Motorola Droid 3

Summary

Front and Back of the G1

Phone Open
(click for larger image)

The Droid^® 3 (manufacturer's name: Solana) is a cellphone or smartphone manufactured by Motorola exclusively for Verizon. It is available from Verizon with a subsidy to contracted clients, or without the subsidy but SIM-locked. It can also be obtained unlocked from specialized resellers, and codes can be obtained from unlocking services (they do not unlock your contract, though).

I want my Droid 3 to combine in one device the voice chat (cellphone) role and a variety of activities for a handheld computer. For the most part it has done everything I asked for.

2.5 years ago I obtained a G1 by HTC (manufacturer's name: Dream). It has served me well, but software has boiled over both in size and in CPU cycles required, and the G1 is no longer able to keep up; Android-2.3 Gingerbread won't even fit. The Android operating system started out as a hack for a niche market, but network operators, manufacturers and purchasers have embraced its obvious advantages, and it has gone viral, running on over a hundred models and now claiming the majority of new cellphone activations. Nonetheless, a lot of the points I made in my writeup on the G1 remain valid.

Android is the operating system running on the Droid 3. Android is a variant of Linux. One forum poster asked, Why are you guys obsessing over this Linux business? It's just a phone! The reason is that we guys (girls also welcome) can make the device do a whole lot more than just cellphone calls, and we don't need the cooperation of a bunch of marketing droids with the operator and the handset manufacturer, who will not consider our needs to be important enough to implement across the whole product deployment.

So what are these special things I'm using the Droid 3 for?

• Read e-books, downloaded journal (magazine) issues, etc. Other users say the major use of their handheld device is to view field maintenance manuals or product catalogs at the customer's site independent of whether an internet connection is available.

• Listen to music: replace your iPod^®. Via Bluetooth A2DP (stereo audio at 22kHz), no wires. See music details here. (Other smartphones can do this also.)

• Keep personal records. I have hypertension and I need to monitor my blood pressure, and I found it very useful on trips abroad to record dutiable and taxable items as purchases were made. I didn't purchase or create a dedicated application for this: I used generic Linux tools, a spreadsheet program and a flat file editor.

• Play games. Other smartphones also have games, and I'll leave it to the reader's judgment whether their possibilities or Android's are more numerous and more interesting.

• See the prepurchase evaulation for a list of other activities (not all are exclusive to Android) including web browsing, email, instant messaging (both XMPP and SMS), maps (with GPS), PIM/PDA functions, and connecting securely to my shell account at work or at home from anywhere in the world.

Note on compass directions: the screen rotates to portrait or landscape mode including upside down, so top or left side are ambiguous. Thus I've taken to using compass directions, like this:

• North: The short side with the speaker, the headphone connector and the Motorola logo.
• South: The short side with the four main buttons and the slider step.
• East: The long side with the volume buttons and the camera.
• West: The long side with the USB and HDMI ports.
• Front: The face with the display.
• Back: The face with the camera and the removeable battery cover.
• When the keyboard is opened, the display moves east or the keyboard moves west.

Table of Contents

Choosing a Pocket Computer

Here I go over my goals, mobile operators' calling plans, and currently available phone models. The Motorola Droid 3 is clearly the right choice for me. I copy out its specifications, summarize reviews from several sources, and investigate procurement possibilities. The page ends with a plan of action, and a choice of accessories.

Checking Out Hardware Features

Using the stock Verizon operating system image I tested most of the hardware features successfully; and I re-checked them in CyanogenMod-7 and CyanogenMod-9.

Installing CyanogenMod

Step 1: R00t your phone. Step 2: Upgrade to the Verizon image expected by Cyanogenmod. Step 3: Install Safestrap. Step 4: Install CyanogenMod.

Settings and Setup

This is mainly for my own use in restoring my configuration, but other users can get some ideas how I like the pocket computer to be set up. I'm alpha testing Hashcode's port of CyanogenMod-9, based on Android-4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, to Droid 3, and so I need to wipe and reinstall the operating system frequently, typically weekly.

Conflicts with Carriers

I had plans to run this pocket computer on the cheap, not paying for services I won't use. However, the best-laid plans oft gang agley, and I ended up as a loyal Verizon customer.

Applications

This page has a brief description of each of the apps in the CyanogenMod image, the ones that I specifically installed, and the ones in the stock Verizon image.

Bug Reports

(Need to collect all the bug reports here.)

Wish List

Nothing is perfect, and here is my list of items that I wish would have been done differently. It is divided into hardware features, Verizon software, and CyanogenMod items.

Web Links

• Review of Android-4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on Engadget
• Hashcode's blog. He is the developer of the CyanogenMod-9 port to Droid 3, and the download page links to the latest alpha testing image.
• Hashcode's discussion thread for [SELFKANG ICS AOSP ROM] CM9/ICS for Droid 3 [01/30/2012 ALPHA #6]
• CyanogenMod home page; see also the CyanogenMod Wiki.
• TI Wiki about development kit for OMAP processors