Gadget review: Sturdy and smart

Android — the mobile operating system by Google — has made tremendous strides in the past 24 months or so. Moving from the minds of just computer geeks, the Android is now a real choice for users looking to purchase a new phone. And for those not geeking out on their phones, the Motorola Defy makes for an excellent choice.

The Defy is a solid device that is dustproof, water-resistant and shockproof, although the looks of it would have you believe otherwise. Sporting a black matte chassis with a glossy chrome, this device doesn't bear the ugliness that rugged devices come with; it does have three screws on either side but you wouldn't notice anything unusual if you weren't looking for it.

On the top is the 3.5mm audio jack covered by the rubber protector — you will want to rip this off in the first day or two because it can become a nuisance very quickly. The plastic USB cover on the side is less annoying, only marginally though. The rear cover on the phone is held on with a latch, which makes it a lot easier to lock on and take off as compared to many other devices on the market.

The Defy has an 800MHz processor which, despite being slower than many Android phones on the market, functions pretty well. There was no sign of considerable lag and even the heaviest of applications (e.g. viewing videos) chugged along smoothly. There's a 5.1-megapixel camera with an autofocus lens supported with an LED flash. The quality of pictures is on par with most phones on the market but the absence of a dedicated camera button can make shooting pictures — especially self-portraits — rather difficult. The maximum video is 640x480 which quite frankly is just abysmal, although the processor speed might have something to do with the phone being incapable of handling that resolution. Apart from that the 3.7-inch screen is a pleasure to browse on and the browser on the Android only makes the experience better.

The operating system is, of course, Android but as with all manufacturers, Motorola too has added a layer called Motoblur although it's a lot less intrusive than many others.

The bundled social networking app does a good job of bringing all your contacts and their activities from various social networks together but if you're a power user you would want separate and more powerful applications for them anyway.

Luckily, the market is available on the Defy but paid applications aren't available yet. The Defy is also still running the older version of Android (2.1) and while none of the phones except the Nexus S have the latest update (2.3), I was hoping a phone launching at this time would come with 2.2.

Motorola definitely has a good device on its hands at a mid-range price point of Dh1,799; the Defy isn't competing with the big boys on the top but it isn't charging for it either.

It's an excellent device for users who want to use it more as a mobile device rather than just a mobile phone; with Android and Motorola they can do just that.

Bhavishya Kanjhan is a digital marketing professional and an early adopter of all things digital. Follow his tweets on @bhavishya