A day after reports of ‘banding’ had surfaced, Motorola and Verizon issued a fix for the few that were having the problems.
The Droid X, the monster Android phone that borders on tablet but appears to be selling incredibly well, has a problem, it was reported yesterday. Some users were experiencing ‘banding’ on their Droid X devices (see video below).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFqIOmmFQ48&w=600&h=370]
A Verizon spokesperson told me that less than one-tenth of one percent of the Droid X phones had issues. Affected users should bring their phones into Verizon service centers meanwhile an update is being pushed out to to Droid X users.
“Verizon Wireless and Motorola are aware of a very small number of Droid X units that have experienced a flickering or banding display. Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship the phones. Any consumer who experiences a flickering or banding display should contact Motorola customer support center or Verizon Wireless.”
Computerworld compared the problem to the iPhone 4’s antenna issue (though they are very different in severity and scope). A PR analyst praised Verizon/Motorola’s swiftness in fixing the issue:
…By contrast, it was 22 days before Apple CEO Steve Jobs last week offered to provide customers with a free case for the iPhone 4 to help resolve an antenna problem that came to light after the June 24 launch of the device. The reports on the reception issue saddled Apple with immediate negative publicity.
“This is the right way to handle a problem,” said analyst Jack Gold of J. Gold Associates. “Nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. People can deal with a problem if you admit you have one and go ahead and tell them you will fix it. That is called customer service.” Gold said it is “much less expensive to handle a problem in the early stages than wait until lots of units get out there with the same problem and have to take remedial action.”
While the Droid X is sold out until August 3rd, according to Verizon’s site, online retailers like Amazon appear to have them in stock ($179 with plan). (As JR Rafael points out at PC World)
Dealnews, a coupon and bargains site shows them selling for as little as $100.
Motorola’s next Droid phone is expected to be the Droid 2, a successor to the original Droid with a hardware keyboard and one of the first devices running Google’s new Android OS 2.2 (Froyo).
Engadget has pinpointed a August 23rd launch window for the Droid 2.