Motorola Droid Maxx?

[Quattro Pete]

Yes, it's the More Everything plan.

To be honest, when my contract expired 2 years ago, I wasn't offered that $15 discount then either. Then I upgraded the phone and resigned for another 2 years, and just now when it expired I got this offer.

Are you on one of those legacy plans with unlimited data use? If so, that's probably why you're not eligible for the discount.

 

[Subdued]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Sorry for a little OT, but does Edge provide any savings if you only have one line? I am paying $90/month for unlimited talk/text and 2 GB of data, but I do have the tethering function so that I can use my phone as a laptop modem, and I do want to keep this feature.

BTW, just today I hit my upgrade eligibility, and VZW sent me an email saying that if I don't upgrade my phone right now, I can instead get $15 off my monthly bill, so in theory I'll be paying $75 going forward.

I don't think there's a discount for 2 gigs...

I'd jump on that $15 off though

 

[99Saturn]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Are you on one of those legacy plans with unlimited data use? If so, that's probably why you're not eligible for the discount.

Actually, our plan is an old basic phone plan circa probably 6-8 years ago that they never kicked us off. 700 minutes and no charge for "nights and weekends', a la cart text and data - until about 2 weeks ago, two of us upgraded to smart phones, but we were not required to move to the More Everything plan - just an added charge for data and texting (assuming we opt for texting) - the cost versus the more everything (depending on how much data we will need) is probably a toss up, so we just left as is for the time being.

I'm sure the legacy plan could be a factor too, my folks are holding onto their basic phones so I've been trying to protect what they get billed in the future if the two of us with smartphones opt to go elsewhere in 2 years now.

 

[Hokiefyd]

So I bought the Droid Maxx last night from the Verizon store. Best Buy had this phone for $100 (VZW was free). Best Buy beat VZW on the Moto X ($50 vs. $100). Both had the Turbo at $200. The Turbo was nice, but I didn't care to spend $200 on a phone right now. So I scratched that one from the list. I like the display and camera of the Moto X better, and it even has a nicer theme/skin. At first, I thought it had Lollipop on it, but it was 4.4.4 (KitKat). The Droid Maxx also has 4.4.4, but the skin seems different...more basic. So I generally liked the Moto X better. But...it is thinner, lighter, just a touch larger, and not as tactile-feeling. It felt like it wanted to jump out of my hand as I was holding it. The Maxx has a better feel to me; the soft-touch back has a more tactile feel, and it supports Qi charging right out of the box. It appears that the Moto X doesn't support Qi charging at all...not even with a replacement battery cover. And with the shorter battery life of the X, I figured that wireless charging would be even more handy with that phone. So, all of that factored in, plus it would have been at least $80 to upgrade to it...I bought the Maxx.

I am tentatively pleased with it so far. There's certainly a learning curve when switching platforms (from iOS to Android, or the other way around). iOS has certain pros compared to Android. I really appreciate the polish of iOS...it's insanely intuitive and easy to use. It's funny how much I used the swipe-up utility tray that iOS 7 brought...with a nice built-in flashlight, camera button, etc. Everything is there and easy to access. Android lacks that polish...and certainly the "stock" Android that's on the Motorola phones. My Maxx has already given me a few "Unfortunately, com.phone.android (or whatever the process is called) has stopped working." I haven't yet had to actually restart the phone, but it's unnerving to see those messages, especially given my poor experience with Android in the past. But I hope it's just birthing pains from a brand new phone getting worked in, eventually getting all of the appropriate software updates, etc.

And on the flip side, I appreciate things about Android that I don't have with iOS. One of my biggest frustrations with iOS is it not letting me choose my default applications. I want to use Gmail as my default mail application. I want to use Chrome as my default browser. I want to use Google Maps as my default maps application. It won't let me pick these. So while I can (and do) have them installed on the phone, and while I can manually open them, clicking an email link opens the Apple Mail app...clicking a hyperlink opens Safari...clicking on an address opens Apple Maps. Give me the choice! I also appreciate the widgets in Android and ability to move icons on the screen where I want them, and not only in a left-to-right, top-to-bottom listing as Apple forces. I also like the App Drawer in Android, so I don't have to have a physical icon for every single app, as I have to have with Apple. I think every iOS user has a "junk folder" or screen where all of the apps they don't use are banished. That shouldn't have to be...it wastes screen space and storage space.

The only thing I don't like about the Maxx so far is the on-board storage. Like iPhones and some others, it does not have an SD card slot. And apparently unlike iOS, Android takes up about 6 GB of space. So my 16 GB phone is really only about a 10 GB phone (you get about 12-13 GB with iOS 8). This won't be too critical for me...I don't keep a lot of music/apps/videos on my phone. But I do feel a little cheated to some degree, in terms of how much space Android uses on its own.

One thing that is cool...Motorola has a Chrome extension where I can receive all of my text messages in a Chrome browser as well (in addition to sending new ones). Just like it was coming from the phone. It acts a lot like iOS and OS X, where you can send and receive texts on your iMac.

I feel that iOS has certain benefits over Android, and Android has certain benefits over iOS. As with most things in life here, there are no absolutes...iOS will be preferable for some and Android will be preferable for others. I have enjoyed iOS over the past few years, and look forward to a good Android experience with this phone. I feel that the platform has matured enough since I last owned one (a few years ago), and it seems to be more stable and reliable now. I hope I'm right!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Good summary. Thanks.

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
The only thing I don't like about the Maxx so far is the on-board storage. Like iPhones and some others, it does not have an SD card slot. And apparently unlike iOS, Android takes up about 6 GB of space. So my 16 GB phone is really only about a 10 GB phone

Now you understand my gripe about the lack of SD card slot we discussed some weeks back (about Droid Mini). And hence for now I'm sticking with my old Razr M.

Although on my phone it shows that Android OS only takes up 3.4 GB of space.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yep.

And to clarify something I said earlier about the Moto X's "skin"...I think it had to be Lollipop, because all of the images of Lollipop's interface I've seen this morning look quite a bit like what was on that Moto X, and nothing like my Droid Maxx. So I'm thinking it had to have the newer OS. I've seen so many Android phones over the past few days (online reviews, in-store, etc), that it's all running together.

I like Lollipop's interface better...it features brighter colors and simpler shapes...it reminds me a lot of iOS's colorful interface. I look forward to that update...which is coming to the Max...just don't know when.

 

[VeeDubb]

Thanks for posting your thoughts. Does the Droid max have touch less controls and active notifications like the Moto X? If not, you will get it with Lollipop.

One tip on keeping your Android running smoothly is to clear cache partition after every few months, especially after a major update like after you get Lollipop. My over one year old moto x still runs as good as new with these cache clears. The Motorola website should have the instructions and it usually takes less than 10 minutes.


Also I am torn between 4.4.4. and Lollipop. Running lollipop on my Nexus 6 but I find stock 4.4.4.simpler and more intuitive. Lollipop has more features and looks nicer, but some bugs still need to be worked out.

 

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
Thanks for posting your thoughts. Does the Droid max have touch less controls and active notifications like the Moto X? If not, you will get it with Lollipop.

One tip on keeping your Android running smoothly is to clear cache partition after every few months, especially after a major update like after you get Lollipop. My over one year old moto x still runs as good as new with these cache clears. The Motorola website should have the instructions and it usually takes less than 10 minutes.


Also I am torn between 4.4.4. and Lollipop. Running lollipop on my Nexus 6 but I find stock 4.4.4.simpler and more intuitive. Lollipop has more features and looks nicer, but some bugs still need to be worked out.

..yes
Think of the '13 Droids as '13 Moto X's, with bigger screens and batteries, and carbon fiber.
Turbo is another story
5.0.1 is on the way to address your Lollipop problems

 

[VeeDubb]

Don't get me wrong, I love my Nexus 6 with Lollipop and don't want to blow the bugs out of proportion considering this is a major new OS release. However, our Nexus 7 tablet which has already been updated to 5.0.1 has some bugs like the screen not rotating everytime and Chromecast freezing the launcher momentarily. All in all, nothing major. But Kitkat is pretty much bug free and a little more intuitive to use. I'll probably love Lollipop after another update or two and I learn all the hidden controls and features. I'm kinda glad my Moto X hasn't gotten an early release. I'd like it to get it after the bugs are worked out.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
Thanks for posting your thoughts. Does the Droid max have touch less controls and active notifications like the Moto X? If not, you will get it with Lollipop.


Yes. It appears to be one of the few things that Motorola has added to its version of the Android software beginning with the Moto X and the Droid Mini/Ultra/Maxx phones (and continuing with the Moto X 2014 and the Droid Turbo as well).

Side note:

I'm actually returning the Maxx this afternoon. I gave it an honest shot, but it's just too big. I will say that it fits in my pockets okay, but I simply can't reach all parts of the screen with my thumb. I have to put down what I'm doing to 2-hand this phone, and I don't like that.

I do, however, really enjoy Android so far, and Motorola's take on it, and I'm going to trade this Maxx for the Mini. It pretty much has the same specifications, including Qi compatibility, but in a 4.3" screen size. The critical dimension for me appears to be the diagonal between the lower right of the phone chassis and the upper left of the display. My wife's iPhone 5s is about 4.5" in that dimension, and that's near the outside of what I'm comfortable with. The Droid Maxx is about 5.5", which just isn't working for me. The Droid Mini splits that difference at a hair under 5". I lose the big battery of the Maxx, but I keep the Qi wireless charging, which will be handy for a phone with a "normal" sized battery. The screen also switches from a 1280x720 AMOLED to a 1280x720 LCD. Pixels/inch actually increase over the Maxx, due to the smaller screen size. iPhones have always had LCDs, and I'm used to those and I think that'll be fine. Most anything will be an improvement over my 4s' 3.5" 960x640 display.

I remember typing in Quattro Pete's thread a month or so ago, asking about smaller phones, that the Droid Mini is the phone I'd buy if I were buying an Android phone due to its size. I was lured by the larger size of the Maxx and longer battery life for the same price (both phones are free with contract renewal). I think the Mini will suit my needs better.

And it'll get Lollipop eventually as well...or at least it's supposed to.

By the way, for those looking at phone sizes, I found this website to be very helpful:

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size#/phones/size

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I remember typing in Quattro Pete's thread a month or so ago, asking about smaller phones, that the Droid Mini is the phone I'd buy if I were buying an Android phone due to its size.

Ha! I remembered it, too, and that's why I was surprised you went for the Maxx instead.

 

[VeeDubb]

Didn't realize the Droid Maxx was 5.5. That is big. My Nexus 6 is 5.96 and one handed typing is impossible unless I install the swiftkey keyboard. My Moto X is 4.7 and one-handed use is pretty easy which comes in handy when I am walking around at work. The mini with the 4.3 should be no problem.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Just a few more notes for that always-on Android vs. iOS discussion...

I do miss the very handy "mute" switch that iPhones have on the side. It was very easy to discretely slip my hand in my pocket or down to the holster and be able to know, by feel, whether or not my phone is silenced. If it's not and it needed to be, it was easy to flip the switch and make it so. I actually miss that quite a bit. I've not seen that on an Android phone yet.

On the flip side, and at least to my recollection, there is but one volume level on an iPhone. I would routinely miss phone calls because I'd have my volume low to watch a YouTube video and forget to turn it up again when I was done. Android allows you to set a volume level for the ringtone separate from the general media playback volume. And that's helpful.

Add a "mute" button to an Android phone, or add different volume levels to iOS, and that'd be a great system.

 

[racer12306]

iOS has multiple volumes within it, but they are not as easily accessible as the volumes in Android. Additionally, unless you are using "media" you won't know the media volume, etc.

I believe there is a media, in-call and ringer volume in iOS.

I like how I have 6 different volume settings in Android, media, ringer, notifications, in-call, alarm and system.

 

[VeeDubb]

That mute button sounds nice. To mute on the android you have to press the power button and then a menu pops up with a speaker image with a line through it. Then you press the image. But that sounds like more hassle than iOS and makes it hard to do discreetly.

BTW how do you like Google Now where you swipe from the bottom (some phones with hard bottuns use double click) and it gives you info cards based on your location? That's been one of my favorite features since Android 4.2.

 

[racer12306]

I wasn't a fan of it, but I'm growing to like it more and more now.

 

[VeeDubb]

Its particularly handy when traveling and you get flight and public transportation schedules and directions automatically. Made navigating the DC metro system a breeze when I was there recently.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
BTW how do you like Google Now where you swipe from the bottom (some phones with hard bottuns use double click) and it gives you info cards based on your location? That's been one of my favorite features since Android 4.2.


I haven't really played with it much yet. I do see it telling me where I parked my car this morning...

I LOVE the shake-to-take (a picture). iOS had a very nice pull-up task tray with the camera icon in it, so you didn't have to have a separate camera icon on your screen or even a camera button on the phone. I remember Android phones having a separate camera button to launch the camera. I like how you can snap the phone twice with your wrist to open the camera app.

I also like Motorola's Active Display, where you just touch the phone and a clock appears and a notification icon (or just the lock icon). One thing I'll say that iOS has failed in my opinion, even after all of these years, is no way to alert the user of a new notification. No blinking LED or anything...you have to turn on the screen to see if you've missed anything. I like Motorola's solution where you just touch the screen and it just lights up a small portion which gives you a quick indication (and a preview) if notifications. That's pretty smart.

One thing Android lacks is a built-in flashlight app. There are about a million on Google Play, and most are somewhat cheesy and/or ad-supported. Maybe one of the manufacturers' skins has a flashlight, but Motorola's phones don't seem to have it.

 

[VeeDubb]

Built in flashlight is in lollipop. So coming soon. In the meantime, the flashlight by snoopwall is probably the most secure because it asks for no privacy info. Lots of other flashlights ask for way more access than a flashlight app needs.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
Built in flashlight is in lollipop. So coming soon. In the meantime, the flashlight by snoopwall is probably the most secure because it asks for no privacy info. Lots of other flashlights ask for way more access than a flashlight app needs.


Great to hear, both. Thanks for that.

Meanwhile, I traded my Maxx for the Mini yesterday evening and I'm very satisfied with the Mini. Same basic limitations as the Maxx regarding storage options...it's generally a non-issue for me personally as I don't keep a lot of stuff on my phone. I do not like the glossy/slimy back cover (the Maxx has a nice rubberized texture), but a slim holster case will soon go on this phone anyway, so it's something I'll have to live with only temporarily.

As reviews have noted, the camera is just "okay". My much older iPhone 4S did a much better job at indoor/low light shots. I'll take some pics outside today to see what those are like.

And I'll put in one final plug for Motorola Connect. This is the Chrome extension you can install and use ANY computer running Chrome as an SMS text interface to your phone. As I sit there at the computer with my phone on the desk, I hear the notification of a text on the phone, and nearly at the same time, my computer notifies me of a text and pops up a small notification window at the bottom, MS Outlook style. I can send and reply to text messages straight from my computer via Chrome. I've become quite fond of that little tool.

Like most aspects of Chrome, extensions are synchronized, so you just have to install it once and all of your Chrome browsers will get it the first time you launch them. I have Chrome (obviously) on the Chromebook, on our main desktop computer, on my laptop, and on my computer at work. Chrome has really become a mature package...I also use Cloud Print and Remote Desktop quite a bit.