Droid Bionic: Ten Important Things to Know

By Anthony Myers | December 14 2011 1:09 PM

Motorola's Droid Bionic is one of the most expensive smartphones out there, but you probably already knew that, so here are ten other important things to know about the Android powered device. Bionic costs $200, but it's packed with must-have features like compatibility with Verizon's 4G LTE high speed network. Because it's the largest LTE system in the U.S. your Droid Bionic will get super fast download speeds in more places. Should you be in an area that the 4G system doesn't reach, Bionic will automatically sync up to the 3G system. You should know 4G does tend to use the battery faster than 3G, but the Bionic battery can be removed so you can easily swap in a fully charged one and surf on. Of course, the extra battery doesn't come with the device.

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The Android Open Kang Project (AOKP) custom ROM based on the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean firmware has been released for the Motorola Droid Bionic XT875. Here's how to install it.

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Next, you should know the Bionic looks great thanks to its 4.3-inch qHD display that can achieve 960x540p resolution. It's got good viewing angles and the same pixel density as the Droid Razr (256 ppi). The fourth thing to know is Bionic has a good quality 8 megapixel camera on the back, and functions well in low-light with decreased shutter lag. There is also a front facing camera for video chatting. You should know Bionic features a dual-core processor and a full gigabyte of RAM, so pretty much any Web content you want to see will perform well on the device. It's a good combo to have with the 4G access because everything you do online will feel much faster on this phone.

Next, you need to know Bionic should get the Android 4.0 update early in 2012. With the update, there are dozens of new features, but there is no time-line set for exactly when the update will roll out. You need to know it is up to Verizon when that will happen, despite what Motorola might have to say about it (Google too, for that matter). The eighth thing to know is you get 16 gigabytes of internal storage with the Bionic, but it also comes with at 16 gigabyte microSD card pre-installed. Ample space for your photos, music and apps.

Finally, you should know the Android system on Bionic has a factory overlay on top called MotoBlur. It's a Motorola software interface that is supposed to make the device easier to use, but some people consider it annoying. If you are an Android enthusiast, you may agree, but for most people, it shouldn't be a problem. MotoBlur especially tries to make it easy to access Facebook and Twitter, so if you use those sites quite a bit, you might really like it. Tell us in the comments if you've gone to the Verizon store to check out some Droids.