Droid X smart phone focuses on screen time

SAN FRANCISCO - As smart phones get bigger and brighter touch screens, the line between handsets and tablet computers has gotten blurry.

The Droid X ($200 with a Verizon Wireless contract and rebate), the latest addition to Motorola Inc.'s popular Droid smart phone line, purports to be on the handset side. In reality, the phone walks a tightrope between the two categories by packing a 4.3-inch touch screen, speedy processor and an 8-megapixel camera in a matte black package that runs Google's Android operating system.

All this screen real estate is great for multimedia fans, as videos, websites and photos look fantastic on the Droid X. And the phone has oodles of good features, too. Still, it is a phone, and chances are you'll want to make a call at some point - something I found rather awkward due to its shape and size.

Let's start with the screen. At 4.3 inches diagonally, it might not sound huge, but for a cell phone this is fairly enormous. For comparison, the iPhone 4's generously sized screen is 3.5 inches and the original Droid phone, which Motorola released late last year, is 3.7.

The Droid X's screen isn't just large; it's also brilliant and crisp. It's really fun to watch videos on it, read Facebook status updates from little on-screen "widgets," check e-mails and poke around online. Colors look bright, and text is easy to read.

The handset, which comes out July 15, excels at video playback in particular. I tested this by trying a "beta" version of a new application from Blockbuster that lets you rent or buy movies right on the phone. Verizon is including this on the Droid X. Although the application had a slim selection of movies during my test and downloads them only over Wi-Fi, it was pretty easy to sign up for a Blockbuster account right on the phone and use the app to rent a flick. I checked out "Shutter Island" for $4 and it downloaded in about 15 minutes. It was mine for 24 hours once I started playing it, and it looked great.

The screen also benefits the Droid X's camera, which includes a bright dual-LED flash.

It was easy to take photos with such a generous viewfinder, and I enjoyed flipping through the results on the phone - something you could do with a friend without feeling like the gadget was too tiny. You also can take high-definition videos, and i

Rate This Article: - Excellent Good Average Poor Terrible

Comment on "Droid X smart phone focuses on screen time"

Your Name

Your Comments

Verification Code: 74S7NV
Enter Code:

Related News:

Contact