Droid X Review From a Non-Tech User

Non techie reasons why I am in love with the Droid X.

Droid X Starter Guide

The Body:

As I mentioned in a previous post, I love the sleeker, less bulky feel of the new Droid and the larger screen is amazing for viewing videos as well as having an enhanced view of web pages. The back of the Droid X has a rise near the top that makes it very easy to grip in your hand.

The bottom of the front plate holds the same 4 keys (Menu, Home, Return, Search) that the original Motorola Droid has but they are in a different order. The silver power on/off button is centered (original is on the far right) and a bit more fluid to use as I have to press down fairly hard on my original Droid to power off.

Droid X

The Multiple Screens:

X has the same sliding lock/unlock function on the touch screen which opens to seven separate screens vs. three in the original Droid.  Short-cuts/widgets/apps can be added to home screen with a touch and hold into an empty spot on the screen. My Droid X came pre-installed with the following screens that you can navigate through easily with slider buttons on the bottom of the screen:

• Screen 1 (from far left): pre-installed spaces for two separate social networks
• Screen 2: network settings, weather update, icons for 3GMobile, Maps, & My Account (accesses Phone/Back-Up Assistant, YouTube, Google Account and any other account you might be using on the system
• Screen 3: Google Search Bar with voice search, Calendar with upcoming meeting reminder, message window, icons for Gmail, Skype Mobile, Back-Up Assistant, and Messaging
• Screen 4: Home Screen: icons for text message, browser, market, voicemail
• Screen 5: Actual contacts with photo icon and link to full data for each, icons for voice dial, recent calls, contact search and favorites
• Screen 6: Multi-media center with playlist selection at top of screen and links to the 8 megapixel camera (with incredibly sharp images), media share icon, Blockbuster, camcorder and gallery. The Droid X has 3 speakers which serve to enhance the sound from music and videos
• Screen 7: RSS feed for news and another feed titled ‘Tips & Tricks’

The phone, launcher & contacts icons remain constant across the bottom of each page screen. There seems to be a bit of redundancy on first glance, but once I become more active with the pages will be able to determine if the repeating icons are necessary.

Back of Droid X- photo credit Michelle Beckham

Camcorder, Speakers, Backgrounds:

The phone is incredibly easy to navigate through. I am loving the camcorder capabilities and the strong video light (up to 30 minutes of video) that was lacking in the original Droid.  Haven’t figured out the purpose behind the geo-tagging of the photos yet, but I can see how that would be useful for vacation purposes. The sound is loud enough to hear music quite well through the speakers assuming you are not situated in a noisy location, but the FM radio addition requires the use of head-phones. The battery is long-lasting and re-charges quickly.

One funky addition is the ability to add some unique “live” screen backgrounds that can move to the beat of music. My favorite is a beautiful pond with colorful flowers and leaves floating on top that creates ripples in the water when you touch or tap the screen.

Upcoming Post Covers Testing On:

• Portable WiFi hot spot capabilities for up to 5 devices for an additional monthly charge
• Blockbuster video connection.

See previous post on Droid X specs here.

Silencing Droid: Intentional Moments

Intentional Moments

Welcome to another episode of Social Media in my world….Have been thinking a lot about balance lately and making sure that I am not losing the “I” in C3.  Went to the annual Beech Acres Parenting Center Contractor’s meeting last night and Dave Brewer, BAPC Director of Learning, spoke about the Center’s mission of Intentional, Strength-based Parenting.  He used some great visuals to show how we can share the message of nurturing children’s natural gifts and leveraging opportunities to deeply connect with them one moment at a time with parents.

He shared the following imagery:  Imagine walking along a path and with each step your foot caresses the ground becoming one with the earth. If we can truly focus on this action, then we have rooted ourselves fully into the moment.  We have become intentional in our thought patterns.  We have let go of the world and what is happening at this very second. To me, this sounds like the beacon of light I should move towards and a complete antithesis of the mobile 24/7 world in which I have immersed myself.

Dave gave me a gift last night that went beyond sharing the Mission and Vision of Beech Acres Parenting Center and how we, as contractors can help integrate the mission into our respective service offerings. Instead, he reminded me that I need to be intentional in my own personal life.  I need to nurture my gifts, strengthen my core, and spend time just breathing.  This is so hard to do when you are incredibly passionate about your work and that work resides in the exciting field of social media marketing strategy that seems to update by the minute.

Scheduling some time with yourself should be a way of  life and I plan to make this a regular practice.  Now where is that secluded beach???

72 Hrs Into Foursquare = ADDICTION!

Watchouts Discovered In First 72 Hours of  Foursquare Use:

Given my Gamer past and competitive nature, I was quite eager to get several check-ins down on my first day.  My first Check-in was at The Pub, the location of the monthly New Media Cincinnati 2nd Saturday Meetups and I made several stops (aka- ‘drive bys’) on the way home following the event.  Love racking up the points for first time visits. The next day gave me an opportunity to add some new venues to the location menu.  Downside- you need to have the full address information for input.  I tried to put in my favorite coffee spot, Luckman’s Coffee and there was absolutely no address anywhere on the front door or shopping center.  Looks like we need a Super User to swing in and clean things up!  Apparently, Foursquare assigns these tech savvy folks to keep the “neighborhood” blight-free.  So here are some things I discovered in my first 72 hours:

• I AM ADDICTED!
• It it is a thrill to be Mayor.
• I spend a lot of time at my church(3 Check-ins already)-looks like I’m praying, but actually I’m involved on quite a few volunteer projects and boards ( but yeah, I’m praying for you between meetings!)
  
• Pushing info out to friends, Twitter, Facebook– make it reasonable, like sharing info on becoming mayor or unlocking a badge
• Be careful who you add or accept as a friend- does said person really need to know your whereabouts?
• DO NOT ADD YOUR HOME LOCATION-even if you call it ‘Heaven’, Foursquare will still pick up your ACTUAL location coordinates
• Being on Foursquare shows you info that  you may not really care to know about other people- for example, did I really need to know that Jon was out pubbing it until 3:00 a.m.? or that Liza is a Baptist, cus she checked into Hyde Park Baptist on Sunday morning?  Even found out who rides the Express Bus from Anderson into downtown Cincinnati for the daily commute.
• Haven’t uncovered any business specials yet; but I am digging the tips that others are leaving behind about each venue.

Warning:  Don’t try to shop and Check-In/Add tips at the same time- you will inevitably run your cart into another human being and risk looking a bit “shiny toy”-obsessed!  Listen to the vid below and answer the question in the comment section underneath.

Thanks!

Update:  Here are some additional great watch-outs from Dave at Systembash:

Droid Update #2: Hanging at the CSO

Droid Update- moving into week 2:

Still loving my Android but I have to say that I was quite spoiled with the level of sophistication of the Twitter and Facebook apps I was using on my iTouch.  Tweetie was wonderful and the iTwitter for androids seems to black out in the middle of usage every once in a while.  Also having issues with the android Skye app- it seems to stop working occasionally as well.  It only allows for chatting via text, no voice over IP capabilities at all.  I love being able to talk to international friends on my iTouch via headset with mic for free whenever Wi-Fi is available.  Spent many conversations on the hammock in my back yard using Skype and getting a tan at the same time.  See what Chris Brogan had to say about Droid HERE.

Will say that being a Smart Phone-enabled chick is causing me to be addicted to social media even more.  Was  soooo tempted to check my notifications and tweet a bit last night during a wonderful performance at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, but was surrounded by many seniors in their late 70′s and 80′s and thought better of it.  Not sure if it was our location- had some of the best seats on the floor, or whether this is a marketing issue for the CSO, but I really didn’t see any younger people around at all.  They really need to address this issue.  This year the CSO  eked into the black with higher attendance, but 2008 took a big hit. Just saying……

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra featuring Pianist Ingrid Fliter

Getting to Know the Motorola DROID

First off,  apologies for the lack of blogging.  Vacation in my mind truly means vacation, so I have been enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.  Not to say that I wasn’t tempted to spill my guts in the middle of the night surrounded by the nocturnal sounds of a busy hotel in a highly populated city, but I kept my promise of checking out of social media for the most part.

“…the most part.”  That little caveat is the subject of my post today.  I purchased the eagerly anticipated Motorola DROID on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  The DROID has  a Google platform and was released on November 6th, 2009.  Didn’t get it before because I knew that I would have little time to delve into it’s dark recesses or surf for just the right apps to make it incredibly useful.  A road trip to a distant city was the perfect formula for playing with,  I mean testing the phone. Read the Engadget DROID Review here:

My first reactions are as follows:

• It’s BIG (especially if you saw the very cool LG-VX8700 I have been sporting for the past two years that is the size of a credit card and has such a metallic sheen that it doubles as a compact mirror)
• It’s bulky- won’t fit in my jeans pocket
• It’s a smart phone, so very cool to have portable PC capabilities
• The Alert sound that it was automatically set to is this creepy R2D2 type android voice that says “DROID!” rather loudly.  Scared the bejeebus out of me in the hotel.  Have since learned to turn the phone OFF at night.
• Apps- plenty of decent apps;  although I love Apple’s much wider variety
• Touch Screen and full Querty Keyboard
• Voice Navigation utilizing Google Maps is awesome
• Music- no iTunes, but can download MP3s and I’m digging the Pandora app (Ryan Adams station- yeah!)
• Phone capabilities- I miss that intimate experience of having a clam shell design with the speaker nestled on top of your ear and the mic precisely at my mouth point.  People say I come off as distant and the sound quality on my end doesn’t seem as clear either.

Also missing the One Touch numbers (maybe I just haven’t found this yet – NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL INCLUDED!!!), but I absolutely LOVE the Contacts integration with my Facebook Friends.  Very cool to have everyone’s contact info in one place!  The FB profile pic automatically loads as the avatar in my phone contact list as well.  Love seeing who is calling me.

So to summarize thus far:  Happy to have the DROID- I find it much better than a Blackberry.  Would have loved the iPhone, but I’m tied to Verizon; although many friends with iPhones complain about the incessant dropped calls.  That would drive me crazy.  I do miss my sleek cell phone, but the reality is that most of my “conversations” are on social media platforms and my actual “talking” time is relegated to serious business conversations only.  I am immersed in a social media world:  it is my life, my business and where my friends hang out.  Glad to be fully entrenched in a 24/7, no Wi-Fi needed world.

Will let you know if the love is still there in a couple of months!

 

My Old Mobile Phone

Motorola Droid Smart Phone