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Droid Incredible Review (vs. Nexus One vs. Moto Droid)
April 18, 2010 at 11:59 PM |
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| Incredible, they call it, and for once the marketing hyperbole may be be r right. The Verizon Droid Incredible by HTC takes a somewhat familiar spec sheet and squeezes out something different enough to stand out from the crowd. For our full review of the Droid Incredible, check out |
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our dedicated Android Community coverage; if you're more interested in h0w this shiny new smartphone fits into the current Android line-up – and, more importantly, whether you should choose it or a rival device – then read on.
The Snapdragon chipset has seen plenty of use in recent HTC devices – the Nexus One and the Desire, if you're limiting things to Android – as has the 3.7-inch OLED WVGA display. Previous phones have had EVDO Rev.A, too, and WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS are par for the course too. Where things improve are in the optics and the internal storage: the Incredible will be the first HTC device to ship with an 8-megapixel autofocus camera, and it's paired with a healthy 8GB of onboard storage.
What's interesting is that we're expecting Google's CDMA Nexus One to arrive imminently, and the most obvious difference between the two will be HTC's use of their home-grown Sense UI. Initially limited to T-Mobile USA, now also on AT&T, the Nexus One runs the bare Android 2.1 OS, and while it's a more attractive, usable proposition than earlier iterations of the platform, it's still nowhere near as intuitive out of the box as Sense makes things. As well as adding an extra two panes to the homescreen, Sense packs a preloaded Twitter client in the shape of HTC Peep, Flickr and Facebook integration, and a Friend Stream app which pulls all your contacts social network updates into a single timeline (complete with a desktop widget and the ability to update one or more of your own profiles with just a few taps).
More surprising is a noticeable improvement in touchscreen quality when you have both devices side by side. We're not sure exactly what HTC have done with the Droid Incredible's capacitive layer, but it's both more accurate and less likely to miss taps than that of the Nexus One. Many Google phone users have complained of patchy touch response, something we've not encountered on this newer handset. The Incredible also has a broader brightness range than the Nexus One, particularly at its lower settings.
The Droid Incredible's main competitor on Verizon is likely to be the Motorola DROID (review on SlashGear). It's a testament to Motorola's ambitious design that, while the DROID has been on sale for several months now, it's still a viable option among newer devices. Like the Incredible it has a 3.7-inch display (running at the slightly higher 854 x 480 resolution) but the Motorola uses a more traditional LCD panel than HTC's currently favored OLED screens. Although the latter is arguably more power efficient, the DROID's display is in our experience just as bright and color rich as that on the Droid Incredible; it also has the benefit of being more usable (at lower brightness settings) outdoors.
As with the Nexus One, the Motorola runs Android 2.1 with no embellishments (not even the company's own MOTOBLUR social networking integration). While you could argue that the DROID's slide-out hardware QWERTY keyboard makes it a more proficient messaging device, HTC's updated Mail client actually pushes the Incredible ahead in our opinion. Although 2.1 has native Exchange support, it's only for email and contacts; the HTC app app adds in calendar sync too, and the mail app itself allows you to view messages organized by whether they're flagged, unread or from certain "VIP" contacts, or if they're meeting invitations, and there's a threaded "conversation" view too. Although the Motorola's QWERTY is fair, HTC's standard on-screen keyboard is a pleasant b00st over and above the regular Android QWERTY – thanks to improved auto-correction – though we're also fans of Swype on which w! e're actually faster than with a hardware 'board.
The flip side to out-of-the-box usability with Sense, though, is the ease of future OS updates. It's telling that, in the months the DROID has been on the market, Motorola have already upgraded it from Android 2.0 to 2.1; HTC users have been waiting considerably longer for an update of early Android devices (such as the HTC Hero) to a newer version of the platform. That's down to the headaches of getting Sense to play nicely with a changed OS, and while we don't doubt HTC's intent to keep the Droid Incredible as current as possible, we also feel pretty confident saying that the Motorola handset, unmodified as it is, will likely get official builds sooner.
Where the Droid Incredible particularly kicks away from a Motorola – and, for that matter, the Nexus One – is with its camera. It's not just a win on the spec sheet, either; the Incredible's 8-megapixel autofocus camera has a brighter, dual-LED flash than the Nexus One, and the still photos it takes are significantly better than those of either the Google phone or the DROID. It's also more flexible, with granular control over exposure, contrast, saturation and sharpness, ISO ranges from 100 to 800 and optional geotagging and face detection. Sadly there's no 720p HD video recording on any of the three devices, but the Droid Incredible's 800 x 480 WVGA footage is reasonable if uninspiring.
Unfortunately, the flip side is battery life. The Nexus One requires some goading of settings to get it through a heavy day's use, and – since some of the more recent firmware updates – the Motorola DROID actually stretches out its battery surprisingly well. Here, though, the Droid Incredible falls resolutely into bottom place; we're not sure quite what's happened, but it ousts even the hungry Nexus One. With the settings as standard, and push email turned on, we didn't make it through a full day of use before the phone expired. Toning down the amount of social network updates that Sense makes, together with notching down the screen brightness a little, each helped prolong things, but the Incredible is definitely an over-eater.
Compounding the issue is the absence of a charging dock. Both the DROID and the Nexus One can be paired with an optional cradle, and we've found that we're more likely to drop each phone into its respective dock than we are to plug them in with a regular microUSB adapter. That way, the handset gets a mild top-up and you get to stay wireless for more of your day. The Incredible's lack of charging contacts (unlike the Nexus One) and side-mounted power connector mean a portrait-orientation dock is unlikely, and the fact that Sense doesn't have a landscape-orientation mode leaves us doubting that HTC plan a cradle similar to Motorola's.
It's frustrating, because there are lots of power-hungry reasons we'd rather have the Droid Incredible in our pockets. There's Flash Lite 4.0 support in the browser, for one, though performance at streaming video is very much dependent on the bitrate it has been recorded at; too high, and the Snapdragon CPU chokes and playback gets stuttery.
Audio performance during voice calls is the little better than with the DROID, though lags behind the Nexus One. That's primarily down to the Incredible lacking its sibling's noise-cancelling microphone array. Meanwhile 3G data performance over the Verizon EVDO Rev.A network was strong, though without a CDMA Nexus One we can't make any direct comparisons. As with the DROID, the Incredible is CDMA-only and – shortsighted in our opinion – lacks global 3G support; saying that, as far as we're aware the upcoming Verizon Nexus One won't get that either. If you regularly travel outside the US and still want to use your smartphone, neither the Incredible nor the DROID are the devices to choose.
Strong contender as the Motorola DROID is, the Droid Incredible by HTC edges ahead by virtue of its better performing camera and Sense UI. Similarly, we'd pick the Incredible over the Nexus One; don't underestimate the value of having Verizon's after-sales support network to hand, something that – even when the CDMA Nexus One goes on sale – the Google-branded phone will lack. Our only real Incredible concerns begin with battery life and end with firmware updates; we hope HTC can tweak their power management to address the former, though the latter could be the sting in the smartphone's tail. As we said with the HTC Desire, though, opting against a S3nse device out of what may or may not transpire a number of months into the lifecycle does mean you're missing out on an excellent handset experience today.
When the HTC EVO 4G arrives on Sprint later this year, the Android balance will change again. Connected services are arguably the future of smartphones and mobile devices, and the boost in data speed WiMAX will bring may just change our minds again. Until then (and of course that assumes you live in an area served with Sprint 4G coverage) we're leaning toward the Verizon Droid Incredible by HTC. International travelers and those unwilling to experiment with their data and power settings should look elsewhere, but everyone else will be enjoying excellent camera performance served up in a user-friendly package.
Unboxing Droid Incredible by HTC for Verizon
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Verizon Droid Incredible by HTC key specifications:
Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon chipset
512MB ROM, 512MB RAM
3.7-inch WVGA 480 x 800 OLED capacitive touchscreen
8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
8GB internal memory & microSD card slot (32GB)
EVDO Rev.A, WiFi b/g & Bluetooth
GPS, accelerometer
Android 2.1 with HTC Sense
3.5mm headphones socket & microUSB 2.0 port
1,300mAh Li Ion battery (rated 5.2hrs talktime or six days standby)
4.63 x 2.3 x 0.47 inches / 4.59 0z
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Apple iPhone HD Leak Gets Further Identification
April 18, 2010 at 6:26 PM |
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Well, imagine that. According to Engadget, that iPhone HD/4G impromptu photoshoot 1n San Jose did indeed include the real deal. Well, about as real as a prototype device can be, that is. At least, that's what they've come to discern from looking over old photos (over two months old, in fact). And, sure enough, it looks like the next generation iPhone really has been sitting in front of us all along.
On February 3rd, we showed you what the fr0nt of the iPhone HD/4G was going to look like, which was sitting atop a lovely iPad. We could see a front-facing camera, and a roomy screen. But, other than that, the image didn't tell us much. Well, if you were sharp-eyed, you would've seen a blurry-looking block up at the top-right of the image. That's the side of the fourth generation iPhone, apparently. Yes, it's still just as blurry, but if you look hard enough, you'll notice that it's definitely similar to what we saw yesterday.
Additionally, a Mac Rumors member went ahead and posted a reel of photos from WeiPhone, that tell us the story of what's inside the new device coming out of Cupertino. While none of this is substantiated by official sources, it's definitely all lining up to bring together a very intriguing story. And, sources are coming forward to paint a picture that says the new iPhone will definitely have a higher-resolution screen, a higher-resolution camera (which includes flash) on the back, and a front-facing camera. Furthermore, Apple is apparently sticking with the MicroSIM cards, because that's exactly what's going in the iPhone HD/4G, too. Check out the gallery below to whet your appetite, and let us know what you think of all this in the comments.
[via Engadget]
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SlashGear Week in Review – Week 16 2010
April 18, 2010 at 10:17 AM |
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Time flies when you are up to your eyeballs in gadgets and geekery and it's time for another week in review! Monday we spent some hands 0n time with the Kin One and Kin Two mobile phones from Microsoft. The things miss some featuress like microSD card slots but have some nice features.
Panasonic tossed the AG-AF100 micro four thirds HD camcorder. We have seen a bunch of micro four thirds digital cameras, but this is the first time I have seen a micro four thirds camcorder. The iPad has been popular and when Apple has a popular product, you can count on competitors coming out with similar offerings. Such is the case with the Google Tablet, HP mini slate and a new Nokia eReader that have been rumored to be inbound to fight the iPad.
Flip tossed a new, cheap camcorder onto the market this week called the SlideHD that gets a touchscreen and 720p resolution for $280. The screen of the little camcorder itself is touch sensitive and there is a touch sensitive strip at the bottom too. The device sells for about $280. A new netbook from Samsung called the NB30 turned up that has a touchscreen. The machine also runs an Atom N450 CPU and has a matte screen.
Lenovo decided to move the launch date for the Skylight smartbook back with the official reason being the product needed to be finalized. DigiTimes reports that the reason was to rework the Skylight to compete with the iPad. Apple finally updated its MacBook Pro line this week. The machine got new storage options and Core i5 and i7 processors among other things.
Toshiba dropped a new notebook on us this week called the Tecra M11 with Core i3/i5 CPU options. The notebook is priced starting at $879 and uses a 14-inch screen. Nintendo was granted a win on the appeal of the ruling that found one of its game controllers infringed on a patent held by Anascale Ltd. You can be the legal battle isn't over yet though.
Intel debuted a new SoC this week under the Tunnel Creek codename. The SoC is aimed at embedded applications like in-car systems. We reviewed the HTC HD mini this week. In the end, we figure the device doesn't offer enough to justify buying WinMo 6.5 with WinPo 7 on the horizon.
If you are a fan of steampunk style, but don't want to make your own creations you can get a cover for your iMac. The cover makes the thing look like a wooden steampunk creation. Intel has been showing off its Light Peak optical cable solution that could replace USB 3.0. The Light Peak spec can support multiple protocols on one cable at the same time.
An Austin geek has sold a rare Atari 2600 game on eBay for $31,600. The game was Air Raid and the guy said he only had the game because it was so bad no one would trade him for it. Sony will be debuting new 3D HDTVs this June along with the 3D update for the PS3. Gamers and movie fans are waiting for that 3D update with glee.
That Samsung NB30 touch screen netbook that turned up early in the week was reviewed on Thursday. The thing is said to have decent enough multitouch capability, but a dim display. Opera Mini for the iPhone and iPad was approved this week and so far a million people have downloaded the new browser. The app was in the top ten free apps on the App Store.
RED showed off its new EPIC camcorder at NAB. This company makes some of the most expensive cameras around and the new offering can record at 5K resolution. A new GSM connected scale has debuted called the Body Trace scale. The scale uses GSM to upload your weight and BMI to the website for tracking and sharing with health providers.
One of the shiny new MacBook Pros that launched this week was torn apart already to see what's on the inside. The tear down was done by iFixit and they found a couple other new updates inside. Asus is set to offer up a new 17-inch 3D notebook in Q3 2010. The new machine is more rumor than fact right now, but you can be 3D machines will be coming.
Things are all starting to add up to a new iPhone coming this summer. AT&T employees have been barred from vacation in June, this is the same move AT&T has pulled each time a new iPhone lands. Thanks for reading this week's edition!
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