You don't typically get this close to your phone unless you're about to put it against the side of your face, but hey, we figure a little intimate time with a device you use this much can't hurt, now, can it? Here we've got one of the first high-def hands-on experiences of Motorola's latest
Android set, the
MOTOROI, loaded with a Korean ROM in preparation for its upcoming launch on SK Telecom. As if on cue, the very first thing the user tests is the browser's
multitouch support, revealing that performance could be an issue here -- even on the phone's OMAP3 core -- but the good news is that the presence of
Blur doesn't seem to cause the home screen to stutter like we've seen on the
CLIQ and
DEXT. All things considered, the odd hump on the bottom right edge doesn't seem as dramatic in the reals as it does in press photos, which we'd say is a good thing -- particularly considering the latest talk that we'll see this sucker launch all over the world over the next few months. Follow the break for the full video.
[Thanks, Omar]
posted January 19th 2010 8:22PM
what a beauty!!!
@outlaw85
I like how this video is all nice and HD, just like the one for the Nokia N900...oh wait!
@Rem DX
I am pretty sure that the video was shot with a Nokia 900.
Maybe he had a head-worn camera kinda thing.
@Almo I doubt it, if you look later in the vid you can see the reflections of the stickers on the back of a camcorder. Probably just got someone else to film it.
@Almo
By the end of the video I almost threw up from motion sickness.
Anyone who hasn't seen it yet, one word: Dramamine.
laggy as heck. Palm Pre got "apple style" pinch zoom right. Why is it that android still can't? Even the pinch zooming on the HD2 is much better than any implementation of pinch zoom in android. Get in the game google.
@New Reformation
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed it.
Sorry but for all the hype surrounding these android devices (the so called power of snapdragon) and the hyping of the bigger screens etc...
It has failed to translate into a device that runs as fast or as smoothly as the iPhone 3GS.
@TheRogueFFAngel
Exactly. Palm made it clear that when a developer puts their mind to it, they can produce desired results. What do they call this? Certainly it is not what they really wanted for the user experience to be.
@TheRogueFFAngel
did you also notice how android renders webpages in whole? when you zoom in and out, the text (on the whole page) resizes to fit into the new screen size, it doesn't just load whats on the screen at the time. so when you scroll around u don't have to look at a checker board while the next section of your page loads
@New Reformation
Doesn't look very smooth... Not crazy about the hump either, but Chris is right that it doesn't look as pronounced in the vid as it does in the promo pics.
I must say, as much as I refuse to buy an iPhone, I must give credit where credit is due--and based on this video and numerous others for touch screen devices, at least apple has a great browser and very responsive touch screen.
So this phone has a faster processor than the droid? Why does it seem more laggy to me than the droid I played with in the store did? Or perhaps it just seems that the screen on this phone needs a more responsive screen.
@TheRogueFFAngel You've clearly never used a Droid, let alone a Nexus One.
@New Reformation
I have said this before and I'll say this again. I HAVE used a Droid from Verizon plenty of times.
I work for Best Buy. We are pretty high traffic store and as a result we try to provide live active demos of the most popular devices for customers to try out. Things that regular BB's don't do. The BB Mobile in our store as a result has a fully activated Droid and Palm Pre that is available for associates to use when they are dealing with a smart phone customer.
And as an employee when we're not busy I sometimes go over there to check out the competition. I've used the droid for a decent amount of time over the course of several days and I was NOT IMPRESSED. The same issues I'm noting in this video also occurred with the Droid.
And in all the reviews and first hand accounts I've read on the Nexus One point out the same things.
I'm NOT making this up out of my hand. This is a real issue for most if not all android devices.
In short no device running android OS has managed to replicate a web browsing experience that rivals the iPhone in sheer simplicity, beauty, speed, and fluidity...
@New Reformation
Like samkash says, it's down to different rendering. The iPhone and the Pre uses checkerboard rendering when the processor can't catch up. Android never has checkerboards, it just lags when the processor can't catch up.
@New Reformation I was bummed about the zoom performance until I realized the page has never finished loading.
@TheRogueFFAngel
I beg to differ
I watched the N900 review. Firefox Mobile on the Nokia N900 was the most beautiful thing I ever did see.
And I suspect Firefox Mobile (fennec) to come to Android soon
@TheRogueFFAngel
"I work for Best Buy."
Well see, there's your problem right there. No credibility. Should I buy a Monster Cable too?
@New Reformation While I'm definitely an Android fan, I'm not going to bury my head in the sand with respect to its propensity for lagginess. Sure, you can address that to a certain extent with a faster CPU, but I have a nagging feeling that the underlying OS and GUI framework are not as optimized as they could be. The GUI and user input should essentially be running as a real time process that can preempt most other processes at the touch of the screen. Even the G1 (which I have) has a 528 MHz chip, which not that long ago used to be a lot of power. The BeBox provided a buttery smooth GUI on lesser hardware in the 90s, because it did input processing and GUI rendering right (sure, with two CPUs, but still). I can easily see on the G1 how any network heavy apps (flashing the up/download arrows in the status bar) bring GUI responsiveness to its knees. While the Market downloads lists of apps, good luck scrolling what's already on screen, and that's just one example. That's NOT how it should work. I'm not sure if it's just a poor synchronous request implementation or what, but when I put my finger on that screen and drag, to the OS I should be God and anything else less critical than my whim should come to a screeching halt and it should immediately satisfy my need for scrolling. I don't care that those data packets may get delayed because of that, but I want my damn list to scroll!!!
OK, rant off.
@TheRogueFFAngel
This is pre-release model so stop the bashing already...you apple worshippers.
@jakey It seems likely that the majority of the MOTOROI’s specifications will make it over to the US, including the 8-megapixel camera, 720p HD video recording, 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen and high-speed GSM connectivity. However we expect Motorola to strip out the T-DMB digital TV tuner that the Korean market will enjoy
More details: http://bit.ly/motorola-motoroi-details
Hello MOTO.....
Pinch to Zoom looks slow as hell. And buggy like on all iPhone wannabes...
It's a disgrace that all these imitators can't even manage to create a web browsing experience that's decently similar to the iPhone.
@TheRogueFFAngel
What's the view like from inside that bubble you're living in?
@TheRogueFFAngel
I'm not sure what you're asking.
Are you refuting what is clearly displayed in the video above?
There's a clear delay between when the guy does the actual motion and when the device actually responds to the zoom.
That's lag. That's not fast. That's not what happens when I do pinch to zoom on my iPhone 3GS.
Period.
The device is slow...just like the Droid, Droid Eris, and Nexus One.
The same thing occurs in every single android device.
That's NOT a lie. That's not some apple fanboy myth.
For the record I have Windows 7 and I'm not some Apple only fan who only buys macs and other apple products. I think both companies create wonderful devices. I just choose to get the best from both of them.
The iPhone 3GS is the best phone out there.
WIndows 7 is the best OS out there for laptops and desktops in my opinion...
@TheRogueFFAngel
I think you are correct that the iPhone does a lot of things the way it should be done, but to call it the best phone is a stretch. Most popular, yes. But I hear the BB Bold is pretty amazing from everything I've read about it--esp for power business users.
@TheRogueFFAngel For the record the Nexus renders websites beautifully and same goes for the Droid. Now on another note: may i poke ur bubble ;D
@TheRogueFFAngel Well, it's not so hard to make pinch and zoom smooth when you're pushing less than half the pixels.
Also, tests have shown that the Nexus One has a faster browser than the 3Gs.
@TheRogueFFAngel
Dude calm down. I don't get why Android gets your panties in a bunch. If you hate the OS so much, why are you posting in every single Android topic, flaming it like a volcano.
The current Android software is still pretty new. The OS on the iPhone wasn't the greatest when it first came out. This is what updates are for.
I am not saying what you are saying is wrong because obviously there is quite a bit of lag but there are other browsers on the Android market that can do it much smoother, so it is more of a software problem than a hardware one. SO you saying every single Android device is slow is quite ignorant on your part.
@TheRogueFFAngel
If you android and nokia fanboys hate Engadget so much why the heck do you keep coming back and flaming every single writer in every single post?
As for android I don't hate it. I just don't get it. All the hype and all the bs praise you whiny loser geeks heap on it and every device you claim to be the next "iPhone killer" and yet it hasn't delivered any such thing.
Lmao at the nexus one comments. That's a complete bogus lie.
The iPhone is still hands down the best experience and the fastest...
@TheRogueFFAngel
Hey, I was willing to agree with you about the lag (I posted something similar above...) but randomly bashing nokia is going too far. The N900 is a great piece of technology. You are now trolling. Learn the difference between trolling and opinion/fact.
@TheRogueFFAngel
Uhh I'm not trolling.
You're LYING. I NEVER mentioned the N900. Although it's not my cup of tea when it comes to a phone (way too bulky and not attractive at all).
You're the one who's bring the N900 into the convo.
My point was simply directed at the raging android fanboys and nokia fanboys. The ones who were bitching about Engadget not reviewing the N900 (which they did today).
So try again. The iPhone 3GS is still better than the N900 and the Nexus One and millions of people agree with me.
Furthermore is the N900 even been sold in the US? Not to mention that Nokia is closing flagship stores...and losing money left and right.
@TheRogueFFAngel
Where is the nokia fanboy you say you see?
@TheRogueFFAngel
Umm clearly you're not reading the posts....
Hardly a day has gone by where there's not some loser geek moaning and bitching at Engadget about "WHERES MY N900 REVIEW! OMG ENGADGE IS TEH BIAS AGAINJZED THE NOKIA! MAEMO IS SO UBER AWESOME!!!!! WAH WAH WAH! WHERE IS TEH REVIEW!?!?!?"
That's not even a slight exaggeration of what nokia fanboys (or anti apple acolytes have been spouting over the last few weeks).
@TheRogueFFAngel
Looks like you're the guy invading this Android post to push your iPhone, not the other way around ;)
@TheRogueFFAngel
You understand Nokia sells the most phones out of any company?
RIGHT?!
@TheRogueFFAngel
@TheRogueFFAngel
Got some serious Android jealousy. You sound like some idiot that works at Best Buy. Oh wait, oops.
I've used a Nexus One, it seemed as smooth as the iPhone 3G except for the missing pinch and zoom. Not to say it didn't have it's own advantages including a much better and more customizable home screen, which even with it's widgets and animated wallpaper seemed as smooth as the iPhone's home screen of buttons.. The notification bar and background apps, so I actually had the ability to listen to Pandora and continue to use my phone. The app approval process and the option of Flash support are also positives.
That's why I can't wait for a great Android phone to hit AT&T, so I can finally make tthe switch, Not that the iPhone is a bad phone, I mean even my 54 year old aunt loves it, but it just doesn't do enough for me.
SHIBALLL
the vid is in korean =(
@iRawr I did understand it a little. One guy asked "why the hell is it taking so long to respond to my fingers"
@Edobe
Ah, +1 for you!
@Edobe
How do you say "That's what she said" in Korean?
This is the first time I have seen this beast anyone know a U.S carrier?
@schmidt1985
This beast looks to be more buggy than the last girl I knew that had the crabs. Lol
HDMI out, 720p video recording, if the codec support is decent, than this is the droid I've been looking for!
Damn, I want that over my CLIQ.
I'm sure Motorola 'll get it right. Considering what the Storm One was like during its first months, I'm sure a few updates will set this thing straight.
Processor worries me. May improve with stock Android.
Everything else is sex.
Reality check...I think the only people who really care much about multitouch pinging and zooming are Iphone users, the VAST majority of the rest of the world could probably care less....
I for one could care less about it because I cant use multitouch with one hand. I can't easily pinch and zoom and all the other multitouch goodies if I don't have both hands free to fondle the device.
What I "can" do that said GloryPhone can"t....I can pull down my task list and see incoming email, recent updates, calendar updates, missed calls, and whatever else is going on, with the flick of a finger in one hand. I can also double tap on the browser screen to zoom in and out with no effort...again, one handed, nice and smooth.
I could go on all day, but at the end of the day, my point is that, only mainly Iphone users complain about Android not having multitouch....which is like me sitting at my linux desktop complaining about OSX not even having half of the desktop effect (usable stuff, not wobbly windows) than compiz does lol, but who cares....
Get over yourself, and find new avenues to vent your frustrations..
@helfrez Your post made me hit my side mouse button so I could rotate my (deformed) cube to another desktop and back just for the fun of it. I could live without multi-touch more then I could live without the cube.
@helfrez Can't you just have both so the user can just how they want to zoom in? That way you get best of both worlds. I know I can tap to zoom and/or use multi-touch just to zoom in on my Eris.
can choose*