Today Google, Verizon and Motorola announced the latest Android powered smartphone, the Droid X will be available on July 15th for $199, after a rebate and a 2 year contract. The Droid X joins the Droid and the Droid Incredible as a member of Verizon’s star Android devices and is clearly meant to counter the iPhone 4.
The new Droid X has a 1GHz CPU, 4.3″ widescreen display and an 8 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash capable of 720P video capture. The powerful phone includes 8GB of onboard storage and a pre-installed 16GB MicroSD card to store all of your music, movies and more. The phone also packs an HDMI port for connection to a HDTV and is DLNA certified. The Droid X also has a 3-microphone solution aimed at capturing better audio when you are recording a video. While this doesn’t mean you’re ready to film a feature-length movie, you should notice better sound in the clips you share online and with friends.
The Droid X will ship with the Android 2.1 operating system and will be upgraded to Android 2.2 “FroYo” later this summer; an update that all Droid devices on Verizon should receive as well. When the Droid X is updated to Android 2.2 it will also be able to support Adobe Flash 10.1.
Other features on the Droid X include the “Personal Mobile 3G Hotpot” which turns the Droid X into a miniature wireless router in order to share your connection with up to 5 devices like a notebook, iPad, PSP or more. The Droid X will also have an optional widget to stream all of your social network information and come pre-installed with Swype, a new keyboard which allows you to type by moving your fingers across the keys instead of tapping on them.
The Droid X is clearly Verizon’s attempt to keep customers on their network who have been considering the iPhone 4 on AT&T. Time will tell how good the device is, but it does look impressive; even without a front facing camera.
DROID X by Motorola | |
Talk and Standby Time3 | Talk time: Up to 480 minutes Standby time: Up to 220 hours |
Form Factor | Full Touch |
Band/Modes | CDMA 800/1900, EV-DO Rev. A |
OS | Android 2.1, update to Android 2.2 late summer |
Weight | 155 g / 5.47 oz |
Dimensions | 65.50 (x) 127.50(y) 9.90(z) mm 2.6 (x) x 5.0 (y) x 0.4 (z) inches |
Browser | Webkit HTML5 based browser; Adobe Flash 10.1 after update, pinch-to-zoom |
E-mail Support | GmailTM, Push E-mail, Corporate Sync, IMAP/ POP3 |
Battery | 1540 mAh |
Connectivity | Stereo Bluetooth2 Class 1.5, Version 2.1+EDR, 3.5mm, USB 2.0 HS, OTA, HDMI, Over the Air Sync, PC Sync, DLNA |
Display | 4.3†WVGA (854 x 480) |
Display Resolution | WVGA display houses 400,000 pixels |
Messaging | SMS/MMS, E-mail |
Audio | MIDI, MP3, WAV, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, |
Video | 720p HD Capture, HD Playback via HDMI or DLNA, H.263, H.264, MPEG4, WMA v10 |
Camera | 8.0 megapixel, Digital Zoom, Auto Focus, Dual LED Flash and image editing tools |
Memory | 8 GB onboard, 16 GB microSD pre-installed, supports up to 32 GB micro SD total memory expandable up to 40 GB |
Location Services | aGPS (assisted), sGPS (stand alone), Google Mapsâ„¢, Google Mapsâ„¢ Navigation, Google Mapsâ„¢ with Google Latitude, Street View, and eCompass |