Potential Droid X Owner from Blackberry Storm 2

[noto]

Hi guys!

My employer finally started to allow us to use Android and iPhones on our corporate Outlook Server. I was looking at the HTC Thunderbolt, but as someone mentioned in an earlier post, the $300 (plus $50 or so tax in CA) is a bit too much for me at this time. I'm looking for something $100 and down. I found the Droid X on an online cellphone shopping site for $9.99 + CA tax (extending my contract) and the price seemed much better than $300+!

My question is, should I wait and hold on to my BB for a while until the newer phones go down in price, or will it be worth it to purchase the Droid X now and keep it until it's time for me to upgrade again in about 2 years?

I've already played with the Droid X at Verizon's stores a couple of times and I really like the phone. I understand the newer phones will have a better processor, more ram and higher quality screens but I cannot see myself paying the extra $$$ at this time.

Thanks!

 

[ultravisitor]

Just get a Droid X. If you wait and hold onto the BB Storm, you'll regret not having jumped sooner once you finally do get an Android phone.

 

[ndwatkins]

I would just get the X...great phone, and honestly if you get sick of it a year down the line you can always shop around on Craigslist

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[El Jefe]

It really depends on what hardware features are important to you.

My area won't be getting LTE for a while, I have no desire/need for a front facing camera, & a dual core processor isn't necessary for my current uses. So I would chose the Droid X. Most of the phones coming out soon will have all or most of those features (HTC Thunderbolt, Droid Bionic, rumored Droid X2) and all will be great devices.

People will tell you to just hold out for the phones with brand new hardware, but they are typically the people who buy new phones every 6 months because it just KILLS them to not be on the bleeding edge of technology.

The fact is that even after being out almost 8 months, the Droid X is still a great phone with great specs & it will remain a solid phone even through a new 2 year contract signed today. The Droid X is supposedly going to get the next Android version (2.3 or 2.4) which will keep the software current, so really it just comes down to the hardware you want/need.

 

[Bald Steve]

You = Me last summer. I came from a Storm 2 to the X and it was a game-changer for me. I'm a huge mark for this thing - It does everything I need from a mobile mini-computer and then some. And once you root it? Look out. What they are selling it for right now is a no-brainer. Get one, then check in here regularly with questions. The forums are invaluable for help when making the BB to Android switch (common, I'm told ).

 

[Ricky Babalu]

Another vote for the X. I practically run my business on it. It has been and still is a very reliable phone. I also came from a Blackberry.

 

[Charmed Juan]

If you have a Storm now, a Thunderbolt would be too much, You would go into shock.
Stick with the X. You will only experience a slightly raised heart beat and sweating.

 

[eric6052]

The Storm 2 to the X will already be a huge improvement. If you went from a Storm to a Bionic you might overload on the power.jk If it were me I would have no problem getting the X now if the price is right for you.

 

[Dirty Ders]

5 New Android Phones From CES That You Have To Check Out

So, I’m reading through this list of new phones from CES 2011, and only one of them has a better screen than the Droid X, which is the Droid Bionic.

They all have the same amount of ram (512 MB).

They all have about the same processor at 1 Ghz, one has a dual core which is the Droid Bionic (maybe the Thunderbolt too). Doesn’t really matter anyways because the Droid X has a standalone GPU. What kind of system resource multi-tasking can a phone user do anyway?

They all have about the same back camera of 8 MP.

None of them beat out Droid X for storage capacity at 40 GB total.

So, the way I see it the Droid X still gets a +1 for screen res, a +1 for screen size, a +1 for CPU & GPU, a +1 for ram, a +1 for rom, a +1 for back camera, and a +1 for Verizon Service.

A +1 for root access, something I have heard that some of the newer phones are trying to block.

The Droid X gets a -1 for No LTE/4G (but who cares right now?), and a -1 for No front camera (that is a loss for skype/video chat, but most cameras are only outfitted with a cruddy 1.3 MP).

There was one phone that I noticed had a full 1080p out support, but that is a little silly since it could only record in 720p and most downloaded content is 720p or less.

 

[trjnberry]

You = Me last summer. I came from a Storm 2 to the X and it was a game-changer for me. I'm a huge mark for this thing - It does everything I need from a mobile mini-computer and then some. And once you root it? Look out. What they are selling it for right now is a no-brainer. Get one, then check in here regularly with questions. The forums are invaluable for help when making the BB to Android switch (common, I'm told ).

Would you go with a Droid X or even the newer Android models if you had no intention to root your device? Every day that I wait for my carrier discount to kick in (March 14), I keep teetering back and forth between making my next phone an Android or an iPhone. Like the OP, I am interested in the HTC Thunderbolt, but everytime I read these boards and even the blogs, rooting seems to be the expectation of the user. Is the Droid X worth getting if you have no desire or intention to root your device? Is Android worth getting if you have no intention of rooting?

 

[Dirty Ders]

Would you go with a Droid X or even the newer Android models if you had no intention to root your device? Every day that I wait for my carrier discount to kick in (March 14), I keep teetering back and forth between making my next phone an Android or an iPhone. Like the OP, I am interested in the HTC Thunderbolt, but everytime I read these boards and even the blogs, rooting seems to be the expectation of the user. Is the Droid X worth getting if you have no desire or intention to root your device? Is Android worth getting if you have no intention of rooting?

I really don?t have an intention of rooting my phone, and at the time of purchase I didn?t even think about it. Maybe a year or so down the line I might root, but I have no need to.

As stock, this phone is fantastic. It does everything I want it to do. The only thing I can think of as a reason to root; is if you want free wireless tethering.

 

[noto]

Wow...these forums are active! LOL!

I'm the type that installs every Blackberry Storm 2 OS leak that comes out just for the hell of it and to try to get a little increase in speed. There are a couple of things that would force me to root the X besides the great ROMS.

1. Wireless Tethering.
2. Screen Captures.

I can currently perform both of those functions on my BB even if it were stock. I'm a webmaster so I really need option 2 above in order to send screen caps to clients etc when I'm on the road, plus the websites look much better on the X! From what I've read in the forums, gaining root access seems easy and straightforward so that should not be a problem.

I will definitely be getting the X as soon as my billing cycle ends so that I can switch my primary line in order to receive the phone for $9.99. If I do it now, Verizon will hit me with the ever so popular "prorated" charges.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Andy847]

@trjnberry_ac
I haven't rooted or have any desire to root yet. I love my Droid X and it does so much. My niece just got an Iphone from Verizon. I've only had a few times to see what it does and to be honest I don't see what the big draw to the Iphone is. The only thing it has, which the Droid X doesn't, is a front facing camera. Which my niece uses all the time with Facetime which is like Skype. I don't like that you have to pay more to get more memory on the Iphone either. My droid X has enough memory for me, but now I read they are only coming with a 2gb sd card. So if you go with an X check to make sure that it comes with the 16gb sd card. I think you can do more to customize your Android phone more than an Iphone. As far as the newer models, if I didn't have my X, I'd wait for the Droid Bionic. That's the only newer Android Phone that Verizon has coming that I like.

 

[noto]

@Andy847
You're right about the microSD card. The online shop (LetsTalk) that sells it for $9.99 states that it includes a 2GB microSD, but Verizon's site claims it includes a 16GB card. I called LetsTalk and asked it that was a misprint. They said that it comes with whatever Verizon includes and if Verizon includes a 16GB microSD then they would also. If that's not true, I would have to spend another $25-30 on a 16GB microSD.

 

[Dirty Ders]

Yah, I saw the 2 GB card thing on Verizon’s site yesterday… that really sucks.

Good news though; 16 GB cards are dirt cheap right now and 32 GB cards aren’t that bad either, and class 2 from SanDisk is all you need.

!!!JUST BUY THE CARDS FROM REPUTABLE SELLERS THAT HAVE GOOD RETURN POLICIES!!!

There are a lot of scammers out there trying to pass 2 GB cards off as 32 GB cards.

 

[greydarrah]

Get the X. Rooted or not, it's an amazing phone. In a completely different world than the Storm (I had an S1 and then an S2). Rooting is no big deal...it's not like you need to be a software developer. It's the same thing as going into file explorer on a windows pc, and checking the box that says "show hidden files." You now have the capacity to do stupid things, but only if you choose to. But if you just want free wireless tethering for you or your kid to use as a wifi hub for a laptop while traveling in the car, you can do it. The whole thing takes about 2 minutes, including downloading the free app. If you don't want to root, the X is still way faster, more reliable and more versatile than the Storm.

 

[Dirty Ders]

This is the link to the Droid X on Verizon’s site:

Set Your Location

Notice on the right hand column at the bottom for the specifications it states: “2 GB microSD card pre–installed on–device — up to 32GB microSD supported”

 

[Ricky Babalu]

Wow...these forums are active! LOL!

I'm the type that installs every Blackberry Storm 2 OS leak that comes out just for the hell of it and to try to get a little increase in speed. There are a couple of things that would force me to root the X besides the great ROMS.

1. Wireless Tethering.
2. Screen Captures.

I can currently perform both of those functions on my BB even if it were stock. I'm a webmaster so I really need option 2 above in order to send screen caps to clients etc when I'm on the road, plus the websites look much better on the X! From what I've read in the forums, gaining root access seems easy and straightforward so that should not be a problem.

I will definitely be getting the X as soon as my billing cycle ends so that I can switch my primary line in order to receive the phone for $9.99. If I do it now, Verizon will hit me with the ever so popular "prorated" charges.

Thanks for all the replies.

In addition to wireless, and screen capture: Titanium Backup to "Freeze Bloatware".

 

[noto]

Yah, I saw the 2 GB card thing on Verizon?s site yesterday? that really sucks.

Good news though; 16 GB cards are dirt cheap right now and 32 GB cards aren?t that bad either, and class 2 from SanDisk is all you need.

!!!JUST BUY THE CARDS FROM REPUTABLE SELLERS THAT HAVE GOOD RETURN POLICIES!!!

There are a lot of scammers out there trying to pass 2 GB cards off as 32 GB cards.

Haha! Yeah..had to double check when I read this. They had 16GB a day or 2. Oh well. Has anyone ordered a phone from LetsTalk before? They too have a the 30 day exchange with free shipping both ways.

Thanks!

 

[ultravisitor]

Is the Droid X worth getting if you have no desire or intention to root your device? Is Android worth getting if you have no intention of rooting?

I don't think there's any expectation for a person to root the device. It's really a personal choice. The Droid X is an awesome phone without root access -- especially coming from a BlackBerry.

I was someone who only ever intended to root for wireless tether and screencapping abilities, and I have to say it's a slippery slope. Once you've gone that far, it gets more and more tempting to give in and start customizing in other ways...