You think technology moves too fast now? You think your camera, camcorder and computer become obsolete quickly?

Try buying an app phone. In this business, the state of the art changes as often as Lady Gaga changes outfits.

Suppose, for example, that you want one of the increasingly popular phones that run Google’s Android software.

Last November, you might have been tempted by the Motorola Droid, “the best Android phone on the market.” A month later, the HTC Hero was “the best Android phone on the market.” By January, “the best Android phone yet” was the Nexus One. In April, “the best Android device that you can purchase” was the HTC Incredible. In May, “the best Android phone on the market” was the Sprint Evo.

Either “the best Android phone on the market” is a tech critic’s tic, or we’re witnessing one seriously crazy game of leapfrog.

The latest buzz is about the Motorola Droid X, which Verizon will offer in mid-July. The physical keyboard of the original Droid is gone; you do all your Droid X typing onscreen. The phone is impressively thin — all the way to the camera bulge at the top back. That bump makes it easier to pull the phone from your pocket, but it has a bizarre look.

There are physical Menu, Home, Back and Search buttons below the screen, and a dedicated camera/shutter button on the edge. Great, great idea.

The most notable physical characteristic, though, is the Droid X’s size. It’s absolutely huge (5 by 2.6 by 0.4 inches). It’s easily the biggest app phone on the market. You feel as if you’re talking into a frozen waffle.

You know what’s intriguing? Apple seems to think that people prefer smaller phones; Android phone makers keep making them bigger.

The point, of course, is to have bigger screens — and wow, does the Droid X deliver. As on its blood rival, the Sprint Evo, this phone’s immense 4.3-inch screen does wonders for e-books, maps, photos, movies, e-mail, calendars and so on. Oh, and for typing: the keyboard is so big, you don’t have to switch to a special punctuation layout for the period and comma.

Who’s right? Do you want a big phone, so you can have a roomy screen? Or a small one that doesn’t feel like a VHS cassette in your pocket? Both arguments carry weight; let the public decide.

The Droid X is loaded. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, two mikes for noise cancellation, powerful speaker, unusually powerful vibrate mode (hurrah!), FM radio and Verizon’s expensive but not-call-dropping network.

Like the Evo, the Droid can turn into a portable Wi-Fi hot spot; up to five nearby laptops and other gadgets can get online almost anywhere. This feature slurps battery power like a thirsty Labrador, so it’s best when the phone is plugged in.

In general, the Droid X is a speed rocket, much like its recent rivals. It’s impossible to overstate how satisfying it is to use a snappy, responsive gadget.

But there are weird stutters — in prominent places, too, like the little onscreen button you slide to unlock the phone, and when swiping your finger to move among the seven home screens.

The Droid X has an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flashes. Of course, if you still believe that megapixel count is a useful metric for photo quality, help yourself to the photos from these phones. They’re fine in sunshine, but they’re sometimes washed out, and disappointing in low light.

Similarly, the ostensibly high-definition video recordings are good for a cellphone, but awful in low light. On this phone, there’s an actual tiny H.D.M.I. jack so you can connect directly to a TV to watch your latest footage (the cable costs $25).

Supposedly, you can also play your video recordings, either wirelessly or, uh, wirefully, from the phone to a TV that bears the D.L.N.A. (Digital Living Network Alliance) logo. (Mine doesn’t, so I couldn’t try it.)
You can now download recent movies directly to the phone from Blockbuster ($4 for a 24-hour rental; about 90 minutes to download). Obnoxiously enough, you can’t watch them on your TV using any of those special phone-to-TV connections. The lawyers are determined to ruin everything.

What will determine your happiness most is how well you like Android software. It’s been getting steadily better through frequent updates; the speech button on the keyboard, which lets you dictate text directly into any place you could type, is just one highlight.

And Motorola promises that when the next Android version appears this summer, you’ll be able to watch all Flash videos, including blinky Web ads. Take that, iPhone! (NYT)