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Getting a Droid Maxx
- Thread starter kmwhiten
- Start date
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- Tags
- motorola droid maxx
I think you will be very pleased. I kept waiting for the problems to crop up and they never did.
4.0 on the Bionic was a refreshing correction of a lot of problems. 4.1 on the Bionic introduced some new ones. 4.2 on the Maxx is a better experience then 4.0 on the Bionic.
I did not care for the Google search on every home screen and discovered Nova Launcher Prime. It combined with 4.2 on the Maxx is a very winning combination.
... Thom
4.0 on the Bionic was a refreshing correction of a lot of problems. 4.1 on the Bionic introduced some new ones. 4.2 on the Maxx is a better experience then 4.0 on the Bionic.
I did not care for the Google search on every home screen and discovered Nova Launcher Prime. It combined with 4.2 on the Maxx is a very winning combination.
... Thom
kmwhiten
Member
Do you think we will have issues with 4.4? I havent messed with Nova Launcher before, I normally just run stock.
4.4 - there is no way to predict. Based on the Moto X under 4.4 it would seem to be a smooth transition. (Factory Data Reset for sute.)
Nova Launcher Prime ($4 version) has some added capabilities not in the free version (like being able to hide apps in the app drawer). What sold me was that the home screen now rotates if I want it to.
... Thom
Nova Launcher Prime ($4 version) has some added capabilities not in the free version (like being able to hide apps in the app drawer). What sold me was that the home screen now rotates if I want it to.
... Thom
I don't think there is a "need". It is something you might want to experiment with as a "nice".
BTW ... the Maxx is the best Android phone I have ever owned. I never even think about the battery anymore ... jut put it on the charger when I go to bed and take it off when I get up.
... Thom
BTW ... the Maxx is the best Android phone I have ever owned. I never even think about the battery anymore ... jut put it on the charger when I go to bed and take it off when I get up.
... Thom
I only measured it to zero twice. The results on those two were just under three days and just over three days.
... Thom
... Thom
I use the stock launcher. You will not have a problem with it - performance of this phone is great. I know that some people don't like the Google search bar, but it's easily ignorable (though I actually use it a few times a week myself.)
I'm not sure if there will be issues with 4.4. I doubt that there will be problems - the Moto X seems to be doing fine with 4.4, though I think there are some minor issues with it.
Again, I am running stock for this. Everything runs fine.
Active notifications are one of my favorite features of the phone.
My battery life tends to trend to about 42 hours when I am on WiFi most of the day to about 36 hours when I am on mobile data most of the day. It depends on usage, of course, but my on screen time trends to about 2 to 3 hours per 18 hour day. In short, without having to turn things off, manage application usage, etc., I can easily get through a full day without worrying about plugging in. As I mentioned, active notification is one of my favorite features of the phone. The battery is my favorite.
This phone is great. Here are a few things that bug me, but it's only a little bit:
- If you tap any of the capacitive buttons in just the wrong place, the phone equates that to the gesture to launch Google Now (which used to be a tap and slide up from the home key until the recent OTA update.) It's a very minor annoyance.
- There is a proximity sensor on the top of the phone, to the left of the phone earpiece. If you place your had in the wrong place while holding the phone landscape, it occasionally thinks that the phone has been pocketed and turns off the display. It happens to me maybe once a week. It's a minor annoyance.
- The camera can take some good shots, but it also still has some issues. I think it's good enough, but it's not nearly as good as an iPhone camera.
- If you are connected to a bluetooth source for phone calls only, the Assist driving feature, which will usually offer to read received text messages out loud, in some cases it will not do so unless you have the phone connected as a bluetooth media connection (i.e., it is set up to play music while you are driving.) This is a very minor issue, IMHO, as any other phone generally doesn't have this feature anyway.
This is a fantastic phone and a great upgrade from a Bionic. As a Bionic user, though, here are some things that you may want to know:
- there is no SD card slot. The phone's internal 32 GB of storage is all that you get (and it has about 24 GB available when turned on out of the box - the other 8 GB or so is used by the phone's system and preinstalled apps.)
- there is no HDMI out connection port. I never used this on my old phone anyway, but some people miss it.
- Do not buy the Griffin car dock. It is nowhere near as good as the car dock that came with the Bionic. There is a car mode of sorts that is launched by the dock, but you will probably be better off with a third-party generic dock solution and the built-in Assist driving function, if you want that functionality
kmwhiten
Member
doogald,
Thanks for the heads up. Can you turn off the Assistant? I knew about the HDMI and SD slot, which I will miss.
Now my next thing to think about is, I ordered a Skinomi TechSkin screen protector that will ship in 2-7 days. Do I wait for the screen protector or do I go ahead and buy the phone and get 2 day shipping on the phone?
Thanks for the heads up. Can you turn off the Assistant? I knew about the HDMI and SD slot, which I will miss.
Now my next thing to think about is, I ordered a Skinomi TechSkin screen protector that will ship in 2-7 days. Do I wait for the screen protector or do I go ahead and buy the phone and get 2 day shipping on the phone?
Yes, the Assist app functions are optional and off by default. I find them very useful (the sleep assist and driving assist.)
I also have a Skinomi on my phone. It's great. I had one of the Verizon protectors on for a few days while I waited on Zagg, but they took their time coming out with a Maxx protector, so I finally bought the Skinomi. I liked it so much that I replaced the Zagg on my iPad, which wasn't working well for me, and I am glad that I did - the iPad is better with the Skinomi.
Perhaps it was a waste of money, but I liked having the glass protected. On my last phone I took a Zagg off after it started peeling a bit and decided to see what would happen if I just used it without a protector, and, after a month, I noticed a few small scratches. I just feel better knowing that it's protected myself.
kmwhiten
Member
Yea I am going to wait on the screen protector to get here before I buy the phone. Thanks again
What phone was that?
I've not had a screen protector on my Bionic or Maxx. Admited I work in an office. I also always carry my phone in a pocket that is dedicated to the phone. The only thing ever put in there is my phone or my hand. No scratches.
... Thom
Same here. After 2 years of use each on my OG DrOID and my Bionic, I can detect a few micro fine scratches on them but that is all.
It was a Motorola Droid 3, which was the same display as the Bionic, just a little smaller. The scratches weren't big nor did the glass break, but it was a reminder why I use one. The iPad also had no screen protector for a while when I took the last Zagg off in disgust. It now has a few small scratches.
I don't mind the rest of the phone getting scratched up a bit, but I prefer the glass to stay as scratch-free as possible. I'm not saying that everybody should get a screen protector, but I know that so long as these are made from glass, I will have one on my phone.
Yes ... as has been said a lot ... it changes from person to person. I find the display to be incredibly easier to read without a screen protector. I stopped using one on the Droid X. I think it's screen is not as durable as the Bionic.
... Thom
... Thom
NewArtDroid
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the tips. I might be getting my Max (current Bionic user too) soon
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I got my last two upgrades via Amazon and had zero issues.
kmwhiten
Member
Thanks, I plan on ordering the phone through Amazon once I know when my screen protector will be here.
According to their terms, you have to keep it for 181 days...[FONT="] http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=201077490#idp
[/FONT]
kmwhiten
Member
That is fine with me, I mean you are signing a new 2 year contact with Verizon and I dont plan on breaking that contract so I should be good. I am going to order it now, I mean it cant hurt. Soon I will be joining the Droid Maxx family lol
Hmmm. I'm not sure, as I've not tried it with this phone.
You may be able to use the "4 corner" trick - at the initial startup screen, press the 4 corners of the display clockwise starting at the upper left - upper left, upper right, lower right, lower left. The upper touches are just below the status/notification bar. Most Android phones will bypass activation and the setup application and bring you right to the home screen, unactivated. If this works, you can then connect to WiFi, start the Play Store to connect to your GMail account, and it will walk you through setting up the Google account.
However, I believe that this method will not automatically restore apps and settings that may be backed up to your Google account on another Android phone, so you may need to do all that manually. (Though when I activated my Maxx the normal way I didn't have settings restored from Google, either.)
kmwhiten
Member
Thank you very much, and yea I will be manually be downloading my apps and settings, however first I will download the latest update and then do a reset.