Ars reviews the Motorola Droid X | Hacker News Reader

Ars reviews the Motorola Droid X

arstechnica.com

37 pointssoundsop25 comments

Going off on a bit of a tangent for a second... I didn't realize that Ars had started charging if you wanted to view/print an entire article instead of viewing it one page at a time. It's a good example of one of the worst ways to monetize a product. I don't feel like I'm being offered a premium product or extra content, I feel like I'm being artificially penalized because I'm not handing over $5 a month.

Better ways to encourage subscribers?

Give non-subscribers access to a deep, but not in-depth, review. Perhaps 5-6 pages instead of 10.

Offer additional content related to the article. Thoughts from other staff writers, head-to-head section with competing products, more examples photos/videos taken of the device.

Include a 2-3 minute "video review" where I can see the device demonstrated in close up HD video.

None of these ideas are particularly groundbreaking, but you feel like you're GETTING something, instead of not losing something basic that used to be standard practice.

They've been doing subscriptions for more than 1 page at a time for at least 6–7 years, and it’s been working out okay. Do you have a reason beyond the anecdotal that makes you think it’s one of the worst ways to monetize?

FWIW, I think giving everyone access to the full content but a page at a time while letting subscribers see a nicely formatted PDF is a perfectly reasonable perk. Cutting the reviews in half and only letting non-subscribers see the first half seems like a terrible idea to me.

I've argued that the best way to monetize something is about having features that saves people time. So Ars is completely correct in their approach. I am also using the same idea for my startup.

So that's two anecdotal evidence that it is the best way to monetize.

I completely disagree. How would a website that doesn't offer its content for free ever find an audience in the first place? What you propose would limit their non-paying audience to abridged crap-versions of heir articles. That would be a tough penalty for not paying.

In contrast to that, Ars is not offering premium content but the same content (without ads) on the website, as PDF or as RSS feed. This is a real bonus but no one is losing anything if he is not subscribing.

Hmm, but from a monetization point of view it makes sense why they would trade off page (read: ad) views versus users paying.

I must say, Safari 5's "reader" feature is great for articles like that.

Although the plastic buttons are sturdy and responsive, they feel like a step down from the capacitive action buttons on the N1 and the EVO.

I disagree fairly strongly here. Capacitive buttons should have a longer lifespan and some "cool factor" over standard mechanical buttons, but they're a lot harder to use by feel. I see them as a significant step down in usability, and I don't understand why more professional reviewers don't seem to feel the same way. I don't think the lifespan is a big issue; using components of half-decent quality, the buttons should significantly exceed the standard 2-year life of a smartphone.

I agree. The "real" buttons are one of the reasons I chose a Droid X over an Incredible. I don't think I've liked capacitive buttons on any device I've ever tried them on: my laptop's media keys, my old ipod... it never feels right. I prefer the physical feedback.

For me, a physical keyboard is very preferable for the same reasons. Unfortunately, most of the high-end phones with physical keyboards that are coming out soon have capacitive buttons. It seems to me that people who prefer physical keyboards would also prefer mechanical buttons, so I'm a bit confused by the behavior of phone manufacturers in this case.

It's funny that I prefer mechanical buttons, but not a physical keyboard. At least not any implementation of a physical keyboard that I've tried so far.

Is it just me, or does Ars need a table of contents for longer articles?

I was under the impression that the dedicated camera button did in fact jump to the camera app. Disappointed to read that it doesn't.

A comment from an owner claims it does, but only from the home screen.

I just got mine. It actually does from any anywhere, as long as it's unlocked. Very handy. Only thing handier would be if it worked while the phone was locked. Though I don't know how likely an accidental long-press of the button in your pocket is. My guess is not very likely. But it is quite large...

I wonder how Motorola plans to get around Apple's patent for the visual expander aka magnifying glass text selection tool?

The same way Apple got around Nokia's patents and licensing regarding GSM, UMTS, EDGE, WiFi, etc... ignore it and let the issue work itself out in court.

Despite being "thin" that phone is too large.

Having larger than average hands I welcome a larger touchscreen phone in to the marketplace; but it does look a bit overly large when held by the reviewer in the opening image, yes.

I used to have an iPhone, and now I have an original Droid, and I didn't and haven't found a way to hold either of them in portrait and type with both thumbs comfortably. The iPhone soft keyboard was a bit better than the Droid's, but the Droid's hard keyboard is much better for me than either on-screen option.

A 4.3-inch display is a bit excessive for a phone, I think. Still, with the right usage pattern (using it for access to the internet and similar things), it could be useful - and, for the right user, the larger screen and presumable better visibility/less squinting would trump the problem of it being comparatively large.

Having held one in person I actually found it to be relatively comfortable in both your hands as well as in your pocket. Just because it is larger than the other "thin" phones out there, I sorta think it works out to its benefit. Typing on the Droid X was slightly easier than on my N1 (and typing on my N1 is simple)

Typing on it is wonderful. The bigger screen really helps there.

It is large, but it really doesn't feel like it. I still have to pat my pocket to make sure it is in there, probably because it is so thin. The only time I think of how big it is, is when I am pleasantly surprised at how much fits on the screen, or when I'm trying to operate it with a thumb, holding it in my palm.

http://tweetphoto.com/26363986

Too big for what, or for who?

The review did not explain how to summon Nath Jones for a photo shoot. Aside from that, excellent!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com