Moto-X

[FlyingPenguin]

I'm out of contract but in no hurry for a new phone, plus I'm planning on switching from Sprint to Verizon.

I was considering the Galaxy S4, but I hate the bloatware. I was also considering the HTC One (not happy about no replaceable battery, but in a few years ALL phones will be like this - it's inevitable).

Even looked at the Galaxy Note II longingly. LOVE the big screen but the phone is HUGE.

Thought about a Nexus 4 because I REALLY like the clean Android OS, but the problem is that the Nexus 4 is sadly underpowered compared to a modern phone and it's battery life is nothing exciting.

However the Moto-X is looking REAL interesting. I need to sit down and read some in-depth reviews on it. I like that it's a relatively clean Android OS, and that the phone seems to really excel at hand-free operation (using my current HTC Evo 4G totally hands free while driving has turned out to be a joke).

I like a lot of what I've heard about it. Since I'm in no rush, I can wait until it's released and read some customer hands-on reviews.

[Key Keeper]

I have the note 2. I figured I would try it due to the screen real estate and I can honestly say, I'll never get a dinky phone again. It now seems normal and I have no issues with. Only app that gives me problems is the hobbit KOM game but it gives everyone problems, poorly coded.

[FlyingPenguin]

Do you hold it up to your ear or do you use a BT headset?

I played with the Note II in the store for half an hour and I loved it. The screen was so easy to read, and web pages fit nicely.

I'm still considering it. It feels too big to hold to your ear comfortably, but so did by Evo 4G two years ago and now just about every phone is bigger than that.

Only other concern is fitting it in a pocket. My work khakis have very large pockets designed for modern phones, so large that my Evo 4G often turns sideways in the pocket, so I don't think they would be a problem. However I'm not sure a Note II would fit in my jeans back pocket.

I need to wear Jeans over to Sams Club some time. Their display Note II doesn't have the security crap attached to it and I want to see how it fits in my pocket.

[EvilHorace]

Why would an S4 have more bloatware than the Note II? I'd think that they'd be similar but one can turn off most things with the S4 if desired. Can't say any of it bothers me so far. The Note II is huge, even the S4 is a tad larger than I'd like.

[FlyingPenguin]

The S4 is notorious for bloatware - even compared to the S3. You can turn it off, but you can't uninstall it (without rooting it - and I don't root my phones). It leaves you very little onboard memory. I know people that have to be very careful about how many apps they have installed.

There's a lot of interesting but useless features on the S4 like the eye scrolling nonsense that doesn't actually work.

I'd actually prefer to buy one of those unlocked pure Android versions of the S4 except that I don't think they work on Verizon. Not sure.

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE the S4. It's a nice phone, but I also love the simple look and feel of a pure Android desktop like on my Nexus 7 tablet.

[DaMaN]

I have had the current version of the Verizon / Droid phones. (Razr M, Razr Maxx & Razr Maxx HD) and will never buy a Motorola phone again. I hate the Motorola bloatware and the Verizon crapware. I am going to try to root my Razr Maxx HD and see if that make me happy because I love the long battery life but hate the hardware which has already failed me twice (overheating battery & failed speaker in the earpiece) already.

[FlyingPenguin]

Yeah but this is the first post Google purchase of Motorola phone. It's more a Google phone than a Moto phone. The Moto-X is more like a pure Android phone. They're trying to keep it simple and reduce the bloat.

[EvilHorace]

It leaves you very little onboard memory. I know people that have to be very careful about how many apps they have installed.

All you need to do is add a 64GB card and install an app that allows you to put extra apps onto that card (App Manager III). There are easy solutions to everything. Initially the phones had battery drain issues (too much stuff running in the background) but I found an app for that too called JuiceDefender that allows you to control that too. There have been a couple Samsung updates and those have seemed to help too.

I have many apps now, haven't needed to uninstall anything yet.

Eye scrolling? I haven't yet noticed that to work but it's an easy on/off switch if one doesn't want it on.

From what I've seen online, most people who whine about the phone simply haven't learned how to use it. My son got one too and he had an android phone before that yet he initially had issues learning the tricks of the S4. There is a learning curve to it as it does alot of stuff, more than most people really need IMO.

[DaMaN]

Bob, please review the Moto X if you decide to take the plunge. My ideal phone would be an S4 with vanilla Android on it and the Razr Maxx's battery life.

[FlyingPenguin]

Finally went to play with it at the Verizon store for half an hour. I really like it. It's very nearly a pure Android OS with none of the bloat you get in other phones - feels just like using my Nexus 7 tablet.

It's very fast and responsive - faster than the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One IMO. I've never seen such a responsive phone.

It's the right size too. No bigger than my old HTC Evo 4G, but thinner and lighter. Feels real nice in your hand.

I like the location-specific unlock feature.You can program it to unlock itself when it detects a certain Bluetooth device - even if it's not a headset. Any location with a recognized BT device is considered a "safe" area. So when you go into your car it automatically unlocks when it sees your car's BT. But you can even have it unlock when it sees your PC's BT, as I understand it (Leo Laporte says he uses it like that).

Battery life is amazing by all reports. I'm going to pull the trigger soon. Waiting to see if - as some people predict - they drop the price.

Really well done review here:
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