Review: Droid 2 by Motorola (Verizon) Review of Reviews

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Droid 2 by Motorola Rated 4 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile News' Review of Reviews

Reviews of the Motorola Droid 2 all praised the new improved comfy keyboard, bright touchscreen, fast feature-packed Android 2.2, email/social networking features and solid design with rubberized sides and back.  The processor is faster than the original Droid by Motorola and reviewers noted that the features such as Flash support, Wi-Fi hotpsot and speed warrant an upgrade to the Droid 2.

The Droid 2 can be setup so that social networking (Facebook, mySpace and Twitter) direct messages  can come into the unified inbox. Calendar events and contacts from multiple sources  can be synced too although there is some duplication.  Call quality was good, the speakerphone is loud and Bluetooth dialing worked well.  However, users can not make Bluetooth voice commands.  The Voice search and voice commands with a special voice keyboard key were highly regarded. 

Photo quality from the 5 megapixel camera was rated good outside, but was noisy indoors. The only problems reported on the Droid 2 were Wi-Fi 802.11n glitches and some Flash playing in the browser quirks.

The Droid 2 plays all kinds of media and media syncing with V CAST Media Manger Software worked well. 

All-in-all, reviews agreed that the Droid 2 is the best smartphone with a keyboard from Verizon. The Droid X has a larger screen, same processor, but lacks a keyboard and Android 2.2 (updated soon).  DROID 2 by Motorola is available at the Verizon website in stores for $149.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new
two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the
form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash
anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Along
with free shipping an added bonus for ordering online from Verizon when
using the Wireless and Mobile News coupon-link you get Instant Phone Rebate Only Available with Online Purchases.

Update 11/19/10 -The new Amazon Wireless Beta is now offering the Droid 2  for a penny for new customers with contract until 11/122.   Wirefly is offering free Verizon Wireless activation until 11/ 29 with a lower-priced Droid 2 for new and renewing customers with a contract.

Sascha Segan at PCMag rated the Motorola Droid 2 4 out of 5  and called it the "best smartphone with a keyboard on Verizon."  He found the new improved keyboard with bigger keys, dome-shaped keys and clicks makes for a keyboard "we might actually want to type on."  Voice quality is good. The speakerphone is loud and battery life is good.  You can trigger voice dialing over Bluetooth but can't issue voice commands. Flash worked as expected but crashed sometimes.  GPS worked well outside, but inside was inaccurate.  He really liked that Twitter, Facebook and MySpace direct messages come into the unified inbox. Skype mobile lets you call Skype contacts for free and sounds clear. The Droid 2 actually came in faster in benchmark tests than the Droid 2 due to Android 2.2. Verizon's V CAST Media Manager PC software worked well. The camera over-exposes shots.

Bonnie Cha at CNET rated the Motorola Droid 2 4 out 5 for the new sleek look, improved keyboard, faster processor, doubled RAM of original Droid, and Android 2.2 update
making it top choice for those who want a smartphone with a keyboard.  She didn't like like that the Droid 2 does not have front facing camera or HDMI port.  The improvements are enough to warrant  an upgrade from the original Droid.  The design is solid with quality constructions.  The 3.7 (480 x854) touchscreen display is sharp and vibrant with pinch to zoom viewing.  Although the keyboard is a great improvement, she found the keys to be stiff. She liked that you can set up multiple email accounts with social networking in separate or unified inboxes, as well as unified calendars.  The contact merging worked well with some duplicates.  The music player gets the job done.  Photo quality was good. Calls sound good but a bit flat. 

Avram Pilitch at Laptopmag rated the Motorola Droid 2 4 out of 5 for its more comfortable keyboard, mobile hotspot feature and Android 2.2 Froyo.  The Droid 2 appears more attractive with rubberized sides and back. The QWERTY is "one of the best we used" with a dedicated @ symbol key and a voice command shortcut key. Voice commands allows to phone, email or text contacts.  Nuance voice commands were less accurate than Google.  Widgets include Backup Assitant, Car Dock(with a big dashboard clock, DLNA connections, Skype, and Quick office. For the first smartphone to support Flash out-of-box, watching Flash was a mixed bag. Some movies played smoother over Wi-Fi. He suggested that users set up Flash in browser to "on demand," so that you tap on the icon if you want to see it.  Web browsing was fast with some Flash glitches. There appeared to be problem with Wi-Fi 802.22 n routers, which worked better as 802.11 g. Wi-Fi hotspot worked well but drained battery power. The camera took sharp images outdoor but indoor pics were noisy. It does not take high-res 720p video.  Call quality was good but muffled at times. Laptapmag won't give it Editor's Choice until Wi-Fi and Flash issues are fixed. 

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