Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless)

[evolution83]

So, what do you guys think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDviTGDCvGM

[aggieman]

I think I wish AT&T had it. There is a 3g GSM flavor which will probably head to Rogers in Canada. I'll be going out of my way to get one of those babies unlocked. Not giving up my iPhone of course, I'm always one to keep a few phones around to play with.

[Eragon]

It's most definitely not an iPhone. :dft011:wicked_smile

That said, I think the screen, specs, and network make this a most intriguing device. I've been trying to keep news current over at EverythingAndroid, with links and video reviews.

I'd like to see more tests of the browser - what it can and can't do; are there other browsers which can be installed? Is the browser similar to the BB Storm where accessing hyperlinks on web pages is difficult?

The biggest issue I've come across my data search regards Google's unwillingness to let apps be installed from the SD card. This significantly limits app development.

[computerfox]

i'd still rather have my iphone, but i hope apple settles for a deal with verizon. epic phone plus one of the nation's greatest services equals orgasmic win :)

[aggieman]

It's most definitely not an iPhone. :dft011:wicked_smile

That said, I think the screen, specs, and network make this a most intriguing device. I've been trying to keep news current over at EverythingAndroid, with links and video reviews.

I'd like to see more tests of the browser - what it can and can't do; are there other browsers which can be installed? Is the browser similar to the BB Storm where accessing hyperlinks on web pages is difficult?

The biggest issue I've come across my data search regards Google's unwillingness to let apps be installed from the SD card. This significantly limits app development.

as far as the browser goes it's nearly as smooth as the iPhones. No pinch to zoom though. Clicking links is miles better than on the storm. I ever so briefly got my hands on one today hence my sudden change of heart on the device. Much nicer than the g1 and hero I have spent time with. The Iris is also an exciting device-especially since it will get the upgrade to 2.0.

[aggieman]

i'd still rather have my iphone, but i hope apple settles for a deal with verizon. epic phone plus one of the nation's greatest services equals orgasmic win :)

The iPhone is my favorite and I don't see that changing...as long as it's jailbreakable. Without jailbreak however the iPhone is worthless to me and I'd be jumping to android or maemo without hesitation. Hopefully with the progress android is making and the innovation that the pre and n900 bring to the table, apple will open up the iPhone a little more. As much as I love it, I can't take a device seriously if it can't multitask. But like I said, thank goodness for jailbreaking.

[computerfox]

The iPhone is my favorite and I don't see that changing...as long as it's jailbreakable. Without jailbreak however the iPhone is worthless to me and I'd be jumping to android or maemo without hesitation. Hopefully with the progress android is making and the innovation that the pre and n900 bring to the table, apple will open up the iPhone a little more. As much as I love it, I can't take a device seriously if it can't multitask. But like I said, thank goodness for jailbreaking.

exactly! i just wish that some how there could be a cheaper iphone service :(

[Hondamaker]

Reviews I've read: camera takes dark, blurry pics. Screen rez may be twice as much as iphone, but hardly noticeable. Not as user-friendly.

[Krunk83]

Looks cool but no way to download music and they say one way to put music on it is to use iTunes. Hehe, I thinks that's funny. And they act like google maps is a new thing, it's been on the iPhone ever since it came out. I don't want a real keyboard on such a small device because I have big hands. I don't like not being able to pinch the screen. Looks like you have to hit a few buttons to get where you want to go where as the iphone is basically one click action.

[Eragon]

Looks cool but no way to download music

Are you sure about this? There is an Amazon MP3 app that lets you purchase and download music directly from Amazon.

http://www.androidtapp.com/amazon-mp3-for-android/

[BrownGem]

Very attractive device for the Droid enthusiast. Fast performance.

[Europa]

This phone looks nice! If the reviews are good next week when it is released, I might get one.

[aggieman]

Looks cool but no way to download music and they say one way to put music on it is to use iTunes. Hehe, I thinks that's funny. And they act like google maps is a new thing, it's been on the iPhone ever since it came out. I don't want a real keyboard on such a small device because I have big hands. I don't like not being able to pinch the screen. Looks like you have to hit a few buttons to get where you want to go where as the iphone is basically one click action.

the hype isn't about Google maps, but Google Navigation. The Google Navigation app is turn by turn voice guided navigation like TomTom or Garmin and from the looks of it, is actually better than paid nav units like TomTom, etc, let alone 90-100 dollar apps from the app store. Even better, it comes free on Android 2.0 phones.

http://www.google.com/mobile/navigation/index.html#p=default

and as for the keyboard, ALOT of people want keyboards. I have very big hands and I sometimes struggle with the iPhone keyboard but can type very easily on the Bold, Pre, and Touch Pro 2.

[chris]

First big time review (http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/30/motorola-droid-review/) is up at Engadget.







Droid forums (http://www.everythingandroid.org/forum/droid/)

[aggieman]

First big time review (http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/30/motorola-droid-review/) is up at Engadget.







Droid forums (http://www.everythingandroid.org/forum/droid/)

way to sneak in the shameless plug :ok:ok

[chris]

way to sneak in the shameless plug :ok:ok

That forum needs all the help it can get.

[aggieman]

That forum needs all the help it can get.

hmm, maybe I'll have to take one for the team and buy a Droid.

[Eragon]

A couple of excerpts from the Engadget review:

1. We did notice, however, that paging through homescreens on the the DROID actually seemed somewhat stuttery; odd, considering this phone is certainly better equipped than most Android devices to handle pixel pushing. Pulling down the window shade notification area also seemed less than optimal. We don't know if this was due to the screen resolution being jacked up, or just a software quirk, but it was mildly disheartening -- especially considering that the rest of the phone's performance seemed extra snappy to us.


2. First off, the camera is painfully slow to focus and snap pictures -- and when it does, the results can be unpredictable. Strangely, the lens seems to be able to take pretty sharp macro photos (it's even a setting in the camera app), but it struggled with getting adjusted to close subjects, even in broad daylight.


3. Instead, you can view your Gmail accounts separately (not in a single stream, but in one place), and your other accounts can be blended in the "Combined Inbox" view. Not exactly a perfect implementation for those of us with both Exchange and Google accounts, but certainly a solution light years beyond what previous versions of Android were offering. Another minor niggle: deleting an email now takes you to the next email in your inbox rather than bumping you back out to the list of emails, as it did in 1.5 and 1.6. We preferred the old functionality, though we imagine some will prefer the new as well.


4. A few of the obvious spots include the music player, which is quite frankly a mess; not only is the navigation poorly thought out, but the application is just straight-up ugly. It's not easy on the eyes, and not much fun to use either. The same goes for the phone app -- the remnants of a hastily thrown together interface are plain here, and the functionality of the phone itself gave us some issues. Often the screen was confused or unresponsive during calls, as if the hardware and software weren't communicating with each other properly. It seems obvious to us that some portions of Android need a serious, ground-up reworking... but they don't get them here. Another annoyance was the home screen -- unlike with HTC's tweaks (or even Motorola's BLUR), you only get three screens for icons and widgets. Furthermore, the DROID doesn't come equipped with even the most basic widgets you see in most new builds, like weather. The weird thing is that there is a weather app in the dock display, but no way to access the application in standard phone mode.

Additionally, some third-party (and even some first-party) software seems unable to deal with the DROID's new resolution. There are bitmaps that look upscaled and jagged, such as the attachment icon in Gmail. The game Robo Defense seemed to play slower than it did on the Hero, which was a bit of a surprise, though it has been updated to support the new resolution. None of these problems are show stoppers, but it points to a disconnect between where Google is at versus its developers. There is catch-up to be played.


Me: Good observations from Engadget. Which of these items is most likely to be a concern for users? Media player, not an issue for me. Email integration, not an issue for me. Camera lagginess/slow shutter speed - maybe.

Still no word on tethering.

I smell a Blackberry Storm with the Droid. :020:throwup

[aggieman]

media player and camera are a big letdown to me. I expected it with the media player, but not the camera. Ever since the G1 was first released it has seemed the media player has been an afterthought. The good thing though is the camera and media player can be improved through software updates. I think the camera hardware itself is fine but needs refinements on the software side.

[evolution83]

All of these competitors are trying to follow in Apple's footsteps, yet they're failing completely.

[Eragon]

All of these competitors are trying to follow in Apple's footsteps, yet they're failing completely.

Actually, I think Verizon is leaving the door open for Apple to come in. Seems odd that Verizon spent as much time and money to push the Droid. They did the same last year, and got the BB Storm instead. The BB Storm2 snuck into the Verizon store without any fanfare. Early reviews suggest that the Storm2, though better than the original Storm, still doesn't make the grade.

Verizon is going to come across as not only a crippling carrier (for past devices), but a half-baked one as well.

[evolution83]

Yeah, I've never liked Verizon for the simple fact of what they do to all their phones. A phone isn't a computer, and shouldn't have to be bogged down with software from a company that some users will almost never use.

[Andrew_]

Eh.. it's not an iPhone and will never be an iPhone.
The iPhone just.. looks nicer. I don't know if that is a valid way to judge it but to me the iPhone just looks better than any other smart phone out there.