Droid Bionic arrives at Verizon tomorrow, we go hands-on today (video)

It's been a very, very long time since Verizon and Motorola together announced the Droid Bionic -- the better part of a year, in fact. Since then the phone's gone into hiding, perhaps hitting the gym and training for this moment, it's final and formal unveiling. The frequently-spied device finally ships tomorrow, and we have the full details plus early impressions right here, after the break.
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The Bionic seems like it's just the Droid X2 with LTE, and in many ways it is. The styling is somewhat similar, there's a 4.3-inch qHD LCD up front, and a dual-core 1GHz processor inside. This time it's a TI OMAP chip spinning in there and 32GB of storage (16 internal, 16 on microSD), but it's the new wireless compatibility that really sets the Bionic apart. This is the company's first dual-core LTE smartphone, the quickest yet. It's also the thinnest such device on Verizon's network -- though it is considerably chubbier than the X2 that sired it.

Early impressions are those of a very nice phone. The styling is a bit drab, to say the least, but it's a sophisticated looking thing, and seemingly quite solidly built, too. The Gorilla Glass up front has a bevel around the edge that does give a bit of flare, but also succeeds in being an exceedingly effective lint trap after just one trip into a pocket.

Performance on the phone seems exceptional so far, but we'll withhold full judgment until we've run our suite of tests. We'll also be trying out the range of accessories, including the $300 Lapdock, which we've seen previously on the Atrix, the $99 HD Station, a little dock that adds a couple of USB ports to the device, and the $30 Webtop Adapter, which is the cheapest way to gain access to the Webtop interface and get yourself a little Firefox on your phone.

We'll be back with the full review ASAP, but for now, enjoy the video above and maybe, just maybe, plot a course to your nearest Verizon Wireless store.

Show full PR text

VERIZON WIRELESS AND MOTOROLA RAISE THE BAR WITH DROID BIONIC™ BY MOTOROLA

Unsurpassed Power, Speed and Entertainment

On the Fastest, Most Advanced 4G LTE Network in America

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced DROID BIONIC™ by Motorola will be exclusively available beginning Sept. 8.

DROID BIONIC is the first Verizon Wireless smartphone to combine 4G LTE with the power of a dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM and a stunning 4.3-inch qHD display – all in a sleek form factor that makes it the thinnest 4G LTE smartphone from Verizon Wireless. Customers can expect to fly across the Web on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network with download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G LTE mobile broadband coverage areas.

DROID BIONIC introduces a host of groundbreaking applications and accessories that turn the device into a multi-media hub, a ruler of remote access and a purveyor of virtuality. DROID BIONIC introduces ZumoCast™ by Motorola, an application that lets customers bring their digital world of videos, music, pictures and documents stored on their computers to their handset via remote access. With its revolutionary Webtop application, DROID BIONIC can beam a full-featured Firefox® Web browser, email or documents to a TV or monitor, like the separately purchased Lapdock™ with a 11.6" screen, keyboard and integrated trackpad.

Accessories such as the HD Station let DROID BIONIC users turn the phone into an entertainment center or home office. Customers can view pictures, video, and content from the DROID BIONIC on any HDTV or monitor by connecting a separately sold HDMI cable. They can also take a conference call while editing documents and surfing the Web. And, of course, the DROID BIONIC lets customers share their 4G LTE signal with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices when they activate the Verizon Wireless Mobile Hotspot. The device of the future today, the DROID BIONIC also includes the following features:

Powered by Android™ 2.3.4 Gingerbread

Dual-core 1 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM

4.3-inch qHD screen using scratch-resistant Corning® Gorilla® Glass and dual-layer anti-reflective coating

8-megapixel autofocus camera with flash and 1080p HD video capture

Front-facing camera for video chat over 4G LTE, 3G or Wi-Fi

MOTOPRINT app to print via Wi-Fi-enabled printers

Mirror Mode with HDMI out (HDMI cable required) supporting 1080p HD video playback

Multi-window options for multitasking with ease when using the Webtop application

Business Ready with advanced security policies; resizable and scrollable email, calendar and task widgets; device and SD card encryption; and Citrix® GotoMeeting® and Citrix Receiver™

Adobe® Flash® pre-loaded

HTML 5 capable

32 GB memory: 16 GB on board and 16 GB microSD™ card pre-installed (actual formatted capacity is less)

Support for up to 32 GB microSD cards

Supports wireless charger

Pricing and availability:

DROID BIONIC by Motorola will be available in Verizon Wireless Communication Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com on Sept. 8 for $299.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

Customers will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for 450 minutes per month and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Verizon Wireless Mobile Hotspot data plans are available beginning at $30 for 2 GB.

For a limited time, customers who purchase a Lapdock with the DROID BIONIC can receive a $100 mail-in rebate when subscribing to a $50, 5 GB data plan or higher.

Available accessories:

The Lapdock will be available for $299.97, the HD Station will be available for $99.99 and the Adapter for Webtop Application will be available for $29.99.

Vehicle Navigation Dock delivers easy access to maps, favorite contacts, hands-free calling, music, navigation and more and supports streaming of audio and music via the 3.5 mm audio jack, if available, to play through vehicle speakers. The Vehicle Navigation Dock will be available for $39.99.

The Battery Dock with standard battery is a pocket-sized accessory with an extra battery included to charge both DROID BIONIC and an extra battery at the same speed as a wall charger. The Battery Dock will be available for $49.99.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. For more information on accessories, visit www.verizonwireless.com/accessories.