Tethering, Networking, Sound
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The Droid X offers plenty of processing power, storage and
memory, delivering a TI OMAP 1GHz processor with 512MB memory, along with 8GB of
on-board storage plus 16GB more storage via the included MicroSD card. The
MicroSD slot supports cards of up to 32GB. Despite the powerful underpinnings,
I occasionally found the device sluggish when opening new applications or
accessing settings screens, with the device sometimes lagging several seconds
before completing an action.
Available for Verizon's network, the Droid X supports the
800/1900 bands for EvDO (Evolution Data Optimized) Rev. A. The Droid X also
features an 802.11n WiFi radio, albeit one that only supports the 2.4GHz band. As
this was the first smartphone I've gotten my hands on that used 802.11n, I was
excited to discover what benefits the faster connection could confer, but
instead I quickly found the Droid X showed a propensity to fall off some WiFi
networks altogether. When testing using Ruckus Wireless access points (either
802.11n or 802.11g models), the Droid X would occasionally stop transmitting
within minutes (even though the device appeared to still be connected), thereby
failing to migrate the connection to Verizon's network. I could not reproduce
this behavior when using Aruba Network's access points.
Verizon supports WiFi tethering on the Droid X, allowing
users to share the Verizon WAN connection with up to five additional devices
via WiFi. Adding WiFi tethering to Verizon's plans costs an extra $20 a month,
with a 2GB bandwidth cap. Tethering overages cost 5 cents per megabyte.
Tethering mostly worked during testing, albeit again with inconsistent
compatibility. I successfully tethered a Lenovo ThinkPad T400 running Windows
XP SP3, a MacBook Pro running "Snow Leopard" and a handful of
different smartphones. However, I was not able to tether either of two SIM
(Subscriber Identity Module)-less iPhone 3GS units running iOS 4-getting an "Unable
to Join" message on the iPhones. Meanwhile, I was able to tether iPhone 3G
units running both versions 3.1.3 and 4.0. To attach either of the iPhone 3GS
units, I needed to disable wireless security altogether on the Droid X.
Unlike the original Droid, the Droid X ships with Motorola's
Motoblur social data and update aggregation service, albeit an iteration that
is highly toned down from that which came with the Motorola Cliq or the Devour.
With Droid X, Motorola consigned the Motoblur update widgets to secondary home
screens to the left or right, with separate pages for updates for
user-specified contacts, new calendar and e-mail entries, and social networking
updates. On other home screens, I found preconfigured widgets that pull in
weather or news as well as a screen for media playback.
The Droid X and Motoblur together support multiple Exchange
mailboxes for e-mail, contact and calendar integration. The Exchange
integration also supports a limited number of policies, allowing me to
centrally require passwords and enforce password complexity on the Droid X via
my Exchange 2007 (it also supports Exchange 2003) infrastructure. I also
found that through Exchange I was able to successfully complete a remote wipe
action on the device.
The sound quality on the Droid X was surprisingly good
through the earpiece, not as muffled as has been the case with many competing
devices over the last few years. On the other hand, the speakerphone sounds
very tinny under normal conditions. Located on the back of the device near the
bottom, the speakerphone could also be quite muffled when the device was lying
flat on a soft surface like a stack of papers.
The Droid X supports Bluetooth 2.1, with EDR (Enhanced Data
Rate) and A2DP, the latter adding stereo capability. I successfully paired the Droid
X with a Plantronics Voyager Pro, finding that the headset's call control
button successfully operates with the VAD (voice-activated dialing) on the Droid
X. I also found the stereo capabilities worked as expected when paired with a
Motorola Motorokr S9, although the call control button on that headset would
only redial the last number called, not activate VAD.
The Droid X comes with a 1540 mAh battery, which Motorola
rates for 8 hours of usage or 220 hours of standby time.
