The new 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution

DROID! The new 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution, latest standard in the mobile network technology) Motorola Droid Bionic for Verizon has just been released and we have been playing with it for over a week now.  This 4.3" touch-Screen phone is packing some raw power: a dual-core 1GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. It's running Android's Gingerbread OS with a custom Motoblur UI. Does it live up to the hype? Is it as powerful as it should be? Dive in.

The Droid Bionic is currently on the Verizon network

The Droid Bionic is currently on the Verizon network and uses CDMA 800, CDMA 1900, and 4G LTE networks. It supports all the latest bluetooth 2.1 profiles, 802.11N WiFi, and functions as a 4G mobile hotspot for up to 5 other devices. Bionic charges and syncs with a Micro-USB cable. The screen can be mirrored on an HDTV with a Micro-HDMI connector. DLNA can be used on the Bionic to wireless share media with DLNA equipped devices. There is a GPS built in as so then as a compass for easy navigation. The maps application zeros in on a location quickly and accurately with a compass arrow in the direction the phone is facing.

The 4.3″ display is TFT with a qHD resolution of 960×540. It has a corning gorilla glass overlay. The resolution is great, however it’s no retina display. The only time we ever questioned the resolution is looking at a page full of small text. Overall, we’re happy with how the screen looks, the colors are bright and vivid, and the blacks are even pretty good for an LCD. The only real disappointment is that the screen looks washed out when viewing at an angle. The responsiveness of touch is perfect, which is partially do to the latest Android OS and the nice dual-core processor.

Physical keyboard

Droid Bionic does not have a physical keyboard, it uses Android’s multi-touch keyboard. It as well comes Swype pre-installed. Android’s multi-touch default keyboard is very easy to type on when using your phone in portrait mode. It’s a little trickier typing in landscape mode as the screen is so large and the keys are spread apart. Autocorrect and word prediction are very helpful. There is haptic feedback when typing, so when a key is pressed the phone slightly vibrates.

Android's come a long way. As an iPhone snob, my main criticism has always been how choppy, and not smooth, everything is in Android. The Droid Bionic had a very smooth and snappy interface, from scrolling between home pages, browsing the web, or checking out the photo gallery. Multi-tasking is a pleasure to use on Android when the device can in fact handle all of the background processes running. As for data speeds, we couldn't be happier. Browsing the web with 4G was a delight on the Bionic, especially with a nice large screen. You can even share the love in a matter of seconds by turning Bionic into a wireless hotspot.

The Bionic exceeds 100º F

Don't be surprised if the Bionic exceeds 100º F, this was quite common with heavy 4G usage. Maps was one of our favorite apps on the phone; it's much quicker and more detailed at that time it is on iPhone. As well you can't beat the free voice navigation application. It was nice that a 16gb memory card is included. You can load it up with media and output it straight to your HDTV with a Micro-HDMI cable.As with all Android phones, it takes some time to adjust to the interface and in effect make your own. Once it's all set up and personalized, the Droid Bionic is an awesome phone. Our only real issue was the battery life, nevertheless get yourself a work charger and/or an extra battery and you should be good! The lightweight body, nice grip, and thin profile offsets the fact that it's a huge phone — yet it truly comes down to personal preference. The Droid Bionic for Verizon is currently available for $589.99 without a plan or as little as $149.99 with a two year contract.