While some Motorola customers are upset that they can’t update their phones to the second newest version of the Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich, Elise wishes that she hadn’t. The newest system and OS upgrades are making her Droid Bionic run hot. Really hot. She sent along some photos of how the phone seems to be melting itself. [More]
droid
How I Finally Escaped Verizon's Droid R2D2 Smartphone Replacement Purgatory
By 8.28.12
Like many of our readers, Elizabeth is sort of a nerd. When a special edition of Motorola’s Droid smartphone came out that’s dressed up to look like actual fictional ‘droid R2D2 from “Star Wars,” she took the opportunity to upgrade. Critics say that the phone is just a painted-up Droid 2, but Elizabeth liked it. Well, she liked it until a week or so later when it stopped working properly. That’s when Verizon encased her in carbonite and cast her into Smartphone Replacement Purgatory. [More]
Are SmartPhones Making Us Smarter Shoppers?
By 12.16.10
Not so long ago, comparison shopping required actually going to several stores or sifting through every circular in the Sunday paper. And even as at-home internet access became commonplace, that didn’t really help if you’d gone to the store without doing the legwork in advance. But the rapid growth of web-enabled phones could be leading to better retail prices and more informed consumers. [More]
Defective Droid Sends Reader To Verizon Smartphone Replacement Hell
By 12.9.10
Maybe we need to turn “Tales of Verizon Smartphone Replacement Hell” into a recurring series. In today’s installment, an Android update breaks Brian’s Motorola Droid, and he goes through five replacement phones in just over three months. Oh, and a free screen protector, which belonged to the previous owner of his “Certified Like New Replacement” phone. [More]
Carjacker Gets Tracked Down In 7 Minutes Thanks To Droid App
By 12.3.10
Droid does…justice? A guy who got carjacked was able to track the thief and send cops to surround him in seven minutes, thanks to the Lookout app installed on his Droid left in the car. [More]
Motorola Droid 2 Screen Shatters In Man's Ear, Blood Everywhere
By 12.3.10
A Texas man showed up at the hospital with blood streaming down his ear after his Motorola Droid 2 screen shattered in his ear. [More]
The George Lucas Death Star Tries To Obliterate My Startup
By 9.14.10
Matt says George Lucas’ lawyers are sending Storm Troopers after him for using the word “droid” in the title of his startup, Addroid. He has precious few days to coordinate his Rebel Alliance defense and sent out a hologram (OK, an email) saying “Help me, Consumerists. You’re my only hope!” [More]
Do Pay-By-Smartphone Systems Put Consumers At Risk?
By 8.25.10
As smartphones like the iPhone or Droid become more popular and more sophisticated, developers are finding new ways for consumers to use these mobile devices to replace existing items like airplane boarding passes, coupons and now credit cards. Soon, smartphone owners will be able to pay for purchases with a wave of their phones, but they should first be aware of the possible risks involved. [More]
Don't Buy A Droid If You Plan To Actually Use The GPS
By 8.12.10
GPS functionality is an important selling point of smartphones. Brandon writes that he wanted to do more with his Droid’s GPS than check in to Foursquare: he wanted the device to shout turn-by-turn directions at him. When his phone’s GPS stopped working well enough for navigation, he went to Verizon for a replacement. That phone’s GPS didn’t work very well, either, so he sought another replacement. Then, another. Finally, a Verizon employee wondered: why doesn’t Brandon just go buy a standalone GPS if this is so important? Why, indeed? [More]
Apple Says Droid X Also Has "Death Grip" Problem
By 7.26.10
Apple has added the Droid X to its list of phones that it claims also has the “death grip” antenna issue. Apple’s website depicts a hand holding the phone in a fairly normal one-handed grip, with the signal bars depleted. Below the image, Apple says: ” In weak signal areas, this grip may negatively affect signal strength.” PCMag, however, takes issue with Apple’s methodology… [More]
Verizon Store Won't Sell Me Droid X Because I'm Already A Customer
By 7.16.10
Mike figured being a loyal Verizon customer might give him a leg up over newcomers when it came down to lining up for the anticipated Droid X, which was released yesterday. He thought wrong, because after he pre-ordered the phone he went to pick it up and was told the four units that were in stock were being held for new customers. [More]
Steve Jobs: All Smartphones Have The Same Problem, But Here’s A Free Case
By 7.16.10
Mr. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, has announced his solution to the iPhone 4 duct-tape-antenna-situation. Free case! Or a refund! [More]
Consumer Reports Video Faceoff: Droid X vs. iPhone 4
By 6.30.10
Playing like a polite re-enactment of a gadget blog comments section flame war, two Consumer Reports journalists pit the features of the iPhone 4 against the new Droid X in this video thunderdome. Who will win? Will the iPhone’s Retina blind the Droid’s amber oculus? Or will the Droid’s tapered top-knob bash the iPhone into shards? “Two phones enter… one phone leaves…” [More]
Verizon Replaced My Broken Droid With An Even More Broken Droid
By 5.21.10
Jack thought he might get his Droid with a wonky GPS system replaced with one that worked, but instead he got a nasty refurb with a host of new issues. Now he seems to almost wish he’d kept his original messed-up phone. [More]
Verizon Rep Tells Me To Quit After Company Bungles Order
By 5.17.10
Brad wanted three Droid Incredibles as soon as possible, so he headed into a Verizon store and signed up for service. He says the place took his $600 but was out of stock, but Verizon insisted it could overnight the phones to him. Several overnights came and went Droid Incredible-free, and Brad called in to find out the phones were delayed because they were on backorder. [More]
Buncha Peoples' Droids Randomly Deleting All Their Text Messages
By 4.21.10
Maybe they are sentient after all, just like the commercials suggest, and they’ve decided it’s time for you to move on. A slew of Droid owners are reporting that their cellphones will sometimes randomly delete all of their text messages. That’s every picture of your baby your wife sent you, every hilarious exchange between you and your best friend, and every must-have address you’ve got stored as a text message. [More]
Make Sure You Know Which Version Of Android Is On That Phone Before Buying It
By 3.15.10
That brand new smartphone you want to buy may not be running the latest version of Android, reports Wired, and the manufacturer or cellular provider might like it that way. It costs money to push updates out to existing customers, assuming the hardware is compatible. Besides, carriers can charge extra fees for add-on services (like turn-by-turn navigation) that newer Android OS versions include free of charge. Check out Wired’s article for a comparison chart of the Android version on each handset. [More]
Google Not Done Yet With Direct-To-Consumer Phones, According To Motorola
By 1.28.10
Motorola told its investors today that it’s working on building an Android phone for Google to sell directly to consumers alongside the HTC-built Nexus One. There are no other details yet, other than that it should be released in 2010, according to Motorola’s co-CEO Sanjay Jha. [More]
