CES: Hands-on with the Motorola Droid Bionic
The Motorola Droid Bionic has a lot going for it: 4G LTE with Verizon, dual-core 1GHz processor for a total of 2GHz, 8-megapixel camera, and more. It's definitely a must-see phone here at CES 2011.
LAS VEGAS--Motorola kicked off the Verizon 4G extravaganza that was promised this week when it introduced the Droid Bionic, one of the first few phones to run on Verizon's 4G LTE network. If that wasn't enough to have the tech enthusiasts drooling, it even boasts a dual-core processor, with each core running at 1GHz for a total of 2GHz. And from what little we saw of it, we have to say we're impressed.
The 4.3-inch qHD display, for example, was quite stunning from our brief moments with it. It's bright, crisp, and the viewing angle was surprisingly wide. The phone doesn't feel quite as slick as the Droid X, and that's probably because the Droid Bionic is a touch thicker and rounder at the edges. Measuring 4.96 inches long by 2.63 inches wide by 0.52 inch thick, the Droid Bionic actually feels more like the
The spec sheet on this phone is certainly impressive. Aside from 4G and the dual-core processors, the Droid Bionic also has 512MB DDR2 RAM; HDMI mirroring (so you can view video on both the phone and the TV when they're connected); 1080p video playback; 8-megapixel camera on the rear plus a front-facing VGA camera for video calls; Wi-Fi, of course; mobile Wi-Fi hot spot for up to five devices (subject to carrier fees); and since it ships with Android 2.2, the WebKit browser also plays in-browser Flash video. Gingerbread fans need not fret either, as we've heard it is upgradable to Android 2.3. Following the example of the Motorola Droid Pro, the Droid Bionic will also feature different profiles for Home, Work, and Weekend, plus enterprise-level features that include remote wipe, data security, corporate e-mail compatibility, robust calendar management, and Quickoffice apps.
As we mentioned, pricing is still unknown, but availability should be around Q2 of this year. Check out our hands-on photos for a closer look./p>
P.S.: I have to say that despite the jokes that were made about the name, I quite like the "Droid Bionic" moniker. It doesn't seem as cliche as "Droid Incredible" and "Droid X." Also, the term "Bionic" is a nice hat-tip to the human element of the phone. It's smart and unique, which is not always the case when it comes to cell phone names. Or maybe I just have fond memories of Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers in "The Bionic Woman." Of course, it remains to be seen if the phone lives up to the name. What do you think?
