Holiday Guide 2011-Gifts for Gadget Lovers-Motorola Bionic #MotoCalyp

My son is due for a phone upgrade, actually he has been due for a while but he can’t upgrade to a smartphone until he can pay for the $30 a month data package that goes along with it. While he hunts for a job, we’ve been researching phone so that as soon as he is ready he can get the best phone for his needs. This week we’ve been looking at the Motorola Bionic.

We started our research on the Motorola website, a great place to get all the specs and info about the phone. The Bionic is an Android phone that has a dual-core 1 GHz processor and runs on the Verizon 4G LTE network. As far as memory goes it has 16 GB on board; 16 GB microSD card pre-installed and it supports up to 32 GB microSD.  Bionic’s camera shoots stills in 8 megapixels. Flip the switch to video capture and record in 1080p HD. The camera is an important feature because my son is always uploading photos to Facebook. The Bionic also has a front facing camera so you can video chat with your friends and family.

As far as apps and accessories go the coolest thing about the Bionic is that it is ZumoCast enabled.You can now take the contents of your PC with you anywhere, anytime – without smartphone syncs and without wasting time uploading all your files. No more worrying about memory. ZumoCast by Motorola enables you to stream content directly to your smartphone. With ZumoCast, you can watch videos, look at family photos or listen to music — straight from your computer. Work on spreadsheets or presentations even if you aren’t near your computer, as there’s always the option to save files directly to your phone. Pair the amazing technology of ZumoCast with a lapdock and you won’t even need to bring your laptop with you when you travel. This is awesome technology.

Once we completed our online research, we headed to the Verizon store see the Bionic in person. We like the feel of the Bionic. It feels sturdy and well made. The 4.3-in.; qHD (960 x 540) display is clear and bright. We watched some YouTube videos and took some pictures with the 8mp camera. When the salesman talked to us he was trying to get us to look at other phones, the one that there were banners up all over the store advertising. We did give in and play with the other phone for a few minutes and when he came back to ask us what we thought my son said, “It feels cheaply made and too thin. This phone will break too easily and isn’t the phone for me.” I assured the salesman we were not going to make a purchase today and he quickly left us alone-the joys of commission based sales. The Motorola Bionic costs $249.00 with a 2yr contract and if you order  your Motorola Bionic from my link you get free 2 day shipping!

Is the Motorola bionic the phone for my son? I don’t think so. I think it might be too much phone for him but it would be great for me. Is it the phone for you? Let me know if the Bionic is on your short list for a new phone. Check out all the photos from our research in this slideshow.

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias all opinions are 100% my own.