The latest hotly anticipated "app phone" -- one of those devices that can download thousands of free or cheap add-on programs, or apps -- is the Motorola Droid, which Verizon will offer on Friday.
(It's $200 after $100 mail-in rebate, with contract. Tip: Get it at Best Buy, where you get the rebate on the spot.)
The name fits. First, it runs Google's Android mobile operating system. In fact, it's the first phone with Android 2.0, which offers a number of touchups and refinements.
Second, the Droid's design screams "Star Wars," if not "Darth Vader." It's jet black, all sharp angles and industrial-looking edges. Verizon asked Motorola to soften the design for better female appeal, but it's hopeless: Droid is all masculine, all the time.
Verizon is clearly taking aim at the iPhone. Especially in its recent TV ads, which mock: "I don't have a real keyboard. I don't run simultaneous apps. I don't have interchangeable batteries. Everything iDon't, Droid does."
Motorola’s Droid phone debuts Friday.
So is it true? Is the Droid an iPhone killer?
No, but it's certainly a killer phone. It runs on Verizon's superior cell phone network, which means it won't drop your calls in New York City and San Francisco (as AT&T often does on the iPhone).
The Droid is just incredibly fast, so it's a delight to use. Audio quality is superb, both on phone calls and when playing music.
And the Droid multitasks -- it can keep multiple programs open at once.
Anyone who hates typing on glass will love that the Droid gives you a choice: on-screen keyboard or illuminated, slide-out physical keyboard. The Droid's battery gets you through one day, just like the iPhone, but you can carry a spare.
In addition to great speed, great audio and great cell signal, the Droid offers Android 2.0's new navigation software. It's as close to a suction-cup GPS unit as you can get on a cell phone.
The real mind blower/game changer? This software is free. All of it. I'm guessing there wasn't much cheer at Garmin's Halloween party this year.
But the Droid has its weak spots, and some of them are heartbreaking. The big one is polish and simplicity; the Droid just doesn't have enough of it. Techies may go nuts over its flexibility, but normal people are in for some floundering.
Sometimes the keyboard doesn't light up when it should. Sometimes the screen image doesn't rotate when it should.
The camera has an LED flash, which helps at close range at night, but the camera itself is balky and slow to focus and fire.
The Droid doesn't work outside the United States, as the iPhone does (for an added fee). There's no iTunes-like auto-synching software for the Droid, either, so loading music, photos and videos onto it is a manual drag-and-drop operation.
The real bummer, though, is the apps. The Android Market may offer 12,000 of them, but the iPhone store has 100,000 -- and overall, they seem to be more useful and imaginative.
Droid-versus-iPhone deciders should also take into account the iPhone economy: that universe of docks, cases, chargers, Web sites and information that surround Apple's hype monster.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@