As promised, cvpcs has released the Bootstrap application for the Motorola DROID BIONIC that’ll get you the custom recovery you’re looking forward. Considering how recently this device came out we’re not sure it’ll be of much use to typical users right now, but developers are encouraged to download it so they can begin on their own ROMs and other such things. It’s a simple .APK file and works just like the DROID X and DROID 2′s bootstrap apps. It should be noted that this is for the DROIDN Bionic only – trying to use this on a DROID 3 will supposedly wipe your data even if the two devices are very similar. Check out the notes from cvpcs below and hit this link up for the download. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
This is not an official CWR release. Official CWR releases are signed off by Koush.
This will not be on market. I’ll leave that for when Koush makes an official release.
This is for BIONIC ONLY.
I am not responsible for any loss of data if there are bugs present. I have tested it but that doesn’t mean it’s bug free!
CyanogenMod 7 or CM7 as the kids call it, has just shown up on the Motorola DROID BIONIC Popular Android developer @cvpcs tweeted the successful Blur-less bootup today and was even generous enough to include some footage. Check it out:
The Motorola Droid Bionic hasn’t even been out for more than a week and there’s already some great progress being made on it. Keep in mind, this ROM isn’t nowhere near ready for primetime seeing how there are a handful of essentials not working just yet. Things like, no radio (for making calls) or data, device wont charge, no sound and the camera doesn’t work either. For all you Droid Bionic early adopters, I don’t imagine it will be too much longer before all the kinks are worked out and you can finally have your device Blur free.
Looks like we’ve got a couple of device codenames to add to our long list of device codenames. This time, a user dug within Webtop code (Webtop is the software running on those Lapdocks that are compatible with newer Motorola phones) and found references to “Edison” and “Common”.
For these two devices to be referenced here it sounds like more dual-core beasts may be on their way. All major carriers in America but T-Mobile have the other three phones listed, but that holds no bearing on where these might go. We also most consider that these may be old codenames no longer in use.
We still have the Motorola DROID HD to fully uncover and new rumors of a certain Motorola DROID Razr have sprung up, but there’s no way to be sure if any of this is related. In short: new codenames, but we’re completely lost as to what for. Hopefully more will come to light soon enough. [via Droid Life]
The helpful gents and gals over at AndroidForums.com have posted a guide about how to restore your Motorola DROID BIONIC to its factory state. Since Motorola stopped using traditional SBF files starting with the DROID 3, loyal member tehsusenoh figured it’d be best to make sure people know how to go about performing this particular task. Go on over to the All Things Root subform of the DROID Bionic section of AndroidForums.com to take a look at the guide and get familiar with it in case you need it in the near future.
Sprint will be kicking off their Direct Connect service in an Android fashion with the Motorola Admiral, according to a recently leaked document. We’ve heard the name before, but this is our first look at the handset and its specs. The portrait QWERTY smartphone will feature Android 2.3, a single-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm chipset, and 3.1-inch display. It also gets a 5MP camera, 4GB of internal storage, and an 1860mAh battery, all of which is built into a military-specced case capable of resisting water, dust, shock, pressure and temperature extremes, and pretty much whatever else you can throw at it. Quite admiral-able. Aren’t I punny? The Motorola Admiral should be making its way to Sprint later this fall.
It wasn’t too long ago when we learned Radio Shack would be giving T-Mobile the boot and making room on store shelves for their new buddy, Verizon Wireless. Well, to help celebrate the new venture, The Shack will be offering $100 on all of their Verizon smartphones from tomorrow September 15th, through October 22nd.
That means there’s no better time to pick up any one of those fancy 4G “Droid” doohickeys the kids have been talking about nowadays. Still, makes me wonder what Verizon could have up their sleeves the day after this sale is over..?
Could Motorola be looking to capitalize on two of its most recognizable brands by introducing a device known as the Droid RAZR? Let’s take it as a huge rumor for now, but a test photo (above) from the supposed device’s camera has surfaced with EXIF data claiming the name. Now, EXIF data can sure enough be faked, but there is reason to believe a Droid RAZR could be real.
Aside from the fact that the pairing makes almost perfect sense, there is the glossed over handset known as the Motorola Slimline (seen above) to ponder. The only mention of the device comes from a Motorola website redesign leaked back in the spring. But that mention included a render of the device (seen below), and in hindsight it does look mighty RAZR-y. The original feature phone was known for its slim profile, and it would follow that a device codenamed the Slimeline could be easily rebranded under the RAZR name.
We’ve heard no other whisperings about the a the Slimline let alone its connections to a possible RAZR smartphone, so we’re not quite sure what to think of this one. The idea sounds like a mountain full of gold waiting to be mined, but we’ll have to wait and see what other information we can gather from Verizon and Moto before getting completely behind this rumor.
The Motorola DROID BIONIC is Verizon’s first Android Phone to have both 4G LTE Connectivity and a dual core processor, immediately launching it into the elite smartphone realm. But with it’s delayed release – having first been announced in January and just launching in September – does it still carry enough bravado to warrant your hard earned dollar? Read (and watch) on to find out.
Bionic Hardware Review
The Droid Bionic has an attractive and familiar look consistent with several other Motorola Droids (most notably the Droid X2) with a little lip below the 4.3-inch screen. While the Bionic is slightly thicker than the X2 it’s still only .43-inches thick, the thinnest 4G phone on Verizon to date, and it feels reasonably sized and weighted. It’s pretty impressive what Motorola is able to pack into the Bionic’s relatively small frame.
The 4.3-inch qHD display has 960 x 540 pixel resolution and is pretty darn good. Close inspection will reveal images and videos that seem to have a slight cross-hatched pattern underlayed which might irritate some, but overall I was impressed with the screen quality. The screen is made of Corning’s “Gorilla Glass”, an extra tough material that protects against scratches and broken screens. It’s not indestructible, but it makes an awesome difference.
Below the display you’ll find the typical Android buttons (Menu, Home, Back, Search) which are capacitive (touch sensitive) and very responsive. The left side features a MicroUSB port and a Micro-HDMI port, the right side has a volume rocker, and there is 3.5mm headset jack on the top of the phone along with a power/sleep button.
The Bionic has two cameras: an 8MP camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front for video chat and self-pics. Also on the front, on the other side of the earpiece, you’ll find an LED status notification light; this is a small feature but one I appreciate – it’s nice to have a visual indication that you have calls, messages, or e-mails awaiting you when your phone is otherwise “off”.
On the top/back, behind the power button, is a little slot to help pry open the battery cover. Call it nitpicking, but the battery cover along with the MicroSD Card and 4G SIM Card underneath were the most frustrating part of using the Bionic.
Don’t be shy: you really have to yank the battery cover to get it off (but if you break it don’t blame me!). Once it’s off you’ll find a 1735 mAh battery which you’ll need to remove to access the 4G SIM card. You can remove the MicroSD card without removing the battery, but neither are easy to finagle. Luckily we don’t usually need access to remove/replace these so the irritation will be rare.
The Motorola Droid Bionic has a solid set of features and an impressive spec list, but what makes this phone special is a certain Bionic trio:
4G LTE Connectivity
1GHz Dual-Core processor
1GB RAM
These three hardware features together on one phone make the Bionic a powerful beast… let’s take a look at what this combination means for you.
The Bionic Trio (4G + Dual Core + 1GB RAM)
The Bionic is Verizon’s first phone to rock both 4G LTE connectivity and a dual-core processor- throw in 1GB of RAM and you’ve got an impressive combination of specs serving as your phone’s “engine” of sorts.
Let’s start off by looking at the Bionic’s 4G connectivity advantage which is an easier feat to illustrate. Check out the below video where we run three tests comparing the Droid Bionic’s 4G LTE speeds on Verizon with both 3G Verizon speeds using the Droid X and Home Wi-Fi (Comcast) using the Nexus One
As you can see, the quality of Verizon’s network spoiled my fun in two of the three tests. I’m in Baltimore where Verizon has an excellent 3G and 4G signal, so loading Phandroid.com and loading YouTube videos was lightning fast for both scenarios (even when compared to Wi-Fi). But Speedtest.net is where you truly see the power of Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
The Droid Bionic absolutely CRUSHES not only 3G but also Comcast Home Wi-Fi running the Speedtest.net app. With Verizon 4G I consistently got download speeds of 20+ Mbps and upload speeds of 3.5+ Mbps. It might be hard to understand how that extra power comes into play when 3G loaded websites and YouTube HD just fine, but think about this: if the 4G network only had 1 or 2 bars would it still be faster than Verizon’s 3G at 4 bars? My bet is yes and that’s where I think you would really see the value of the 4G network- even in areas with only average connectivity your 4G should zoom while your 3G might struggle.
While the 4G LTE Radio provides quick downloading and uploading of data/multimedia, the dual-core processor splits the on-device work across two processors thereby lightening the load. Add the powerful 1GB of RAM and the Bionic powerfully pumps where other devices might putter along.
While it’s harder to visualize the importance of processors and RAM, one popular measuring tool is Quadrant which looks at a number of indicators and metrics, boiling them down to a “Quadrant Score”:
As you can see above, the Droid Bionic well outperforms a number of top Android smartphones. I consistently scored between 2,200 and 2,500. Quadrant is a great way to ballpark the value of hardware specs but it’s only a relative comparison tool and not an exact science. There are other benchmarks out there but I offer this example simply to prove the Bionic is indeed a beast.
Bionic Software Review
The Droid Bionic ships with Android 2.3.4, the most recent version of Android (at publication of this review). With a new version of Android expected by year’s end, some might be tempted to wait: although Verizon has promised to support software upgrades for 1+ years, they usually come with a fair delay.
That being said, the Bionic runs the Android OS rather flawlessly. It’s quick, without lag, and an overall enjoyable experience. Credit the dual-core processor and 1GB RAM here. From apps and games to web-browsing and videos, the Bionic offers smooth sailing smartphone use.
MOTOBLUR, the manufacturer’s former custom OS overlay, has been replaced with a less intrusive option which offers some of the same features – like resizable widgets – without the bulk that previously dragged down performance. However, the Bionic does come preloaded with a large number of annoyingly undeleteable apps and games, some welcomed and others dead weight.
Bionic Multimedia Review
The Droid Bionic comes preloaded with a bunch of apps that occupy a chunk of its 16GB of internal memory. Among them: Amazon Kindle, Blockbuster, City ID, GoToMeeting, Let’s Golf 2, MOTOPRINT, NFL Mobile, Quickoffice, Slacker, Videosurf, and ZumoCast. It’s also packed with Google goodies like Maps, Navigation, and Places while Verizon pre-installs their entire VCast lineup.
It’s a mixed bag, but some of the apps I already regularly use (NFL Mobile, Slacker) and others I tried for the first time and enjoyed (ZumoCast, VideoSurf).
ZumoCast is pretty awesome: quick signup, quick install on your computer, and all of a sudden your phone can access any file on your computer from anywhere in the world. Of course your computer has to be online and running ZumoCast, but after setting this up once it’s like your own little free version of Dropbox. You can choose what folders and files to share with your phone and let me tell you- it’s worth downloading and trying out. While many people assume preinstalled apps are bloatware, ZumoCast is nothing but files-on-the-go goodness from Motorola. Great stuff.
VideoSurf is like Shazam for TV and Movies – pretty neat – but after thinking about it seems a lot less logical. Whereas you’re often listening to music with no way of identifying the artist/song, you usually have access to see the programming guide when watching TV or movies. Unless you’re watching YouTube or another online video source, but I found using VideoSurf on my desktop monitors with YouTube a lot less effective. Even so, cool idea.
Additional multimedia features include HDMI mirroring through the Micro-HDMI port, DLNA connectivity, and the ability to turn your device into a mobile hotspot if you pay for the associated plan. All of these features are well documented and work beautifully with the Droid Bionic, although I’ve always had headaches and troubles with DLNA across the board.
The enjoyability of the Bionic’s multimedia is due in large part to the hardware specs: the 4G LTE connectivity allow you to stream videos and load webpages with great speed and the processor and RAM give the device more than enough power to operate effortlessly. The nitpickers will point to the less-than-perfect display as a flaw when compared to other top phones, but the vast majority of folks will find it perfectly pleasurable for all types of multimedia viewing.
Bionic Camera Review
Of all the high-end features of the Bionic I was most disappointed with the camera. After seeing spectacular pictures captured with the phones like the Droid Charge, my bar for mobile picture taking has risen. The Bionic photo experience comes in under that bar. While it’s capable of taking great photos, there are a couple of problems and irritations that prevent it from being a top smartphone shooter. To summarize:
Auto-focus is hit or miss and takes a few seconds to stick
Pictures may mis-focus and appear blurry
Colors can seem dull and/or washed out
The rear 8MP camera comes with an LED flash and auto-focus. I took several pictures in different environments with various settings and just didn’t see consistent results. See the samples below and click to enlarge each picture:
This picture of a flower is taken with all automatic settings and although the real-life color was vibrant and robust, we see the flower washed out and leaves too contrasted in the picture. Definitely doesn’t capture what I intended.
I got much closer on that same flower and used the Macro settings. Although the clarity and focus was good, something simply wasn’t right with the color balance. Interestingly enough, , what I saw in the viewfinder and what I saw once the picture snapped were very different, making me wonder if an imposed software filter causes unintended alterations. Maybe a software update can fix the color issues.
Landscape photos were generally better in terms of color and focus.
One thing I noticed was a delay/lag in the auto-focus finding a target and often improperly focusing, leading to blur. It didn’t happen the majority of the time, but enough to find myself resnapping the same picture several times on occasion.
The above picture is taken in a pitch black room and the results are as you’d expect: seeable but blurry when large. Not bad for a completely dark room though.
The above picture was taken with the front-facing VGA camera. Let’s face it: you aren’t trying to work masterpieces when using this camera, you’re either trying to video chat or take a self-pic. For these purposes, the Bionic was perfectly servicebale. Since I don’t have a British accent, standing in front of a bookcase full of Encyclopedias is my main gimmick to appear intellectual. Unfortunately, I’m undermined by the beard.
I found the 1080p video recording on the Droid Bionic to be really good considering the lackluster still photo results. Here is a video of my brother and I trudging into the backyard where a usually dry ditch made way for a steady stream during a crazy weekend of rain:
One thing I did enjoy about the Droid Bionic Camera was the software. Whereas I’m usually left sifting through menu after menu to find various settings and options over here and there and drag-click-open-zoom what? Yeah… the Bionic makes it easy with a simple side drawer that comfortably explains/expands further.
Let’s clear something up: unless you’re some type of mobile photo guru, chances are the Droid Bionic camera will be perfectly fine for you. There are plenty of settings to help optimize you pictures and I did indeed snap some good photos. It isn’t one of the best mobile cameras on the market by a longshot, but it’ll do the trick for your casual everyday photos- just don’t expect to blow up your Bionic photo of the Egyptian Pyramids into a poster for your wall.
Battery Life & Call Quality
The battery life and call quality are essential elements of phone use but typically get a footnote in reviews because of their unexcitability. The same goes here. I found call quality to be better than average and battery life to be average.
One thing Droid Bionic users NEED to keep in mind is to turn off resource intensive features when they’re not being used: this means 4G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and other non-essentials. That alone will extend your battery life a good deal if you’re not already paying attention to these factors. I also imagine the Bionic will get more mileage out of the battery charge once more developers and Android in general better supports the dual-core architecture.
The bottom line is that the call quality is good, the speaker phone is reasonably loud, and the battery life falls in line with what any high-end Android Phone would yield. While I’d love to get more juice out of the Bionic, this is just an industry-wide issue that needs to be addressed. I’d suggest snagging a car charger and additional wall-charger so whether you’re at home, at work, or in-transit you can always stay plugged up. This and smart feature-use should solve a lot of your problems in the first place (with any phone).
Bionic Accessories
The Motorola Droid Bionic has a few accessories that are MUCH more interesting than car chargers and wall chargers. Try the Laptop Dock for example, which turns your Bionic into a fully usable laptop, promo image from Motorola below:
“Fully usable” is relative as you’re still limited to a somewhat netbookish environment but the nice thing is your phone does all the heavy lifting and already has your contacts, data, files, and information so no syncing is required. The Bionic actually powers the Lapdock which is more or less just a shell. Think Krang on TMNT. Or forget I just said that.
The Lapdock is kind of pricey at $300 but certainly a nice option. There’s also an HD Station for $100, Standard Dock for $40, Car Mount/Dock for $40, and Webtop adapter for $30. The latter of those is a nice bargain, allowing you to then connect your phone to an external display for using the Webtop experience that’s found on the Lapdock. It also lets you use the phone to scroll and type although bluetooth peripherals are welcome.
The Verdict
Friends and family constantly ask me, “What Verizon Android phone should I get?” and I’ve consistently told them, “Wait for a dual-core Android Phone with 4G LTE so that you’re phone is future proof.” Here it is.
The Motorola Droid Bionic is an excellent option, highlighted by the Bionic trio of 4G LTE, 1GHz dual-core processor, and 1GB RAM. A lot can happen in the 2-years until your contract is up, and these specs essentially “future proof” the Bionic, ensuring it’ll have the horsepower to run more resource intensive apps, games, and content as time goes on. It’s not the perfect device – the camera isn’t great and it’s missing a couple features like GSM/World radios and an NFC chip – but if these aren’t deal breakers then the Bionic is a top-shelf option and Verizon’s best.
Patient techies that crave the highest of high end phones may want to wait for the holidays when Verizon is likely to launch the rumored Droid Prime, but everyone else can confidently buy the Droid Bionic knowing it’s a great phone that should last them the duration of their contract… and considering the pace of today’s technology, that’s a mighty bold statement.
The Motorola DROID BIONIC has been out and has been making its way into the hands of the development community. It didn’t take long for them to get things going, though, as the device has been rooted.
The next big step came yesterday where MyDroidWorld revealed they had a working custom recovery. Unfortunately they have not yet released the recovery but it shouldn’t be too long as the method for installation should be similar to the DROID 3. Be on the lookout here, at Androidforums.com or over at MyDroidWorld for the latest in rooting and ROMing. [Thanks yank!]
Motorola’s next big handset has been slinking around behind the scenes under the codename Dinara, masked only by the shadow of the hyped-up Droid Bionic. Now that Bionic has finally made its way to Verizon, Dinara rumors are sure to flare up. The phone that may or may not eventually be known as the Droid HD was pictured next to the Bionic last month, but today a picture supposedly snapped by the handset’s 13MP camera provides the point of speculation. This isn’t the first purported sample photo from the Dinara to appear online, but it shows off the camera’s full 4128×3096 resolution (blurry as it may be).
Other rumored specs for the phone include a 720p display, VGA front-facing camera, the possibility of a Verizon LTE radios. Yes, it’s a bit hard to get excited over a unfocused crotch shot from a camera that could belong to an upcoming Motorola handset, but if the stars align this could be a phone with some pretty beastly specs.
The 4.3-inch qHD display has 960 x 540 pixel resolution and is pretty darn good. Close inspection will reveal images and videos that seem to have a slight cross-hatched pattern underlayed which might irritate some, but overall I was impressed with the screen quality. The screen is made of Corning’s “Gorilla Glass”, an extra tough material that protects against scratches and broken screens. It’s not indestructible, but it makes an awesome difference.
The Droid Bionic ships with Android 2.3.4, the most recent version of Android (at publication of this review). With a new version of Android expected by year’s end, some might be tempted to wait: although Verizon has promised to support software upgrades for 1+ years, they usually come with a fair delay.
Of all the high-end features of the Bionic I was most disappointed with the camera. After seeing 
