Droid Pro Forum Member Initial Thoughts and Reviews

anon(37023)

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Hello all,

My Droid Pro arrived today and I've got it up and running well. I have approx 95% of my applications reloaded and everything is working fine. I don't have time to post photos, but you already know what it looks like, so I'll share some thoughts below. I am coming from a Droid X, which I really like - but I need to decide if the Pro is a better device for me, if so the DX will get assigned to one of my team members. Here are some thoughts, in no particular order;

* The size is nice, feels similar to but better than the HTC Incredible. I don't care for the shiny, slippery, fingerprint-prone back cover. Let's hope Seidio gets an extended battery out quick, with a matte finish back cover.

* I am not a big fan of chrome, so the chrome border around the phone would have been better in black, IMHO. That said, it does have a real quality appearance and holding it gives one the impression of a quality device.

* The configurable key on the right side is nice - I use mine for opening the dialer.

* The keyboard is FANTASTIC!!! Reminds me of the best of my BB 9700 and the Motorola Q9, which was a crappy phone but had a great keyboard IMO.

* The area around the micro-USB port lights up when the keyboard is lit and also appears to light while charging. Only a slight glow, but a nice touch.

* I haven't tested the camera yet, so no comments there.

* The screen is nice, but seems pretty small, coming from a Droid X - but hey, what phone wouldn't!?! The screen response and clarity is very good.

* I'm using Launcher Pro Plus, with five items across and four rows high. This is about all that fits on this size screen. LPP is working well and I'm happy with that.

* The touch-sensitive buttons on the bottom of the screen are responsive and, while not as nice as the Droid X hardware buttons, work well.

* From what I can tell, the Pro does not appear to have the noise canceling microphone feature that the Droid X has.


* You can set shortcuts on the keyboard to open applications. I do not see an option to set Blackberry type speed dials on the keyboard, not yet at least.

That's all I've got for now, but I hope it helps. I think the Pro is a great device from first impressions, but I'm not sure I can divorce my Droid X yet :)

Hoppy
 
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anon(37023)

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updates...

Some updates;

* I initially liked Launcher Pro Plus on the Droid Pro, however; about an hour after the posting, LPP started acting funny and freezing up. I deleted LPP for now and am using the stock launcher.

* I put my AT&T pre-paid SIM card in the phone, then called VZW tech support to get the unlock code - which they provided with no questions asked. The bad news is that I cannot get the phone to recognize the AT&T signal, no matter what I do. I made sure to select the correct network in the network settings and I do see "ATT" at the top of the unlock screen and on the drop-down status bar, but no signal strength and no connection. Where the signal bars are, I just get a circle with a line through it.

I'll post more tomorrow night, after using it all day.

Hoppy
 

Sebastianraven

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Some updates;

* I initially liked Launcher Pro Plus on the Droid Pro, however; about an hour after the posting, LPP started acting funny and freezing up. I deleted LPP for now and am using the stock launcher.

* I put my AT&T pre-paid SIM card in the phone, then called VZW tech support to get the unlock code - which they provided with no questions asked. The bad news is that I cannot get the phone to recognize the AT&T signal, no matter what I do. I made sure to select the correct network in the network settings and I do see "ATT" at the top of the unlock screen and on the drop-down status bar, but no signal strength and no connection. Where the signal bars are, I just get a circle with a line through it.

I'll post more tomorrow night, after using it all day.

Hoppy


You need to change the settings to scan GSM networks only. Might not work because you have an active Verizon acct as well.
 

anon(37023)

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Yes, Sebastian, I already addressed that - set to GSM/UTMS only and when you do that, it does not have an active Verizon connection. The active Verizon account should not matter. It may be that the phone has a way to tell that you are in the USA and not allow GSM/UTMS while here. We will likely need to wait for one of the hacking pros around the forums to figure that part out.......
 

Sebastianraven

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The world is right again:

t6p5zs.jpg
 

terpitude71

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i am going to re-title and sticky this thread. Let's keep this as the thread for initial thoughts and reviews about the Droid Pro.
 

google123

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Sebastian, how's the keypad compared to that 9650? It looks a bit smaller than the BBs overall. Is it comfortable to type on? Does it flex a lot or is it nice and sturdy? How about key travel, comfortable or nonexistent a la original Droid??? Thanks :D

P.S. U need anyone to take that 9650 off your hands...PM me. ;)
 

anon(37023)

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OK, here's the latest.......

I realize you asked Sebastian, but I've also owned the 9650 Bold, so I'll play too ;) - the keyboard on the Pro is smaller and looks like it wouldn't be comfortable, but I find it outstanding to use. It's like the keyboard Moto used on the Q9 series, which was pretty much equal to the 9650. Good key travel, not mushy, feels solid and well crafted in the hand.

* When you are using in portrait mode, only the hardware keyboard is active. When you rotate to landscape, you get the virtual keyboard.

* I tried it out with enterprise mail and it works quite well. I also like the integration of accounts feature.

* It definitely does NOT have noise canceling capabilities, a la Droid X. While I really like the DX call quality (both directions) I use a Jawbone Icon most of the time, so it's not critical for me to have the noise canceling feature on the phone.

* It really, really feels good in the hand. Almost perfect size for me as I have large hands (it could be a bit larger for me, but then the pocket-ability is compromised)

* While the extended battery is not yet available, I can see where it will make little difference in size, with the one piece back remaining smooth comfortable to hold. In fact, while I was talking to a VZW rep, she advised that she attended employee training on this device yesterday - and the trainer told the class that the Pro has new battery saving technology with yields 20% better life than previous similar models (take that for what you will, but it seems possible). Since the screen is smaller than the DX and there is no noise canceling tech on board, I would think the battery life may be decent. Either way, I'm getting the extended when it comes out - can never have too much battery. If it works as described, it will be a monster with the extended.

In my unprofessional, day-and-a-half opinion, this is a decent device for the Blackberry user who is wants android functionality. Unless I have a major disaster, this one will be a keeper.

Hoppy
 

ddthld

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hoppyjr,

I'm currently using a Storm2 and previously used a Pixi Plus and have a few questions. I want to go back to hard keyboard and touchscreen combo but I want the screen to look at least as nice as the S2 and close to that size. I will give up screen size for pocketability as I also have to carry a work BB. So how is screen compared to those, especially the S2? How smooth are screen and app transitions? What is the initial battery life numbers? Thanks.
 

ddthld

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Is there anyone that can compare the KB on the DP to the Palm Pixi/Pixi Plus? I thought that the Pixi had a pretty decent KB. Thanks
 

AbeFrohman

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I have been intrigued by the Pro since it was announced. I will wait to try it out in the VZW store before making any final decisions, but for you early birds...

How's the spell checker program? Does it allow adding custom words?

How are those profiles working out for you? (if you've had a chance to set them up yet)

Thanks in advance.
 

google123

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Total win sounds like :)

Hoppy, thanks for the update. The keyboard is something that has kept me coming back to my trusty Tour. I recently tried out a Palm Pixi Plus and even with its tiny keyboard compared to the Tour, I really really liked it; very click feedback and easy to type on. I'm looking forward to this Droid Pro for reals. I'm gonna wait until the sales hit the web though to make my purchase. I feel a deal from either Amazon or Wirefly coming where I can get this for less than $100 maybe even free.99 :D
 

ddthld

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Alright, played with the DPro keyboard for a few minutes today. Its not bad, but not as good as I hoped for. I guess I like the completely separated keys ala Pixi or BB Curve. Or if they are going to be that close together might as well be an on-screen keyboard.

The screen, at least for me, is fine.

Other quick observations: DPro is pretty darn responsive and I do like the type to search function.
 

ferniesp

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I played with this phone long enough at the store to realize that why in blazes would anyone go to this from a Droid 2, X, Incredible and Fasinate? Guys, it's just not that great of a phone. Looks awkward, feels awkward, lousy call quality, small screen, average camera and okay keyboard. There is a reason that this phone is being sold cheaply. For what it's worh on my two cents , this phone is nothing to get excited about.
 

brina042

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I played with this phone long enough at the store to realize that why in blazes would anyone go to this from a Droid 2, X, Incredible and Fasinate? Guys, it's just not that great of a phone. Looks awkward, feels awkward, lousy call quality, small screen, average camera and okay keyboard. There is a reason that this phone is being sold cheaply. For what it's worh on my two cents , this phone is nothing to get excited about.

Well I came from the Droid Inc. I just couldn't get used to typing on touch screen (yes I tried swype and a ton of other keyboards). The keyboard *could* be a bit better on the Pro, but I still type faster on it than I ever did with my DInc. As far as screen size goes, it doesn't really bother me all that much and I don't think the phone is awkward looking at all. To each their own I suppose.....
 

madetheswitch

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Reactions from a Blackberry Convert

I just bought the droid pro to replace my blackberry tour on verizon after 2 broken trackballs and too much wasted time using keyboard shortcuts to navigate around.

I thought about trying a blackberry with the new scroll device but decided I wanted the flexibility and features of the droid os.

I actually went to the verizon store a few weeks back meaning to pick up the droid 2 (as I'm still stuck on having a physical keyboard), but I wasn't sold on the keyboard coming over from my BB tour; felt too wide and yet cramped for me. Then the sales guy told me the pro was coming out in a few weeks so I decided to wait and check it out.

First impressions as a former BB user are:
  • Pros:
  • I am obviously enjoying the droid OS and countless useful apps, especially latitude, google search within phone and internet, multiple home screens, voice recognition is flawless etc. But you all know this stuff.
  • Keyboard is great, can hardly tell the difference between my BB, just getting used to a few new key positions. I can custom set any key as an application shortcut which is nice.
  • Phone is fast and responsive with the 1ghz processor
  • Account sync was a breeze and convenient
  • Good form factor, weight in hand, very similar to what I'm used to.
  • Touch screen is fluid and responsive

  • Cons:
  • Hoped for a keyboard sequence unlock option, not used to having to press the upper button to unlock.
  • Missing the trackball scrolling and select option, but just something I'll have to get used to, and I can set app shortcuts anyways.
  • Screen was way too dim on auto-brightness setting
  • Web browsing is a bit sore on the eyes with the smaller screen, but wasn't any better on my BB. Manually setting brightness to about 70% helped in all areas.
  • Landscape mode on phone turn was default off, but easy settings fix.
  • Battery life scares me a bit so far, but of course with any new phone I've been on it nonstop.
  • Camera was less than impressive with fairly grainy pictures; I just dropboxed a few to my pc, and they actually look better there since inherently, the full quality can't be displayed on the lower resolution phone screen. How it looks on a pc is more important for me anyways.
Overall I think the benefits of the droid os outweigh the cons, and it's mostly just getting used to a new phone. In regards to the lackluster web browsing experience, I'm finding that most of the time on my mobile all I really need to do is check email, do a google search, check stocks, listen to music and maybe the occasional video. All of these activities have a perfectly well suited app on the phone which are much better ways to perform them anyways, so no regrets yet.
I wish I would have checked out the droid 2 global just to see if I liked the keyboard any better than the droid2 original, but it didn't look much different and I'm sure I prefer my pro keyboard overall.

So far so good from a blackberry convert, I'll try to post updates after some more use.
 

jpcalhoun

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I played with this phone long enough at the store to realize that why in blazes would anyone go to this from a Droid 2, X, Incredible and Fasinate? Guys, it's just not that great of a phone. Looks awkward, feels awkward, lousy call quality, small screen, average camera and okay keyboard. There is a reason that this phone is being sold cheaply. For what it's worh on my two cents , this phone is nothing to get excited about.

Another Blackberry convert's first impression of the Pro...great phone. Keyboard is as good as any phone out there (unless of course you like to fumble around with a vertual keyboard). Importing and sync'ing contacts and other information from previous phone (Tour) was easy. Call quality is better than the BB and the availability of WiFi is really nice. The form factor is perfect if you don't want a large phone like the other Droids or the iPhone (IMHO). The speed and increased memory of the Pro over BB is very nice. All-in-all...very nice phone that should pull a lot of BB customers over to Droid (on Verizon anyway).

I use my phone for business and personal. I've had three Treo phones and three Blackberry phones but this phone out shines them all...hands down. I "touch" a lot of email and company business coming across email and email attachments (financial data, correspondence and presentations) everyday and the Pro handles the workload better than any phone I've had so far.

I'm not big on social networking and using the other multimedia capabilities of the phone so I can't comment on that.
 

Supermanwoot

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yet ANOTHER blackberry tour user changing over. I was between switching to the BB Bold with trackpad or this phone since my trackball was toast and I couldn't replace it because I stripped a screw during a previous excursion.

I've been messing with it ALL DAY. This phone is pretty advanced, probably too much so for me at this point. Within 5 minutes of activation, it had already picked up my contacts from my google account and facebook and put contact pictures in with them.

*The keyboard is nice, but I must say its not as smooth as the tour. I find you need about twice as much force to press these keys, which slows you down a little (I was lightning quick on the tour), but it might get better as I break it in.

*The browser (I'm using Dolphin) is sweeeeet compared to blackerry browser.

*No blackberry messenger is a total fail, but only for my friends who have it since SMS is nice on this but if I throw pictures in, it looks like a clusterfck for the people I'm contacting compared to BBM

*My apps don't import contacts pictures, and that includes my SMS app (chomp), So I'm pretty pissed about that. on the BB I could simply link it and it adds the picture as well as contact info. I must be missing something.

*I sometimes hit the homescreen? button while typing a message which will completely destroy what you're doing (although you can still get back there) and makes you want to throw the phone through a wall

*The multitasking was better on blackberry OS. I simply hold the blackberry button and it opens a side scrollable list of my open apps and I switch to them. with android I have to go back to the app or use a task killer to see a list of open apps, but I don't want to kill the app??

*The medical apps I have tried so far, via skyscape have been absolute trash. I am very hesitant to spend over $100 on an app that might be a complete fail, but I have no choice... epocrates essentials isn't available yet for this so if youre in the medical field, reconsider this phone.

Overall I think it is pretty cool, unfortunately I can't easily tell which apps run in the background and which close out (does latitude run in the background?). The learning curve might take me a little bit, but it is very customizable so it should be rewarding.

I'm thankful that I don't have to type on a virtual keyboard.

In the end, I wish verizon had the blackberry tour...