Verizon is set to release its latest smartphone, the Motorola Droid, on November 6th. I was lucky enough to get a two-day preview of the Droid a week early. Many have been calling the Droid the "iPhone killer," especially after a series of iPhone attack ads launched by the Droid went viral on the web. Though I wouldn't go that far, I would definitely say it's going to give the iPhone some competition. Motorola hasn't had any hits since the RAZR craze, but I believe the Droid will put them back in the game as a major player.
I picked up the Droid yesterday morning, and returned it later this afternoon. I was very impressed from what I saw during the time I tested it out. The Droid is the world's first smartphone that runs the Android 2.0 operating system.
The first thing I noticed about the Droid is that it doesn't seem cheap or flimsy- though it is a little on the heavy side. The device has some gold accents-which I wasn't too fond of. There is a power on/off button on the top, right-hand corner of the phone. On the opposite side is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Along the right edge there is volume rocker-which got in my way a lot. There is also a camera button on the opposite end. On the left edge is a MicroUSB port. When you turn the phone on its back there is a 5-megapixel camera along with a flash. A gold, stiched plate hides the Droid's speaker. On the front of the screen are 4-keys: back, menu, home, and search. The phone also comes with a 16GB SD card.
The basic structure of the phone is made of two pieces: a touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The screen is amazing- it's 3.7 inches of touchscreen bliss. It has excellent resolution, a full glass display with a bright and crisp 480x854 resolution. The screen is customizable and visually appealing with bright icons. The keys on the QWERTY keyboard are flat, and, like most keyboards, take some getting used to. The touchscreen also offers a keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard has an individual "@" key, perfect for Twitter. Next to the keyboard is a gold navigation button.
The battery life seemed long, and I only had to re-charge it once after using it for a pretty long time. The Droid comes equipped with a 1400mAH removable battery. A big complaint of the iPhone- no removable battery.
The Droid allows you to run multiple applications at once- so you can toggle back and forth. However, though Android 2.0 allows for multi-touch, that functionality isn't implemented here.
The phone already comes equipped with Facebook, YouTube, and G-mail preloaded. Users can visit the Android Marketplace for countless apps as well as widgets. The phone also comes with Google Maps Navigation and acts as a GPS. You can also download the latest tracks from the Amazon MP3 store.
The Droid offers Verizon Wireless Visual Voicemail, a cool feature that allows you to reply and forward voicemail messages without having to listen to prior messages or instructions.
The Motorola Droid starts at $199 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. Users will need to purchase a voice plan starting at $39 a month as well as a web and e-mail plan starting at $29 a month. I was surprised with the cost, and actually thought it would be more for the device.
There are so many good things about the Droid. It has high-speed web browsing, a customizable and sharp touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, a 5MP camera with a flash, and access to thousands of Android applications and widgets. The icing on the cake, in my opinion, it's offered by the best 3G mobile network in the country.
Final Thought: The Motorola Droid is heaven-sent if you are a Verizon user like me looking for an upgrade. However, I don't recommend canceling service with another provider and incurring tons of fees just to get it.
For more information: Check out KDKA-TV's Jim Lokay's preview of the Motorola Droid and whether or not Pittsburghers think it will give the iPhone competition.
Check out Verizon's Facebook page here.
Read Mia's blog here.
Take a look at my photos of the Motorola Droid below. Please comment and tell me what you think of the Droid.
Comments
So if I am due for an upgrade on a plan w/o web and e-mail, I will have to pay an additional 30 bucks a month to get this phone?
I have been carrying this phone for a while now with plenty of time to try it out. The camera takes great pictures in the dark and unlike the iPhone I once carried it can send and receive picture messages (though I think they do now). The keyboard is somewhat cumbersome but the responsiveness of the on screen typing is so responsive it becomes an after thought anyways. The data service is cheep only a $1 a day and the 3g coverage surprises even me. One thing I didn't like about the new google maps is unlike previous nav programs that Verizon has offered you have a hard time calculating your trip while in-doors. Great Review I found it much the same. One thing you didn't mention is that if you are an existing GMail user it takes about 2 minutes and your entire life is on the phone (contacts, calendar, email, etc). There is talk of over 10k applications at launch and its easier to create applications for Linux Mobile so the iPhone will be a thing of the past.
iPhone Killer without multi-touch? That sentence right there is blasphemy. The only serious future contender so far is the HTC Hero and it still has a little way to go.
Side note*** The iPhone has now been out for 2 years and 5 months and phones are just now catching up... I'm pretty sure Apple has been working on something in that amount of time to outdo any "iPhone killer" that may come out.
- iPhoneKillerLol
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