Hi folks,
For those lurking here considering the RAZR MAXX HD (RMHD), I thought I'd give some first impressions from my experience coming from a Droid X running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
The short story is I love the phone though it's not without its quirks, out of the box.
The main issues I've had have really been "Verizon" issues. I bought mine from Costco's online site, and when I got the phone a week later, it didn't want to activate. Fortunately they provided a separate SIM card which eventually did activate with some help from tech support. Not sure why I had to go through all that, given there was a pre-installed SIM in it. Or why no instructions saying I had to use the other SIM. Or why the other SIM had to be activated by a tech support phone calle.
But eventually it was up and running. I was surprised that it auto-downloaded everything (all apps) as soon as I put in my email address (google account). Presumably because I had used Verizon's backup assistant plus, it knew how to connect via my home's WPA2 WIFI (I did not configure it myself!). I just went through a few initial setup screens then it said to wait a couple minutes, then suddenly all my apps were there. Including some I didn't want any more, but I can always uninstall them...
Heft/feel: It's a bit bigger than the Droid X but similar weight; size wise it is similar to the X in the hardshell case I used. I don't plan to use a hardshell with the RMHD, though I will probably get a ZAGG shield for it. It feels good and solid in my hand... it's at the limit of a size I can realistically work one-handed.
Screen: The screen simply rocks, there's no other way to describe the bright, vibrant look. The default settings are pretty nice, though I quickly changed to a different live wallpaper.
Call voice quality:A major step up from the X. And there are no volume issues... the speaker is lound and has good dynamic range. Speaker phone is decidedly loud!
Reception: At home, I have good 4G signal, and it had no trouble keeping connected here. At work in my office, the signal sucks due to the building, and my Droid X struggled to stay in 3G, frequently dropping to 1G. It worked more reliably on 1G there... I hated the switchback it would do that would halt data apps. But the RMHD is doing much better there, and while there are still some data pauses, it is a lot more useable in this fringe zone.
GPS: So far so good. The X had lots of problems with GPS (it wouldn't find a location, would just sit there burning battery seeking, about half the time until I rebooted it). I'll be keeping an eye on this with RMHD, but so far it has done a quick location find with good accuracy.
Minor annoyances: screen doesn't auto rotate with out an app like Ultimate Rotate. And Verizon puts a VoiceMail app which constantly tries to get you to sign up for visual voice mail. I got rid of it and eventually got the phone programmed to go straight to voice mail; see other threads on that.
ICS vs. Gingerbread: a world of difference. Took me a while to sort out how to manage with just three buttons! But I'm over that hump and loving every minute of it.
Battery life: first day of heavy use, and after 24 hours, I'm still at 39% power. Sweet. The X was gasping for air after about 8-10 hours of use.
Gotta go, but those are my first thoughts.
For those lurking here considering the RAZR MAXX HD (RMHD), I thought I'd give some first impressions from my experience coming from a Droid X running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).
The short story is I love the phone though it's not without its quirks, out of the box.
The main issues I've had have really been "Verizon" issues. I bought mine from Costco's online site, and when I got the phone a week later, it didn't want to activate. Fortunately they provided a separate SIM card which eventually did activate with some help from tech support. Not sure why I had to go through all that, given there was a pre-installed SIM in it. Or why no instructions saying I had to use the other SIM. Or why the other SIM had to be activated by a tech support phone calle.
But eventually it was up and running. I was surprised that it auto-downloaded everything (all apps) as soon as I put in my email address (google account). Presumably because I had used Verizon's backup assistant plus, it knew how to connect via my home's WPA2 WIFI (I did not configure it myself!). I just went through a few initial setup screens then it said to wait a couple minutes, then suddenly all my apps were there. Including some I didn't want any more, but I can always uninstall them...
Heft/feel: It's a bit bigger than the Droid X but similar weight; size wise it is similar to the X in the hardshell case I used. I don't plan to use a hardshell with the RMHD, though I will probably get a ZAGG shield for it. It feels good and solid in my hand... it's at the limit of a size I can realistically work one-handed.
Screen: The screen simply rocks, there's no other way to describe the bright, vibrant look. The default settings are pretty nice, though I quickly changed to a different live wallpaper.
Call voice quality:A major step up from the X. And there are no volume issues... the speaker is lound and has good dynamic range. Speaker phone is decidedly loud!
Reception: At home, I have good 4G signal, and it had no trouble keeping connected here. At work in my office, the signal sucks due to the building, and my Droid X struggled to stay in 3G, frequently dropping to 1G. It worked more reliably on 1G there... I hated the switchback it would do that would halt data apps. But the RMHD is doing much better there, and while there are still some data pauses, it is a lot more useable in this fringe zone.
GPS: So far so good. The X had lots of problems with GPS (it wouldn't find a location, would just sit there burning battery seeking, about half the time until I rebooted it). I'll be keeping an eye on this with RMHD, but so far it has done a quick location find with good accuracy.
Minor annoyances: screen doesn't auto rotate with out an app like Ultimate Rotate. And Verizon puts a VoiceMail app which constantly tries to get you to sign up for visual voice mail. I got rid of it and eventually got the phone programmed to go straight to voice mail; see other threads on that.
ICS vs. Gingerbread: a world of difference. Took me a while to sort out how to manage with just three buttons! But I'm over that hump and loving every minute of it.
Battery life: first day of heavy use, and after 24 hours, I'm still at 39% power. Sweet. The X was gasping for air after about 8-10 hours of use.
Gotta go, but those are my first thoughts.