Review of Verizon Wireless Droid
They Claimed "Droid Does", but Can It Really Hold Its Own?
Nov 9, 2009
On November 6th, a new phone, the Motorola Droid, was released as Verizon Wireless' Android 2.0-based answer to Apple's iPhone, claiming that Droid does everything the iPhone cannot. After much hype created by Verizon's ad campaigns, consumers' expectations are high for this new device.
In earlier ads, Verizon claims that this phone has everything that the iPhone does not, including a hardware keyboard, the ability to run simultaneous apps, and open platform development, but many wonder whether this phone actually lives up to its potential or if it is just a lot of PR created by Verizon to sell their new gadget. So is this phone really an iPhone killer or is it a regular old phone that's just been over-hyped?
Overall Design
While this phone has a shiny-black, very sleek design, there are some flaws in the overall layout of the phone. Most of the problems with the design are little things that most people won't notice after using the phone for a short period of time, like how the soft keys are just a little too close to the touch screen, but others can become annoying rather quickly.
The biggest problem with this phone's design is probably the placement of the hardware click-pad beside the device's keyboard. When the phone is turned sideways and the screen is slid up, revealing the hardware keyboard, typing on it can become frustrating for those with small hands or irregular typing technique. To reach the keyboard, the user has to reach his right thumb, over the click-pad to reach any keys in the middle. However, most users will not notice this flaw after awhile, and it can also be overcome by simply using the phone's software keyboard.
All in all, the Droid has a great overall design, with very descriptive soft buttons, a headphone jack located at the top of the phone (rather than the iPhone's jack which is located on the bottom), and easy-to-press volume and camera buttons. Another great feature of this phone is its beautiful high-resolution screen, which is much clearer than that of the iPhone. Aside from the minor caveats in the design of this phone, it is a great piece of hardware.
Android 2.0 Operating System
The Droid's brand new Android 2.0 operating system certainly could be considered a work of art. It is a fast, open-source platform that is easy to use and is extremely user friendly. Setting up this phone can be done in less than a minute, and it's use of Gmail to store user settings is certainly a time saver if the phone needs reset or gets broken.
Verizon's use of this open-source platform, rather than a very restricted proprietary OS like the iPhone is very advantageous for users of this phone. Since Android is an already well-established platform, thousands of apps already fill the Android Market, and since Android doesn't restrict the apps submitted to the Market, the selection of apps there is very impressive.
Sound Quality
The sound quality on the Droid is crystal clear both during phone calls and while listening to music. The CD-quality sound while listening to music (which can be placed onto the Droid from any computer, just like the iPhone) was very impressive both with and without headphones.
Call quality was great too, especially during Mobile-to-Mobile calls. On calls from the Droid to landlines, the quality became a little iffy, but that may have simply been caused by the fact that the phone was getting less-than-ideal reception at the time the test calls were made. Despite the fact that the test calls had poor reception at the time (most likely a fluke, as Verizon reception is usually very good in that area), the clarity of the calls were still impressive.
Camera
The 5 Megapixel camera on the Droid is especially impressive for a cell phone, considering that many phones only have a 2 or 3 Megapixel camera. The camera is also equipped with a dual-LED flash and autofocus, which drastically increases the clarity of shots. Photos taken with this phone turned out very clear, comparable to those taken with any point-and-shoot digital camera. Videos taken with this phone were also surprisingly smooth and had great sound quality. The camera on this phone certainly beat the expectations put out by Verizon.
Other Features
Verizon certainly lived up to expectations on features that it promised would be better than those on the iPhone, but this phone has many other cool little features that are really very impressive. Small things like how the screen goes dark when it's pressed to the user's face on a call or how the portrait and landscape software keyboards are always available really add to the overall quality of this device.
One thing that really stands out is how accurate the phone is at finding its location and what direction it is facing. The GPS is supposed to be accurate to within 15 feet of the Droid's accurate location, but in road tests it seemed more like within 4 or 5 feet. The compass on this phone is also very accurate. One app that is free to download from the Market, Google Sky Map, shows all of the stars and planets that the phone is facing, and it appears to be extremely accurate when orienting the Sky Map to the phone.
Overall, this phone is a very impressive device that anyone can use. And with a price tag of only $199 after a mail-in rebate, it really is worth every penny. This phone is definitely a recommended buy.
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