The third Droid model has hit Verizon Wireless. See what's new in the Motorola Droid 3.
Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
It's been less than a year since the Droid 2 hit the streets, but the Motorola Droid 3 is already out. Available now from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 with a two-year contract, the smartphone offers a number of improvements, as well as some disappointments.
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Features
Some of the new features include a 4-inch qHD display, a dual-core processor, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
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Design
Overall, the Droid 3 resembles previous models, but it's thinner at 0.5 inch thick. The smartphone is solidly built and has a soft-touch finish on back. Unfortunately, the 4-inch qHD (960x540 pixels) display isn't as sharp as the competition because of Motorola's arrangement of subpixels.
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Keyboard
Though the display is disappointing, the Droid 3's QWERTY keyboard is excellent. There's now a dedicated number row, and the layout is roomy. The buttons are a good size and have a slight bump to them, making them easy to press.
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Left side
On the phone's left spine, you'll find an HDMI port and a Micro-USB port.
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Top view
On top of the device, you'll find a power/lock button and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
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Camera
The Droid 3 features an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, which is a bump up from the Droid 2's 5-megapixel camera. The camera is also capable of 1080p HD video capture, thanks to the dual-core processor.
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Picture quality
Picture quality wasn't bad, but the camera struggled a bit in low-light conditions.
