DROID - A History

[akhenax]

I wish more companies did what this commercial did: give homage to the past, before praising the present and future.

For all those who bought the OG Droid, because you were tired of not being able to do what you wanted on your "feature" phone, or frustrated that the iPhone was an AT&T exclusive,;
Who first heard of "rooting" because a developer/explorer rooted their Droid 1 and we all wanted to? Now you can backup your data, and restore it.

Who first heard of overclocking, when 600Mhz, just was not fast enough? The fight to get that phone to 1.2 Ghz.

Who first became crack flashers, on the OG ? You can put a new rom on it like Bugless Beast or Ultimate Droid, etc.

To all those who took the leap, paying an extra 30 dollars a month for data, here's to you! int:

 

[cybertec69]

Don't buy into these promotional videos, Verizon at it's best again trying to bring back the Droid brand with an outdated device by Googelrola again.

 

[Heero121]

It started the D1...then evolved, which is great and everything, but has motorola forgotten about their full qwerty keyboard lovers? The only reason I stuck with the Droid models is because they came with a great keyboard. Now 2 years since the D4 release, im feeling like im left in the dark, stood up by Motorola. why did you stand me up motorola?!

 

[kevsgroove]

I don't think that anyone can conscientiously deny that the OGD (Aka Motorola Droid A855 "slider"), didn't only "change" Android, but that it really did in fact take it from "another operating system for phones", to an entire culture shocker. The OGD was THE game-changer. I don't really believe that things could possibly have progressed anywhere near as fast as they have had it not been for the massively aggressive, powerful, and very expensive ad campaign that was to launch the DROID, utilizing the name, the concept, and the uniqueness of the Droid's styling to the MAX!!

Couldn't have said it better. I too loved my OG Droid. Picked it up the day after Thanksgiving 2009 while waiting on the iPhone to come to Verizon. Ha, will never look back from the Android system now. Yes, I have the S4 now, but I'm not going to rule out another 'Droid' down the line - especially with Google's backing. Step back to the fore with innovation and I'll certainly give 'em another shot.

 

[KaChow]

While my history with Motorola has been brief, I am convinced the Droid line Started out solid in 2009 it Ended in 2012. Advancements have progressed to faster chips, memory, and software; leading to eliminating removable batteries, physical keyboards, and sd card slots. In many ways while I picked up my first RMHD, I was able to Unlock both the Bootloader and the Modem, which is an uncommon practice within the Droid line. The new Droid line seems to define a new customer, one that will play by the rules. There has been much discussion that Developers will be exploring Samsung rather than deal with this new nonsense. I happen to agree the new Droid line is not in my interest, as far as I am concerned this last series that was the Droid Razr/Maxx/M is the History of what Droid really was.

 

[pc747]

There has been much discussion that Developers will be exploring Samsung rather than deal with this new nonsense.

That is what it seems like, that all the developers finally got tired of motorola and went to samsung or sony. Plus devices like Samsung (like the s3, n2, and s4) are on multiple carrier and international markets so it is much easier to port roms especially roms already on a us carrier (mainly just have to change the modem settings and radios). So for a developer to get around the locks and develop for one device may seem like too much work when they can just go to devices that are easier to unlock and already have development both on international versions and other variants so they can go in with some ground work already established making things easier going forward. That is my thoughts any way.

 

[FoxKat]

While I don't disagree with you for the most part as it pertains to the issues of locked bootloader and developers, I will say this... The "revival" of the "Razr" brand and likeness is proof positive that old concepts never really die, but are always there to lend some strength and direction to new innovations. Just look at the "muscle cars" of the 70s and 80s...what's that you say?? You mean there's a NEW Dodge Charger being produced today...AND although it's not the SAME car, it kinda LOOKS and FEELS like the original...but it's different all at the same time?



We've seen it time and time again throughout history. The philosophy may be "why reinvent the wheel"? The other possibility is as quoted from Ecclesiastes 1:9, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." So maybe this is all a rehashing of a former world and everything we're seeing now has already been and done, long since forgotten. Who knows?

One thing is for sure...I won't discount Motorola (or if you prefer Googlerola) as being out of the race. Even the best professional racers know that to win the race you need not be in first place all the time. In fact, it's better to let others carry you and you follow in their draft, capturing momentum from their momentum without the extra expenditures (Gas and performance), until the time is right, then make that one unexpected maneuver and slip into first place, almost undetected, as you round the last bend and take your place in the front of the pack when you approach the checkered flag.

Motorola has FAR TOO MUCH history, innovation, patent library, talent, connections (<< don't discount this one), and raw wealth to simply be overtaken and pushed out by other manufacturers in a world that was all but created by them. There's a reason why Motorola has been (and I believe will continue to be) a force to contend with, and the first choice for mission-critical communications in virtually every facet of radio frequency transmission. Heck, even my cable box has that big Motorola emblem on it. I'll bet you would be shocked at just how many apparatus you own which was either manufactured by Motorola for another company (a process which is called "Contract Manufacturing"), or even just how many apparatus you own and use every day that would not be possible without critical parts or even complete assembly boards manufactured by Motorola.

It's a far bigger company with its fingerprint on far more products and services than ever meets the eye - and they like it that way. There's something to be said for being the grease that makes the gears turn...there will always be a need for grease.

 

[alafferty82081]

Amen to all replies, people tend to forget about Motorola and what they did for the droid nation...I currently have the RAZR HD but am definitely getting the x phone as soon as it hits the stores...Not that I don't like my HD its just if the price point for the x phone is as good as rumored its gonna be mine plus it will feature a better camera which is all that is lacking in my HD.....Im rooting for moto to climb back on top and get the respect they deserve

 

[FoxKat]

It started the D1...then evolved, which is great and everything, but has motorola forgotten about their full qwerty keyboard lovers? The only reason I stuck with the Droid models is because they came with a great keyboard. Now 2 years since the D4 release, im feeling like im left in the dark, stood up by Motorola. why did you stand me up motorola?!

I sure hope that the D4 is not the end of sliders in the SmartPhone world for Motorola, but I sincerely believe it isn't. Just look at the new one from Blackberry - not that they are even a contender at this point, but still they may be an indication of a lack in support for that feature. I am sure that at least they think so and hope so, otherwise they'll be getting fitted for a coffin soon.

We must not forget one VERY important development or change that took place just a short time ago...first announced in August of 2011 - about 2 years ago...Google's plan to buy Motorola's Cellular Phone division, Motorola Mobility... and if I may point out, the D4 was announced September 5 of that same year. Wouldn't you say they had quite a bit on their plate at that moment? In fact the actual completion of that purchase didn't take place until May of 2012, 3 quarters of a year later. Now you must also agree that with having just announced that new phone, then going through the immensely involved process of the acquisition, there was perhaps less attention placed on developing perhaps the D5 (if you will), and perhaps more attention and concentration placed on making sure the acquisition was successful and co-beneficial?

Sure, there were already other products in the pipeline, and yes, some have been since announced, produced and even since been replaced with newer models, but one thing is for sure...if you don't want a keyboard, the D4 is NOT for you, or in other words, the added weight and thickness brings with it no other benefits if you don't use the keyboard. This means that the sector of the market which the D4 (and other sliders), caters to is a relatively small slice of the entire mobile smartphone industry. How many OTHER manufacturers are making keyboard-based Android smartphones??? How many other models are there out there which have keyboards?? Truth is, it's not a large number when compared to all the smartphone models available as a whole.

This means that they may have had to place less emphasis on developing new phones for all sectors of their market and concentrate on just the most profitable of them. I believe that the D4 (and other sliders), may be less profitable overall, given they are for the most part every bit as powerful and operational in all other aspects as their cousins. The reasons they may be slightly less profitable are several, some of which can be for instance the added cost for engineering the mechanisms that allow them to slide open and closed, the additional engineering to assure reliability of the cabling that connects both parts together, the additional chassis and other components that are needed to perform those tasks as a keyboard, and even the added weight which translates to additional shipping costs can all play a role, among other reasons I may not have mentioned.

I agree that they NEED to keep at least one, if not a few sliders in the foster, and I also agree that the D4, though a very nice phone could be updated to today's standards in perhaps a D5. Unfortunately I believe that the major overhaul of the entire company played at least a key role in why they've not yet done so. Let's hope that it's already in the works and we see an announcement of a faster, more powerful and better D5 or similar model soon to be released.

 

[xtor]

It started the D1...then evolved, which is great and everything, but has motorola forgotten about their full qwerty keyboard lovers? The only reason I stuck with the Droid models is because they came with a great keyboard. Now 2 years since the D4 release, im feeling like im left in the dark, stood up by Motorola. why did you stand me up motorola?!

BlackBerry has a keyboard, lol

sent from a note yee (2)

 

[pc747]

While I don't disagree with you for the most part as it pertains to the issues of locked bootloader and developers, I will say this... The "revival" of the "Razr" brand and likeness is proof positive that old concepts never really die, but are always there to lend some strength and direction to new innovations. Just look at the "muscle cars" of the 70s and 80s...what's that you say?? You mean there's a NEW Dodge Charger being produced today...AND although it's not the SAME car, it kinda LOOKS and FEELS like the original...but it's different all at the same time?

View attachment 65092 View attachment 65093

Android, like pc, shows there is room for every one. And there are a lot of people who do not need an unlocked bootloader or care to chase roms. They want something that will get through the day and then some. Going in if I know the Droid-line will be locked then I can not buy one and get mad at vzw/moto. Coming off the og droid and getting a dx/d2 and finding out is one thing but locking down droids has been moto and vzw m.o for a couple of years now. (Me included) We get caught up in "moto lock bootloaders" yeah ok that has been the case for years. Moto locks bootloader, Samsung is made of plastic, and htc well you dont know what you going to get out of them at times. But For the rooting/development community we know by now which devices to get going forward. If root and roms are at the top of your list get a developer device (nexus/google edition etc). For me a big screen with the ability to jot notes is something that has become a priority so the n2 is my device of choice. Do I enjoy seeing development come up with different things, yes and I continue to root for people like the CM team, AOKP, and Paranoid, along with the Clean roms etc. But in the end we all just want a device that fits us. So the device that is best for me may not be for you and vice verse.

 

[cereal killer]

The new Droid line seems to define a new customer, one that will play by the rules. .

I would say the new Droid line defines a new paradigm, one that delivers a unique experience.

Things were way different in '09-'11. There was a lot of shortcomings in regards to hardware and software back in the day. Development was also a whole other thing back then too. It was needed because of the crazy amount of UI bloat, lack of features and horrendous lag. Manufactures kicked out bloated software, vanilla Android was a snore fest forcing us to rabidly seek out feature rich ROMS and the hardware could barely keep up with simple tasks.

Today's handsets are far superior, and the user experience is leaps and bounds better than what it used to be. Locked bootloaders back then would have been a real tragedy, but with today's hardware, software and features the Android experience is the best it's ever been. There will be a few who hang on for the nostalgia, or to be part of a group that believes that a locked down handset is a crime. But in the end, tech will continue to evolve, phones continued to be locked down even tighter and the choices slim for those who don't want to let go of the "way things used to be."

The future is who can give the most unique/best smartphone experience. The Droids, and soon to be announced Moto X, look to be the leaders in that shift.

 

[pc747]

I would say the new Droid line defines a new paradigm, one that delivers a unique experience.

Things were way different in '09-'11. There was a lot of shortcomings in regards to hardware and software back in the day. Development was also a whole other thing back then too. It was needed because of the crazy amount of UI bloat, lack of features and horrendous lag. Manufactures kicked out bloated software, vanilla Android was a snore fest forcing us to rabidly seek out feature rich ROMS and the hardware could barely keep up with simple tasks.

Today's handsets are far superior, and the user experience is leaps and bounds better than what it used to be. Locked bootloaders back then would have been a real tragedy, but with today's hardware, software and features the Android experience is the best it's ever been. There will be a few who hang on for the nostalgia, or to be part of a group that believes that a locked down handset is a crime. But in the end, tech will continue to evolve, phones continued to be locked down even tighter and the choices slim for those who won't let go of the "way things used to be."

The future is who can give the most unique/best smartphone experience. The Droids, and soon to be announced Moto X, look to be the leaders in that shift.

I have to somewhat agree and disagree.

I agree that manufacturers and even google is moving to a more secure os. Read the latest news about 4.3 (Android 4.3 and beyond: Is root going away for 'Stock' ROMs? | Android Central) and you will see that even google who was big about openness is beginning to think it is time to secure the playground a little. Does that mean development is dead. No But there will be a separation where google edition/developer devices will be for those who want to tinker and they will have less restrictions while the other devices will be more secured.

Where I disagree with you is on the development front. Just look around at all the features we have many of them spawned from what developers put out in roms. So to limit development will hinder android from continuing to be at its best and development is what continues to feed and strengthen android. It is why they have a nexus program or put out sdks in hopes that some one will pick up and develop on it forming the building blocks for more and more development. The issue with development has to do more with malware than people "rooting". The play store is getting larger and larger every year we talking about an app store that went from a few good apps to now having major development, games, music, videos, and selling devices. Through google wallet you do everything from buy apps, music, games, and devices. Google has a cash cow going and though they want to keep development open they want to make money more. And they have to do so by protecting the play store and making sure Joe, who barely knows how to use his phone, do not download an app from the playstore that reads his personal info.

 

[FoxKat]

I have to somewhat agree and disagree.

I agree that manufacturers and even google is moving to a more secure os. Read the latest news about 4.3 (Android 4.3 and beyond: Is root going away for 'Stock' ROMs? | Android Central) and you will see that even google who was big about openness is beginning to think it is time to secure the playground a little. Does that mean development is dead. No But there will be a separation where google edition/developer devices will be for those who want to tinker and they will have less restrictions while the other devices will be more secured.

Where I disagree with you is on the development front. Just look around at all the features we have many of them spawned from what developers put out in roms. So to limit development will hinder android from continuing to be at its best and development is what continues to feed and strengthen android. It is why they have a nexus program or put out sdks in hopes that some one will pick up and develop on it forming the building blocks for more and more development. The issue with development has to do more with malware than people "rooting". The play store is getting larger and larger every year we talking about an app store that went from a few good apps to now having major development, games, music, videos, and selling devices. Through google wallet you do everything from buy apps, music, games, and devices. Google has a cash cow going and though they want to keep development open they want to make money more. And they have to do so by protecting the play store and making sure Joe, who barely knows how to use his phone, do not download an app from the playstore that reads his personal info.

I'll agree that malware may be A reason for locking down the bootloader and either preventing or at least limiting the access to the root directory or bootloader, but the truth is, malware developers will find a way no matter how hard the manufacturer tries to prevent their attacks, so I don't believe malware is THE primary reason. I believe that "tinkerers" - those who think they've got to root just because it's what everyone else is talking about, but who also don't know either how to handle this new-found power, or worse still don't know how to recover from failed attempts also play a huge role in the desire to limit or prevent rooting. I see FAR TOO OFTEN, someone who upon getting their first Android phone and with virtually no knowledge about it, rooting, Safestrap, ROMs, etc., immediately plunge in head-first and find that they were at the shallow end of the pool. The failures rack up lots of effort on the part of forums like ours, with people constantly trying to save them from themselves and attempting to both school them while at the same time walking them through repairing the damage they've done...only to have the new Android phone owner give up and "return it to the Verizon store as a defective item".

This results in higher warranty and repair costs for the manufacturer and Verizon, which reduces the (yeah, already huge), profit margins and results in perfectly good, brand new phones with nary a few hours of uptime on them being relegated to the CLNR pile. This is much larger of a problem than even we have come to know. Just think about all those who try and fail but are afraid or embarrassed to reveal their shortcomings and simply return the phone for replacement.

Then there's the "flashers", those who are even more intent on "owning" the phone. I believe a big part of the effort to prevent those is to keep these phones on the networks they were designed for, and whose networks actually have a vested interest in them staying on them. The lost revenues from these phones finding new homes as unlocked and flashed devices on other networks is immense and incalculable. Those people aren't the least bit concerned about the phone being able to do more than it was designed to do...their only purpose is to get it doing what it can do on networks that don't offer anywhere near a similar experience with the phones in their own lineup. So if you want a Droid RAZR MAXX HD on Cricket, you can have it...at a cost to Verizon AND the manufacturer as it almost definitely will bring added expense to the manufacturer at some point...usually when some poor sucker buys a phone flashed to another network and tries to activate it on the one it was intended for. Do I hear CLNR again???

 

[pc747]

Look at it this way ck, if the motorola x and the mx8 processor software become a sleeping giant you can say you believed in it from the start vs others (like myself) who already called the device a failure before even looking at it. Yes I have to stand by it i called it a failure in one form of fashion. Whether it be me calling it a niche device for teenagers or a straight up last year spec device I been basically writing this phone off since the start.

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