Phone Reviews - 7/10 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Engadget Reviews The Motorola Atrix 4G, Finds A Great Phone, Highly Overpriced Gimmicky Docks, Awful Data Speeds, Bootloader Lock, And Lots Of Crapware

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Atrix 4G (Olympus), Motorola, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

One of the few tech blogs who managed to get their hands on Motorola's upcoming AT&T flagship - the Atrix 4G - is, of course, Engadget. The reviewer, unsurprisingly, is the infamous cool geek and editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky, who, from my experience reading Engadget's reviews, does a good overall job but fails to go into those details that matter to most Android users. The Atrix 4G review is exactly what I had expected, and I'm going to summarize it and save you 20 minutes reading it.

The Good

The phone is blazing fast, which is unsurprising, considering its 2 cores and 1GB of RAM.

Feb

LG Optimus 2X Review Roundup: Fantastic Hardware, Questionable Execution

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in LG, Optimus 2X (Star, p990), Phone Reviews, Reviews

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Ah yes, dual-core smartphones are no longer just a sweet, geeky dream; the LG Optimus 2X, the world's first Tegra 2-powered handset, is finally here. And with an amazingly thin design, an 8MP camera capable of 1080p video recording, and HDMI mirroring, the device has a lot going for it.

But does it live up to these high expectations? The early reviewers seem to be split - some of them found that the device went above and beyond their expectations, while others were slightly disappointed by its performance. Read on for four different opinions of the device.

Engadget

I was a bit surprised to see that Engadget gave the Optimus 2X a rating of 6/10 - after all, they freely admit to being "unabashed spec junkies." However, their complaints certainly make sense - the software is, apparently, quite buggy, and the Tegra 2 CPU hasn't been used to its full potential (at least not yet).

Feb

Dell Streak 7 Review Roundup: 'Meh' Would Be An Understatement

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Dell, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Streak 7

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Let's face it: Dell's new Streak 7 isn't exactly the hottest member of the CES Android tablet litter. In fact, the seven-inch tablet's mediocre screen and disappointing performance became painfully visible, even in the short period of time we spent with it at CES.

Well now the early reviews are in - and frankly, they don't give Dell's latest entry into the world of Android much hope, despite its low price tag ($199 on contract) and dual-core Tegra 2 processor. Read on for some of the best Streak 7 reviews yet - as well as some of the best reasons why this isn't the Android tablet you've been waiting for.

Dec

US Cellular LG Optimus U Review: What Free Phones Should Be Like

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in LG, Optimus U, Phone Reviews, Reviews, US Cellular

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

Let's face it: free phones are usually synonymous with crap phones. That's what the Optimus U is trying to change - and, at least on paper, it looks like it might just be able to accomplish the task. That said, this is a phone sold by LG and US Cellular, both of whom have yet to display real talent when it comes to Android - and there's a lot that could go awry, what with the lack of Flash (both on the camera and in the browser) and the 600 MHz processor. So did the two companies succeed? Has a free Android phone that doesn't suck finally been made available?

Dec

Samsung Continuum Review: Are Two Screens Really Better Than One?

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Continuum, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

When Samsung threw their big U.S. Galaxy S kick off party earlier in the summer, it was announced that each of the four major carriers would be selling their very own version of the hardware. But, in a twist of M. Night Shyamalan-ian proportions, they announced a second Galaxy S device for Verizon.

The Samsung Continuum shaves .6 inches off the original Galaxy S' 4" screen, in exchange for the very unique (and surprisingly useful) secondary Ticker display, but is that enough to justify the phone's existence? How does it stack up against the rest of the Big Red's high-end Android line-up, including the Samsung Fascinate, the Continuum's Galaxy S brother?

Dec

LG Apex Review: Because LG "Pretty Good" Didn't Have The Same Ring

Posted by Ian G. Clifton in Apex, LG, Phone Reviews, Reviews, US Cellular

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

One of Android's greatest strengths is the sheer number of devices it is available on. That gives customers the opportunity to choose a desired carrier and handset with the most important features for a them. It's easy to forget that not everyone is willing to spend $200 on a new phone, and people transitioning from a feature phone to their first smartphone are often less likely to be looking at those high-end handsets. Fortunately, there are a lot of relatively inexpensive Android devices available, although many of them are clunky and frustrating to use. With the LG Apex coming in at just $50 after rebate at US Cellular, it is clearly targeted at people who do not want to spend much, but is it any good?

Nov

HTC Desire Z Review Roundup: The Best Of Both Worlds In One Not-So-Light Package

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Desire Z (Vision), HTC, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Vodafone

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

After the positive impact HTC's T-Mobile G2 made on American reviewers, it's no wonder the company has decided to try to impress their European colleagues with a similar phone, the Desire Z. The phone is available now from Vodafone, 3 Mobile, Virgin Mobile, O2, Talk Mobile, Orange, and Tesco Mobile if you want to take the leap; the question is, should you? Read on to see what four expert reviewers from TechRadar, CNET UK, Pocket-Lint, and PhoneArena had to say on the subject.

TechRadar

TechRadar's review, detailed as always, covered just about everything Desire Z-related, from its camera to its sturdy and sexy aluminum construction to HTC's new Sense UI in a span of only seven pages.

Nov

Motorola Droid Pro Review: Android Has Been Blackberry-ified, But Hath The Blackberry Been Slain?

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Droid Pro, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Introduction

And with that, we solidly conclude that Android truly has visited 99% of the mobile form factors out there. That's right, people, the Motorola Droid Pro has arrived in the Android Police offices, and after spending the last week or so with it, I can tell you - with a straight face, nonetheless - that RIM's got serious competition here. The handset isn't exactly all that and a piece of cake, but it's definitely up there, at least for enterprise customers. Read on for the full, unbiased Android Police review to find out what makes it so special.

Hardware Overview

Specs

Before I proceed with the review, let's recap the Droid Pro's specs:

3.1-inch HVGA (320x480) LCD display
1GHz TI OMAP 3620-1000 processor
1420 mAh battery
512MB of RAM; 2GB of ROM
2GB microSD card out of the box with support for cards of up to 32GB in capacity
800/1900 CDMA EVDO Rev.

Nov

Motorola DEFY Review: It Doesn't Break The Mold, But Doesn't Break, Either

Posted by Brad Ganley in DEFY (Jordan), Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, T-Mobile

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Motorola was kind enough to hook me up with one of their latest handsets, the Motorola Defy. Here's a video primer for the review that all your friends will be talking about tomorrow. If you read the review without it, you'll be in the dark:

The Defy is, put quite simply, a great device - and excluding Motoblur, the bane of many Android users' existence, the thing flies. It admittedly doesn't have much "WOW" factor after you're done throwing it at your wall and into a bathtub, but it doesn't really need it. The Defy is exactly what you would want from a device in this class: stable, efficient, capable, and amphibious.

Nov

Motorola Droid Pro Unboxing And Hands-On

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Droid Pro, Motorola, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

So... what can I say? It's the Droid Pro, Android's answer to the Blackberry, the Blackberry running Android - in short, the phone that's supposed to kill off RIM once and for all. But is it? Our review unit just arrived in the mail today, and while I'm not ready to do a full review just yet, I am ready to give you my initial impressions as well as an overview of what's in the box. Ready? Read on!