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Droid 2 to Atrix

Szadzik

Szadzik

Extreme Android User
Hi Everyone,

I am a long tim Droid/ Droid 2 (actually their European equivalents) and was wondering if any of you Atrix users moved from the original Droid/ Droid 2 to Atrix and what your impressions are.

My main questions would be about:

1. Build quality - Droid series is made of metal and is really well made - how is the plastic Atric here?
2. Atrix is only a few millimetres bigger than the Droids, but much thiner - is it as manageable as the Droids and usabe with just one hand?
3. How do you live without a physical keyboard if you were really used to one with the Droid?

Thanks in advance,
Szadzik
 
I switched from the Droid 1 to the Atrix and dont regret it at all. The speed of this phone is just mindblowing. No cell phone should be as powerful as this thing is. The Atrix is an absolute monster of a phone.
To answer your questions:

1. To me, the build quality feels about the same as the Droid. It doesnt feel plastic-y or cheap. It's got some weight to it.

2. I actually find that the Atrix is EASIER to hold in one hand than the Droid was. It fits perfectly in my hand.

3. Even when I had my Droid, I used Swype more than I used the physical keyboard. So I dont have any problem with not having a physical keyboard. Swype is included on the Atrix (along with a standard multi-touch keyboard).
 
Thanks for the impressions Captain.

I will have to wait some time before Atrix gets released in Europe, but this I think will be my next phone. Such a shame Motorola could not release NAM and EU versions at the same time.
 
Szadzik said:
Thanks for the impressions Captain.

I will have to wait some time before Atrix gets released in Europe, but this I think will be my next phone. Such a shame Motorola could not release NAM and EU versions at the same time.
Click to expand...

I moved from Windows Mobile devices, not Droids, with my last phone being a Tilt 2 (Touch Pro 2 I believe). So, I can't address the switch from the Droid. However, I had the same concerns about losing the physical keyboard.

After a couple weeks with the phone what I have found is that when in landscape I can type as fast or faster witht he Atrix touchscreen as I was with the Tilt 2's physical keyboard. There are some differences. As you get to learn the multi touch keyboard and it's predictive corrections, you get pretty quick. For instance when typing Isn't or other words with apostrophes, most of the time you can just type them without the apostrophe and the Atrix's first or second choice will be the correct word with the ' in it.

I have played a little with Swype and I do think that in time that could be the fastest entry method.

The biggest negative I see to the virtual vs. physical keyboard is screen area. What I mean is that using the physical keyboard on the Tilt (and I assume the Droid) left the entire screen visible. So, if you are working on an email, you can see 5 or 6 lines or more of the message you are working on. When using the virtual keyboard, I think you see two lines, because the keyboard takes up 2/3+ of the screen.

All of the above is based on the landscape keyboard, because I think the portrait one is not good for more than typing in short spurts.
 
Thanks @tneador, I too came from Windows Mobile over a year ago and used Xperia X1 and then Droid 1 and 2 so it has been some time since I have been using slide qwerty keyboards and got used to them.

Thanks for your observations, I apreciate the help.
 
Szadzik said:
Hi Everyone,

I am a long tim Droid/ Droid 2 (actually their European equivalents) and was wondering if any of you Atrix users moved from the original Droid/ Droid 2 to Atrix and what your impressions are.

My main questions would be about:

1. Build quality - Droid series is made of metal and is really well made - how is the plastic Atric here?
2. Atrix is only a few millimetres bigger than the Droids, but much thiner - is it as manageable as the Droids and usabe with just one hand?
3. How do you live without a physical keyboard if you were really used to one with the Droid?

Thanks in advance,
Szadzik
Click to expand...

I had the original droid phone with verizon and LOVED that phone!

When I switched to att, I purchased an iphone 3gs and while that phone is so much fun and easy to use, I just prefer the more advanced android system - advanced for the user and customization, i mean.

I now have an Atrix and this is truly the best phone I have ever owned and I am still learning more about it. To try to answer your questions from my opnion:
1. I think the build quality is excellent. I had the same concerns about it being plastic but it feels very solid to me.
2. I think the atrix feel really good to hold and use - just seems to fit well in my hand. Not too big or too small and a nice weight.
3. I have been without a physical keyboard for a while now so I am used to it. It is much better than the iphone because you can download different keyboards and find the one that works best for you.

Good luck with your choice!
 
You've probably heard this before and don't want to hear it but I would suggest as a Verizon user to just wait for the Bionic. It's going to be an Atrix with slightly less ram, bigger screen, and better camera. Most importantly however, is that it will have Verizon's LTE support. Verizon's 4G network is currently faster than T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint's and will be completed and cover the country before any of the other three carriers' 4G networks will. The Atrix supports HSPA+. Keep in mind that this is a very temporary placeholder 4G for AT&T until they begin doing their own LTE rollout.

If you don't care about any of that, the Atrix is an amazing phone. Touch screen keyboards have a learning curve but anyone can really get used to and good at it with a couple days of practice. My Droid X which is slightly bigger than the Atrix is definitely too big for me to really use with one hand for web browsing and stuff like that if I want to be able to reach links at the top of the screen or pull down the notification bar(Works fine in one hand for calls of course). I don't mind using the device at all, I like the size a lot more than my previous phones(Nexus One, Droid Incredible).
 
dguy said:
You've probably heard this before and don't want to hear it but I would suggest as a Verizon user to just wait for the Bionic. It's going to be an Atrix with slightly less ram, bigger screen, and better camera. Most importantly however, is that it will have Verizon's LTE support. Verizon's 4G network is currently faster than T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint's and will be completed and cover the country before any of the other three carriers' 4G networks will. The Atrix supports HSPA+. Keep in mind that this is a very temporary placeholder 4G for AT&T until they begin doing their own LTE rollout.

If you don't care about any of that, the Atrix is an amazing phone. Touch screen keyboards have a learning curve but anyone can really get used to and good at it with a couple days of practice. My Droid X which is slightly bigger than the Atrix is definitely too big for me to really use with one hand for web browsing and stuff like that if I want to be able to reach links at the top of the screen or pull down the notification bar(Works fine in one hand for calls of course). I don't mind using the device at all, I like the size a lot more than my previous phones(Nexus One, Droid Incredible).
Click to expand...

I am not a Verizon user - I live in Europe so I do not care about a bigger screen, I tried HTC Desire HD and it was tooooo big for me and that is the reason why I am thinking about Moto Atrix.
 
Szadzik said:
I am not a Verion user - I live in Europe so I do not care about a bigger screen, I tried HTC Desire HD and it was tooooo big for me and that is the reason why I am thinking about Moto Atrix.
Click to expand...

My mistake. By all means, get the Atrix.
 
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