More random thoughts on the MAXX after 2 days

[alee]

Not in any particular order...

* Battery life is solid. Putting it through the paces, it looks like I'll average about 16 hours on a charge for a regular day. That's really good for me -- mostly 4G (rarely wifi), a few hours of screen time, hundreds of emails a day, and both Gmail and corp mail set to push. Lot of fringe areas (when going into subways), and lot of RF congestion since I live in NYC. Going to take a while to get over my battery anxiety though -- still have a temptation to plug the phone into the wall whenever I'm idle. It would seem like those days are finally over for me.

* Size-wise this phone turns out to surprisingly similar in size and weight compared to my SGS3 with official Qi charging back. After 2 days of travel with it, I would say I haven't felt like I was carrying a bigger phone or a heavier phone.

* Still pissed about the email client being Motorola'd. Also turns out that because there isn't a proper Email.apk and Exchange.apk means I no longer have the ability to receive my corp mail messages on my Pebble smart watch. Need root to fix this, and wondering whether the Moto X will suffer the same fate or get a proper Exchange client.

* Camera is generally better than I would have thought, although zooming in at 100% shows the images are full of compression artifacts in ok light and indoor light. True low light is bad as expected, but the camera is still able to render shots in lighting that the SGS3 couldn't handle. Outside, the phone does extremely well. Happy with the quality.

* Having only 16:9 image shooting available is annoying. 3:2 is my preferred ratio. Motorola could have added a settings option for this.

* The backlit capacitive buttons are my least favorite thing about the phone. They don't shut off, ever, so watching videos and looking at photos in low light is not at all enjoyable. Which is a damn shame because...

* The screen quality is exceptional. I know 1080 would be even better, but it is still a meaningful improvement from my SGS3... so as long as I'm stepping up, I'm comfortable with this.

* The wireless charging acknowledgement noise is loud and obnoxious. I hate it, and I want it to go away.

* Soft-touch Kevlar back is super nice. No logos on the face of the phone, spectacularly nice.

Having fun with it overall, and definitely keeping it... it's a good product, and I think a simple root would open the door to enough fixes to address most of my complaints.

 

[Dreamliner330]

Having fun with it overall, and definitely keeping it... it's a good product, and I think a simple root would open the door to enough fixes to address most of my complaints.

I hope a root shows up quick. I don't want any button lights. I'm amazed you can't shut them off.

 

[CellGuy]

I would have to agree the capacitive buttons are my biggest complaint. If this had onscreen I would be beyond happy. Still may check out the X because of the buttons. But I still feel this is the better overall device.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[xweb10]

* Still pissed about the email client being Motorola'd. Also turns out that because there isn't a proper Email.apk and Exchange.apk means I no longer have the ability to receive my corp mail messages on my Pebble smart watch. Need root to fix this, and wondering whether the Moto X will suffer the same fate or get a proper Exchange client.

What do you mean by this? I use Exchange, as well. How is this different from the stock email client?

 

[alee]

What do you mean by this? I use Exchange, as well. How is this different from the stock email client?

• AOSP email client runs using Email.apk and Exchange.apk, which is required for the Pebble smart watch to work. The Exchange client is MotoMail.apk or something like that on the Maxx.
• AOSP email client allows for serialized events -- if you open a message and file it into a folder, that message goes into your folder as read. In the Motorola version, if you do back to back actions, only the most recent one registers. That means unread messages end up in your mail folders if you read and then file a message. Super annoying.
• Motorola client adds formatting capabilities to a message (bullets, fonts, etc.)
• Motorola client adds the ability to sort from the home screen
• Motorola uses a different notification mail icon (not a plain envelope -- it's an envelope with an @ on it)
• Motorola client puts the sync button and a compose new message in the top row long with menu. AOSP puts everything in the bottom row on the mailbox view.
• Motorola client in message view has 4 options in order: previous, next, trash and mark as unread. AOSP has it as: trash, move to folder, unread, previous, next, menu

There's a ton more difference, but bottom line is the Exchange client on the Droid Maxx is completely different from the native email client used on the Google native versioned used on the Nexus, Google Edition and CM10.x. The visual changes and the positions of the icons I can learn. But the inability for it to remember serialized events is very problematic if you receive as many emails as I do and you have to end every day marking the contents of folders as "read" in order to keep your mailbox in order.

If there was root, it could be easily fixed. Still need to check out a Moto X at AT&T to see if they messed with the Exchange client.

 

[zxphenomenalxz]

Your best bet is to get a moto x when it comes out. It doesn't have Motorola email client and is stock email.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[pearlmikejam]

Does this phone support OTG? Without an SD card slot, I could consider this phone if I could get my music on a flash drive.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 4

 

[alee]

Your best bet is to get a moto x when it comes out. It doesn't have Motorola email client and is stock email.

I'll believe that after I see what Verizon does to it. I'd rather hold out for root and keep the giant battery -- I wouldn't get a Moto X anyway until I can build a 32GB one on VZW.

 

[zxphenomenalxz]

Its the same as atts model so go look at that. I have it already because of my job and it only has four verizon apps. Navigator, vz tones , my Verizon and NFL mobile but NFL I'm not 100% on I'm not home so can't look.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[thegrants82]

I'll believe that after I see what Verizon does to it. I'd rather hold out for root and keep the giant battery -- I wouldn't get a Moto X anyway until I can build a 32GB one on VZW.

That's what I did. The maxx does everything that the moto x does plus you have a huge battery. Plus and I didn't know this until yesterday but the camera on the maxx isn't bad at all. why do the moto x pics look so crappy?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[zxphenomenalxz]

That's what I did. The maxx does everything that the moto x does plus you have a huge battery. Plus and I didn't know this until yesterday but the camera on the maxx isn't bad at all. why do the moto x pics look so crappy?

Posted via Android Central App

They honestly are same at least in my testing because for a little I felt the x took better pictures when I was using it but they are pretty identical . I took pictures of same thing and didn't notice any difference between the x and the maxx. Some shots on x were better and some on maxx were better I think it has to do with the software and how it is trying to calculate taking in the lighting.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[alee]

Its the same as atts model so go look at that. I have it already because of my job and it only has four verizon apps. Navigator, vz tones , my Verizon and NFL mobile but NFL I'm not 100% on I'm not home so can't look.

Good to know. I'll definitely check out the Moto X when I get a chance.

Still, root will get me to fixing the little issues with the Maxx. Dream scenario would be a cracked bootloader so that I can load the VZW Moto X software onto the Droid Maxx. The devices appear to be 100% identical other than packaging and software.

 

[zxphenomenalxz]

I honestly dont recommend root unless they really figure out the x8 system . these phones are extremely optimized because of the x8 . I'm sure Dev community can figure it out but still risky to me. Your best bet is moto x and maybe even Dev edition

Posted via Android Central App

 

[CellGuy]

Some apps require root. Even if your not throwing Roms on the phone , it is still important for a lot of us. I don't plan on running any Roms, for me the hole point is to get stock android on my device. This comes close enough for me out of the box.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[alee]

I honestly dont recommend root unless they really figure out the x8 system . these phones are extremely optimized because of the x8 .

This is definitely not a concern. root gets you to configurability and the ability to bypass artificial restrictions placed by the carrier and the phone manufacturer. It should not in anyway impact the fact that there's the X8.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing special about the X8 is that it has 2 extra low power cores that are listening for events. The other 6 cores -- 4 graphics cores and 2 compute cores -- is an SOC that is essentially is just a Snapdragon processor. Motorola marketing is making the X8 way more "special" than it is. How it's packaged may be unique, but just like the Apple A-series chips are just modified ARM processors, this X8 is essentially a Qualcomm + 2 cores and custom firmware modifications.

In any event, application space should never directly address the processor, and even if it tried, there are usually OS level restrictions to protect tampering with those low level events.

Bring on the root, and if someone were to crack that bootloader, I'd hedge that the Moto X image will run 100% fine on the Droid Maxx.

 

[alee]

Also a good read on what's going on inside the X8: Motorola’s “8-core” X8 chip gives us a lesson in marketing-speak | Ars Technica

 

[xweb10]

Thanks. I hate the stock email app. I like the stock Gmail app. Does the Motorola email app allow you to swipe to delete messages?

 

[alee]

Thanks. I hate the stock email app. I like the stock Gmail app. Does the Motorola email app allow you to swipe to delete messages?

Yes. Enable gestures and you can set left to right and right to left gestures to delete.

 

[xweb10]

Yes. Enable gestures and you can set left to right and right to left gestures to delete.

That sounds great. I never liked the stock email app buy I have to use it. I wish there was a great unified mailbox for Exchange, IMAP, and Gmail like Blackberry has.

 

[alee]

That sounds great. I never liked the stock email app buy I have to use it. I wish there was a great unified mailbox for Exchange, IMAP, and Gmail like Blackberry has.

You can also set the gesture so that left-to-right is move and right-to-left is delete, etc. It's nice.

Agree on the unified mailbox front... 2 clients sucks. Closest to what I liked on my Blackberries is the unified inbox view on iOS. Google is not investing anything into their Exchange integration, and all the 3rd party software out there unilaterally sucks.