Bearing down with the Droid Maxx

(Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Fans Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.)

At the beginning of the season,  I was selected to participate in VZW Voice sport blogger program and they hooked me up with a Droid Maxx. I wanted to really use the phone for a while before giving my opinion. As an Android enthusiast, who at the time had a Droid Razr Maxx HD, I was super excited. I enjoyed the Droid Razr Maxx HD because it had a 32 hour battery. This meant that the device would last me the entire day plus more. The Droid Maxx had an even better battery capable of 48 hours of use! This meant that during a Bears game, I can put out at least 50 tweets during the game, check in, check scores, and snap a ton of photos with plenty of battery to spare. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ran out of battery power during the game and it’s the worst feeling.

Besides having the best battery life, the Droid Maxx comes with a relatively stock version of Android. Other brands, like Samsung and HTC, have their layer on top of the Android OS, which is unnecessary. It makes the device confusing and difficult to learn how to use.

The Droid Maxx is also well built. The back is made with Kevlar and the screen is made out of Gorilla Glass. The solid construction makes it durable and holds up to drops. I’ve dropped my phone plenty of times during the season with no major blemishes.

A feature that I think is extremely useful is Active Notifications. When I get a text, email, etc., the screen lights up subtly and I can view the notification and swipe it away without turning on the screen. Turning on the screen drains a phone’s battery and this simple action help prolongs the battery life of the phone. The time also appears when I take my phone out of my pocket, again, eliminating the need to turn on my screen.

Another feature that is really cool is Touchless Control. My phone is always listening the phrase “Okay Google Now”. After training my device to listen to my voice, I can find out the sports scores, weather, search without turning on my phone and it connects to Google Now. Unlike iPhone users with Siri, I actually use Touchless Control because it is useful and accurate. It does sometimes come on even when I don’t say “Okay Google Now” so sometimes I have to turn it off.

Lastly, outside all the features of the phone, Verizon has the best coverage and is reliable. I was a Verizon customer before the program and being in the program just re-affirms my decision to give Verizon a shot.