Official Droid 2 first impressions thread (plus, win a free case!)

[ferniesp]

Played with the droid 2 a bit more this afternoon. In no way would I go from a droid 1 to the 2 and waste an upgrade. This is my opinion so no flames.
The keyboard, while better then the first, is not that great still. Speed was good but the browser still lagged quite a bit...even with Java Script turned off.

If you have small hands, this is the phone for you. If you have big hands and are studly, the X and Incredible is the way to go. LOL

I will keep my X and be happy.

 

[dbdynsty25]

I've got both the X and the D2 right now and I think the D2 is going to win the head to head. I just like the size and the fact that there is an actual keyboard for banging out emails. I don't much care if I just have a touchscreen for texts and short messages but if I need to send an email or something for work, it's kind of a pain in the *** on the touchscreen. My hands were just too small to really use the X as it should be use. I had to grab it with two hands to comfortably bring down the notification bar. Just little things that made it uncomfortable to hold for me. It was certainly smaller than I thought it would be, but still too big.

The refinements on the D2 are fantastic. The build quality seems to be slightly higher (though not a fan of the blue) and the keyboard...ohhhhh the keyboard. So much better. The buttons are slightly raised as opposed to mostly flat and the offset keys are much more natural. It also helps that it's more centered on the phone as well...so that's the biggest plus.

I was a huge fan of the original Droid...had it since it came out until the Incredible released. I never should have sold it. I haven't been entirely happy with a Droid phone since (Incredible...hated sense UI, and Droid X...just too big). So I'm glad to be with my beloved OG Droid form factor. Welcome home I guess.

Performance wise, it's definitely the same as the X with the obvious exception of the camera and video recording. I'm not a huge phone camera guy so it's not a huge deal to me. In fact, I really only use it for pics to email or upload to facebook or whatever and I always have to move the picture quality down anyway so that they upload faster. So there is that.

I'm extremely happy with the D2...and I'll be returning my X tomorrow so that I make it under the 30 day return policy.

 

[PvilleComp]

I played with one today in the store. Came away feeling that same way I fely about the D1, not as smooth or as polished as the DInc. I got the DInc after playing with many phones, the D1 being the last before the DInc. I liked the D1, but the faster processor made the DInc just work. But even with the faster processor, I did not get the feeling the D2 was Working.

Just an opinion, I know it's subjective.

 

[didiwags]

The D2 and the X have the same button configuration.
Also the X is not THAT much bigger. The D2 is actually bulkier, the X is just slightly taller w/o a bulky keyboard! The D2 is also heavier..... so when saying your switching from and X to the D2 just admit it is the keyboard do not blame the size. lol

 

[dwaynewilliams#WN]

If the D2 had vanilla Froyo, I would choose it over the X, but it doesn't so I will have to give the advantage to the X.

 

[dbdynsty25]

The D2 and the X have the same button configuration.
Also the X is not THAT much bigger. The D2 is actually bulkier, the X is just slightly taller w/o a bulky keyboard! The D2 is also heavier..... so when saying your switching from and X to the D2 just admit it is the keyboard do not blame the size. lol

Except that it is because of the size. I have to move the entire phone in my hand to pull down the notification bar. I don't have to do that with the smaller 3.7" phones. So yeah...may be slightly heavier and thicker, but I can one hand it. So yes, it's the size.

 

[johntkong]

You're not alone...

You Guys are killing me... I have the X and im thinking about returning it for this...Am I nuts?

You're no nurture than I am or anyone else I'm hoping mine comes today. I really can't wait any longer. I should have gotten it at the store.

 

[johntkong]

And that would be "nuttier"

 

[johntkong]

It's no BlackBerry keyboard...

I hate those cheap "bubble" keys on the keyboard. They are cheap. Other than that, it's a very nice phone.

I played around with a D2 yesterday and the keyboard is a huge improvement from the D1 but it doesn't hold a candle to a BB Bold keyboard.

 

[johntkong]

If the D2 had vanilla Froyo, I would choose it over the X, but it doesn't so I will have to give the advantage to the X.

Is Motoblur really that bad? I like the combined social feeds of all the network granted I only have a facebook feed.

 

[danthemann5]

I got mine the minute my Verizon store opened up yesterday morning. The device is everything I hoped it would be; it's absolutely amazing. The only cons I see with it are the massive amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed with no way to remove it, and a 5mp camera as opposed to 8. The camera is not such a big deal since I generally carry a Canon DSLR with me literally everywhere I go. D2 is an awesome phone; I love it.

 

[kroman1107]

just got mine unboxing now!



Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[dj_elite]

Got mine yesterday. Generally like it. Coming from a blackberry, the keyboard is a bit weird to use... the middle keys are a little hard to reach. I might have a defective one but my battery life SUCKS so far.

 

[icee_man]

I noticed its a bit sluggish with the rotation of the phone if your going from portrait to landscape. My phone doesnt like to switch so if im in landscape mode its still in portrait mode. I also say way too much pre-loaded bloat ware too. Other than those two things I am loving it so far. I ditched my curve 8330 and am not regretting it

 

[kroman1107]

I didnt start with an original droid so that novelty never got hold of me. the rep swindled me into believing the eris was the same just without the keyboard. that said i thoroughly enjoy this d2. i did start putting a ridiculous amount of apps on it in addition to playing with it so it was a bit sluggish. but beside that just as fast if not a lil snappier then my x.



Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[SecretAsianMan#AC]

Impression: Disappointment.

It's a bit slower than my DInc.

Battery life is mediocre, because the stock battery is weak (~1400mAh ... forget the exact number). If I keep this phone, I'll need an after-market battery.

The new Blur skin is not as in-your-face as Sense, but it's still visible. The launcher is quite basic but doesn't look too bad. One feature I do like is resizing widgets by dragging. On the other hand, there's no Sense-like bird's-eye view, and the two shortcut buttons are non-configurable, hard-coded to phone and contacts.

The phone is loaded with bloatware, like most all Android phones. CityID, Kindle, all sorts of ugly Moto widgets, Blockbuster (seriously?), NFS Shift, etc. There are lots of useless background processes that can't be killed.

Several apps that run fine on my DInc (e.g. xScope, Enjoy Sudoku) seem to eat 100% CPU and slow to a crawl on the D2. Not good at all. On the other hand, DoggCatcher (a make-or-break app for me) works fine.

I've seen some WTF failure modes over the last 48 hours. First, it locked up on me twice. Next, any press of the letter L key (regardless of which app you were in) launched the calendar app. Then, the touchscreen simply wigged out and would do all sorts of random things when touched: vibrate repeatedly, launch random apps, call random numbers, etc. That last one required a battery removal. I've also seen the keyboard backlighting fail to activate a few times.

If you add an Exchange account (the skin calls it "Corporate Sync"), the phone will force you to set up an unlock PIN. Jeez, not even Apple is that controlling. On the other hand, it does handle multiple Exchange accounts, which really helps in my situation.

The keyboard is fantastic. I am starting to get accustomed to it. I do prefer it over any on-screen keyboard.

I'm on the fence. My DInc (w/ custom Froyo ROM and a 1750mAh battery) is faster, more stable, and currently the better device overall. The D2, however, has the great keyboard. I'll keep it for the 30 days to see how it compares over the long term. Maybe we'll even see root in that time, which probably would go a long way to resolving the software annoyances.

 

[0pusX]

My impresssions coming from a Storm 2 then Bold 9650............ HUGE IMPROVEMENT.

Im loving this phone. I cant say that I would waste an upgrade though if you own a Droid 1.

As far as switching from an X....... I dont know about that. It really all depends on your need for a keyboard. I tried the X and for me it was just a bit too big. I like the size of my Droid 2. Of course I would still take a X in a heartbeat. The X and D2 are the cream of the Verizon Android crop IMO.

 

[jiholl]

Coming from Bold 9650

My impresssions coming from a Storm 2 then Bold 9650............ HUGE IMPROVEMENT.

Im loving this phone. I cant say that I would waste an upgrade though if you own a Droid 1.

As far as switching from an X....... I dont know about that. It really all depends on your need for a keyboard. I tried the X and for me it was just a bit too big. I like the size of my Droid 2. Of course I would still take a X in a heartbeat. The X and D2 are the cream of the Verizon Android crop IMO.

Hi..I have 9650...just had for a week...I do like it voice quality is very good...how is it going to the Droid 2?....just seems like Blackberry so stable but boring??

 

[0pusX]

First a corection.... I left the Inc. out of my statement about the "cream of the crop" the incredible is definatley in that group.

Secondly, for the call quality I think its just as good as my 9650. I know its a LOT better than the droid 1 i had. In fact that was one of the reasons I got rid of it. This D2 is an improvement in voice call quality.

 

[CSI Guy]

Got my D2 08/14/2010 and it is a nice upgrade from my D1. Fast and solid. No issues for me. Good strong signal, everything works as it should.