Droid X review by PC Magazine

The Motorola Droid X has gotten the PC Magazine "Editors' Choice" award. The Droid X is a very large (but very slim) smartphone running Android. If you want a smartphone that has a large screen, then this is the one to get.  The Droid X does NOT have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard like the original Motorola Droid. As a result, the Droid X is very thin (except where the camera and flash protrude from the body).

I think I'd prefer the HTC Incredible just because I don't need a device that has a 4.3" screen. Then again, the large screen is nice if you're watching movies or playing games, but who has time for that?

If you're on the Verizon Wireless network, you probably won't go wrong if you choose the Motorola Droid X or the HTC Incredible.

To read the PC Magazine review, click here.

How to Write a Smartphone App Review

This is a guest post by Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P. If you're interested in submitting a guest post, please contact me.

How to Write an App Review 

Amazon book and product reviews have changed the way I shop. Instead of reading the publishers description I immediately scroll to reviews from other shoppers. I read the five and one star comments to learn the best and the worst about a product. Since smartphone apps require time to select, download, install, and learn a well written review helps me decide if an app is worth my time and effort which is often secondary to the negligible price of the app.

A smartphone app review is a good topic for your own blog or to submit as a guest post to blogs in your niche. Reviews tell readers about the apps you find useful. This is the format I use and recommend for organizing an app review:

The HTC Imagio gets reviewed by Brighthand

The HTC Imagio has received its review by the folks over at Brighthand. What's the verdict? It's probably the best iPhone imitator (they didn't say "killer"). If you're stuck on the Verizon network and you're dying for an Apple iPhone, the HTC Imagio may be the best thing you can find until Verizon actually gets the iPhone. Of course, you'll have to use Windows Mobile 6.5 if you get the Imagio, so if you're an "anti-Microsoft" fanatic out there, then you should simply wait for the iPhone.

Here's the summary:

Pros:

* Large, high-resolution screen
* Solid build quality
* Well stocked with software

Cons:

* Inconsistent speed
* Less memory than it should have

Reviews reflect real opinions, but your opinion may be quite different. I enjoy reading reviews, but I find that I generally only agree with about 50-75% of what editors publish in their reviews. To read the full review of the HTC Imagio on Brighthand, click here.

PC World reviews the Palm Pre

How did the editors at PC World rate the Palm Pre? They gave it an 82 (very good). They say: "A responsive touchscreen, an engaging interface, and a few flaws." Now, I'm referring to the PC World magazine. The website (PCWorld.com) reviewed the Palm Pre back in June and gave it an 87 (very good).

Pros:

• Pre's webOS is gorgeous and easy to use
• Highly responsive multitouch display

Cons:

• Keyboard feels cramped and flimsy
• Lacks removable memory

Going back to the magazine, the key components they highlighted included:

• Hardware
• WebOS
• Social Networking Features
• Multimedia

I really like the form factor of the Palm Pre. You get a nice large capacitive touch-screen device. The phone is a slider, but instead of a wide keyboard that requires both hands, you get a narrow one that could be managed using one hand. I was spoiled when I had my old Palm Treo. I used to type on that device using only one hand. It was very efficient when my other hand was tied up.

Although the Palm Pre has a really nice design, it lacks medical software right now. Unless you use an emulator that mimics the old original Palm OS, you really won't find much out there for webOS. Let's hope that quickly changes.

BlackBerry Pearl Flip

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip is a really nice phone if you like flip phones and the BlackBerry operating system. One of my early memories of a cell phone is the Motorola StarTac. The Flip 8320 is compact, sleek, and has a decent keyboard for a flip phone.

infoSync World gives it the following review:

Pros: Top-notch messaging options. Clever, light design. Colorful screen and updated interface. Cons: Feels a bit cheap and flimsy. Mediocre performance hurt usability. Lacked impressive battery life of larger BlackBerry devices.

Palm Pre Didn't Pick Me

It appears that Palm Pre did not pick me to review their upcoming Palm Pre smartphone. They were supposed to notify the reviewers on May 8th and I never received any type of notification. Oh well, I must live on with my current phone (an XV6800) and hope for the best. Hopefully someone in the medical field was chosen to be a Palm Pre reviewer since this is going to be a really popular phone among medical students and physicians.

Did You Get Picked to Review a Palm Pre?

Palm is supposed to notify "real reviewers" today (May 8). Did you get selected to review a Palm Pre? I wonder how many people they picked. I hope they're write about it on their blog. I submitted my application and I'm eagerly waiting. I wonder how many applications they received.

PreThinking has over 2,000 followers on Twitter. Are you following?