New X owner - coming from an Incredible

[kenn]

I had a Droid Incredible for 27 days. During those 27, I used the heck out of the phone and wasn't sure it was a keeper. It is an amazing phone, for sure, but there were a few nagging issues that made me consider the DX. I finally did it -- returned the Dinc, and got a DX last night. Here are my thoughts for those that might also be considering one or the other. Before I even get started, I will say that you really can't go wrong with either device. I'll just stick with my pros and cons and keep it simple.

Droid Incredible

Pros:
-Beautiful screen! The AMOLED was just flat out better looking to me by a wide margin.
-More compact size than the DX
-Sense UI is very, very well done. Very fast performance and pretty much all the widgets/apps work very, very well.
-Love the capacitive buttons and track pad
- UI - did I mention the UI is beautiful and smooth as silk?
- Because of the well-designed interface, it required little customization to look great. Basically turn it on and go.
- MAJOR PRO: HTC sync will sync right up with Microsoft Outlook for Contacts and Calendar.

Cons:
- It won't charge all the way. I had to power off the phone to get it to finish charging and it took about 45 minutes. Without doing this, battery life sucked.
- Call quality was hit or miss. Sometimes it was very choppy and I couldn't hear the other person well at all and would have to ask for them to repeat something often. This was my ultimate reason for returning the phone.
- My charger was dead on arrival.
- The plastic rear case seemed kind of wrong - will probably allow dust and what-not to get in there.

Droid X

Pros:
-Screen is huge (duh) and is easier to browse and watch video with but not as much as I thought it would when I made the choice
-Call quality seems MUCH improved
-Charges completely and quickly
-Desktop cradle available
-It seems sturdier - aluminum/magnesium(?) case is most certainly better than the plastic rear of the Dinc

Cons:
-MAJOR CON: It will not sync with Outlook without buying a 3rd party app or using some tools to sync. I tried a few solutions and ended up with multiple copies of my contacts and agenda items and have to start all over. This one has really pissed me off.
-It is so big that it is hard to use one-handed for all apps unless you have large hands.
-The UI is pretty clunky and widgets are pretty weak but Launcher Pro with enhanced screen animations improves it. Still not sense, but better.
-It will take a small handful of apps to get the UI and widgets to compete with sense and if you don't have a lot of time and patience, it will annoy you.

In the end, they both have pluses and minuses for an overall tie IMHO. Again, you can't go wrong either way. I'd say if screen size for video is your deal, go X. If a slick, no-pain UI is your game, you are better off with the Dinc.

Of course, this could all change come Froyo...

 

[C0n57an71n3]

Very good post. I was considering the Incredible before I purchased the X last Sunday (still haven't received it). I had heard the call quality was better on the X, but did you try the VOCODER trick with the Dinc? Apparently it makes it a lot better.

Also, is Sense a big thing? I always thought it looked nice, but the Clock/Weather widget was the only thing that really attracted me.

This is a question for everyone: With LauncherPro installed on the X, can you still use the People Widget from Motorola? My mom has the X and I really like the People Widget with the call/message one-tap access, but the dock on LauncherPro is almost too good to pass up (Motorola's dock is hideous).

Thanks.

 

[neggie]

if you buy the launcher pro plus then yes you can.. the dev is great always updates just came out with update to day that lets you resized the moto widgets just like the default home. ITs the best buy it any questions on settings ext. PM me i got mine super fast and its great!!!!

 

[freddyttt]

I had a Droid Incredible for 27 days. During those 27, I used the heck out of the phone and wasn't sure it was a keeper. It is an amazing phone, for sure, but there were a few nagging issues that made me consider the DX. I finally did it -- returned the Dinc, and got a DX last night. Here are my thoughts for those that might also be considering one or the other. Before I even get started, I will say that you really can't go wrong with either device. I'll just stick with my pros and cons and keep it simple.

Droid Incredible

Pros:
-Beautiful screen! The AMOLED was just flat out better looking to me by a wide margin.
-More compact size than the DX
-Sense UI is very, very well done. Very fast performance and pretty much all the widgets/apps work very, very well.
-Love the capacitive buttons and track pad
- UI - did I mention the UI is beautiful and smooth as silk?
- Because of the well-designed interface, it required little customization to look great. Basically turn it on and go.
- MAJOR PRO: HTC sync will sync right up with Microsoft Outlook for Contacts and Calendar.

Cons:
- It won't charge all the way. I had to power off the phone to get it to finish charging and it took about 45 minutes. Without doing this, battery life sucked.
- Call quality was hit or miss. Sometimes it was very choppy and I couldn't hear the other person well at all and would have to ask for them to repeat something often. This was my ultimate reason for returning the phone.
- My charger was dead on arrival.
- The plastic rear case seemed kind of wrong - will probably allow dust and what-not to get in there.

Droid X

Pros:
-Screen is huge (duh) and is easier to browse and watch video with but not as much as I thought it would when I made the choice
-Call quality seems MUCH improved
-Charges completely and quickly
-Desktop cradle available
-It seems sturdier - aluminum/magnesium(?) case is most certainly better than the plastic rear of the Dinc

Cons:
-MAJOR CON: It will not sync with Outlook without buying a 3rd party app or using some tools to sync. I tried a few solutions and ended up with multiple copies of my contacts and agenda items and have to start all over. This one has really pissed me off.
-It is so big that it is hard to use one-handed for all apps unless you have large hands.
-The UI is pretty clunky and widgets are pretty weak but Launcher Pro with enhanced screen animations improves it. Still not sense, but better.
-It will take a small handful of apps to get the UI and widgets to compete with sense and if you don't have a lot of time and patience, it will annoy you.

In the end, they both have pluses and minuses for an overall tie IMHO. Again, you can't go wrong either way. I'd say if screen size for video is your deal, go X. If a slick, no-pain UI is your game, you are better off with the Dinc.

Of course, this could all change come Froyo...

If i did not know what forum i was in id have guessed you liked the Incredible better-.

 

[HES]

Thanks for the update. I am a soon to be former BB user and decided to go with the X. I made my decision when I had heard that Dincno longer had its sync app and that the call quality and battery life on the DX were better. But that sync thing is still bugging me. Being able to sync with my outlook calendar and contacts is way high on my list. What apps are you using (or can anyone suggest) to make this painless. Or if it is that critical of an issue for me, should I go Dinc instead?

 

[Wolfedude88]

So what problem are you having with Outlook? I have been able to sync with no problems. I get emails, contacts, calendar all with the stock email client for exchange. Am I missing something that you are needing?

 

[HES]

Sorry I have not gotten my phone yet. I own a small business and as such we dont even have an exchange server. Our web host provides our email. As such we live off of our contacts and calendars in stand alone, desktop installed Outlook. So I am wondering what app I should get to enable this, or will 2.2 address this natively, or should I take another look at the Dinc? Or should I look for a copy of the HTC Sync program and will it work on a DX (I suspect not)?

EDIT: Never mind. I think I found the best possible answer here with companion link. Weird that HTC has an app but Motorola doesn't.

 

[kenn]

I have just the standard desktop outlook- -no Exchange. If there is away to synch directly with the DX via the USB, please rtell me how....

 

[HES]

I have just the standard desktop outlook- -no Exchange. If there is away to synch directly with the DX via the USB, please rtell me how....

Take a look at the post above yours that I made and follow the link. After searching all night apparently the only reliable way to do so is pay $40 for CompanionLink. It looks like they had some problems in the past but have worked a lot of bugs out of the software.

 

[TheXFactor]

I posted this in another thread and I'll post here too. I have both. Right now and the last few days I have been thinking about what I'm gonna do. Keep which one?

There is a certain connect between the user interface and the hardware which I believe the X lacks. Even after using the X for a week, it seems to me that things are just easier to do with the Inc. I don't feel it with the X. Hardware aside, the Moto UI is just terrible. The Inc UI is smooth, polished and fast. No lags.

I have to buy apps to make the X more appealing. LauncherPro to name one. I have to buy an app to make the unlock screen not lag, widgetlocker.

The Inc has great speaker and ringtone volume. The X does not. The X has good battery management, the Inc does not. Both phones get close to the same reception. I have both next to each other and the dBm's are close. The X shows 4-5 bars and the Inc shows 1-2. Both are around -85dBm.

One of my biggest issues is the browser. Tapping the browser window on the Inc and the page zooms and fits to the window. The text is easy to read. Doing the same on the X does not yield the same results. With text size set to the same on both, zoom set to the same on both, I have to manually resize the window on the X.

Even if I set the text to large or zoom to close, the X browser window is a mess.

The row of 4 buttons on the X at the bottom. I don't really have a problem with the buttons themselves, but rather the layout. The home and menu button are reversed.

The screen on the Inc is easier to read, easier on the eyes. Both screens are terrible in the outdoor light.

The biggest problem I have with the moto is the noticeable lag I see/feel in certain menus/screens/apps. I know what it is, it's the Moto Blur crap. There are so many services running in the background and you can't kill them with out restarting.

Why Moto had to put their shitty interface on this phone (aka moto blur) is just beyond comprehension. Sense is fully integrated, blur seems like an afterthought. Sense is smooth and fast on the Inc. Blur is not.

I expect to get bashed because I like the Inc more. But that isn't the truth. I really want to like the X. The hardware is really nice. It's the other issues that bother me. I keep using the X in the hope it may change my mind. But not so much right about now.....

 

[cjk1026]

Take a look at the post above yours that I made and follow the link. After searching all night apparently the only reliable way to do so is pay $40 for CompanionLink. It looks like they had some problems in the past but have worked a lot of bugs out of the software.

I've tried CompanionLink and didn't particularly like the way it operated. It makes it's own set of contacts that are not sorted as they are in Outlook, not to mention it left a number of my contacts out. Anyway, CompanionLink seemed like way to much futzing around and not nearly as seamless as was synching with my Blackberries.

I'm still trying to find a simple, effective method for synching my Outlook contacts and etc. with my Droid.

 

[Neil143]

Gave the X a week and really wanted to like it just like XFactor did. At the end, I found myself looking for the nuances of the Inc. By the way, great review from XFactor. It shares my same sentiments.

 

[alnova1]

I've had my X for only 4 hours and love it compared to the Inc. My signal is better..pictures are much better and just overall a better phone IMHO.

 

[jbass350z]

I came from an incredible and honestly i am split. If the incredible had a screen as large as the X I would go back. I loved Sense and all the little things it added to the experience.

 

[curtisdr]

I've tried CompanionLink and didn't particularly like the way it operated. It makes it's own set of contacts that are not sorted as they are in Outlook, not to mention it left a number of my contacts out. Anyway, CompanionLink seemed like way to much futzing around and not nearly as seamless as was synching with my Blackberries.

I'm still trying to find a simple, effective method for synching my Outlook contacts and etc. with my Droid.

If you find a seamless USB sync program, please post it here. I've looked quite a bit, and besides CompanionLink, there are no good ones to be found. I don't understand why Motorola dropped the ball on this one.

 

[kenn]

If i did not know what forum i was in id have guessed you liked the Incredible better-.

Yes, you would guess right. Overall, I like the Dinc experience better but the call quality was really a serious issue for me. Perhaps in my area I spend more time on the fringe, but my X, when on the phone, is MUCH clearer and more stable than my Dinc ever was.

Sadly, I've not seen any improvement in battery for the X over the Dinc. In fact, it may be worse. I installed all of the apps I was running before (plus Launcher Pro Plus) to get a "sense-like" experience. I hard reset the phone and took it back to stock because I wasn't getting much in the way of life. So far, I'm back to "stock" but I'm not getting much out of it.

I'll cycle it a few times and see how it goes... I have it on "smart" mode and auto screen brightness with GPS and Bluetooth always off.

I've given up on the hope of Outlook syncing and I'm just going to try to live with Google Contacts and Google Calendar.

 

[zentman]

Hmmm, I have the X and it syncs my calender, my email, and everything else perfectly. I just put in the exchange server's details and away I went.

 

[cjk1026]

Hmmm, I have the X and it syncs my calender, my email, and everything else perfectly. I just put in the exchange server's details and away I went.

I am not part of an Exchange network. I simply want to sync my X with my laptop Outlook.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

 

[bubbaken]

I had the same experience with the incredible. If it wasn't for the sound quality / dropped calls / poor reception I would still have the incredible... but this is a phone! I'm surprised there aren't more complaints about sound quality on the incredible.

Regarding the interface incredible wins hands down and it doesn't randomly hang up like the X.

Having said all that I'm much happier with the X.

 

[kenn]

Again, some of us don't have exchange. I and many others only have a stand alone outlook and there os no way to cleanly sync without third party apps. Companionlink is $40... i'm not going to pay that...

 

[matty032]

O

I had a Droid Incredible for 27 days. During those 27, I used the heck out of the phone and wasn't sure it was a keeper. It is an amazing phone, for sure, but there were a few nagging issues that made me consider the DX. I finally did it -- returned the Dinc, and got a DX last night. Here are my thoughts for those that might also be considering one or the other. Before I even get started, I will say that you really can't go wrong with either device. I'll just stick with my pros and cons and keep it simple.

Droid Incredible

Pros:
-Beautiful screen! The AMOLED was just flat out better looking to me by a wide margin.
-More compact size than the DX
-Sense UI is very, very well done. Very fast performance and pretty much all the widgets/apps work very, very well.
-Love the capacitive buttons and track pad
- UI - did I mention the UI is beautiful and smooth as silk?
- Because of the well-designed interface, it required little customization to look great. Basically turn it on and go.
- MAJOR PRO: HTC sync will sync right up with Microsoft Outlook for Contacts and Calendar.

Cons:
- It won't charge all the way. I had to power off the phone to get it to finish charging and it took about 45 minutes. Without doing this, battery life sucked.
- Call quality was hit or miss. Sometimes it was very choppy and I couldn't hear the other person well at all and would have to ask for them to repeat something often. This was my ultimate reason for returning the phone.
- My charger was dead on arrival.
- The plastic rear case seemed kind of wrong - will probably allow dust and what-not to get in there.

Droid X

Pros:
-Screen is huge (duh) and is easier to browse and watch video with but not as much as I thought it would when I made the choice
-Call quality seems MUCH improved
-Charges completely and quickly
-Desktop cradle available
-It seems sturdier - aluminum/magnesium(?) case is most certainly better than the plastic rear of the Dinc

Cons:
-MAJOR CON: It will not sync with Outlook without buying a 3rd party app or using some tools to sync. I tried a few solutions and ended up with multiple copies of my contacts and agenda items and have to start all over. This one has really pissed me off.
-It is so big that it is hard to use one-handed for all apps unless you have large hands.
-The UI is pretty clunky and widgets are pretty weak but Launcher Pro with enhanced screen animations improves it. Still not sense, but better.
-It will take a small handful of apps to get the UI and widgets to compete with sense and if you don't have a lot of time and patience, it will annoy you.

In the end, they both have pluses and minuses for an overall tie IMHO. Again, you can't go wrong either way. I'd say if screen size for video is your deal, go X. If a slick, no-pain UI is your game, you are better off with the Dinc.

Of course, this could all change come Froyo...

As far as Exchange, it will be fixed in the 2.2 update coming in September. You company must not use SSL. That is the issue, but it will be fixed with the Froyo update. As far as clunky goes, install ADW Launcher, that will go away.

 

[Ed5275]

I don't seem to be having the lag issues. Maybe like a 1/10th of a second but not that I would call "lag". And I figured out the battery issues by turning off the GPS unless I need it. Very responsive, snappy, great screen, good pics. Good phone.

About the only problem I see (which I also sometimes had on AT&T with my Blackberry) is that I sometimes have to put it in airplane mode and back again to get 3G un-stuck. But, since the fix takes less than 10 seconds, I am not sure I can even call it an "issue".

Edit: Oh, and talking on this phone has been a real joy for me. Maybe it is because I am coming from the Bold, but I think it functions EXCELLENTLY as a phone.

 

[matty032]

I've tried CompanionLink and didn't particularly like the way it operated. It makes it's own set of contacts that are not sorted as they are in Outlook, not to mention it left a number of my contacts out. Anyway, CompanionLink seemed like way to much futzing around and not nearly as seamless as was synching with my Blackberries.

I'm still trying to find a simple, effective method for synching my Outlook contacts and etc. with my Droid.

Install Touchdown until Motorola releases Froyo. If you go to the Motorola forums and sign up, they will pay for your license until the fix is released in September. Touchdown will sync all your Exchange stuff. Go to supportforums.motorola.com for the info. You can download Touchdown from the market.

 

[curtisdr]

If it wasn't for the sound quality / dropped calls / poor reception I would still have the incredible...

That's why I returned my DINC...poor call quality.

 

[HES]

Install Touchdown until Motorola releases Froyo. If you go to the Motorola forums and sign up, they will pay for your license until the fix is released in September. Touchdown will sync all your Exchange stuff. Go to supportforums.motorola.com for the info. You can download Touchdown from the market.

That is a great suggestion for those running their email on their own exchange server. Thanks for posting it. It is informative and will be sure to help many.

However the comments from myself and others are centered around the fact that we are not using exchange. We are using stand alone copies of Outlook. We want the ability to sync our contacts, calendar, and notes that are contained within Outlook directly to our phones with out having to use the Google cloud as a middle man. That functionality is available on the HTC line of phones with a simple download of a free app from HTC. There is no such app available from Motorola. Companionlink seems to be hit or miss.

We are small business owners or just private citizens who cant justify the cost of an exchange server, who find that Blackberries or iPhones wont do for us, who need the better call quality to be found on the X but who have just as critical of a need to be able to keep our Outlook based contacts and calendar entries synced with our phones while maintaining the integrity and security of our business contacts, as can be found with the Dinc. Having to sync using Google as the middle man is a security exposure for us. Sync via a physical cable greatly reduces that exposure. So we are understandably frustrated with the situation. Maybe some would see it as a case of wanting our cake and the ability to eat it too. I and other simply see it as a good move on Motorola's part if they would enable this functionality.