Intro
I saw the Droid Pro and thought, ah another physical keyboard like the Motorola Charm, I wanted to check it out further but kind of brushed it off, the charm keyboard was meh, I like my full qwerty wide droid or the on-screen, let’s say I am glad I got to see this phone in action
Looks
It is a bit tall and not very wide, the keyboard is a lot like a blackberry. I like it for that. The screen is a nice size and the over all coloration of the phone is pretty sweet. It looks very appealing to me and getting it out of the box was something I was excited for.
Hardware
This phone is pretty next gen, it has a 1GHz TI OMAP processor, pretty awesome, speedy too. There is 512 MB RAM and 2 GB Flash, which comes in handy. It comes with 2 GB Flash Rom microSD and the Max Memory Card Supported is 32 GB. Lots of memory with removable SD cards. There is also a sim card in there because it is a World Phone.
Screen
The screen is a 3.1″ 320×480 HVGA TFT LCD, it is not as big as some of the next gen phones, but it is bigger than the moto charm and more clear than things like the G1 and Moto Cliq. So it is big enough, clear and easy to use. The screen is of course still touch but does not provide a virtual keyboard.
Battery
This is kind of cool. The battery is a 1420 mAh Internal rechargeable removable lithium-ion battery, so bigger than the Droid 2 by a bit. It seems to hold up pretty well too. I have to give it a bit more hell but it seems to do a dang good job.
Operating System
This is the motoblur droid software OS. It is of course android 2.2 so that is nice, all the perks of 2.2. Adobe Flair, Adobe Air, you know, the goods! It has been a nice phone and the OS helps for sure.
Software
The Blur software comes with this phone, lots of Moto widgets, the Moto widgets are pretty awesome. They are pleasing to the eye and easy to use, plus they are actually useful. I like using the help widgets as well as the RSS feeds and news widgets, nice for being on the go.
Keyboard
The physical keyboard is very much like a blackberry, has a similar feel, I am able to type quite quickly (ex-blackberry user). It was familiar and easy to use. I like the keyboard quite a lot and I am fast on it with two fingers. I have found no way to use a virtual keyboard but it really does not need one since it is a candybar style phone.
Web Browsing, Camera and Video
The browser is 2.2 fast, 2.2 got a browser upgrade and this shows. I get good speeds. I also am able to view flash videos because Flash is included in Android 2.2. The camera is a 5mp, clear and nice. Check the photos below. We have dual LED for the flash and a 480p video camera. No 720 but still good, can’t complain much.
Call Quality
I am always happy with the Verizon network, this hasn’t changed my mind, Motorola did great on calls and speakers. I like how good and clear it is.
Pros:
- Easy to use, it is a nice size
- The headphone jack is also flush
- Good Camera 5mp
- It has a button that I believe you can customize, but right now it access my calender
- It has a dual camera flash
- Android 2.2 installed
- A blackberry styled keyboard
- Adobe Flash Installed
- Wifi HotSpot
Cons:
- No Virtual Keyboard
- I accidentally hit the home and menu buttons when typing
- A tad small on the screen size
- No 720 p on the video camera (again it is 480 p)
Conclusions & Final Thoughts
I like this phone, may go with it as my next phone in fact. You never know, it is nice, easy to use and fun. I am used to the keyboard and the camera is equal to my droid. The processor is powerful and it comes with many nice features. I really like many things about this phone, texting and messaging is a big deal for me and the ease of this keyboard is awesome. Maybe sliders aren’t always the king. Plus there is the fact that the smartphone includes global capabilities, with customers able to use services in over 220 countries worldwide, 120 of which offer 3G connectivity. The Pro also includes 3G mobile hotspot capabilities, and with this feature is able to share its connection with up to five other devices. Really cool!