Droid X

To counteract iPhone’s looming dominance of the smartphone market, Motorola/Verizon decided to bulk-up and get protein-shake-drunk with Droid X. It’s a monolithic device sporting Google’s latest Android OS 2.1. Fortunately, the platform's dull interface is embellished with Motoblur’s new, sleek skin -- it’s not as deep and intuitive, however, as Motorola would have you believe. For all its focus on creating a personal online hub, it sorely lacks a cohesive solution for your social network needs -- this, to the delight of the masses, could be remedied by ignoring Blur altogether and by downloading dedicated Twitter/Facebook Android apps. And yes, these apps are free.

On to the hardware; Droid X is a massive head-turner. It’s larger than HTC EVO 4G and boasts a TFT, 4.3inch display that nearly matches iPhone 4's stunning retina display. There’s just something more elegant browsing through pages with a larger screen as you swipe your way from end to end -- far more convenient than using a 3.5 incher. The Droid X also runs a 1GHz processer from Texas Instruments for a snappier, faster user experience. A baffling lack of a front-facing cam, however, mars the phone’s impressive slate of features. For Motorola not to include a presumed smartphone standard easily makes this one of the most bizarre instances of 2010’s crowded tech lineup.

Even with such a glaring shortcoming, it's safe to say Droid X takes the crown as the finest Android phone launched thus far. It shows how far the platform and manufacturers have matured in a span of less than a year to create compelling and, most of all, tempting alternatives to the shiny, perfect world of Cupertino. Now, all Motorola needs to do is officially release it stateside.

Full list of specs:
• 4.3-inch, 854x480 display
• 8 megapixel camera
• 720p video recording
• 1GHz TI OMAP processor
• 8GB internal storage (plus 16GB microSD)
• HDMI out
• 720p video
• Multitouch keyboard, with pre-loaded Swype
• Wi-Fi hotspot powers for up to 5 devices
• 3 mics: for video and noise suppression

*Pics from Gizmodo