Sunday, May 11, 2014

Moto X

My Skyrocket is getting long in the tooth. And slow. I think that the slowness is due to the lack of TRIM. And we know what the cure for that is don't we? Android 4.3. But wait, AT&T hasn't pushed 4.3 to the Skyrocket and never will. I can't complain. AT&T has upgraded the Skyrocket twice since I've had it.

So I turned to my favorite ROM, CyanogenMod. Hmmm, they haven't released Android 4.4 (KitKat) for the Skyrocket. There is a stable version of Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) for the Skyrocket but it hasn't been updated since December 2013. I don't want to go to an old Android.

Sounds like a good enough reason to purchase a new phone!

You'll remember that I'm sensitive to size. That's why I chose the Skyrocket (Galaxy S2) over the Galaxy S3. So I went looking for a Galaxy S4 Mini. AT&T hasn't offered that yet so I was going to have to get it unlocked. That's already a generation back compared to the S5 and Samsung hasn't pushed KitKat to it. That didn't sound like a good place to land so I kept looking.

What I found was that newer phones than my Skyrocket have actually gotten smaller while increasing the screen size due to the smaller bezels. I could have my cake and eat it too!

I ended up with the Google Moto X.


Motorola was having a May Day sale for $325 for the unlocked GSM model with 32GB so I went for it. It's marginally smaller than the Skyrocket with higher resolution.

Do you think I have enough frequencies?


I used Moto Maker to build my own Moto X. I chose "Woven Black" (looks like carbon fiber) for the back, a black front, "Metallic Silver" for an accent color, and a personalized signature.


I found a carbon fiber wallpaper to match the back.


An amazingly quick trip to the local AT&T store got me a free nano-SIM with no activation charge and I was up and going.

Samsung Galaxy S II SkyrocketMotorola Moto X
DESIGN
Device typeSmart phoneSmart phone
OSAndroid (4.1.2, 2.3.6, 2.3.5) TouchWiz UIAndroid (4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2.2)
Dimensions5.15 x 2.75 x 0.37 inches (131 x 70 x 9 mm)5.09 x 2.57 x 0.41 inches (129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm)
Weight4.66 oz (132 g)4.59 oz (130 g)
DISPLAY
Physical size4.5 inches4.7 inches
Resolution480 x 800 pixels720 x 1280 pixels
Pixel density207 ppi316 ppi
TechnologySuper AMOLED PlusAMOLED
Colors16 777 21616 777 216
TouchscreenMulti-touchMulti-touch
FeaturesLight sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glassLight sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass
CAMERA
Camera8 megapixels10 megapixels
   FlashLEDLED
   Aperture sizeF2.6F2.4
   Focal length (35mm equivalent)30 mm
   Camera sensor size1/3.2"1/2.6"
   FeaturesAutofocus, Smile detection, Geo tagging, PanoramaAutofocus, Touch to focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama
Camcorder1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps)
   FeaturesVideo light, Video calling
Front-facing camera2 megapixels2 megapixels
HARDWARE
System chipMotorola X8 (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960)
ProcessorDual core, 1500 MHzDual core, 1700 MHz, Krait
Graphics processorYesAdreno 320
System memory1024 MB RAM2048 MB RAM
Built-in storage16 GB32 GB
Maximum User Storage28 GB
Storage expansionmicroSD, microSDHC up to 32 GB
BATTERY
Talk time7.00 hours12.00 hours
Stand-by time10.4 days (250 hours)10.0 days (240 hours)
Capacity1850 mAh2200 mAh
Not user replaceableYes
MULTIMEDIA
Music player
   Filter byAlbum, Artist, PlaylistsAlbum, Artist, Playlists
   FeaturesAlbum art cover, Background playbackAlbum art cover, Background playback
SpeakersEarpiece, Loudspeaker
YouTube playerYesYes
INTERNET BROWSING
Built-in online services supportFacebook, Picasa/Google+, TwitterYouTube (upload), Picasa/Google+
TECHNOLOGY
GSM850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS850, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
FDD LTE700 (band 17), 1700/2100 (band 4) MHz700 (band 13), 850 (band 5), 1700/2100 (band 4), 1900 (band 2) MHz
DataLTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGELTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
nano-SIMYes
PositioningA-GPSGPS, A-GPS, S-GPS, Glonass
NavigationYesTurn-by-turn navigation
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth3.04.0 LE, EDR
Wi-Fi802.11 a, b, g, n802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac
   Mobile hotspotYesYes
USBUSB 2.0USB 2.0
   ConnectormicroUSBmicroUSB
   FeaturesMass storage device, USB chargingMass storage device, USB charging
HDMIvia microUSB
OtherNFC, DLNA, Computer sync, OTA sync, SyncMLNFC, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync
OTHER FEATURES
NotificationsHaptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, SpeakerphoneHaptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
SensorsAccelerometer, Gyroscope, CompassAccelerometer, Compass
Hearing aid compatibilityM3M3, T3
OtherVoice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recordingVoice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording
AVAILABILITY
Officially announced31 Oct 201101 Aug 2013
Source: phoneArena.com

According to Steve Jobs that would be a "retina" display.

The Moto X is smaller than the Skyrocket in every dimension other than thickness (0.04 inches). And it's lighter.

I got the Seidio Spring-Clip Holster (HLMTXPAS). I used to buy cheap holsters but then one broke and cost me a new screen on the Captivate.


And just in case I wanted to play with a different phone using that nano-SIM I got a MediaDevil Simdevil 3-in-1 SIM card adapter kit.


Now I'll go flash my Skyrocket anyway.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where did you find the carbon fiber background image?

Ben Moore said...

I replaced the screenshot of the wallpaper with the image that I actually use for wallpaper.