a person upgrading from a lower-grade display on any smartphone, even more so coming from a feature phone, and if you’ve had just a single-core processor before you’ll basically have a heart attack over how slick, quick, and powerful this device is. It’s only against other top-tier devices that this smartphone has any competition.

Beats integration

The Rezound’s main value lies in its Beats branding, and it’s no joke. While HTC is scant on details on how precisely Beats is integrated here, we do know that there’s an algorithm written into the software, that HTC worked with the Monster Audio folks on the hardware to optimize the experience for Beats in and over-ear audio phones. You get a pair of iBeats in-ear earbuds with the Rezound but it’s with any piece of Beats audio technology that you’ll get a great combination for lovely audio.

I’ve personally done some very basic listening tests with combinations of earbuds and devices and have found that, believe it or not, the HTC Rezound with the iBeats earbuds it comes packaged with sounds the most amazing together. I tried a couple other earbuds in other devices and here in the Rezound and found that first of all, the iBeats earbuds bring a slightly more full sound with any smartphone than earbuds from other groups which shall not be named but are price competitors. The Rezound on its own doesn’t present a gigantic improvement in audio quality from any other current smartphone competitor with 3rd party earbuds, but when you plug the iBeats in to the HTC Rezound, you know that these two belong with one another. Listening to the song “Kush” by Dr Dre, a song which we’d certainly would hope would sound amazing on his own line of audio products, certainly does: boom, booboom chik, boom boom chik, if you know what I mean.

Software

There aren’t a whole lot of surprises here as far as software compared to the rest of the HTC family as of late as they’ve not changed things around significantly in the past few months on any device. Here you’ve got Sense 3.5, which is the newest, but look at any HTC top-tier device from the past four months in our reviews here and you’ll find the same experience. The HTC Vivid is almost identical, for example. Have a peek at the hands-on video below to see the software in action and a rundown of what’s included in the onboard applications and version numbers.

Above you’re seeing the Rezound again next to the Incredible 2 – note how similar the UI is, with ever so slight bits of difference. Also have a peek here at a couple of benchmark tests for all your joyful number munching desires. You’ll find at the end of the review that we’re asking you if you’d like any other tests done, mind you, so if you’ve got your own benchmark you’d like us to run, let us know!

Hands-on with the HTC Rezound

Here we go through essentially everything there is to go through on the HTC Rezound in one video. Still coming up: comparison videos to the devices we’ve not yet mentioned – got one you want compared to the Rezound? Ask in the comments section below, we’ve likely got one right over here on the desk!

Camera

HTC continues to improve upon (or at least change) their camera interface with each new smartphone, and here we’ve got a perfectly capable 8 megapixel shooter with 1080p video with a complete set of funny effects and lovely looking filters. One of the more interesting additions here is a slow motion mode for video – audio not included, but it’s fun anyway. Have a peek at a few examples here and in the final gallery below as well, starting here with the 1080p video demo, the slow-motion video, and a couple of photos.

Again there are so many different ways to take a photo on this device that you’re likely to have a heart attack, but it’s an excellent shooter without any modifications when it comes down to it. Note the detail in the screen window here and the vibrancy in the bananas below. Then there’s a flash photo of a toaster taken in a nearly complete-dark situation – those dual LEDs take you to a bright place.

Battery

One of the tests I keep getting requests for is one of the battery of any device tested while the device is connected via its mobile data connection and playing streaming video. What you’re seeing in the results here is a test over a span of a few hours:

What you can see there is Netflix playing some videos using LTE only. What’s appeared is certainly a decent amount of play-time, enough to watch a movie or two at least, and an OK standby rate of battery pull as well. Without playing non-stop LTE-based streaming video the battery here has lasted more like 10 hours with a small amount of usage of the phone during the day. It appears that this isn’t the same battery destruction machine that the HTC ThunderBolt was at first, but it’s not just a whole heck of a lot better. We’re still going to go ahead and blame bad LTE handling.

Wrap-up

If you’re not waiting for the Galaxy Nexus, need LTE speed on a smartphone, and have a strong hate for Motorola devices, buy this handset. This phone is released at a time when a vast amount of people are getting ready to switch up for their next Google hero phone in the Galaxy Nexus, so it’s not realistic to speak of another just-released device as one that’s not going to be in direct competition with said device, especially when its on the same mobile network. Remember the Beats and remain strong!

The fact that this device is not in reality sleek or unique enough to warrant calling it a hero device for HTC or Verizon shows a greater understanding by all parties involved in the power of branding. The DROID RAZR has two majorly recognizable names right there in its title, while the HTC Rezound, without even looking at the device, appears to be the next in a never-ending line of HTC devices. They’ve latched on with Beats though, and in that the Beats “b” logo is second only to the HTC logo itself on the device, we know that HTC is positioning themselves as a more brand-power group as well.

When faced with the decision between the DROID RAZR and the HTC Rezound, you’ve got to think of what I always ask anyone asking me for advice on a new device: what do you need it for? If you want an iconic device whose usefulness as a status symbol almost outweighs its otherwise still impressive specifications set, go with the DROID RAZR. If you want and HTC device and want the most superior audio quality on a smartphone your humble narrator’s own ears have ever heard, go with the HTC Rezound.

Note now that though this is the end of the Rezound review, this is not the end of the review process. If you’ve got any other questions about this device or would like us to expand in any way, let us know!

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Rezound

Manufactuer : HTC

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : September 16, 2011

Release Date : November 14, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution : 720x1280
• Screen Type : NA

Dimension & Weight

• Height : NA
• Width : NA
• Depth : NA
• Weight : NA

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1620 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon

CPU Clock Speed : 1500 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

First off we have some background information. It was announced back in September, then started shipping before the launch date over at Amazon and is now available to all. T-Mobile has a 4G version in the works but today we’ll be looking over the 16GB Wi-Fi model.

Before I mention the hardware feel free to enjoy our hands-on article and photos followed by our quick hands-on video below. Then we’ll get down to the details.

Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus hands-on

Unlike recent tablets from Samsung we have a micro-SD port for expanded storage here, something I wish all tablets came with. For a tour around the plastic uni-body design we have the 3.5mm headphone jack up top by its lonesome, with the power button and volume up/down rocker on the right side. Top if your holding the device in landscape mode.

A quick note, on the same side just under the volume we also have an Infrared eye for the bundled free app called Peel (paperwork in box we saw in unboxing). This feature is truly awesome and more details on that will follow shortly.

On the left side we have a clean bezel with nothing but that micro-SD slot we mentioned above. Then on to the bottom is the 30-pin dock connector for the much too short cable included in the box, stereo speaker, and a microphone.

Audio was surprisingly loud for such a small device and seems on par with most larger tablets like the Galaxy Tab 10 and more. Only issue is the occasional moment where my hand was covering the holes, but that is to be expected and not really a con. Overall I love the hardware. The lightweight design feels great and comfortable in the hand although the plastic scratches a bit easy. Definitely lighter and more comfortable than the T-Mobile Springboard we just reviewed.

Software & Performance
Running with Android 3.2 Honeycomb and touched up with Samsung’s own Touchwiz UX for tablets everything ran like you’d expect. 3.2 really brought stability and smoothness to Honeycomb and it definitely shows with the Tab 7.0 Plus. We all know plenty about Honeycomb and the UX but for a more in-depth look here is our Touchwiz UX for tablets review. Everything is the same with the new tab only smaller and we have the latest version running here. Performance is great on this tab and as we said above everything truly is smooth and very fluid on Honeycomb with TouchWiz. The few hiccups I’ve experienced on past tablets were not present here and overall I’ve been quite impressed although the occasional app wont look right with the 7″ display. Blame the developers for that one, not Sammy.

Benchmarks
Running on the highly popular dual-core Exynos processor from Samsung you betcha we ran a few benchmarks and just as we expected, it blazes past most tablets. The 1.2 GHz dual-core handles the higher resolution of the 7″ display with ease and performed right along with the Galaxy S II (same processor) and actually was a bit faster in both Quadrant and Vellamo. We scored well over 3800 in Quadrant, most tablets are lucky to break 2500.

Vellamo went surprisingly well here too and passed every other device and tablet on the market. It appears to love Honeycomb and the faster dual-core beat all the other 1.0 GHz devices listed. We also tested AnTutu since that’s been popular with the Galaxy Nexus and Transformer Prime and it actually performs right in the middle here — in case you were wondering.

Infrared with Peel
The Tab 7.0 Plus comes with an infrared port and a bundled app called Peel Smart Remote. I was pleasantly surprised with how simple and easy this worked. Within 5 minutes I could control my TV, Denon Receiver surround sound, and cable box all from the Tab 7 Plus using Peel. You can turn them on one at a time, or all at once, Crank up the volume or search showtimes. I immediately set Comedy Central and ESPN to my favorites of course. It connects to provider via zip code and found local channels accurately and perfect, only I wasn’t getting sent to HD channels sadly but I’ll keep working on that (firstworldproblems). I could write an entire review on this so for now lets just say it works exceptionally well and here’s a few photos in case you’re wondering.

Battery Life & Camera
Samsung’s included a 4,000 mAh battery with the Tab 7.0 Plus and on the smaller display it lasts plenty long compared to something like the Iconia A100 7″ tab and its 2,350 mAh battery. While this varies from user to user I’ve been able to use the Tab off and on for well over 2 1/2 days with a single charge. Standby time is excellent and I’m still at 33% after almost 3 days and plenty of games, benchamarks, and browser viewing lately.

The camera is only 3 megapixels on the rear so testing any sort of video capture just didn’t seem warranted. For those moments you want to capture a picture the 3 MP sensor worked fine although auto-focus was a bit slow. Some samples are in the gallery below.

Wrap Up
There’s plenty to like about the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. The display is superb although not 1280 x 800, performance was swift and stable, and the entire device is super thin and lightweight. I’ve actually started enjoying this more than my Galaxy Tab 10.1 because its just so convenient and portable.

My only concern here is the pricing. For a 7″ device with a smaller size and lower resolution than competing 10″ tablets the price should also be a bit cheaper but it isn’t. I almost feel as if we are paying a small premium for it being Samsung. Priced at $399 for the 16GB model and $499 for the 32GB model we could get an ASUS Transformer for the same price, but then we do have a faster processor and more portability here.

In the end this is a great overall tablet. The size and performance are just right, especially for those needing a portable tablet solution. For anyone searching for an awesome Android tablet that is small and lightweight but runs great, this is totally for you. Compared to other 7″ offerings currently available (not counting the Kindle Fire) this is hands down the best available overall package if you ask me. Enjoy the full sized gallery of photos below.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : T-Mobile SIM-free

Announced Date : September 30, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 7 Inch
• Resolution : 1024x600
• Screen Type : LCD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 7.62 Inch
• Width : 4.82 Inch
• Depth : 0.39 Inch
• Weight : 345 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Polymer

• Battery Capacity : 4000 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 3.2.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Hardware

CPU : Exynos

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 16 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 3 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 720p Video Recording

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Hardware

The AS851 is the largest of the Fidelio docks, and at about a foot and a half wide by eight inches tall and deep, it’s quite sizable for a speaker dock. The front is dominated by a huge speaker grille hiding stereo speakers, with the microUSB dock itself and some minimal controls at the bottom. Power and volume are all you get – a play/pause and track skipping buttons would have been nice. The build quality is pretty good, with no loose seams or creaking. The Fidelio dock is pretty hefty, but not so heavy as to be unwieldy for its size. Around the curved back you get the AC input, a USB port for charging devices that won’t fit on the dock itself, and a headphone port for directly connecting  devices without Bluetooth. Also included in the box are a male-to-male audio cable and a small remote.

The most important part of the dock is the flexible USB port on the front. It slides from left to right and rotates 180 degrees to accommodate any size smartphone, and a tiny wheel on the side can lock it into position. While the plug itself is fine for even the largest smartphone, tablets are just too heavy, and in any case usually won’t charge via a MicroUSB port. The dock is definitely designed with smartphones, and not much else, in mind. Android phones with a microUSB port on the bottom will stand up in portrait mode, while those with a port on the side (like the DROID X in the photos) must stay in landscape mode.

Connection

Since Android can’t play music directly via USB, the Fidelio docks use an A2DP stereo Bluetooth radio to play music. Pairing was not a problem among any of the Android devices I had on hand, and considering that that includes phones from Samsung, HTC and Motorola, not to mention one Huawei and one HP tablet, that’s a very good thing. Once connected the audio from the phone broadcasts clearly through the speakers, whether on not it’s actually plugged in to the dock. This means you can walk around with your phone, up to about 30 feet or so, while still having audio play through the dock.

Once connected, the phone will easily reconnect time and time again. The Bluetooth connection didn’t show any of the skipping or fuzziness that’s all too common with car stereos that use A2DP. The threshold for audio seems a bit low, though – if you manually lower the volume on your phone (not the dock) to less than 30%, no sound at all will come from the dock. Note that because of the Bluetooth connection, the Fidelio dock should work with any phone, tablet or MP3 player that uses Bluetooth – iOS, Windows Phone 7, even some feature phones. Failing that you can use the line-in for some old-fashioned tunes. It’s a surprisingly versatile device.

Sound

The Fidelio dock is LOUD. As in, hear it from every room in your house (or the apartment complex) loud. Sitting it next to my desktop computer it gave my JBL 2.1 speakers a run for their money. However, the sound that comes from the Fidelio is not exactly hi-fi. You can get lots of volume, yes, but the audio seems tinny at the high end and lacks bass. This is probably due to the A2DP Bluetooth connection, which is fickle enough to allow for some hiss and cracking on even the highest-quality music. This is a common problem with Bluetooth speakers, and one you’re likely to encounter with any similar hardware. Of course, you could physically connect your phone via the line-in port, but that kind of defeats the purpose of the dock.

Fidelio App

Philips has conscientiously developed an Android app for use with its Fidelio docks, and you can download it directly from the Android Market. The most important inclusion in the software is the ability to manually adjust the dock’s equalizer, which is otherwise impossible. It will also automatically connect to the dock when inserted… or, in fact, plugged in to any power source. Unfortunately, a host of bugs made force-closes a constant problem. The dock app itself is nothing to write home about, and I found myself switching back to my own homescreen more often than not. But for the equalizer feature, it’s a worthy (and free) download. Most of the functions you can handle with the dock’s physical remote.

Wrap-up

The Fidelio dock is a nice piece of audio equipment, even if it is unfortunately brought low by the limitations of Bluetooth. As an Android speaker dock it’s at the head of a very small pack. You should have no problem connecting any Android phone, and if a tablet is more your style, you can still use it without physically connecting to the dock.

For $200 it isn’t cheap, but the high-end build quality certainly justifies the cost. If you find yourself listening to music or podcasts with cheap-o headphones, especially in your own home, it may certainly be worth it. If you like the idea of an Android speaker dock but don’t want to drop two Benjamins, Philips has smaller docks in the same family starting at just $90, suitable for a nightstand or desktop.

Check out our hands-on video below:

Hardware

When Motorola started introducing this wave of devices with the bent-in corners, I was hesitant to say that I liked them at all – but here with this device in particular, it all comes together rather well. The front end of the device is uniquely shaped without being overbearing while the back of the device is a totally classic design. The swoop up to the camera/speaker/port area of the device makes for a great place to hang the phone from your finger while the Kevlar pattern makes for a totally high-class feel for your palm.

While the outer rim of the device is a hard shiny plastic, it’s not low-grade, and even though there’s a full metal construction on the inside and the front panel is glass, the whole device is ultra light at 127g. This is a great weight at which the device feels both light enough to impress but heavy enough to remain substantial. Then like all devices with curved-edged Gorilla Glass on the front, like the G2x for example, your thumbs will be in gaga-land with love for the smooth ride they’ll be on for the next 2 years of your life.

The back panel of the device is not meant to come off and the battery inside isn’t the removable kind, but at 1780 mAh you shouldn’t need to. Have a look lower in this review for more info on the battery – then know that there’s really nothing you need to mess with on this device other than your day to day work and play. There’s a panel on the side where you can switch out your LTE microSIM if need be, the same with the microSD card.

Software

While Motorola at the start of 2011 was not impressing many people at all with what they called “Motoblur” at the time, this a user interface sitting on top of Android, they’ve hit a stride with their most recent iteration. Here the UI slides around rather nicely and most things seem to fit in what’s otherwise a rather nice look at Android. There are some bits that drive me nuts, the gallery app for one, but features such as Smart Actions make this device uniquely appealing.

In what I’m sure Motorola will continue to work with in the future for device automation, here comes Smart Actions – an app with triggers and actions. Add a trigger like 9PM arriving and add actions like switch to Wi-fi and turn off cellular data. Another example is switching your wallpaper when you reach a certain GPS location, or sending the device into a deep sleep mode for battery conservation when 1AM rolls around (because you probably wont need to be making anything happen with the phone after that.)

Also check out a few benchmarks here for power and speed:

Accessories

While you certainly could trick this device out with a boatload of accessories, most of them custom made and branded with the DROID RAZR name, the device is also fine on its own. The only accessory I think you’ll definitely want to get is a microHDMI cord if you don’t already have one – or just get an HD dock and one will be in the box. Check out the separate [DROID RAZR accessories review] for the full look.

Camera

With 1.3 megapixel camera on the front and an 8 megapixel camera on the back also capable of 1080p video, how can you go wrong? If you’ve got bad software backing it up, you can go wrong, but Motorola here has gone very, very right in this case, bringing a shooter that can quick-launch from the device’s lockscreen and can snap photos one after another after another at high speed. This is easily the best camera on a Motorola smartphone thus far and leaves MOST of the other smartphone cameras on the market today in the dust. Have a peek at the results here and in the gallery below.

Battery

The battery on this device is OK, and the device is certainly not the power hog that several other LTE devices have been thus far, but there are a few things that’ll have it knocked out cold in just a few short hours. Some of our tests thus far resulted in the following: LTE hotspot for a laptop: 5 hours. Video with data turned off: 8 hours. Netflix video: 6 hours. Normal daily usage (turning the device on to check emails every half hour or so, using the device for Spotify in the car, watching a YouTube here and there, playing some games once or twice,) 11 hours. Have a peek at one example of a medium-use day here:

Wrap-up

This device is the clear new top choice for LTE devices on Verizon’s network. Where before this new wave of Motorola devices came out with the interface formerly known as Blur, now Motorola has hit a new stride and the whole device flies quite nicely. I’ve still got a bone to pick with the built-in gallery app, but that’s an argument for another day. Right now it’s all aces.

The DROID RAZR is perhaps a bit wide for my palm, but otherwise feels splendid to hold and to use. The Kevlar weave pattern on the back feels lovely, the curved-edge Gorilla Glass on the front feels rather nice, and the location of the HDMI and microUSB ports really feels like a good choice. Now the question must be: is this device any competition for the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II? The latter, yes certainly because of the LTE and the physical features on the phone, the former, I can’t be so sure – we’ll see!

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : DROID RAZR

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : November 03, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution :
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED Advanced qHD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.15 Inch
• Width : 2.71 Inch
• Depth : 0.27 Inch
• Weight : 127 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1780 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 8.9 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 16.384 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 850
• 900
• 1700
• 1900
• 2100

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

So many devices are about to hit Verizon before the holidays, with the DROID RAZR being no exception. We were almost posititive it would hit November 10th, but after an official DROID RAZR commercial – you can expect to see it this November 11, 2011 at 11:11am; is this device #1 or what? The new RAZR has already gone live on Droid Does and DroidLanding webpages – so get ready to hunt for your chance to win a free one! Many presumed development wouldn’t occur on the RAZR due to a non-removable battery and locked bootloader, yet alas: we have root!

Many other smartphones were reviewed this week, including the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Ray, Samsung GALAXY Note (via SlashGear), Samsung GALAXY Player 5.0, and we even got around to unboxing AT&T’s HTC Vivid and Samsung GALAXY S II Skyrocket. Both the Vivid and Skyrocket are AT&T’s first smartphones to take advantage of their true 4G LTE network, so stay tuned in the week to come for their more in-depth reviews. Their 4G LTE coverage is very limited, but we’ll try our best to put it to the test.

The original Samsung GALAXY S received a taste of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) early on from an SDK port by two XDA-Developers. Not much works at the moment, but seriously – Ice Cream Sandwich was just released! I expect a fully functional port in due time. The LG Optimus series and LG Revolution 4G should have had OTA updates of 2.3 (Gingerbread) pushed to their devices starting November 1st; if not, go to Menu > Settings > About Phone > Software Update to grab it. Also, expect a future update to Ice Cream Sandwich for the HTC Rezound, HTC Vivid, and Samsung Skyrocket. Though we assumed these recently devices would receive Android 4.0, it’s always comforting to know the plan is “officially” on the way.

Wrapping up here, make sure that you take advantage of nabbing a free HTC phone when purchasing Modern Warfare 3 at Best Buy for a limited time!

Chris Davies found the hardware to be typical of Samsung’s high-end offerings, light and solid, if a little bit on the plasticky side. Naturally the gigantic 1280 x 800 screen dominates the device and its interaction, but the real plus is its Super AMOLED panel. The screen uses it for a bright, clear display with the customary excellent viewing angles. Inside the Note is no slouch, either: a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, a full gigabyte of RAM and 16-32 gigs of storage put it in league with the best Android offerings, and thankfully it also includes MicroSD card slot. The size isn’t unveil and fits in most jean pockets fine, but holding it up to your head for a call is undeniably awkward, at least for the first few times.

But the screen’s size isn’t the only thing that sets it apart. The Galaxy Note includes an old-school “S-pen” stylus in its own bay, but utilizes some very new-school tech to make it useful. The pen and screen use a digitizer from Wacom for accuracy and sensitivity. The reviewer found the pen a unique implementation, since it can be used interchangeably with your finger in all parts of the Gingerbread OS, unlike the HTC Flyer and its capacitive stylus. The S-pen also has a secondary button that lets you access more features in Samsung’s custom apps. OmniSketch, the Galaxy Note’s built-in art creation tool, was particularly well-recieved. The rest of Samsung’s cutomized TouchWiz apps take advantage of the S-pen as well, and the accuracy came in handy for business apps.

On the multimedia side of things, the Galaxy Note’s 8MP camera bested recent Samsung offerings by a considerable margin. Photos were bright and clear, showing good performances at all distances. Video wasn’t so great, with jagged edges and dificulty focusing cited as primary complaints. Playback, on the hand, was excellent, with a wide variety of formats and no trouble with HD 720p content. Quote Davies: “On resolution and scale, it’s hard to imagine a better way to consume video on your smartphone than the Note.”

One of the most pleasent surprises about the Note is that even with its huge screen and hungry processor, the 2500 mAh battery can last for a full day of regular use. With basic web browsing on WiFi and 3G, plus calling and generally playing around with the apps and the camera, the Galaxy Note lasted a day and a half. The downside is that there may be some aggressive CPU throttling going on, but when the activity calls for it, performance ramps up. Call quality in London was fine, though positioning the Note’s speaker to your year can be awkward – many may opt for a Bluetooth headset instead.

Unfortunately, there’s still no concrete news of the Samsung Galaxy Note making its way to the US market any time soon. Though a model with AT&T wireless bands was recently spotted at the FCC, there’s no indication or leak pointing to an actual release. We’ll be waiting with bated breath Samsung – please don’t let us down.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Galaxy Note

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : NA

Announced Date : September 01, 2011

Release Date : TBA

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 5.30 Inch
• Resolution : 800x1280
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.78 Inch
• Width : 3.27 Inch
• Depth : 0.38 Inch
• Weight : 178 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 2500 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 390 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AMR
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1400 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1024 MB

Internal Storage : 32.768 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass

FM Radio :

NFC :

The Xperia ray is one unique phone. Sony has gone ahead and put some very decent higher mid-range specs into an extremely small phone, slipped an awesome screen on it and wrapped it in a slim piece of aluminum and hard plastic. This may not be the biggest, fastest, or the best but it has plenty to offer although it might be best for those with smaller hands and fingers — or for kids.

Hardware
For hardware we have a single-core 1.0 GHz Snapdragon chip, a 3.3-inch display with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution, an 8 megapixel camera on the back that will rival most, and then a 1.3 front for video chatting. We have 512MB of RAM, with a 4GB micro-SD included out of the box all inside an extremely small device that measuring around 4.3″ tall and only 9.2mm thick. It’s barely twice the size of the charger that was included and not much larger than a credit card.

Before I get into software or the amazing camera feel free to glance at our hands-on post, then enjoy the unboxing video below.

Sony Ericsson Xperia ray hands-on

Now that we’ve got a bit more acquainted lets look over the rest of the device with some up close and personal pictures. Sony was nice enough to send me this goldish white wine colored device. They also offer red, black, and white for some variety. Like I said, it’s like really small guys, I’m still having a hard time wrapping my brain around it — I love it but hate it.

Around top we have the usual 3.5mm headphone jack and smack dab in the middle is our power and wake button. The top and bottom are a black hard plastic but everything else is surrounded in gold.

Then around to the right side we have the tiny little teeny volume up/down rockers, and the micro-USB port around to the left side and that is all. Very simple, very plain but in a good way. Nothing too crazy and the design is actually really nice. The build quality is quite exceptional too.

Regarding the hardware we have a 3.3″ display but it features a 480 x 854 resolution like mentioned above. Most devices under 3.5″ have a lower resolution and this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The slightly higher res on this small screen gives us one of the best screen viewing experiences on an Android phone, but everything is tiny. Icons and even the on-screen keyboard are almost too small. For this reason alone the high resolution is one of my favorite, and least favorite aspects of the Xperia ray. I’m not sure I could use it daily with my medium to larger sized hands as typing on the small screen is difficult with this small and thin screen.

Software
We have Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread covered with Sony’s Timescape UI, which is actually really nice and smooth. It has a few nifty animations for moving icons and stuff of that nature but everything is smooth and performs great. A few custom UI’s *cough* Motorola *cough* aren’t nearly as smooth, and not as pretty. We also have built-in screen capture, something I wish ALL Android phones had stock. Long press the power button up top and you have a screenshot option anywhere, anytime.

We have almost zero bloatware so that is nice. Other than a few awesome things like Sony’s Music and Video Unlimited we have Facebook, Track ID for caller ID, McAfee Security, Office Suite Pro and that is all. Everything else is Sony bundled apps and games. This being the first Sony Ericsson device I’ve used in a while I’m extremely pleased with performance of the software and overall user experience. The UI changes slow nothing down and really enhance Android in a good way. This is one of a few UI’s I’d actually consider keeping and not replacing with a custom ROM.

Performance
We wont take too much time here as we have your average 1.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512 MB of RAM here so there shouldn’t be any surprises on performance. We scored a very decent 1869 in Quadrant and the Vellamo benchmark results were actually what impressed me. Beating almost all single and dual-core phones to date. Not sure if this was a fluke or Sony just does it right, as I had the same results on three tests. Take the results as you will, the performance on this phone is great for the specs so I’m going to just go with it.

Camera

This teeny little phone packs an awesome 8.1 MP camera on the rear and just like most from Sony, it rocks. The auto focus and shutter speed are almost instant and is probably the fastest I’ve used to date on a smartphone. Seriously you can just click away and take pictures. I’ve snapped away a few of my puppy Chloe and of some plants around and the level of detail with or without natural lighting is extremely impressive. Motorola should definitely take notice and maybe even ask for some help from Sony Ericsson. Below is the gallery of pictures taken with the Xperia ray.

The camera records in 720p and while decent it was nothing to really write home about, the shutter speed and picture capabilities are the true performer here. The front facing camera is also 1.3 megapixels and was as to be expected, average at best. Until we get better 2MP or 3MP cameras on the front I still can’t see myself using that often.

Battery Life
We have a 1500 Mah battery inside the ray and battery has also been stellar so far. Obviously the smaller 3.3″ display will help conserve battery but the Bravia engine tweaks may also help as I’ve experienced better than average battery. Lasting almost 6 days on stand-by with minimal usage — Yes I said 6 days. Then for daily usage of web browsing and gaming it actually lasted all day and all night on a single charge. This has some better battery life than most I’ve tested recently.

Wrap-Up
To wrap things up I’m going to have to finish by saying I love this phone, but I sort of hate it too. The hardware, camera, display, and even the amazingly loud and clear speakers all are excellent but overall it’s just too small for me. The display was just too small and thin, the icons and on-screen keyboard were a real challenge and typing took far too long. I’ve posted a picture of on-screen keyboards from the ray next to the 4.3″ HTC Sensation for a comparison — it really is small.

Overall I must say this is a stellar phone. It performs great in every single area for what you pay for, except for the smaller screen. I just can’t recommend it unless you have extremely small fingers, a younger person, or are a female wanting a small and compact smartphone. Sony has a great phone here that anyone will love it the size sits ok with them. If the size will not concern you then by all means, buy this phone as it truly is quite nice.

Feel free to enjoy the rest of the photos in the full size gallery below, as well as the full spec sheet near the bottom. If you like what you’ve seen the Xperia ray is available now from $379 from Newegg and other online retailers. Feel free to ask any questions below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : Xperia Ray

Manufactuer : Sony

Carrier : NA

Announced Date : June 22, 2011

Release Date : September 01, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 3.3 Inch
• Resolution : 480x854
• Screen Type : NA

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.37 Inch
• Width : 2.09 Inch
• Depth : 0.37 Inch
• Weight : 100 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1500 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 430 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Hardware

CPU :

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 1

Ram : 512 MB

Internal Storage : .3 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8.1 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Hardware

Here’s the principle difference between the original ATRIX 4G and the ATRIX 2: a slightly larger screen. That’s about it. Oh sure, there are some cosmetic differences, strangely accentuated by slightly lower features like a smaller battery and less on-board memory. But the primary changes in your user experience will be found in the screen, which stretches to 4.3 inches from the previous 4. Resolution remains the same at 960 x 540 qHD, but honesty, it’s nearly impossible to count pixels on either. They’re both excellent panels that have a clean and crisp display, even if the black levels and viewing angles aren’t going to beat a Super AMOLED panel. Four standard capacitive buttons reside below the screen.

A 1GHz dual-core processor and a full gigabyte of memory power the phone. Looking around the phone you’ll see a very similar configuration: power button and headphone jack on the top, USB and HDMI jacks on the left side, volume buttons and a dedicated camera button (always appreciated) on the right, and a bare bottom. The back of the phone, now a matte plastic instead of the ATRIX 4G’s faux-carbon fiber, has a dedicated speaker slot beneath the 8MP camera and LED flash. Sadly, the biometric fingerprint scanner hasn’t made the transition. The phone has an average thickness of 10.2 millimeters, and while it isn’t going to win any beauty pageants, it’s good-looking enough to be considered by most.

One thing I do appreciate about the back cover design is that it wraps almost all thew way around the entire phone, making an accidental release almost impossible. It’s a devil to get open, but once it’s back on it closes with a satisfying snap, reassuring the user that it isn’t going anywhere. 4GB of useable on-board storage is a disappointing drop down from the original ATRIX’s 16GB, and a paltry 2GB MicroSD card doesn’t help. Prospective owners should expect to invest in a larger card if they want to listen to any amount of music or take advantage of the new 1080P video capture.

Overall, the phone feels OK, if not outstanding. It’s got a definite heft and the sense that it won’t fall apart, but the ATRIX 2 also doesn’t have the expensive, solid feeling that even mid-range HTC devices seem to achieve without trying. It feels good in the hand and won’t slip out easily thanks to the textured back panel, but you could say that about a lot of AT&T’s current line-up. It’s a decent refresh of the ATRIX – unless you have to have the integrated fingerprint reader or much larger internal storage, you’ll be satisfied.

Software

Motorola’s I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-Blur UI customizations have a lot of historical weight going against them, and rightly so. But like HTC’s Sense and Samsung’s TouchWiz before it, Blur seems to have finally matured. There’s no slowdown in the homescreen or interface, nothing that the Tegra 2 processor can’t handle. Even if Blur’s additions to Android Gingerbread aren’t anywhere near as useful or pretty as others, it’s no longer a deal-breaker for those used to the faster “vanilla” Android. Congratulations to Motorola for finding a balance between performance and differentiation at last.

AT&T includes a pretty hefty load of bloatware with the standard Android and Motorola apps, but – miracle of miracles! – nearly all of it can be removed. The only apps that I wanted to manually uninstall that I couldn’t were AT&T’s music store and Quick Office, and all things considered, that’s downright progressive for an American carrier. Motorola’s made some pretty extensive modifications to Gingerbread, integrating services like Flickr and last.fm, but they don’t seem to slow down the user experience at all. Overall the phone is one of the fastest I’ve been able to play with lately, and while it doesn’t exceed the Galaxy S II or some of the phones coming to market very soon, it’s very impressive at $99 on-contract.

Between a faster Blur skin and a less intrusive AT&T presence, it’s surprising just how zippy the ATRIX 2 feels. Quadrant scores (which, to be fair, are not the be-all, end-all of Android performance) reflect this, at an impressive 2200-2300 after several tests. Trying out some of my favorite hardware-intensive games was not an issue at all. The ATRIX 2 is a solid performer, and should be able to handle whatever you can throw at it – including Ice Cream Sandwich, eventually.

Phone and Battery

AT&T service is pretty poor where I live, but even so, I was able to hold quick local calls and a 20-minute cross-country call with reasonable fidelity. I could hear those on the other end of the line, but periodically, they couldn’t hear me. A nice surprise was that AT&T’s “4G” HSPA+ network extended to my home, even with only one or two bars. In my location I was able to pull down more than 1MBps on AT&T’s network with consistency – don’t laugh – which is better than most of the AT&T phones tested in the same location. Based on this, you should be able to get a solid signal and speed in any metropolitan area, provided that your nearest towers aren’t under stress.

The battery on the ATRIX 2 is a pleasant surprise. Despite being physically smaller than the ATRIX 4G’s battery at 1785 mAh, it idled on my desk for days without complaint, and went all day on a single charge with 35% left over after considerable web browsing, YouTube use and local calls. Naturally your mileage may vary, especially since end-users will install many more apps than I have, but overall it’s an impressive feat for a mid-range phone. Battery life like this bodes well for upcoming Motorola “superphones” like the DROID RAZR, even with its non-removable battery – the manufacturer is clearly getting good at mobile power management.

Camera

Like most Motorola 8MP cameras, the ATRIX 2 was acceptable but not outstanding. Brightly lit areas and subjects looked good, but take it inside and you see n immediate and considerable dip in quality, which not even the LED flash could overcome. It should suffice for YouTube, Twitter and Facebook addicts, but for more permanent pictures, be sure to bring along a dedicated point-and-shoot or DSLR. Those looking for a more professional camera (if indeed that could or should be a consideration in your phone purchase) should wait for the AT&T version of the Galaxy Nexus.

Accessories: Lapdock 100 and HD Dock

Motorola was kind enough to send along some of the high-end accessories that made the ATRIX 4G so notable. We’ll leave the car dock and external battery alone for the purposes of this review – they’re both perfectly serviceable – and focus on Motorola’s WebTop products, the new universal Lapdock 100 and the ATRIX 2 HD dock.

The Lapdock gets a new if not particularly attractive makeover in the 100 model. It’s not anywhere near as svelte as the original, which could pass for an expensive thin-and-light without the phone inserted. The Lapdock 100 looks more like one of the V-Tech kid’s laptops that are supposed to look just like Dad’s – silver paint and bulging lines make you wonder why anyone would tote this along instead of a slightly more expensive netbook. That said, it’s considerably cheaper than the original at just$199 less a $100 mail-in rebate, and with upcoming software upgrades, it’ll be useable for all WebTop enabled phones.

It’s decent for what it is – a 10-inch extension to your phone’s screen for typing, browsing and media playback. The problem is that there’s no usage case scenario that isn’t trumped by bringing along a netbook or even a full-sized laptop. The price isn’t so cheap that it justifies a purchase in addition to the laptop that prospective owners almost certainly already have. The experience isn’t so much better than just using the phone itself, except for the full Firefox web browser, but since customization is severely limited, it holds very little appeal for me. It doesn’t help that the Lapdock itself feels cheap, with a mushy keyboard, tricky touchpad, a dim screen and a lack of shortcuts that at this point are second nature to a full-time desktop user. I just can’t recommend the Lapdock 100 over the laptop you’ve already got, and I doubt a bump up to the 14-inch Lapdock 500 at an even greater price point would change things.

Check out a special hands-on of the LapDock 100 and ATRIX 2 below:

The HD dock has some more exciting prospects. It too will enable the WebTop interface, assuming that you use its HDMI port to connect to a monitor or television. USB ports allow for a standard mouse and keyboard interface, and considering the dock’s small size and (relatively) small price of $100, it might be a decent addition for the frequent traveler who doesn’t want or need anything but basic web functionality. Even then, the WebTop interface is pretty slow and frustrating – power users will be deterred almost instantly. If you absolutely need to shave a few pounds off of your carry-on luggage and can do without a full desktop OS, it might hit the spot.

Wrap-Up

The ATRIX 2 is a serviceable upgrade from the previous model, with a couple of caveats. If you must have the extra internal storage and fingerprint reader, go with the ATRIX 4G, which is still available for $99. Everyone else should be pleased with a solid, speedy phone with great battery life and a respectable screen at a decent price. It’s not going to beat out the latest and greatest, but for a mid-range device, you could do a lot worse. On AT&T, you couldn’t do much better without switching camps to the iPhone 4, with the possible exception of the HTC Inspire 4G. It’s worth noting that as one of the latest AT&T Android phones, the ATRIX 4G is very likely to receive an official Ice Cream Sandwich update.

The accessories, unfortunately, still aren’t up to snuff. I love a good desktop or car dock, and the standard $40 ATRIX 2 desktop dock and the utilitarian car dock are Motorola’s typically acceptable offerings. But the Lapdock 100 is still far too expensive to be practical when most of its target audience already has a laptop, and the $100 HD dock only holds an allure for a very specific subset of travelers. If you’re someone who liked the original ATRIX but didn’t want to break your contract at the time, the ATRIX 2 is a fine replacement. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest in the Android world, it would be better to go with the Samsung Galaxy S II or wait a few months to see what lands this holiday season.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : ATRIX 2

Manufactuer : Motorola

Carrier : AT&T

Announced Date : October 11, 2011

Release Date : October 16, 2011

Also Known As : Motorola Edison, Motorola MB 865

Display

• Screen Size : 4.3 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : NA

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.96 Inch
• Width : 2.59 Inch
• Depth : 0.40 Inch
• Weight : 147 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1785 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 382 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• 3GP
• MPEG-4 (MP4)
• WMV

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4430

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 2.048 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 8 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

Now before we get started feel free to look over my hands-on post, then enjoy the goofy hands-on and unboxing video to get you up to speed.

HTC EVO Design 4G hands-on

Hardware

First I wanted to mention the display because it looks great. While it’s only 4.0″ compared to the other popular EVO’s and their 4.3″ displays we do have a qHD here. Higher resolution than the original EVO yet on a smaller screen so it truly looks great. We have a 4.0″ qHD 960 x 540 resolution. The screen does feel a bit thin and tall if you ask me, but shouldn’t be of any concern. Android 2.3 Gingerbread is powered by a 1.2 GHz single-core S2 processor from Qualcomm, all inside a smartphone that’s a mere 4.80 x 2.40 x 0.50 inches in size.

As you can see above, around back we have the usual soft touch matte back that many phones have used as of late — then the popular and sturdy aluminum bezel we’ve come to love from HTC. They are king of the crop when it comes to build quality, everything is extremely durable and solid just as we’ve come to expect from HTC. Down to the bottom we have where the back is removable (with a little extra force) bringing us to the removable battery, and included 8GB micro-SD card. Taking the bottom battery cover off is a bit tricky so good luck and be careful.

The design is very simple and elegant with the aluminum around back wrapping up front and covering the entire outer shell. The left side has all the action with the micro-USB port and the volume up/down rocker. Nothing is on the right and as usual up top we have the power and wake button, as well as our 3.5mm headphone jack.

Overall I really like the design and build quality, the phone has a very durable and solid feel and if you’ve ever handled the HTC EVO 3D — it is basically the same thing but smaller in this regard. My only complaint with the actual phone is the camera around back, while 5 megapixels is enough and works great it’s the hump and design that is giving me the problem. The phone doesn’t sit flat on a surface and if you try and touch or swipe between homescreens while its laying on your desk it wobbles and is crooked. The camera hump is just too large and should’ve been a bit smaller. This isn’t a big deal but most phones manage to still sit fairly flat. Looking at the photo below you’ll understand why.

Software

As mentioned above we have Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread as well as the usual HTC Sense UI 3.0 on board. It would have been nice to see Sense 3.5 here but we are equally as happy with 3.0 and the lockscreen ring is still my favorite part — well that and the clock/weather widget of course. HTC Sense UI 3.0 is nothing new so I wont spend much time here although everything is extremely smooth and fluid, as you’d expect with a 1.2 GHz processor powering everything. Bloatware you ask? Other than the usual dressed in Yellow WiMAX apps and Nascar applications we also have FM Radio, Stocks, TeleNav GPS Navigator and a task manager. Everything else is standard with all HTC devices such as HTC Hub and Watch etc. I’m happy to report this is one of those rare phones that didn’t come with any bloatware like most T-Mobile phones we’ve seen lately — We’ll done HTC.

Benchmarks

We always like to run a benchmark or two just to see how things are running and if everything seems to be playing nicely together. For a 1.2 GHz single-core phone the Quadrant results were about where we expected, just above 1900 and I tried about 5 times to break 2000 with no luck. This is actually a pretty decent score because many dual-core phones in the recent past haven’t scored too much higher than that. We’ve also ran some Vellamo and Speedtest results to see how well that 4G WiMAX is performing.

I wont talk much about benchmarks because those that care about those things usually go for the biggest and best from a mobile device and most likely you’ve already bought the EVO 3D. For those that want a well rounded and powerful smartphone that will last through your 2-year contract, this will be just fine. Vallamo benchmark results were a little depressing but part of that was the poor network performance results.

Next up we have speedtests. I might not have the best 4G coverage and WiMAX range but I do live in a larger city (Las Vegas) where I’d expect to have good coverage and a stable quick connection but that just isn’t the case here. Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 3G and even T-Mobiles new 4G seems to completely win outright here. I’ve achieved over 9 Mbps on average with the new T-Mobile HTC Amaze 4G but was lucky to break 2 Mbps on either 4G WiMAX or the standard 3G here with the Design 4G. Maybe I’ll get a better connection down on the Vegas strip and will have to give that a try soon.

Camera
The HTC EVO Design 4G does have a pretty decent camera for what you pay for. Coming in with a 5 megapixel shooter on the rear with LED flash and a 1.3 MP front for video chat I’ve experienced overall decent camera performance. This is no 8MP camera from the Galaxy S II but for $100 I’d be more than satisfied. Below is one quick sample and you can see a few more in the full gallery below. The camera does offer 720p video recording as well.

Battery Life
While battery testing is still ongoing because I wanted to try both 3G and 4G separate I can happily say that 3G battery life was quite excellent. We have a 1520 mAh battery with the EVO Design 4G and while using 3G only it was enough to make it through most of the day. One thing worth noting was standby battery. I barely used the phone for a few days and it lasted 2 days and 18 hours on a single charge. For those that don’t use there phone all day long like myself, the EVO Design 4G will last you plenty long. 4G testing hasn’t been quite as fortunate as the constant switching back and forth from 4G to 3G has been taking a toll on battery life.

Wrap-Up
If you are the proud owner of the HTC EVO 4G this will not be the device for you. While the processor is faster and the screen is crisp and more vibrant, it’s a bit smaller and the camera takes a dip too — not to mention we no longer have a kickstand. Instead, for someone coming from, dare I say it, the HTC Hero or even the EVO Shift slider the Design 4G is an exceptional smartphone and would make you proud.

The new EVO 3D may trump the Design 4G because of its dual camera and processor status, but the Design 4G holds its own quite well in regards to the rest of the line up available. Pair that with the 4G WiMAX and the awesomely low price I’m sure many will find this device as the perfect fit. The HTC EVO Design 4G is available now and is only $100 with a new 2-year contract. Or if you’re feeling cool go snag it from Amazon Wireless for just $30. Enjoy the rest of the photos in the gallery below and be sure to let me know if you have any device specific questions.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : EVO Design 4G

Manufactuer : HTC

Carrier : NA

Announced Date : October 19, 2011

Release Date : October 23, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.00 Inch
• Resolution : 540x960
• Screen Type : S-LCD

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.8 Inch
• Width : 2.4 Inch
• Depth : 0.50 Inch
• Weight : 147 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1520 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : MSM8655

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 1

Ram : 768 MB

Internal Storage : 4096 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• CDMA

CDMA Band:
• 800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :