Consumer Reports on the Droid X

nj02vette · Feb 25, 2011

Anyone see the Jan 2011 report on cell phones and providers?

Stopped by a resturant for some takeout (yummm, crabcakes), and the owner had a bunch of mags on a table while I waited.

I always take the reviews of consumer reports with a grain of salt. For instance, their car ratings are a complete sham. Thier vaccuum cleaner results (yes, I'm still on the lookout for a better vaccuum) are suspect methodology. But they do try to approach a problem methodically and present thier results accurately. Not nearly enough that I'd subscribe though.

I wasn't expecting much but I saw that they rated the Droid X highest among Verizon phones. Tied with I believe 76 points was the Fascinate. Also rated Verizon the best service, with Sprint 2nd, Tmobile 3rd and AT&T dead last.

FWIW, the iPhone only had an overall rating of 77.

The one thing that jumped out at me, though, was they rated the Droid X at poor voice quality, while the iPhone got average. They can say anything they want, but the Droid X has the best voice quality of any phone I've ever had. Just another reason now not to trust CR.

FWIW2, I only care about vaccuums because I don't want to hear my wife's btching about it.

stereoeclectic · Feb 25, 2011

nj02vette said:
Anyone see the Jan 2011 report on cell phones and providers?

Stopped by a resturant for some takeout (yummm, crabcakes), and the owner had a bunch of mags on a table while I waited.

I always take the reviews of consumer reports with a grain of salt. For instance, their car ratings are a complete sham. Thier vaccuum cleaner results (yes, I'm still on the lookout for a better vaccuum) are suspect methodology. But they do try to approach a problem methodically and present thier results accurately. Not nearly enough that I'd subscribe though.

I wasn't expecting much but I saw that they rated the Droid X highest among Verizon phones. Tied with I believe 76 points was the Fascinate. Also rated Verizon the best service, with Sprint 2nd, Tmobile 3rd and AT&T dead last.

FWIW, the iPhone only had an overall rating of 77.

The one thing that jumped out at me, though, was they rated the Droid X at poor voice quality, while the iPhone got average. They can say anything they want, but the Droid X has the best voice quality of any phone I've ever had. Just another reason now not to trust CR.

FWIW2, I only care about vaccuums because I don't want to hear my wife's btching about it.

I picked up a copy of that a month or two ago. Good article; I would also rate the dx highly.

bigbadwulff · Feb 25, 2011

Way back when they rated a "Sparkomatic" car stereo the best and that did for me with CR forever

Lars · Feb 25, 2011

They should stick to reviewing vacuums.

cron912 · Feb 25, 2011

Vaccuums on an Android forum?

If you want a vaccuum that lasts get a Simplicity (like the Synergy, for example). Costs more than a WalMart vaccuum, but worth it.

faber78 · Feb 26, 2011

They always rank toyota and honda well, and I agree both from personal experience and apparently market value agrees as well.
They ranked the dyson well, got my wife one years ago and the thing is still bad a@%.
Definitely one of the most legit sources for reviews.

Exiled · Feb 26, 2011

Its really funny how CR refuses to even rate the iPhone 4 because of its "issues". I love them for that. and the good DX rating

nggomez60 · Feb 26, 2011

Actually I would agree with that report. The voice quality is the only complaint I have with the DX. Frequently my speaker bugs out so people on the other line only hear static. Naturally it happens randomly so I can't get it fixed unless it goes away or becomes a constant problem

quickaudi · Feb 26, 2011

faber78 said:
They always rank toyota and honda well,

actually, Toyota was put on the do not buy list for a while due to all of the recalls.
once CR realized that Toyota wasn't at fault, they released a retraction, but it was too late.

faber78 · Feb 26, 2011

quickaudi said:
actually, Toyota was put on the do not buy list for a while due to all of the recalls.
once CR realized that Toyota wasn't at fault, they released a retraction, but it was too late.

Well you can't blame them, its called cya.
Normally and for years they've ranked them top.

Martimus · Feb 27, 2011

Personally I have always taken everything I read in CR with a grain of salt...

OriginalGeek · Feb 27, 2011

lol OP , I truly sympathize with your vacuum cleaner pain.

I became a CR atheist when they once ranked Pert shampoo #1 in that month's group of shampoos. Because it it lathered up the best. Back when Pert had Formaldehyde in it.

Lathering and formaldehyde are not good for your hair. Lathering just means lots of detergent. And formaldehyde is effin formaldehyde for gosh sake.

ps - my voice quality has been fine. no complaints here at all.

allambition · Feb 27, 2011

I've always had good voice quality with Motorola phones. I had a dumb phone type for my last phone and it performed better than my brother's fancy iPhone

nj02vette · Feb 27, 2011

I was just using a Vacuum as an example. For example, CR sprinkles some cat hair onto a sample carpet and then attempts to remove the residual and weigh. While methodical and repeatable, that in no way resembles real life use. Instead, try long haired wirey dog hair that's been trampled into the carpet by toddlers, covered in cookie crumbs and glued in by the remnants of a juice box. Now, how does that vacuum perform after 6 months of usage like that, not new out of the box.

Several kids and several German Shepherds will tear up any vacuum. I continually have to go in and completely disassemble them and thouroughly clean to make sure they still work. After a month the wife is complaining again that the vacuum isn't working again. CR don't see the big picture, just the short term testing.

Thier car reviews are even more laughable. Force gague testing to see which door is easier to close? Which car has most cupholders? A 300hp car gets the same meaningless performance rating as a 500hp car, just because they're baseling 200hp as average.

OK, enough rant on CR.

The Droid X is a fantastic phone and still, IMHO, the best one you can buy on Verizon right now. But no way in hell does it have poorer voice quality than the iPhone. iPhone does pretty much everything good, except at being a phone. Just irked me to see them go down that path.

faber78 · Feb 27, 2011

really should try a dyson.^

first time we used it, it was disgusting all the stuff our old bag vac missed.
we have 2 inside/outside cats (one long hair), a doberman (nice short hair, but wirey a little), a 4 year old, my wife babysits a 1 year old, and im always into something on top of being out inspecting construction....and my wife is a clean freak.

as much as i dont like anything made of plastic, if that vacuum broke tomorrow it would be worth every dollar we paid.

nj02vette · Feb 28, 2011

faber78 said:
really should try a dyson.^

first time we used it, it was disgusting all the stuff our old bag vac missed.
we have 2 inside/outside cats (one long hair), a doberman (nice short hair, but wirey a little), a 4 year old, my wife babysits a 1 year old, and im always into something on top of being out inspecting construction....and my wife is a clean freak.

as much as i dont like anything made of plastic, if that vacuum broke tomorrow it would be worth every dollar we paid.

Lol,
I'm currently on my second Dyson. Still have to completely break it down and clean it because the agitator will get clogged with hair and thier "never lose suction" cyclones get caked with dust/dirt.

Martimus · Feb 28, 2011

nj02vette said:
Lol,
I'm currently on my second Dyson. Still have to completely break it down and clean it because the agitator will get clogged with hair and thier "never lose suction" cyclones get caked with dust/dirt.

I have the same periodic problem with mine! It's a great vacuum but "never loses suction" is a misnomer...

ricksievers · Feb 28, 2011

I have always thought that CR praises the product with the deepest pockets. Just my opinion that I truley believe.

bigbadwulff · Feb 28, 2011

Toyota isn't to blame for parts THEY put on their car? Huh?

faber78 · Feb 28, 2011

damn....hate to hear that about the dysons....guess we got lucky....

Lars · Feb 28, 2011

Vacuums suck. Hardwood floors all the way!
I'm not sure about Toyota quality anymore. My IS350 has had recalls for: gas pedal, floor mats, fuel lines, brakes (front and rear), rear view mirror, cam gears, valve springs all under 20,000 miles. The interior and exterior trim is falling apart. Certainly not the build quality of our previous 4Runner or our GX or the DX for that matter.

At least they are eager to fix it at this point.

Steven58 · Feb 28, 2011

Vacuum cleaners being reviewed in the DX section? THREAD CLOSED. jk.

(Madja look)

I have an online subscription to Consumer Reports. I value it highly. I think they're right the money. At least they have been for stuff I bought. I do find their electronics reviews a bit on the anemic side. I'll read other ones from cellphone websites, where I get more info and detail.

From the beginning, CR put the iPhone 4 down because of the antenna flaw. They wouldn't recommend it. Still, it's a fine phone with an amazing screen. I was in the Apple store in NYC yesterday. I tested it out and the call quality is a bit clearer and crisper than the DX's to me and my friend. We were testing the phones out and that's what we came up with. I have to admit it. It's a fine phone. It doesn't diminish the DX, however.

The iPhone's transitions are amazingly smooth and I liked the feel. Is it worth 199 or 299? Not in my opinion. It's a great phone, but it's a bit long in the tooth.

I like the iPhone. I love my DX.

gadgetmonster · Feb 28, 2011

I agree, CR is a joke at best.

Outlaw71 · Mar 1, 2011

I've always felt that CR's biggest value is that they truly are unbiased (come on, neither Pert or Sparkomatic have deep-pockets). That doesn't make them perfect, but at least I don't feel like the fix is in whenever I read about a product.

We'll never find a source that everyone can agree on as the 'best' available. But this is honestly the first time I've ever seen them accused of taking bribes.

Outlaw71 · Mar 1, 2011

bigbadwulff said:
Way back when they rated a "Sparkomatic" car stereo the best and that did for me with CR forever

Was it a one-on-one dual between them and Kraco or something? 'Battle of the Blue Light Specials'! Lmao

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