DROID BIONIC by MOTOROLA - 16GB - 4G LTE (Verizon Wireless)

Who should get this phone? Consumers who want a powerful and fast Android 2.3 smartphone that has a microHDMI port out for viewing content on the cell phone on an HDMI-capable TV.

What cell phone compares to this model? It sports similar features to the DROID X2 by Motorola for Verizon Wireless, but the DROID Bionic works with the company’s 4G LTE network.

Why should I get this phone? You want an Android smartphone with a spacious 4.3-inch display that works on Verizon’s speedy 4G LTE network.

In a nutshell: The DROID Bionic by Motorola is an impressive high-end Android 2.3 phone that works well for both business and play. It can record 1080p HD video, handles streaming music and video over Verizon’s 4G LTE network with ease, and it has all the connectivity options needed on a cell phone.

The DROID Bionic by Motorola is a solid cell phone with a sharp and crisp 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen display. It’s bright and viewable in direct sunlight. The entire front of the cell phone is essentially a large screen. The cell phone has a black rubberized-like casing that helps it from sliding around on a slick surface. Beyond the large screen there isn’t a lot more to describe. It has the standard 4 dedicated Android keys across the bottom of the display for Menu, Home, Go Back, and Search. Overall, the cell phone does have a bit of weight to it, so it feels solid in the hand. Those with smaller hands likely won’t be able to wrap your fingers around the smartphone, but you’ll probably still enjoy using it.

On one side, you’ll find volume keys and on the other side you’ll find a microUSB port and a microHDMI port. On the top of the DROID Bionic are a 3.5mm headset jack and the power/lock button. Turn the cell phone around and you’ll see the 8-megapixel camera lens and LED flash (Note: The camera can also be used to record 1080p HD video). You’ll need to remove the black rubberized casing from the back of the Motorola DROID Bionic to access the included 16GB MicroSD card, but not the battery.

As noted, the DROID Bionic by Motorola is a touchscreen-only phone and therefore lacks a tactile QWERTY keyboard. You can choose between two onscreen keyboards: SWYPE or a basic multi-touch version with predictive text. We were impressed with the amount of times we tapped the correct letter on the first try and how well Swype works on this cell phone.

Testing the DROID Bionic by Motorola

Making Calls: During calls we could hear callers clearly and callers said they had a similar experience on their end. Regardless of how close you hold the smartphone to your face, the “End Call” button never seems to get “accidentally” hit. We also appreciate that it’s fairly easy to do three-way calling on this cell phone. For those afraid of pocket dialing there’s an In-Pocket Detection feature that essentially locks the phone’s screen when in a pocket.

• Volume Adjustment: You can use the side buttons to adjust the volume, but we rarely needed to use them.
• Speakerphone: Call quality is solid when using this feature. We didn’t cut each other off when speaking simultaneously and callers didn’t know we were using the speakerphone.

Operating System: The smartphone comes loaded with the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS, sports a dual-core 1GHz processor, which makes for a responsive user experience. The smartphone has 16GB of internal memory so you’ll have plenty of room to store music, photos, videos, and more. You can switch between the five home screens and launch applications without delay. This also means video playback is smooth and seamless. Overall, the user interface is fairly straightforward and icon friendly.

At the base of the screen are four changeable quick launch buttons for Phone/Contacts, Camera, Messages, and Apps. As is the case with Android phones, it’s fairly easy to customize the phone by adding a shortcut, widget, folder, or apps to any of the screens. Verizon has included a few apps on the cell phone such as the Blockbuster, Amazon Kindle, NFL Mobile, Skype Mobile, Slacker Radio, and of course access to the various V CAST offerings. We should also note that this cell phone will work with corporate e-mail accounts and corporate sync.

• Web Navigation: Surfing the web is actually pretty fast on this cell phone via the 4G connection. It also shows the full web site in a single view. You can zoom in and out of a page, set bookmarks, and manage multiple windows. We did also appreciate that you can have multiple browser windows open simultaneously and easily navigate between them. The cell phone does support the latest Adobe FlashPlayer.
  

  The 8-megapixel camera can capture 1080p HD video.

• Social Media:
The smartphone comes loaded with a social networking app that lets you add a variety of social media accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Picasa, and more. If you want access to more social networking options you can easily download them from the Android Market. It also has a Social Location app that can be used to see checkins made by friends on Facebook. There’s also a Channels section that lets users know what’s happening nearby including things like deals, live music, MeetUp events, and more.

Camera Features: The DROID Bionic has a rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with LED flash and a front-facing camera that can be used for video chat and snapping self-portraits.

• Shutter Speed: We found the shutter speed to be a bit slow, so don’t try to capture any action shots. You can also choose between three picture modes: single shot, panorama, and multi-shot.
• Picture Quality: We found colors to be true and details crisp when a picture was in focus. Since the shutter takes a while some shots weren’t as sharp as we would prefer.
• Photo Settings: You can control the flash, zoom, brightness, effects (normal, black and white, negative, sepia, red tint, green tint, blue tint, and solarize) and scenes (sport, portrait, landscape, night portrait, sunset, macro, and steady shot). There are also location tags, the ability to add personal tags, and an option that lets you turn off the shutter sound. If you like a picture you can share it to Picasa, V CAST Media Manager, send it in a message, copy it to a media library, show it in a slideshow, save it as a contact’s photo, or Print to Retail. If you don’t like it, you can always use the included editing features to improve it.
• Video Features: You can record 1080p HD videos with this Android cell phone. We found quality was solid. If you don’t want to shoot your own videos, you can also watch movies downloaded from the Blockbuster and V CAST video apps.

  You can also view videos or pictures taken with the DROID Bionic by Motorola on an HDMI capable TV using an optional HDMI cable accessory.

Music Features: Playback of music through the phone’s speaker is loud. We particularly enjoyed listening to streaming music with this phone.

• Formats Supported: We were able to play MP3, and unprotected AAC (Apple’s audio format), and unprotected WMA (Microsoft’s audio format) music files.
• Features: Repeat, Shuffle, and Playlists (you can even create playlists on the cell phone). You can save tunes stored in your cell phone as a ringtone or notification tone. If the music app is launched, you can still pause or play music even when the phone is locked.

Connectivity: The DROID Bionic by Motorola works with Verizon’s 4G LTE network. When there’s a 4G connection available there’s no need to use WiFi. We’re happy to report that when connecting to Verizon’s 4G Network the phone maintained the signal consistently.

• Bluetooth: The cell phone worked seamlessly with the Motorola Roadster and the Bluetooth feature in the Lexus RX350. Callers didn’t know we were using a Bluetooth connection. We were also able to connect the DROID Bionic by Motorola with a MacBook Pro and transfer contacts, pictures, and music.
• WiFi: It has 802.11 b/g/n WiFi (that’s pretty secure) and we were able to log onto available WiFi networks to surf the Web or send/receive e-mail with ease. It just takes moments to set up. The only thing you need is the WiFi network you want to use and password if needed. You can also share the phone’s 4G data connection with up to five WiFi-enabled devices. Though, we should note, that this did drain the battery quickly.

Battery Life: The battery life performance on the DROID Bionic by Motorola was on par with other 4.3-inch smartphones. We were able to go a full day before needing to recharge the cell phone, when we had the cell phone’s screen set at full brightness and used it to check e-mail, surf the web, stream music, play games, and take a few pictures.

With its 1GHz dual-core processor, 4G LTE connectivity, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, the DROID Bionic by Motorola is a solid smartphone that performs both fun and business functions equally well.