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How To Root The Droid X – Custom ROMs Still Unavailable

July 24, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

It took all of 6 days for the supposedly “unrootable” Droid X to be rooted.

However, only root access has been gained.  It’s still not possible to install your own ROM or remove MOTOBLUR from the phone.  The locked down bootloader looks like it’s going to take some time to hack, but in the meantime you can enjoy all the other benefits of having a rooted phone.

However, the Droid X root does permit you to do the following:

  • Remove all bloatware and unnecessary programs from the Droid X like CityID, MyVerizon, Amazon MP3, and Blockbuster (if you want to keep them, just don’t delete them) – just remember not to remove any MOTOBLUR files (most have BLUR as part of the file name)
  • You can install Android Market apps that require root access like Screen Shot Apps, Titanium Backup, and Root Explorer.
  • You can do wireless tethering without waiting for the Android 2.2 Froyo update or paying the $20/month fee that Verizon would like to gouge you for.

Want to root your Droid X?  Visit this site for the instructions and be sure to read these warnings or you could potentially brick your phone which will turn your beautiful Droid X into a $600 paperweight.

Motorola Droid X

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: Android, droid x, droid x root, how to root droid x, motorola droid x, rooted droid x, verizon

Motorola i1 Review – Ruggedized Android Phone

July 19, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

For those who’ve been waiting for an Android powered smartphone a little sturdier than the likes of the EVO 4G or Droid X, Motorola has released the Motorola i1 for the Sprint network.

While most of the features and specs are rather pedestrian at this point (for example, it sadly only has Android 1.5), the major selling point here is that it features Nextel Direct Connect (push to talk) and it meets Military 810F Standards for ruggedness.  That means it’s built to take some abuse so if your job requires you to be out in the field all day on construction sites or the like, this thing is built to take it.

It’s also the first Android powered smartphone to support iDEN.

The price – $149.99 with 2yr contract or $399 if you’d rather not sign a contract.

Specs:

  • Android 1.5
  • 600 MHz Processor  (Freescale ARM11)
  • 3.5 hrs talk time / 96 hrs standby  (1400mAh battery)
  • 230MB internal memory for user storage (for apps, contacts, etc)
  • 3.1″ Screen – 480 x 320 Resolution (TFT Display)
  • Ruggedized – Mil-Spec 810F for dust, shock, vibration, blowing rain
  • 2GB microSD storage (included) – support for up to 32GB
  • 5MP Camera with LED flash
  • Push To Talk (iDEN)
  • 4.63 oz (131 grams)
  • 4.65″ x 2.28″ x .5″ (118 x 58 x 12.8 mm)

Motorola i1 - Ruggedized Android Phone - iDEN

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: 810f, Android, iden, motorola i1, nextel direct connect, rugged, ruggedized, Smartphone, sprint

Samsung Galaxy Beam Review – I8520 – An Android Smartphone With Projector

July 17, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

If you thought that the title for best smartphone was between Apple, HTC, and Motorola (sorry RIM), Samsung would like you to hold off on crowning a king.

And with the release of the Samsung Galaxy Beam I8520 (currently only available in Singapore -- U.S. and U.K. release date unknown), they’ve certainly caught our attention.

In many ways it’s a pretty standard Android powered smartphone.  It currently runs Android 2.1 with a 2.2 Froyo update expected, its a slightly underpowered with a 800MHZ TI OMAP processor, and has what has become the new standard size camera (8MP and 720p video camera) and 16GB of storage space and of course has an AGPS chip

Samsung Galaxy Beam With Built in Projector.

However, Samsung didn’t stop adding features there and in fact if they could have made it fit, they probably would have included a kitchen sink.

It sports a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 (a very worth competitor to Apple’s retina display, some would say it’s even better), an FM tuner, Bluetooth 3.0, and an 802.11 B/G/N antenna.  Yes, 802.11 N!

However, the real kicker is that this camera is the first smartphone to feature a built in 50″ projector.  Now you can do impromptu Powerpoint presentations to your heart’s content.   As a business owner who has to do a lot of on location presentations, I can tell you I’m chomping at the bit and crossing my fingers to get one of these puppies.

Again, no U.S. carrier has been announced for this phone and we don’t know when or even if it will be available here, but it’s another worthy contender for title of best smartphone.

You can see the projector in action in this video:

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: Android, android 2.1, built in projector, droid, galaxy beam review, i8520, pico projector, samsung galaxy beam, Smartphone

Motorola Droid X vs HTC Evo 4G

July 15, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

With the official release of the Droid X on Verizon today, I thought it’d be a good time to do a comparison on the Droid X vs the HTC Evo 4G.   Both are top of the line, flagship smartphones running Android OS (2.1 currently, but both expect 2.2 Froyo updates soon) on their respective carriers but let’s jump into the nitty gritty specs to see if we can find a winner between the two.

Processor

Both phones sport blazing fast 1GHZ processors, though not the same one.  The Droid X has a new TI OMAP 1GHZ processor while the HTC Evo 4G has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHZ processor.  The new TI processor is the faster of the two, though both pack plenty of processing power.

Display

Both of these phones discriminate against those with small hands as both feature 4.3″ displays.  The Droid X has an every so slight advantage in resolution  with 854 x 480 display while the Evo 4g has an 800 x 480 resolution though in practice you won’t notice a difference (the Droid X does have more natural looking colors on its display though).

Memory

It’s a draw here as well with both phones having 512MB of RAM.

Storage

The Droid X comes with an impressive 24GB of storage (8GB built in, 16GB Micro SD card included) while the HTC Evo 4G has a mere 8GB.  If you have a lot of music or videos you’d like to watch on that big display, then the Droid X is the clear winner here.

Carrier

As has become the norm for premium smartphones, each phone is carrier exclusive.  The Droid X is a Verizon Wireless exclusive phone and the HTC Evo 4G is a Sprint Exclusive.  In my experience both carriers are quite good and I can’t say I’ve had problems with either.    The one advantage that you’ll get with Sprint is 4G coverage though it’s only available in a handful of major cities at this point.  However, if you live in one of those areas, Sprint is probably a no brainer at this point.  If Verizon ever gets the iPhone, I’ll probably start recommending people get Sprint since there will be considerably more strain on Verizon’s data network.

Camera

HTC Evo 4G Vs Motorola Droid X - Android Powered Smartphones

Both phones sport 8MP dual LED flash cameras.  However, the EVO 4G has a 1.3 MP front facing camera for video conferencing (using QIK).  We’ll give the edge to the EVO 4G on this one.

And the winner is…

If you can find one (and there have been plenty of shortages much to the dismay of Sprint), the HTC Evo 4G gets a slight edge over the Droid X but unless you really want video conferencing and live in an area with 4G coverage, you’ll probably be quite pleased with a Droid X as well.

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: 1ghz, Android, droid x, droid x vs htc evo 4g, froyo, htc evo 4g, motorola, sprint, verizon

5 Good Reasons To Root Your Android Phone

July 12, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

While Android is an open source operating system, that doesn’t mean the phone will let you do whatever the heck you want.  While it’s not nearly as locked down as the iPhone and iOS it’s not quite as open as some of us would like either.

So in this post, I’ll give you several good reasons to root your phone, one reason not to, and six tutorials for popular Android phones (the tutorials are at the bottom).

  1. Better Performance – Let’s face it, having true multi-tasking is great but sometimes the phone gets pretty bogged down.  Rooted users often find much improved memory management and performance.
  2. The Latest Updates – Even if your phone is on the fast track for the latest OS updates (Nexus One, Motorola Droid), it can still be months from the release of the newest Android OS and the time it gets pushed to your phone.  If you root your phone, you can often get the latest updates in less than a week and get all the enhancements that come with it.
  3. 3. Overclocking – In addition to getting better performance, you can also get apps that will allow you to overclock the processor on your phone which will help speed up your phone.  And the cool part is that popular overclocking apps will actually underclock your processor when it’s not being used in order to conserve the batter and then overclock it when it needs the performance boost so the result is a faster phone when you need it and a battery that lasts longer – best of both worlds.
  4. Wi-Fi Tethering – While this option will be available natively (theoretically, at least unless the carrier disables it) on 2.2 phones, this option is available now for rooted users.   That means if you’re in an area with no open Wi-Fi and don’t happen to have your USB cable with you, you can still use the internet connection on your phone.
  5. 5. More Apps – Using a rooted phone doesn’t mean you have to forgo using the Android Market for apps – you can still use all of them.   But there are some apps that are built only for rooted users and you’ll be able to download and use them.   

Rooting Your Android Phone

A good reason NOT to root your phone? It voids your phone’s warranty and there is always a small chance you could “brick” the phone (i.e. the phone won’t work at all).  I know many people who have rooted their phones without any problems whatsoever, but just keep the dangers in mind.

Here are the specific instructions for six of the most popular Android Phones (just about every Android based phone has been unlocked, though I can’t find one for Garminfone which due to low popularity and a very heavily customized version of Android has proven very difficult to unlock at this point).

How To Root The HTC EVO 4G [tutorial]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690762

How To Root The Motorolad Droid (the original one) [tutorial]

http://theunlockr.com/2010/06/04/how-to-root-the-motorola-droid-android-2-1/

How To Root The Droid Incredible [tutorial]

http://www.droid-life.com/2010/06/14/how-to-root-and-unroot-the-droid-incredible/

How To Root The Nexus One [tutorial]

http://androidandme.com/2010/01/hacks/video-how-to-unlock-and-root-a-nexus-one/

How To Root The Droid Eris [tutorial]

http://www.solidblogger.com/root-droid-eris-android-1-5-2-1-download-droid-eris-root-image-file/

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: Android, good reasons to root your phone, how to root your phone, root android phone, root droid, tutorial

Chrome To Phone – Awesome New Android App Make You Feel Like A Secret Agent

July 5, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

New Android App Turns You Into Jack Bauer (err -- your phone at least, sort of).

You know how in 24 Jack is always getting stuff sent to his phone?

Now you can do the same thing.  If you’ve ever been doing something on your computer and wanted to send it to your phone (this seems to happen to me daily), now you can with Chrome to Phone.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t heard of this app before, it’s because it only works on Android 2.2 -- which is still only available (as of this writing) on the Nexus One or to those of you who have rooted your Android phone and installed the custom ROM (if you’re going to do it, I’d recommend Bugless Beast, Titanium, or Chevy).

I see myself using this app mostly for maps and for sending files to my phone (like non Android Market Apps), but it comes in handy for a whole lot of things, especially long, complicated links I don’t want to painstakingly type in via my Droid keyboard.

If you have Android 2.2, just go install this extension for Chrome and then install the Chrome to Phone Android App on your phone and you’re all set.

For those who wonder how all this magic works, it uses Gmail synching to do it.

Learn all about it with this video:

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: Android, android 2.2, chrome extension, chrome to phone, froyo, gmail, Google, Google Maps, send directions to your droid, send files to your droid

iPhone 4 vs Droid X – Best Smartphone Showdown

June 28, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

Droid X vs iPhone 4

When the original Motorola Droid was launched in 2009, it was really the only worthy competitor the iPhone had.  These days there are plenty of smartphones on the market many of them quite good but the title of best smartphone really comes down to three phones – the Droid X, iPhone 4, and EVO 4G.

I’ve already done an iPhone 4 vs HTC EVO 4G post so I won’t rehash that here, instead we’ll do a rundown of how the Droid X and iPhone 4 stack up against each other.

iPhone 4 vs Droid X

Processor

Both phones are fast… really fast!  The Droid X features a Texas Instruments OMAP 1GHZ processor while the iPhone 4 features an Apple A4 1GHZ chip.

Display

One of the most obvious differences in the two phones is right here.  Apple’s iPhone 4 has a 3.5” screen (small by current smartphone standards) but it uses their new “retina display” technology at 960×640 resolution which results in a gorgeous display.  The Droid X, on the other hand, with its 4.3” screen makes the iPhone 4 look puny and while the display is good looking and sharp, it does run at a mere 854×480 resolution.

Memory

The iPhone 4 comes with either 16GB of memory ($199 with 2/yr contract) or 32GB of memory ($299 with 2/yr contract).  The Droid X comes with 24GB of memory, but it can be upgraded by the user to 40GB of memory.

RAM

Both the iPhone 4 and Droid X have 512 MB of RAM.

Camera

I’ll say this now before we compare specs – in real world testing, pictures look to be of nearly equal quality.  That being said, the Droid X has an 8MP camera with a dual LED flash while the iPhone 4 has a 5MP camera with single LED flash.

OS / Apps

The iPhone 4 runs IOS 4 while the Droid X will initially ship with Android 2.1 (will be updated to 2.2 shortly thereafter).

Which OS you choose is really up to you.  You are granted a lot more freedom to do what you want with Android while the user experience is better with IOS 4.

As far as apps go, the Apple App store has over 225,000 apps while the Android Market has about 75,000 apps.  For all intents and purposes, even though there is a large app discrepancy, at this point it’s a wash as to which is better – both have a ton of apps and if you want to do something with your phone, you probably can find an app for that on either marketplace.

One thing which isn’t in question here is gaming – gaming is vastly superior on the iPhone – there are more and better games available for the iPhone.

Carrier

For many, this will be the deciding factor. One is exclusive to the carrier many consider to be the best in America (Droid X – Verizon Wireless) and the other is on the carrier many consider to be the worst (iPhone 4 – AT&T).   This is really up to you – some people don’t have problems with AT&T, some do.  Where I currently live AT&T was hopelessly bad – Verizon has awesome coverage – in my hometown, neither is very good.  Both companies have an evil streak, but Verizon does consistently score better than AT&T in just about every category.

One thing to keep in mind, both networks will let you test their network for 30 days before you are locked into two years with them.  You can return your phone if you’re unhappy within 30 days with no penalty.  My recommendation is to test it out and make sure it works to your liking before you’re stuck for 2 years.

Other

Each has a bunch of features you won’t find on the other.

The iPhone 4 has Facetime and a front facing camera for video chat.  The Droid X has no such application and no front facing camera.  It also has a gyroscope, which as best I can tell has no practical purpose other than to make playing games even more awesome on the iPhone.

The Droid X has true multi-tasking (the iPhone has quasi-multi-tasking), HDMI outputs, wi-fi tethering and soon will be able to display Adobe Flash.

Conclusion

Declaring a winner is really not easy here and really it comes down to preference.  Plus I don’t feel like starting a flame war here on this blog.  Anything involving Apple products seems to bring out people who feel like any slight on Apple is akin to saying Hitler tried to do us all a favor or that Jesus had it coming.  Yeah, it’s that bad and I’m not falling into that trip.

Here’s the bottom line – they’re both spectacular phones.  Get the one you like better – go play with each of them at the store before you buy.

iphone 4 vs droid x

Motorola Droid X Vs Apple iPhone 4

Filed Under: Android, iPhone Tagged With: Android, android 2.2, android market, app store, apple, at&t, best smartphone, droid x, droid x vs iphone 4, ios, ios 4, iphone 4, iphone 4 vs droid x, memory, processors, ram, screen size, verizon

Motorola Droid 2 Review

June 28, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

While the Droid X has been billed by some as the successor to the original Motorola Droid, the real successor is the Droid 2 which is expected to be released this summer.

In a lot of ways this phone is just a slight upgrade over the first Droid.

It features a dual LED flash 5MP camera.

It has a faster 1 GHz processor (TI OMAP).

It has 16GB of memory (same as before) and can be upgraded to 40GB.

It also has 512 MB of RAM which is a welcome addition as the original could get bogged down rather easily if you like to run a lot of apps at once.

The keyboard no longer has the thumbpad and now features slightly raised keys which makes typing via the keyboard easier and faster – a big improvement over the old keyboard though I’ve found as have many others that the physical keyboard isn’t nearly as necessary as you might think – I rarely use mine now and I’m one of those people who initially refused to buy a smarthphone without a physical keyboard.

This phone is expected to ship with Android 2.2 Froyo which brings a whole lot of awesomeness to the table.

The screen size remains the same at 3.7″.

Is it worth the upgrade if you already have a Motorola Droid – I don’t so.  It’s an incremental step forward, but not a giant leap.  If you’re going to upgrade, get a Droid X unless the size of the phone makes it difficult for you to hold in your hand.  If you don’t have a smartphone yet, then by all means get it as you’ll probably love this phone.

Motorola Droid 2 - Photo Courtesy DroidLife

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: android 2.2, droid 2, droid 2 review, froyo, keyboard, motorola, motorola droid 2 review, physical keyboard, ti omap

Droid 2 Vs Droid X – How To Decide Which Phone To Get

June 28, 2010 By NotLost Leave a Comment

With so many different flavors of Android phones to choose from even from the same carrier, picking just the right phone can be downright tough.

In this post I’ll compare two soon to be released Motorola phones (both Verizon Wireless exclusives), The Droid X and Droid 2.

Droid X Vs Droid 2

Processors

I was a little disappointed to see that the Droid 2 only has a 750mhz processor (TI OMAP) since the defacto standard has become at least 1GHZ for top of the line smartphones.  The Droid X features the expected 1GHZ processor (TI OMAP).

Keyboard

This is one of the biggest differences between the two phones.  The Droid X uses only it’s touchscreen and virtual keyboards while the Droid 2 features an improved slide out hardware keyboard.   Whether you need the keyboard or not really is mostly a matter of preference.  Personally, I like having a keyboard on my phone, but rarely use it.

OS

While it is expected that the Droid X will ship with Android 2.1 initially, it’s expected that it will be upgraded to 2.2 Froyo in August of 2010.  The Droid 2 is expected to ship with Android 2.2 installed, but keep in mind that it’s being released a month later (mid August).

Camera

The Droid X has an 8MP camera while the Droid X has a mere 5MP camera.  Both have dual LED flash cameras.

Memory

The Droid X ships with 24GB of memory (upgradeable to 40GB) while the Droid 2 ships with 16 GB of memory (upgradeable to 40GB).

For those who want to compare these two phones to other popular smartphones like the Apple iPhone 4 and HTC EVO 4G, here are the highlights:

How do they stack up to the iPhone 4?

The Droid X is a veritable giant compared to the iPhone 4, sporting a 4.3” screen vs the 3.5” screen the iPhone 4 has.

Both the Droid X and iPhone 4 have 1GHZ processors (the Droid X features a TI OMAP 1GHZ while the iPhone 4 features an Apple A4 1GHZ processor.

The Droid 2 is a little slower checking in with a TI OMAP 750mhz processor.

Neither the Droid X or Droid 2 have a front facing camera for video chat.

The Droid X has HDMI outputs and a bigger (some would say better) 8MP camera with dual LED flash while the iPhone 4 has no such outputs and a mere 5MP camera with single LED flash though image quality in the real world is very similar.

The Droid 2 has that elusive slide out hardware keyboard for those who don’t like to be forced to use touchscreens all the time.

Neither phone has a gyroscope while the iPhone 4 does.

How do they stack up to the HTC EVO 4G?

The Droid X has the same 4.3” screen as the EVO 4G, but lacks the 4G antenna and front facing camera for video chat – other than that it’s nearly the same as the other differences are minor – the EVO 4G is a Sprint phone, the Droid X is a Verizon phone.

The Droid 2 is quite a bit smaller than the EVO 4G, and lacks the HDMI output, has a slower processor but as I’ve mentioned, has a dedicated hardware keyboard.

Conclusion

While it’s tough to say which phone is really better since they’re both so new, for my money I’d buy the Droid X unless you really want a dedicated keyboard or the Droid X is too big for you to comfortably hold in your hand.

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: Android, droid 2, droid x, droid x vs droid 2, keyboard, motorola, verizon

Motorola Droid X Review – Smartphone Nuclear Arms Race Continues – Droid Vs Droid X

June 24, 2010 By NotLost 1 Comment

Yesterday, after several weeks of speculation, the Motorola Droid X was officially revealed and this phone didn’t disappoint.

Let’s start off with specs as they’re pretty beefy:

  • 4.3″ 854 x 480 Screen
  • Texas Instruments OMAP 1GHZ Processor
  • 24 GB Memory (Upgradeable to 40GB)
  • Dual LED Flash 8 Megapixel Camera (with a real shutter button)
  • 220 Hrs of Standby Battery Time
  • 720p Video Recording with HDMI output

For loyal Droid users thinking about upgrading from their original Motorola Droid to the new Droid X, here are some of the big differences.  First, the phone is a lot bigger -- the 4.3″ screen is the same size as the HTC EVO 4G for Sprint (for comparison’s sake, the iPhone 4 has a 3.5″ screen -- the original Droid has a 3.7″ screen).

The camera doesn’t suck this time around.  The dual LED flash and 8MP camera actually take pretty good pictures -- nobody will confuse them with DSLR quality, but they’re definitely on par with entry level digital cameras.

It’s faster -- a lot faster.  It still packs a familiar Texas Instruments OMAP processor, but this one is clocked at 1GHZ and this thing is screaming fast.

No more keyboard.  While it does come with Swype (awesome, by the way) as a virtual keyboard option, the Droid X bids adieu to the dedicated slide out keyboard seen on the original though most people I talk to that have a Droid, myself included, rarely ever use the hardware keyboard anyway.

One of the cool features is the ability for the phone to act as a 3G Mobile Hotspot for up to 5 devices, however, this feature is going to run you an extra $20/month.  My guess is that since this is a feature built into Android 2.2, at some point you’ll be able to enable this for free (but it may require you to root the phone -- I’ll keep ya posted as we learn more and when Froyo shows up on this phone later this summer).

Motorola Droid X - 4.3" Screen - 24GB Memory - 1GHZ TI OMAP Processor

This phone does run Motorola’s skin over Android (unlike the first Droid), but it isn’t Motoblur either.  It’s a new skin setup for social networking and such.

It will be officially released July 15 and is exclusive to Verizon Wireless and will run you $199 (after $100 mail in rebate and 2 yr contract) so it’s in line with every other high end subsidized smartphone in the U.S. right now.

If your contract is up anytime this year, you can get upgrade pricing instead of paying full retail costs, which sadly means that all of us original Droid users aren’t going to qualify as we’re less than a year into our 2yr contracts, but it certainly looks like the new flagship model for Verizon Wireless and a worth competitor to the HTC EVO 4G for Sprint and the Apple iPhone 4 for AT&T.

Here’s a sample video taken with the Droid X Video Camera (certainly doesn’t look like your typical cell phone camera video, but won’t be confused with broadcast quality anytime soon, either):

Filed Under: Android Tagged With: 1ghz, 4.3 inch screen, 720p, 8 megapixel camera video camera, Android, droid vs droid x, droid x, motorola, omap, review, texas instruments, verizon
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