Moto Droid Maxx Pre-Release Thread

[Old Member]

Maybe you've seen these, I haven't so I thought I would post them to get you a bit more excited:

Intelligence Matters - YouTube

Strength Matters - YouTube

Endurance Matters - YouTube

Detail Matters - YouTube

 

[Old Member]

I just remembered that back in our Droid Incredible and Galaxy Nexus pre-release days we would go to testman.verizonwireless.com to see if any dummy pages were set up that we could get pre-release information. In fact, I think we did get some information with pages that were live, but then were taken down.

Well when I went there now it seems they've closed that little security gap.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...=YGfYP9R5LOzQPVgq17LmIA&bvm=bv.50500085,d.aWc

 

[Old Member]

Active Display on the Moto X although its the same with the Maxx.

Active Display on the Moto X - YouTube

 

[mistermojorizi]

All I've seen of the "Zap App" was the 10 seconds they gave to it in some of the VERY FEW reviews out there. I was kind of meh about it. BUT . . . I may be changing my tune. I came across this article:

Cloud File Sharing Just Got Easier with Droid Zap

It actually may be kind of cool. I hate to say it, but in order for it to be fully functional, they have to add iPhone compatibility. My wife and several of my friends are iPhone users and sharing content this way will only be useful if they can receive and send back.

they need to add android compatibility first, lol. Only the new motorola's have the ability to zap pictures. So say you have a current droid, like the Droid RAZR MAXX HD. Sorry, you can only receive pictures zapped to you. You can't zap anything yourself.

 

[Outatime]

I think I heard in one of the videos the rep said that there was going to be an app that all Android users could DL from the Play Store and they could zap up.

 

[chrisv79]

So I want to try and keep my unlimited. I read through the thread posted earlier but I was wondering if this would work.

My Situation: Family Share plan with 2 lines. My line with an upgrade available and my wife's line with an iPhone 5 and 2GB data.

What I would like to do:
1. Swap the upgrade to her 2GB line.
2. Order the Maxx online.
3. When I receive the phone, just take the sim from my 4G phone and put it in the new phone. My Wife's old sim should still be active and ok to keep in her phone.

Could it be that simple? The way I understand it, the plan is tied to the sim, not the phone. I just like to try and not get CSR's involved if possible and do everything myself.

 

[landolakes]

I've done the same thing a bunch of times and plan on doing it again. I'm not sure if the maxx has the same SIM as the X but you can just go into Verizon and get a new one.

 

[Thom]

Droid X - no SIM used
Droid Bionic - Mini-SIM
Droid Maxx - Nano-SIM
Moto-X - Nano-SIM

... Thom

 

[Thom]

You are correct ... thank you.

I edited my response.

... Thom

 

[Old Member]

I stopped by my Verizon Wireless Corporate store today. I wanted to see if they had a Droid Maxx that I could take a look at. They guy signing me in looked at me like I had two heads. He asked if I meant the Droid Razr HD? I said, no the one that comes out August 20, the DROID MAXX. He goes oh, we don't have it yet. I asked him if he's sure they don't have one for training purposes that I could hold in my hand to see what it feels like. He said no.

I've come to realize that asking a CSR in Verizon any question about phones is pretty much like walking into Wal-Mart and asking one of the guys back in the automotive department for advice about your car. You may get lucky and Billy Bob will have some automotive knowledge, but most of the time you will get a guy that doesn't really know anything at all, but he can point you in the general direction for what it sounds like you're looking for.

The average Verizon CSR doesn't really know anything about phones. They know a little bit, but not nearly as much as the gear heads (us) that come in and ask to see the phones.

When I sold cars for about 6 months right out of college. I was that type of salesman. I knew NOTHING about cars. I did however go on a ride and drive for the Buick Park Avenue. I had fun. They taught me about all of the features. Horsepower, breaking distance, heck I even knew that the inside of the hood was lined with a material that could put out an engine fire. When we got back to the dealership we did a walk around with the vehicle. I got a $100 from the owner because I could present the car better than anyone there. Guess what car I tried to point every customer to? The only car that I knew anything about. As I said, I only sold cars about 6 months. Ramen Noodles were big in my house that 6 months. That is my impression of every Verizon Wireless CSR.

 

[Old Member]

we actually don't have any devices in store yet, not even for training purposes... the ONLY training we have recieved on the new droids are online Power Point tutorials just showcasing the new features and specs...

I think it's a pretty big misconception out there that we get devices weeks before launch and just have them in the back hiding... A lot of times we don't get phones till 2-3 days before launch and as in this case we just have online training, no physical devices to play around with...

I believe you and I believed him. It thought it was worth a try, but I really didn't expect it to be there. What I did expect was for him to have knowledge of a new line being released in 10 days and that was a pretty big announcement from corporate the last week of July. The look that I got said that he didn't really know what I was talking about. I'm not saying that every Verizon CSR is incompetent. I am saying that you have a better shot at getting someone that really isn't interested in anything other than selling any phone than putting people in the best phone for them.

Product knowledge means everything in sales at all levels.

 

[mistermojorizi]

I think I heard in one of the videos the rep said that there was going to be an app that all Android users could DL from the Play Store and they could zap up.

the app that they released last week is only allows you to receive: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.motorola.zap

 

[mistermojorizi]

read some more interesting stuff about the camera, on the moto x. it has a bad problem with autofocusing on the wrong thing; even when the touch to focus feature is turned on. read two tips that I though would be good to remember for later, but the dmaxx tips thread is locked.

1. start the video recording, then tap the screen to take pictures; pictures come out properly autofocused *every time*

2. keep hdr in auto mode, unless you plan to do postprocessing on a pc later. otherwise, things look too washed out.

 

[Outatime]

the app that they released last week is only allows you to receive: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.motorola.zap

Yes, it is receive now. But I thought they said it would have the ability to send at some point in the future.

 

[john248]

read some more interesting stuff about the camera, on the moto x. it has a bad problem with autofocusing on the wrong thing; even when the touch to focus feature is turned on. read two tips that I though would be good to remember for later, but the dmaxx tips thread is locked.

1. start the video recording, then tap the screen to take pictures; pictures come out properly autofocused *every time*

2. keep hdr in auto mode, unless you plan to do postprocessing on a pc later. otherwise, things look too washed out.

They will definitely need to address that when an update happens. The entire point of these Droids is ease of use, so having to go into video mode to take a picture is a PITA. The camera is the only thing holding me back with these new Motorola phones.

 

[mistermojorizi]

They will definitely need to address that when an update happens. The entire point of these Droids is ease of use, so having to go into video mode to take a picture is a PITA. The camera is the only thing holding me back with these new Motorola phones.

they do need to address it. surprised they haven't yet, considering they have been testing the new phones pretty extensively at the behest of Google. maybe it's something in the hardware that can't be fixed by software.

But, as a workaround, it's not so much of a PITA, as it seems in the software it's just one extra button press to start recording right from the camera mode.

 

[Jersey Tom]

So for some time I thought the Moto X was going to be what I wanted, particularly with software features. But.. sure seems to me that the Droid Maxx has all of that plus the beast battery.

Seems like a no brainer at this point that I'm going with the Maxx.

 

[Outatime]

Seems like a no brainer at this point that I'm going with the Maxx.

I could honestly not understand, if you're on VZW, going with the Moto X instead of the Maxx. Unless you simply hate larger phones or can't spring for the extra $100, and that's understandable.

The Maxx has EVERY bell and whistle of the Moto X, but with a 5" RGB screen and an insane battery.

 

[mistermojorizi]

the only thing i am going to wait and see is the dev support for each device... i know i want one of them but i want to have long term dev support for my device and for some reason i feel the X will have better dev support

i definitely get this feeling as well. however, the main thing i've tweaked my nexus for has been better battery life. all the other things i could live without. and eventually got bored of crack flashing everything and setting everything up again. I lived on the last version of ICS for a long time, and now been living on 4.1.2 for the longest time. I'm hoping i won't feel the need to flash anything on a phone that's already getting over a whole day of battery life. And moving to a 4.2.2 phone will actually feel like an upgrade coming from 4.1.2, instead of lamenting over lack of 4.3.

 

[Old Member]

Many of us are coming from a Galaxy Nexus. Looking at the Maxx and Galaxy Nexus side by side I don't know if its really an upgrade other than battery life. Gnex has 316 ppi vs Maxx 294. The Maxx does have 2GB of RAM vs 1GB for the Gnex. Also, both cameras record the same video 1080p. Is it really considered an upgrade?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs LG G2 vs Motorola DROID Maxx - Phone Comparison

 

[Outatime]

Well, the processor setup should be a good bit better than the Nex. The camera too. Obviously battery life. Motorola radios. GPS with GLONASS. 720p Pentile on the Nex vs the 720p RGB on the Maxx. Nah, I think it's a pretty good upgrade.

 

[Wolfedude88]

Droid X - Mini-SIM
Droid Bionic - Mini-SIM
Droid Maxx - Nano-SIM
Moto-X - Nano-SIM

... Thom

Still wrong, Droid X was 3g only and did not take a sim. Unless you are talking about the Droid X2?

 

[mistermojorizi]

Many of us are coming from a Galaxy Nexus. Looking at the Maxx and Galaxy Nexus side by side I don't know if its really an upgrade other than battery life. Gnex has 316 ppi vs Maxx 294. The Maxx does have 2GB of RAM vs 1GB for the Gnex. Also, both cameras record the same video 1080p. Is it really considered an upgrade?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs LG G2 vs Motorola DROID Maxx - Phone Comparison

huge upgrade; even on specs alone.

Screen: pentile --> RGB (about 1/3 more subpixels and hence a much higher real ppi); 4.7 inch (about 4.5 usable) --> 5" usable.

RAM you already mentioned

Camera: 5mp --> 10mp; also 1080p @ 30fps --> 1080 @ 60fps (do the math); also, just read today, the camera on the X hase a huge sensor (that's always the spec i look for when buying a point and shoot - it really affects low light performance)

and really, even if a spec is the same, like say it had a dual core 1.2 instead of the dual core 1.7, a 2013 dual core 1.2 would be light years faster than one from 2011.

and the biggest upgrade: from 12-14 hrs of battery life --> 14 hours. Also...hopefully...from poor performing radios to some of the best in the industry. From plastic to unibody kevlar.

 

[Thom]

Still wrong, Droid X was 3g only and did not take a sim. Unless you are talking about the Droid X2?

Thanks for pointing that out. I was relying on ... Motorola DROID X - Full phone specifications ... that is clearly incorrect.

I updated the original post.

... Thom

 

[Jersey Tom]

Many of us are coming from a Galaxy Nexus. Looking at the Maxx and Galaxy Nexus side by side I don't know if its really an upgrade other than battery life. Gnex has 316 ppi vs Maxx 294. The Maxx does have 2GB of RAM vs 1GB for the Gnex. Also, both cameras record the same video 1080p. Is it really considered an upgrade?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs LG G2 vs Motorola DROID Maxx - Phone Comparison

I see it as a huge upgrade. Huge. Battery life being the #1 by far, which is big to me in general. Really big selling point.

Then there are all the other reasons mentioned...

... and that my GNex's mic died, and USB port got worse over time and stopped charging, and was generally somewhat flimsy, and the battery seemed to get worse with time, and there was the debacle with randomly muting calls in some areas of Vzw coverage...

...not buying another Samsung device anytime soon.