The long-awaited Motorola Droid Bionic, Verizon’s first dual-core processor 4G smartphone, is finally here — and it was worth the wait.
A one-gigahertz, dual-core processor with one gigabyte of RAM makes this phone really speedy on the carrier’s 4G LTE network, and it comes with the latest Android “Gingerbread” operating system, too.
While the Bionic doesn’t have the jaw-dropping display of the recently released Samsung Droid Charge, it does boast a 960-by-540 high-resolution screen that looks very sharp during Web browsing. Surfing the Internet is a joy on the Bionic, as the 4G network is superfast, making quick work of downloads. And the call clarity was great, whether on the 4G network or using Wi-Fi.
This $299 smartphone (with a two-year Verizon agreement) has the standard four touch-sensitive Android buttons, a 4.3-inch display, 16GB of internal storage and comes with a 16GB microSD card. It’s sleek and slim and — at 5.57 ounces — is lighter than you might expect.
Setting up accounts on the Bionic is a snap with start-up wizard, which lets you get your e-mail, Twitter, Facebook. LinkedIn, Flickr and other apps up to speed quickly. The Bionic offers great integration of all your social media, with widgets you can add to your display screen that update automatically.
This solidly engineered phone also comes with some amazing apps of its own. There’s Motoprint, an app that allows you to print to a Wi-Fi enabled printer right from the phone. It’s Webtop virtual application (with an optional $30 adapter) lets you beam the Firefox Web browser, e-mail or documents from the Bionic to a TV or computer monitor.
But my favorite is ZumoCast, a new free Motorola application that lets you wirelessly stream songs, videos or documents from your computer onto the Bionic without downloading or synching. After installing the software on my computer and the Bionic, I started streaming music, videos and documents right onto the phone without a hitch. Music sounded great on this phone and video also played back flawlessly. ZumoCast is a fantastic and easy way to link your computer with your phone.
The Bionic also has an optional $199 11.6-inch screen lapdock, which I did not receive, that lets the phone function as a laptop replacement. A $40 optional Vehicle Navigation Dock gives you easy access to maps, contacts, allows hands-free calling and navigation and lets you stream audio and music through a 3.5 mm audio jack to play through your car’s speakers.
The Bionic’s 8-megapixel rear camera and front camera for video chatting are more than decent. There’s a mobile hot-spot feature that supports multiple devices. And the phone has HDMI mirroring that allows full 1080p high-definition playback. I mirrored a Blu-ray video file from my test SIM card on the Bionic, and it looked incredible on my 46-inch flatscreen TV.
To sum up, the Motorola Bionic may not have the Samsung Droid Charge’s fantastic display, but it’s faster and its virtual application features are groundbreaking. Factor in its 1080p high-def camcorder and expandable memory and battery options, it’s leagues ahead of any other Android phone on the market and even better than Apple’s 3G-hobbled iPhone. It’s by far the best smartphone now available for Verizon Wireless customers.
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