Motorola Droid A855 Pre-Release Thread Part 3 (Off topic Posts=BAN No Warnings)

[FAUguy]

This is the Droid Part 3 Pre-Release Thread.

Part 1 can be viewed here and Part 2 here.

*** This is a zero-tolerance thread! ***

*** All of the Mods will be closely watching this new Part 3 thread. If you post ANYTHING that is off-topic, inflammatory, pointless, or rude, you WILL receive a ban. If you see something that is out of place, report it, do not engage, as that side-tracks the thread. ***



Verizon's marketing of the Motorola Droid has begun.
You can view their teaser site here and follow on Twitter.
People say the cryptic countdown clock ends on Midnight October 29.

There was also a TV Commercial that aired this weekend, which can be viewed on YouTube. It says November at the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYM-XTqcec

Remember, since the Droid will be a Smartphone, it will most likely require a Smartphone Data Plan. See this thread:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1139662

Preview of Droid 2.0 interface:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/...t-walkthrough/














--------------------------------

Posted by ChocoTaco369

Since the new Motorola Sholes/Tao/Droid/Whatever (I’ll refer to the phone as the S/T/D from here on out) Pre-Release thread is getting far too long – so long that it’s almost impossible for a newcomer to gather any relevant information out of it – I’ve taken others’ suggestions and tried my best to consolidate the most pertinent information into a new thread. Hopefully, if the mods find my work acceptable, they’ll close that thread and start anew here with all the new information in the first post. Since this just may be the longest thread in HoFo history…lol…here goes nothing!

First off, this phone is slated to become Verizon’s first Android phone. It will be a ‘Google Experience’ device. What does that mean? That means Verizon signed a contract with Google that they cannot screw with the phone – they can’t remove stock apps and they can’t clutter the phone up with their junk proprietary software. That means we should be getting a completely functional phone – open Bluetooth, app store, all Google applications INCLUDING GOOGLE VOICE (as the word on the street says GV will be on there), unlocked and fully functional GPS…this will all be there by contract requirement – VERIZON IS NOT GOING TO DUMB DOWN THIS PHONE. IT WILL NOT BE CRIPPLED. VERIZON DOES NOT CRIPPLE SMARTPHONES AND EVEN IF THEY DID, THEY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO BECAUSE OF GOOGLE’S CONTRACT!!

There. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s move onto the technical specs

Form Factor:

This device will be a QWERTY slider. The dimensions are RUMORED to be as follows:

• Dimensions 115.80 x 60.00 x 13.70 mm
• Weight 169 g

Now, just what does that mean? Well, the original RAZR was 14mm in diameter. So, not only is this phone rumored to be the slimmest QWERTY slider on the market, it’s even slimmer than the original RAZR V3/V3c/V3i/Ect. 169 g translates to 5.96 oz. As a point of reference, the iPhone 3Gs is 116 x 62 x 12.3 mm and 4.76 oz (139g). This means that this Motorola QWERTY slider will be barely thicker than a keyboardless iPhone. Why the extra weight? Well, ladies and gentlemen, this phone will be made out of METAL, not cheap plastic like most other phones. It is also rumored to have a GLASS screen as that is Motorola’s calling card, and yes, ladies and gentlemen, it WILL be a CAPACITIVE screen with MULTI-TOUCH, and rumor is, it’s extremely accurate.

Now that we have the form factor covered, let’s get into the –


Operating System

Yes, ladies and gents, we already know this will be VZW’s first Android device, but exactly what version is it going to run? This has been confirmed by an extremely reliable source – in my opinion, the best source out there on HoFo from what I’ve seen – it WILL run version 2.0 Eclair. Some of you may say, “That’s impossible! Eclair isn’t ready and won’t be available until Q2 2010 from recent reports!”

Well, that’s probably true – for a wide, public release. However, this is a huge release for both Verizon, Google and Motorola. This is VZW’s first Android device, Google’s first shot at a multimedia phone (let’s face it, Android 1.x is pretty boring and the phones are pretty uninspired hardware-wise) to compete with the iPhone and the phone that may make or break Motorola’s existence as a mobile phone manufacturer. This is a HUGE release all around. What does this mean? This means that this phone WILL have Eclair 2.0 and will likely be the ONLY Android handset for the next 4-7 months running it before it is fully released to the public. There will be no Eclair available to anyone except those with this phone. That’s the most likely scenario here.


Powerplant

But what good is all this if the phone is a slouch? Slow interface? Choppy gameplay? Not another 528MHz processor, say it isn’t so! Well, this is the RUMORED engine powering this phone:

• OMAP3430 – 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor)

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Aww man, 600MHz? That’s only 72MHz faster than that stupid 528MHz chip killing the Android device market now! Why can’t they release something with Snapdragon? Blah blah blah Snapdragon. Snapdragon, Snapdragon, Snapdragon!”

Well, this isn’t some processor with integrated graphics. What this phone is running is a separate CPU AND GPU. Think of it like a motherboard with onboard memory vs. a processor/graphics card combination. The processor/graphics card combination almost always blows away the processor with integrated graphics unless you’re buying the worst crap on the market. There is a real possibility that this combination will outpower Snapdragon for graphical applications. It has been stated that this device will be more powerful than the PSP, and if this phone can outperform a real-world gaming device, those goofy little games that you find in the app stores should be no problem at all for the phone, let alone having enough power to power the OS. I believe that this phone will be lightning fast. I just hope the RUMORED 1390mAh battery will be enough to power this baby all day and night


Release Date

But when is this bad boy coming to market? The truth is, no one knows. It hasn’t even been announced by Verizon or Google. There are two rumored release dates: October 30th and December 1st. I personally believe December 1st is highly unlikely. Why? Because the previously aforementioned developer whose word-of-mouth is gold as far as I’m concerned told us so. I’m personally leaning toward October 30th, but only time will tell. All I know for sure is asking over and over when the release date will be will solve nothing

The October 30th release date comes from this calendar:





AndroidandMe article claiming all sorts of information about the S/T/D (I personally take it with a grain of salt as it claims a December 1st release date which I DO NOT believe due to our resident developer with a spotless record):



--------------------------------------------

List of Rumored Specifications

• OMAP3430 – 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 + PowerVR SGX 530 GPU + 430MHz C64x+ DSP + ISP (Image Signal Processor)
• Dimensions 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm
• Weight 169 g
• Battery Li-ion 1400 mAh.
• Standby 450 hours, talk time 420 minutes
• 3.7-inch touch-sensitive display with a resolution of 854×480 pixels, 16 million color depth. Physical screen size is 45.72 mm by 81.34 mm.
• 512MB/256MB ROM/RAM
• microSD / microSDHC expansion slot
• Camera: 5.0 megapixel with autofocus and video recorder
• Connectivity: USB2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi
• Supported audio formats: AMR-NB/WB, MP3, PCM / WAV, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, WMA
• Supported video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264, WMV
• GPS navigation
• Package Contents: Phone Motorola Sholes, battery, charger, USB cable, 8GB MicroSD memory card and other literature.

Again, none of these specs are confirmed. In fact, the 1400 mAh battery spec is likely wrong as we’ve been told it is actually 1390 mAh. This device has also been rumored to come with 16GB internal storage, though that is also unconfirmed. The 5.0MP autofocus camera is said to be very good.


And finally, the juiciest part:


Pictures

Original S/T/D RENDER from Russia:



This picture depicts an OLD PROTOTYPE of this phone. This is not what the phone currently looks like at all, but was one of the first (if not THE first) actual device pictures leaked:



These pictures are the first device-on pictures leaked. These pictures are NOT RUNNING ECLAIR 2.0! This is just Android 1.5/1.6. This is not what the final software will look like. It is also important to note that this is also an older prototype and is not what the phone looks like exactly as of now, though it is closer than the one posted above:









These next pictures are the S/T/D pictures taken from the Verizon/Google conference a few days ago. As of now, these pictures depict the S/T/D’s most recent hardware known – that does NOT mean this is the final hardware, it’s just more recent than what I’ve posted thus far.

The thickness (or THINNESS ) of the S/T/D pictured on the right (the device on the left is rumored to be a version of the HTC Hero coming to VZW in November or December):



S/T/D on right, Hero on left:


Closeup of the S/T/D (again, this is NOT running Eclair 2.0 but instead 1.5/1.6):


Rumored Battery Cover:



And finally, the OLD Pre-Release thread as a reference if anyone wants to dig through it and hunt for anything I've missed:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...page=152&pp=15


FINAL NOTE: The software of this phone is changing DAILY as it is updated and bugs are fixed. Even if you could get a picture of the software today, it would be different in some way tomorrow.


Alright, boys and girls, that’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Besides, I’ve been doing this for an hour and I’m tired I hope you all find this ‘consolidation’ (and I put that in quotes because it’s still pretty darn long, sorry) to be satisfactory. If anyone has any other information I forgot, let me know and I’ll edit my post. You should probably PM me the info so this thread doesn’t get polluted with crap to avoid what happened to the last thread. Also, if any of my information is wrong, feel free to PM me on that, too. I’ll try to keep this information updated as time goes on.

[R3GUL8OR]

Just a small addition:

Android 2.0 walkthrough on the DROID;
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/...t-walkthrough/

and sweet! 1100th Post. woo hoo! ummm Go Droid! there im still on topic

[Ark6]

Good job on the consolidation.

And this is somewhat relevant, Android 2.0 Features :
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/...t-walkthrough/

And any sales predictions on the phone? This phone, so far is being marketed a lot harder than the Storm was last year, back when it was highly anticipated.

[blueduck22]

whatever vs 2.0

whatever(1.6?)


2.0

[R3GUL8OR]

And any sales predictions on the phone? This phone, so far is being marketed a lot harder than the Storm was last year, back when it was highly anticipated.

its really hard to say. We're not talking about a first for a already solid smartphone maker. This is a first for a new OS to VZW. It really depends on how VZW is going to push Android.


p.s. you realize you posted the same link as I did? LOL

[Ark6]

whatever vs 2.0

whatever(1.6?)


2.0

Keep in mind that it can change in the final product, but if BGR (a media outlet) has it already, then the changes will probably be minimal. I'm just hoping that Motorola/Google gets the phone in tip-top shape before releasing it.

And I'm still kinda bummed that the DROID will not be a world phone. Any chance in a world phone DROID being released?

[Ark6]

p.s. you realize you posted the same link as I did? LOL

It wasn't intentional. You posted it like 30 secs. or so before I did, so I couldn't check if it was a repost.

[kbman]

Winston25 suggested in the first thread a projected first year production of 2 million units.

This figure was misquoted several times in the second thread to mean 2 million produced by years end.

In any event, I think if 2 million of these phones are sold in any reasonable time period, they will be very happy to ramp up production to meet the demand.

[vaxick]

If they sold 2 million by the end of the year that would be very good for a brand new phone that has no previous history.

[codyboring]

Since this phone has CAR MODE, it would be nice to have an accessory like this http://bit.ly/3yfvPd . Guess I could probably something like that on eBay but won't have any hook ups.

[Winston25]

First, a VZW salesman should never bash the phones they sell, but hey some people are not smart. Anyways, many phone companies get their parts from other companies/countries. I've had two Motos on VZW. RAZR and MAXX. Hardware wise, never had an issue. it was software buggy for me. But yes, Moto did outsource their chips to a Chinese firm, but they've been outsourcing for a long time. The main outsource though is WinMo handsets. Android will still be here.

I was going to respond to this post but I can't keep up and a new thread began. You guys post alot.

First the three links (which I didn't copy).
The MediaTek rumor is only a rumor, it definitely doesn't apply here. MediaTek doesn't even make the chips that are advanced enough for Sholes.
The Celestica deal was a long time ago, and doesn't apply here (or with cell phones any more).

I thought the original comments by the Verizon guy were about the chips in the phone (since the post said he was in the service department). In which case he doesn't know what he is talking about. The chips may be been packaged in Asia, but I wouldn't say they are sourced there. Motorola has used Qualcom, TI, Broadcom, and CMD which are US based, Infineon is European, Numonyx is both US and European, STMicro is European. You can confirm that Motorola uses these suppliers with a tear down report.

As for outsourcing the chips, Motorola spun off Freescale years ago, but even than Motorola purchased many chips from other suppliers.

If the comment was about where the phones are manufactured, well that is obvious. What mass market electronics is produced in the US? It is all produced in China now.

On outsourcing handset design...it isn't that clear cut. The Q series of phones were done by Motorola. The recent QA4 was outsourced. There will be Android handsets outsourced, but most will be done internally.
This is only for 3G and up. There are rumors about 2G, but if you really care you will have to find those for yourself.

[gardobus]

In case anyone wants to know what the email says that comes from VZW after signing up at droiddoes.com, this is it with the header, unsubscribe links, copyrights, etc. removed:

But you don't need a smartphone, you need a supergenius in your
pocket. A phone that listens better than the person on the other end of
the call. Apps of every shape and size. Emails that let you know what they
are before you read them. The greatest web experience on a phone. All
working together to get things done.

You know there's no phone like that. And it ticks you off. But
there will be. Droid is coming.

DROID is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies.
Used under license.

(the bold and colored text are present in the email and it is all on a black background with white writing, similar to the styling of the droiddoes website)

[R3GUL8OR]

The Celestica deal was a long time ago, and doesn't apply here (or with cell phones any more).

I think you missed the points but thats ok. The original comment:

Talking about the phones hardware maybe one of you guys can answer this I know there are a lot of MOTO fans on here. A verizon salesman was bashing getting a Motorola phone because they started outsourcing its parts and haven't had a good phone after that. He did say that they started correcting that but haven't gained there reputation back yet. Can anyone tell me if they are using great parts for this device? I plan on getting one either way but wondered how much he knew... said he was a service guy? Last Moto I had was the Razr V3c...
Thanks

First, it doesnt matter if the service tech was talking about Motorola, the chips inside motorola or the plants that made motorola parts. Its a product Verizon sells. Period. Second, You missed the point of that link 150%. As my post stated:

....... they've been outsourcing for a long time

The link was to show that any chipset outsourcing Motorola does or is doing is not new news. They've done it before. The Celestica deal was proof of that. Thats ALL the link was showing. Not that it applies or that it was old or anything else. That they have done it. Thats it. No magic there. The other links were just some quickie examples. this is a phone thread, didnt feel a need to sit there and do massive research on a rather simple question.

Outsourcing chipsets is not a rumor, unless you are ONLY talking about the MediaTek deal and I misunderstood you. The China deal, maybe, but not the act of outsourcing their chips in general. In 2005, they had BenQ (Taiwan) do some of their handsets. The point was that they do it. Regardless of the timeframe you misunderstood. Motorola contracts out about 33% of their mobile phone manufacturing process.

As far as the Droid goes, the quality of Motorola's products is not going to go anywhere. Although Motorola has slipped a little in the market, their products are still reliable and good, and I expect the Droid to be no different. Especially since we are talking about a open OS and not a propietary VZW skin. If all goes well, I can see the Droid doing for Moto/VZW what the StarTac did for the original AT&T Wireless.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...2/b3925601.htm
http://www.motorola.com/staticfiles/...ply-chain.html

[R3GUL8OR]

.....
A phone that listens better than the person on the other end of
the call
.....

That's a pretty big claim. I mean arguably they could be just illustrating a point that its a big thing, but still, literal or not, that's a pretty big claim.

[BigRedNole]

The name of the phone should be changed. Droid is only partially fitting. It should be called:

DroidRage

Everyone with this phone will be kicking the crap out of those automotons with iPhone.