Verizon and Motorola finally lifted the curtain on their new Droid Android phone yesterday. Make no mistake, this is Android’s flagship product, and the first phone that will pose a significant threat to Apple’s iPhone. And it will be available very soon, possibly as early as the end of this month.
MobileCrunch has been tracking the phone, which has also been called the Tao or Sholes, for some time. Just about anyone who has come in contact with the phone can’t stop talking about it. And from what we hear, they have good reason.
The phone is a three-way effort between Motorola, Verizon and Google. It looks a lot like the iPhone, and may even be as thin or thinner than the iPhone 3GS. It also has two key advantages over the iPhone – a slide out physical keyboard, and use of the Verizon network.
Unlike previous Android phones, the Droid is rumored to be powered by the TI OMAP3430, the same core that the iPhone and Palm Pre use, and which significantly outperforms Qualcomm 528MHz ARM11 based Android phones that exist today (Engadget has a great overview article on mobile CPUs).
Droid will also be running v.2.0 of Android, with a significantly upgraded user interface.
The Droid poses a different and more significant challenge to the iPhone than any other phone to date. The Palm Pre could have been that challenger, but it lacked the Verizon network, and users were unimpressed with the hardware. According to people who’ve handled the device, the Droid is the most sophisticated mobile device to hit the market to date from a hardware standpoint. When you combine that with the Verizon network, you’ve got something that is most definitely a challenger to the Jesus phone.
And the scary thing for Apple is, it may only be a few months before something even better than the Droid comes out. With the flood of Android devices that are hitting the market, a few are bound to be hits. No wonder Google CEO Eric Schmidt is so bullish on Android right now. Things are about to get very, very interesting.
Apple needs competition. A lot of competition.
Oh happy day!
the iPhone uses a Samsung S5PC100 processor. While it is a ARM Cortex A8 class processor, it isn’t the same as the TI OMAP. For instance, the TI can do full 1080P while the Samsung can only do 720
http://www.9to5...phone-3-S5PC100
Why would that matter when the resolution on the phone is not even close to the 1080p specs?
Right, because no one else has tried to come out with an iPhone Killer yet.
/s
except those chinese ones on eBay! :-p
this is actually good news, gives Apple ( & ATT ) a thing to think about!
I’m actually eager to see how the iPhone and the Droid comapre to Nokia’s N900. They all sport top-notch hardware:
http://www.wiki..._Motorola_Droid
http://www.wiki...S_vs_Nokia_N900
I like the fact that iPhone’s competitors are coming up with real keyboards and larger screen sizes too.
Agreed. Drive down those margins (and stimulate innovation).
In terms of quality, Apple needs *any* competition, and I find it premature to say that anyone is in their ballpark before the device can be put through the paces by a few reviewers (especially when it’s coming from the company that just dropped the underwhelming CLIQ).
Contrary to what this post implies, using the same chip does not guarantee the same performance. The Pre has the same chip as the 3GS but is notably slower to do a lot of the same basic operations. Apps like the calendar or music player that open instantly on the 3GS take a few seconds to open on the Pre.
There can be 1,000 decent Android phones, but if they’re all slower than the iPhone and they don’t have anywhere near the amount of apps the iPhone has, I don’t think anyone in Cupertino is losing sleep.
@EJ,
Only the number of apps is not and should not be the deciding factor for any phone for smart people who have their eyes and ears open.
For ex: Nokia’s coming soon N900 doesn’t require half of the apps required for iphone. Why?
Because it has a full desktop-like full web-browser experience, which doesn’t require apps like facebook, twitter, etc. Everything is just one shortcut away.
Open your eyes and ears to appreciate other advanced technologies and innovation apart from iphone.
P.S: Don’t ask me why N900 was mentioned here.
It was just given as an example.
Apple doesn’t need competition. AT&T needs competition… The iPhone, on multiple networks, is really the only thing that’s going to push forward any kind of upgrade to the cell networks’ speed/capacity.
Exactly. The iPhone is fine the only problem with it is AT&T.
We still use regular cell phones (I am still using a Motorola v325 from 3 years ago…) but are thinking about upgrading to iPhones/Smart phones. I was talking to my dad about iPhones, Blackberries and android. And he just goes, if I don’t get an iPhone I am always going to have to answer that damn question, Why didn’t you get an iPhone? Which I laughed at but did not refute because I want an iPhone (nothing will work better with my mac and iTunes, and I already have an iPod Touch with a bunch of apps). But the point is, the iPhone and Apple really, are now positioned as the pinnacle of smart phones for people who don’t follow this that close (90% of the population).
And with that damn droid commercial, who the hell are they targeting?? With an ad campaign like that apple is really not worried.
Jim
I think lot of users blame AT&T more than iphone, even though iphone may be as much culprit as iphone.
I have another AT&T 3g phone, but i don’t experience the kind of dropped calls/network problems that iphone users have been experiencing. It’s not always AT&T’s fault.
I’m afraid I have to agree. My wife’s work BlackBerry is on AT&T, and she never has any of the problems her coworkers have on their iPhones.
It’s not “iPhone”; it’s “the iPhone” or “an iPhone”.
It is a gadget; not a person (despite what Apple wants you to think).
Here is my issue and maybe someone can answer this question… Does it have full HTML internet? Honestly I don’t think verizons network will be able to handle the data usage that this phone with take. Yes they have a wider umbrella of service than AT&T, but honestly its just not as thick. That has been the biggest issue for AT&T over the past few years, and they have been trying their hardest to fix it. When you have a phone that is a data hog like the iPhone the systems just can’t hold it, and Verizon’s will be even worse than AT&Ts because they don’t have the capabilities yet to control that much usage.
You are crazy. Verizon has the largest backbone there is in the US. I use high speed internet on my computer everyday and it is very snappy for mobile and works almost everywhere I go that is including very rural areas in NC.
Verizon’s network is top notch – they can easily handle any capacity that will be generated by the usage of this device – all thier towers (which you can turn around a kick a can too – there are so many – hence the good coverage and happy customers) run fiber which can run ridiculous amounts of data.
The one major flaw in the whole campaign? They didn’t make droiddoes.com work on the iPhone, so all the people who wanted to check out the site with iPhone in hand while watching a game this weekend found… nothing. Ooopsie!
More here: http://bit.ly/25cYvM
does this mean a bunch of people will leave AT&T and my iPhone will finally work?
Awesome news, finally some competition to Apple who has been sitting on a huge pile of users, who haven’t found a better alternative yet
Perhaps they are just satisfied with their iPhones and aren’t looking for anything else.
A *rumor* of something better is awesome news? I don’t see anything here that the Blackberry Storm (near identical form factor) or the Palm Pre didn’t bring to the table, both with similar “iPhone killer” hype. Let’s see how much people are talking about it a month *after* it’s released.
wasn’t the iphone a roomer once too.
roomer is spelled “rumor”.
Ha, BB storm = fail. Storm 2 = fail * 2.
There are only 2 phones (in the USA) that are really in the same class and thats the iPhone and G1.
The Droid might be better than the G1 (probable), but thats to be seen.
I will admit that the iPhone beats the G1 in several aspects, but the Droid has promising aspects that could at least be its equal.
Remember that the Android OS is continuously and vigorously being improved at a rapid rate. I’m guessing that investing in the Android OS is anyone’s best bet for awesomeness and tech geeky-ness. The iPhone is great and Apple does well with it.
If the Droid is found to be better than the iPhone, then this only means Apple has to step up their already good game, which equals more good stuff for consumers!
I think the key thing that the droid brings to the table that the storm and pre didn’t is the completely open source os. This creates an environment for nearly infinitely options in regards to customizing/programing so you can use it exactly the way you want to, not the way apple or any other company says you have to. If it doesn’t do something you want it to, you just make it so it can (granted this takes programing knowledge or knowing someone that has it, but it’s worth it in my opinion).
Can’t wait to play with one. So far I’ve been pretty disappointed with Android performance. They all feel sluggish. Hopefully the new processor will do the trick.
Root it! Much faster when you gain roooot access.
I agree that Apple needs competition, and I’m especially pumped for the fact that this is also in part being designed by Google. That, plus Verizon, equals win. Not so sure about the Motorola thing though… Would have loved to see it coming from Samsung instead, but we’ll see…
I agree. I am still having flashbacks of my Motorola Q9 that was the worst phone I ever had. After that phone I swore off Moto and WinMo forever. I am going to have to see stellar reviews for this phone to get me to pull the trigger over one of the other Verizon Android phones to come.
Make no mistake, iPhone killers, the scary thing for Apple…Déjà vu!
It’s game over circa 2008. Apple already won this one.
Oh dear. Someone who doesn’t understand the phone industry.
See, it was “game over” when the RAZR came out and it was “game over” when the N95 came out.
Both were superseded. You don’t keep up, you get burned.
Yeah don’t keep up, Apple usually sits on it’s ass and does NOTHING while these others play catch up! Just because you have NO idea what they are doing does not mean they are doing nothing.
BTW Razr was a nice looking phone at the time nothing revolutionary, as we all know Apple changed the game entirely. Arrington is just “mad” at Apple and hopes that anything that comes out will one up em, chances of that are slim to none.
Well, Dave, they do have a history of this you know.
lol yep people seem to forget that the iphone and the sdk have only been around for 2 years, who knows what we will be using in 2 years from now.
the razr was only superceded as the most popular phone in the usa about 14 months ago.
Many competitors claim to have built the “iPhone Killer”, but no one has actually succeeded in the effort. Will this be the “ONE”?
yea…
uhm…
no…
yea…
ok…?
This one will take about 3% of iphones users and the next 100 iphone will take 1 to 3% of iphones users. This will be a slow painful experience. Kind of like when macintiosh went from hero to zero in the mac/pc wars…
Indiana, Apple’s Macintosh never ever had the percentage marketshare that people seem to think they have. They’ve spent a lot of time being first to successfully market various things but the “hero” days you speak of were about 15% marketshare. The “zero” days were about 5% and they still had billions in cash that they could’ve continued to lose a couple hundred million a quarter with for a good while. Despite the tech-media’s incessant death-chant choir. But then they turned things around and now it’s just funny watching how desperate people still are for Apple to fail. These Techcrunch guys in particular.
Hey! You got me! I hate any company that “craps” on their customers.
You mean like RIM, who has been consistently outselling the iPhone every month except the months Apple releases a new phone? Yeah, I guess you mean except for them, no one.
But you’re right, Motorola has no idea what they are doing in the mobile phone market. I mean, it’s been like three whole years since they were selling 15 million units a month of their hottest phone. They could never catch up to Apple’s unstoppable 12 million phones a year! What are they thinking?
Remember also, Lee, the Blackberry has reigned as “king” in the business world because there was no alternative, and it supported exchange server’s long before the iPhone did. It’s a “forced” option. I would like to see the statistics of iPhones versus Blackberries in the individual consumer market, rather than both individual & business consumers combined.
Another unreleased product get’s the Geeks excited (until the next FAIL comes along).
Well, we’ve got awards going out for unreleased products all the time, CrunchPad (Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards), Nobel Peace Prize (Obama’s strategy in the Middle East).
Wha!: I think the Droid will be the best cellphone of all time!
ColorMeDisappointed: “Well, we’ve got awards going out for unreleased products.”
Wha!: Really like what?
ColorMeDisappointed: ” CrunchPad” got the “(Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards)”
Wha!: Thats just one example got any others?
ColorMeDisappointed: “Nobel Peace Prize (Obama’s strategy in the Middle East).”
Gosh, I don’t know how to tell you this but that’s not a product.
Motorola really needs a homerun at this point. If Tao offers value for money when it comes out, it will sell. Hope it’s soon ‘coz with upcoming competition from Acer Liquid A1 and Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 (both of which are also highly expected Android phones) they really need to step up. Either way Android is bound to benefit from all these upcoming phones.
I can’t wait to get hands on android 2.0 … seen it but not have it on my G1 yet. Wrote small review about it but that’s about it.
As far as the Droid …ah not to bad.
From what I understand of the rumours, G1 users like us won’t be getting Android 2.0 because the system partition is too small to fit 2.0. 1.5 and 1.6 are tight enough as it is.
I cannot believe Apple will almost exactly replay Mac vs PC mistake of the 1980s…
Great comment, goes well with a post I knocked out about the closed nature of iPhone/AT&T.
I’m rooting for any open architectures that let me choose what to put on them, and what service providers to use for wireless Internet.
I still think this shows a sort of fundamental misunderstanding of what Apple cares about, to label either as a “mistake”.
I think the problem is that people assume “of course Apple wants the most marketshare possible”. They figure that Apple’s approach to the Mac OS failed because they refused to license it and become Microsoft, rather than controlling the hardware and software.
I’d say Apple is taking the exact same approach with the iPhone – Apple’s philosophy is the same – they want to control everything about the experience, the hardware and software. The fact that the iPhone has been so successful from a marketshare standpoint is certainly gravy for Apple, but not anything that was a specific goal (as I recall, Apple originally stated very small goals in terms of what they wanted of the global phone marketplace).
It’s not to say Apple’s approach is “better”; it’s just that they have zero interest in trying to have something like Symbian or Android, an OS that is on tons of different devices, can be customized so every device has a difference experience, etc.
Yeah, I think all the news stories on all the big Apple sites proclaiming that the iPhone was going to be selling 45 million units a year by 2009, Steve Jobs’ repeated comments at the iPhone launch about how the “smartphone’ market wasn’t big enough for Apple, and they were going after the regular phone market, and Apple’s constant bragging about how many iPods and iPhones they have sold, kind of poke a hole in your “well they didn’t want to be the best seller anyway” argument.
Oh, and those “very small goals” they stated at the launch, were 1% of the total phone sales in the world in the first year. What they got instead was 3% of the smartphone market, which was itself only 12 of the total phone market, meaning they utterly failed to reach their “very small goals.”
Apple desperately wants to be the best seller, which is why they are constantly slicing and dicing and even misrepresenting numbers to try and portray themselves as the best seller. To this day they trumpet their dominance of the “dedicated MP3″ player market even though their two flagship products are a PDA/handheld gaming system and a smartphone, while they don’t count any other PDAs, handheld gaming systems or smartphones in those “dedicated MP3 player” numbers. Don’t kid yourself. If Apple fails to ever capture the dominance of the phone market that they are already trying to claim they have, it won’t be because that was their clever plan all along. It will be solely because they failed to do what they tried to do.
They “utterly failed”? They exceeded their goal, hitting 1.1% after the first full calendar year of availability (2008).
http://theapple...hare-what-next/
http://www.elec...at.1.5pc.share/
Do you have any clue of which you speak?
Pithy, but wrong: Apple’s problem in the 80s was that it maintained obscenely high prices, because it was selling decently well, and wanted to keep profit margin way, way up.
Contrast that with today: when the iPhone debuted just about TWO years ago, the cheapest they could be found was $500. Now? They can be had for $99. Apple may have higher profit margins than most in the industry, but they are being aggressive when it comes to lowering prices, to grab market.
Hilarious! Every time I keep hearing about the next iPhone. All I read was that Verizon was in on the effort and the hardware is better than the Pre.
When are you going to learn? The reason the Pre didn’t succeed wasn’t because of Sprint’s network which many rate as the fastest.
I keep hearing about the keyboard issue. Since when has been an issue for anyone other than those who used a Blackberry?
Until you actually use the product, please refrain as it being an iPhone competitor. There have been so many that it is considered a joke and you should know better.
Apple may need a competitor but don’t make one because there needs to be or because a carrier wh is known to lock down phones says so. Android has been out for over a yaer and the only people who consider it a competitor. The devs or the customers clearly don’t think so.
Instead of trying to build up a iPhone competitor, shouldnA’t you be asking why the Apple hasn’t signed a deal with Verizon especially since you haven’t even seen what a Verizon/Android handset is yet?
Uh… you do realise that Verizon turned Apple down, right?
Anyway, everything gets superseded eventually and Apple’s laziness in releasing essentially the same product with tweaks may come back to haunt them. You’d think they’d learn.
The ‘haunting’ process you’re referring to isn’t showing up in their revenues!
It did when they ballsed things up in the late 80’s early 90’s and got steamrollered by Microsoft and IBM.
As soon as something better/trendier/cooler than the iPhone comes along they’re toast.
Yes- the iPhone is hanging on by its fingernails!
Kim, the ‘future’ isn’t the same as the ‘now’.
Do try to stay with me on this one.
@Mark A First off that is a rumor and you are proving my point. Verizon wanted so much control over the phone that they wanted to cripple it. It took the iPhone to start to force the carriers to become dumb pipes which Verizon is fighting to this day by trying to open it’s own app store amongst other things. This is the same company who also forced Blackberry to remove wi-fi from the Storm.
It looks like the iPhone won’t be coming to Verizon next year and I’m guessing Verizon had a bunch of idiotic requests that Apple didn’t accept.
Sure. They went to AT&T who crippled MMS and various other functions instead.
AT&T didn’t cripple anything. It was Apple’s choice to not have MMS. No iPhones on ANY network had MMS until recently, not just AT&T.
Really? Is that why all the non-US networks got MMS before AT&T then?
Exactly, I’m more worried about Verizon in this equation than either of the other two. Verizon is not exactly a bastion of openness.
Perfect…if it had a flip. I’ll have to stick to my so three years ago Motorola A1200.
i love vapor ware lets all wait and see The pre flopped badly so we dont need another over hyping episode again. Heck they are just smart phones they cant resurrect the dead.
The Pre is hardly a bad phone..
I fail to understand how in the global mobile phone business a US only, lone and niche CDMA carrier’s proprietary phone “will pose a significant threat to Apple’s iPhone”.
The same way the original 2G iPhone was supposedly “dominating the industry” when it was US only.
Besides, do you really think that Motorola isn’t going to make a GSM/3G version?
They’ve already submitted a GSM version to the FCC.
It was time, my Viewty is getting old, and I don’t really want to buy an iPhone – it’s either obscenely expensive, or has an obscenely expensive special plan.
Excellent. I’m ready to ditch my iPhone and have only held off to get a newer gen android device rather than the old hat 528mhz processor jobs.
The variety of devices is a strength but android needs some real central cohesion to make it a true competitor or it will stay fractured and confusing to consumers.
The OMAP platform is really quite nice. With a DSP on the same chip as the ARM that runs the show, you can crank some serious numbers and “essentially” have a dual-core embedded system. Very cool.
Also, yay for Verizon… the only real carrier in Wyoming. This is awesome news to a geek stranded in a wild west town.
This is careless writing…if something exists, then there can’t be speculation. For example, why are you saying it “MAY even be as thin or thinner than the iPhone 3GS if people have seen it”??? If there is something that explains this logic, then you should write it.
I agree w/ Str1f3…I get tired of hearing of competitors who haven’t even gone to market. Making the case that the Droid will threaten iPhone when it hasn’t even been released is careless. Many ballyhooed products failed when released. Know few? Of course you do – you’ve written about them.
Awesome… I look forward to getting one. These ARE the droids you’re looking for.
As for being a threat to the iPhone, I disagree. Even if the device/network is significantly better, I wouldn’t expect a mass exodus. iPhone users consume the Apple brand/culture as much the device itself.
Have a look at the counter. If I’ve seen right it still says there are 88 days to go!
i come up with what could be 11 days, just under 14 hours.
The counter seems to point to a release on October 30th…there is an acceleration factor in that it’s counting down something like 8+ times the rate in seconds if you revisit the page.
“two key advantages over the iPhone – a slide out physical keyboard”
You must be kidding. I was excited until you said this.
Yet to find a physical board that’s easier to use than the iPhones virtual one.
Even T-Mobile G1’s physical keyboard is way better than iPhone’s virtual. I would never buy a phone without a physical keyboard as virtual keyboards waste a lot of screen real estate. For example, you can’t have a productive SSH or Remote Desktop session if half or more of your screen is occupied by the virtual keyboard. Also, if you frequently send emails, a physical QWERTY keyboard cannot be beat.
You are a dying breed. You’re the same guy that wouldn’t buy a computor without a mouse. Move over grandpa, the world is passing you by.
Right, right. Apple’s World is probably passing by me, headed straight into the wall.
I’d rather be a wise grandpa than an infant with a soiled diaper.
And probably RIM, Palm, Nokia, and many other handset makers are delivering slideout keyboards, just because they are targeting the grandpa demographic, anonymous idiot!
Okey, physical keyboard sucks, especially in a handheld. Clunky gadget anyone? It will break, loosen and fall off
Virtual keyboard needs to evolve, especially visual feedback like iphone. Other than popping out of key, say, the top taskbar should blink on a key press. This is better than vibrate feedback of storm2, that is again going back to mechanical days, anyways you will be looking at screen for visual feedback.
I’m amazed at people who use their computer’s touchpad daily 8 hours/day. A mouse is so much easier to use — and less likely to cause RSI.
I know I’ll be called prehistoric now, but before I completely switched to my laptop’s trackpad, I was finding trackballs much comfortable than even the most ergonomic mouse from Microsoft – Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000.
It’s computer. With an ‘e’.
@ jack-are you f-ing kidding me? whats the point of having a huge screen if 45% of it is chewed up by your awesome virtual keyboard? the only reason apple chose to place an “aweosme” virtual keyboard in place of a real physical keyboard is to cut cost… congrats my friend you drink the “revolutionary and innovative” apple kool-aid.
@Mark A – in his defense, jack meant to use an ‘e’ but his AWESOME iphone virtual keyboard sensed it as an ‘o’ instead. he would have gone back to spell check it but due to the keyboard taking up so much screen space, by the time he was done typing, he couldn’t see it.
That’s why I keep a real keyboard in my backpack
+1
Completely agree. Physical keyboards on smartphones are terrible. The virtual buttons on the iPhone are larger in most cases and allow for much faster typing.
I enjoy my iPhone and would need to see a real alternative for me to consider switching. Having a keyboard isn’t something I would list in the pro column.
Hopefully Google is able to bring this to market without out Verizon crippling the product. Android is a great platform.
“The virtual buttons on the iPhone are larger in most cases and allow for much faster typing.”
I’ve never encountered a person who is anywhere near as fast on iPhone’s soft keyboard as I am on a G1′ s physical keyboard.
I’ve never met anyone who can type faster than me on an iPhone soft keyboard OR a blackberry keyboard
YAY SCIENCE
::“two key advantages over the iPhone – a slide out physical keyboard”
You must be kidding. I was excited until you said this.
Yet to find a physical board that’s easier to use than the iPhones virtual one.::
We are way past the point where it can be assumed that having a physical keyboard is an advantage.
Physical keyboards have to be localized for every market they’re sold into; out of the box, the iPhone supports 35 languages/keyboard layouts. And with Apple having sold over 30 million iPhones and over 20 million iPod Touches, the physical keyboard is clearly a non-issue. And for most of Apple’s competitors, a physical keyboard is a competitive disadvantage.
It’s an advantage for the consumer. But good point, didn’t think about the localization issue. Shouldn’t be a problem with Verizon as it’s US only, and won’t be able to expand with its CDMA network.
In my neighborhood in Boston, there are over 30 different languages spoken; having a device that’s multilingual out of the box makes a difference even in the US.
I would disagree that a physical keyboard is an advantage for the consumer. I’m faster now on the iPhone than I was on my old Treo. I tried a friend’s G1; I wouldn’t go back to a device with a physical keyboard.
‘It also has two key advantages over the iPhone – a slide out physical keyboard, and use of the Verizon network.’
Doesn’t seem to cut it.
A slide out physical keyboard = another thing that can break. Another thing that lets in moisture. Another thing that adds weight. Sounds like a key disadvantage.
The Verizon network — Just great if you are never going to travel outside the US. Let’s face it, most people who have the money to afford the latest and greatest technology never ever travel abroad for business or pleasure. Hang on! That doesn’t make sense!
Another key disadvantage. Shucks.
Verizon is changing here. My HTC Ozone from Verizon has a SIM card and can be used on GSM networks overseas.
I wonder why apple still expensive to get in my country
Still is in mine, in England It’s like 18/24 month contract @ £40 a month.
Wouldn’t mind if it was 12 month contract.
Android devices can be sold 10x cheaper than the iphone.
Look forward to $100 unlocked Android phones without contracts neede. Just $20 per month pre-paid for a data sim card for 5-20 GB of use, and use VOIP/IM exclusively instead of voice/sms.
Then really, it’s not Apple that’s expensive, but your crappy carriers.
“I fail to understand how in the global mobile phone business a US only, lone and niche CDMA carrier’s proprietary phone “will pose a significant threat to Apple’s iPhone”.”
Quite right too. The global market swamps the US-only market by very many times. Yet time and time again the US manufacturers cannot see beyond their own shoreline. And that is completely okay if the intention is to restrict and limit the business to within the USA.
However, if the consortium want to compete in the real global market, against Apple and a myriad other handset manufacturers, they seriously need to reconsider the folly of their current intentions.
In Twitterspeak one can only say #fail
Your argument seems to be based on the assumption that if a company makes CDMA phones, it can’t *also* make GSM phones. I think in most current designs, the relevant circuitry is isolated on one part of the board, and so it’s not a big deal to swap out GSM parts for CDMA parts.
By not making CDMA handsets, on the other hand, Moto would lock themselves out of two of the three biggest carriers in the US. Why would they want to do that?
And why can’t we subscribe to the comments here by email?????
There is an option for that on MobileCrunch.Then, why not here?????
Not an Apple “fangirl”, but I absolutely love my Iphone. I am, however, ready to move onto something else.’
I’m excited about this because Google is involved, but I’m sure Apple will come out with something new very shortly.
Love it but ready for something else. You make a lot of sense.
She’s only interested in pimping out her whore websites. Ignore it.
Most people love Apple’s great hardware, can tolerate Apple’s decent (but not great) software, but everybody is frustrated with Apple’s monopolistic App Store policies. Also, it does not apply to people in the States, but people in Europe and Asia like variety; they like to stand out and they cannot standout having the same phone everybody else has – the iPhone. People abroad also switch phones more often (I have friends get new phones every month) and won’t get stuck with two-year contracts. So, on a global scale, Android is clearly gonna win – it’s modern, free, and backed by one of the World’s top 10 brands. In the States Android will need a couple of years (or maybe less) to become the leading mobile OS. It’s also just a matter of time for developers to discover how much easier is to develop on Android.
Way too often people refer to mobile application developers as something that comes only if a mobile platform wins the US consumer, and that is not true. While development of commercial application is definitely gains traction once a platform is viable in world’s leading market, but one should check out the amount of applications being pushed by Japanese and European developers for Android to realize that Android doesn’t need to win over iPhone on the US market. It’s global acceptance will push application development to bounds that iPhone wouldn’t crush forever.
Uh, the only people that care about Apple’s “monopolistic App Store policies” are geeks and geeks are such a small minority that they usually don’t decide what becomes popular.
Ask any iPhone user if they feel deprived by those 85,000 apps in the App Store or because they don’t have something like Google Voice. Most of them don’t even know what Google Voice is.
Not true! If more consumers know about Google Voice, which they will very soon (from their buddies with Androids and BlackBerries), they will be frustrated with Apple, too!
I agree. Only the geeks moan about Apple’s “closed” system because in their narrowmindedness they cannot see the beauty of the whole Apple ecosystem. In fact that makes absolutely no sense to them if they read it. Ecosystem what?! Is that an API?
I am a programmer but not a geek. I love Apple technology. Google is nice but unrefined. And the world market isn’t going to pay for apps the way iPhone users pay for apps because they all have Apple accounts. Doh!
“everybody” is not frustrated by the App Store. In fact I wager that 99.9% of consumers who have an iPhone don’t even know what you are speaking of…
“it’s modern, free, and backed by one of the World’s top 10 brands”
– Wow this really sets business strategy afire!
And as for the article as a whole, a physical keyboard on a tiny device like a phone is not so easy to use. I’ve not seen a blackberry phone with keys large enough to use, they are tiny, hard to hit reliably, and
How about October 25?
Maybe you should be prepared to be surprised?
Do people really need a physical keyboard or is it a waste of space?
People do.
Stop being all butthurt. No one cares about your thoughts.
Obviously somebody just did.
Apparently a lot of users do, otherwise QWERTY sliders would be head a long time ago. I have been using virtual keyboards for a long time and most of the times I had to enter text, I have been discouraged to write long because of the virtual keyboard deficiencies.
All virtual keyboards are not created equal. Most would agree the iPhone’s is the best of the bunch.
I won’t be sold out to a physical keyboard until I use one, but already I feel need for one and my first/next Android is definitely a QWERTY slider. It won’t be CLIQ/DEXT though, as reviewed on Engadget yesterday, it lacks in usability.
I like the name of the device, “Droid”. Sounds cool
I’m liking what I’m hearing about the hardware, but this whole Droid branding around having a supergenius robot sidekick that lives in your pocket is just too dorky. It does not appeal to normal people.
the release date is there…. you only have to look the counter…. every times it shits the symbol on the left…. you can see 9, 8, 7…. counting down…
I wouldn’t be so excited about a motorola’s phone. Yeah, it runs Android and seems to have decent hardware…but Motobomb blows.
No one will build an iphone killer until they can match how extensible the iphone is.
Before I recently switch to the iphone I looked at ever device out there…yea some are slick looking (though if screenshots are legit this isn’t one of the slick looking ones) but I can’t do anything I want with them and Verizon is notoriously “closed” when it comes to apps… they still wanted me to pay $8 for packman
Android 1.5 is already far more extensible than iPhone. If you can write python you can extend your android handset.
The big question is how much will VZW hobble Android.
Fully agree that Android is from a dev perspective, but as far as raw number of apps non-techies can find, the apple app store is still un-matched.
And yea…I am sure verizon will F up the ability to get apps on the device without having to hack it.
I have the same concerns about VZN’s history of hobbling products. With the addition of this Android phone and others in the pipeline, VZN has the potential of leveraging their much better network to put a big dent in iPhone market share. If they do hobble that dent will be minimal.
Verizon will not be getting in the way of the Droid experience. This phone marks a new era.
The big question is how much will VZW hobble Android.
This is my #1 question. My current AT&T contract is expiring mid November and I’m trying…TRYING…to find a way to buy an Android phone, but with AT&T having a bad network and Verizon being The Great Crippler, I’m being left with TMo as a last resort. Let me tell you, the CLIQ is not something I want to jump on for the next two years with better/faster Android phones coming down the pike.
I find it hard to believe that this will be The Real Deal with Verizon lording over it.
I’m really looking forward to the Droid/(insert great Android phone) as well. I’m going to bring up my HTC Ozone from Verizon again to make a point that Verizon is changing their stance. Verizon let this phone keep WiFi and GPS (unlocked). Someone in Verizon has realized they need to keep/catch up in regards to their phone offerings.
I really, REALLY hope the Droid represents ACTUAL competition to the iPhone. As many of you already mentioned, Apple’s (and AT&T in the US, I might add) been sitting on top of a HUGE pile of users, many of them not happy with their devices, but stuck in it due to no decent alternative.
As for the physical keyboard, I’ll give it a huge pass. I don’t imagine myself using a physical keyboard anymore.
I know a lot of iPhone users and I’ve honestly never known one who I’d characterize as “unhappy” with it – nearly all are a lot closer to “thrilled” or “addicted”.
Obviously he’s from some kind of bizarro world where the iPhone doesn’t consistently win every single consumer satisfaction survey it’s been in since it’s release in 2007.
It’s *everything else* that people are unssatisfied with.
Nothing is going to kill the iPhone, in fact labeling something as an ‘iPhone killer’ is quite ridiculous. However, me being the proud owner of an HTC Hero and a previous owner of both G1 & iPhone 3G, I tell you, I prefer Android. But for it to ‘kill’ the iPhone, it has to do much more than to offer better software; there is marketing, brand loyalty, and most definitely HARDWARE! And on those fronts, I dare say iPhone is still superior. If Driod has good hardware as claimed, then Android still has other areas to cover, and that won’t happen anytime soon.. At least Apple won’t let it happen..
Peace everyone, and let the best phone win..
Any preview picture out there?
Several problems come to mind. I like the Apple “There is an App for that” and have over 300 iPhone apps. To switch to Android I would have to buy many of them all over again and in many cases at a much higher price.
Verizon’s Android is not compatible with the Apple online store. I also would loose access to the iTunes app store and its convenience. There is a whole lot more to that iTunes app store then just apps including movies, TV series, music, books (audio and ebooks), and the useful Apple-U university courses from major colleges just for the downloading anywhere – anytime. A lot of it is free but if I spend money it is secure so I know I am not going to get ripped off by cyber thieves.
Then there is also a fatal flaw I have discovered in Android itself. My apps use 2.8GB on the iPhone just for program storage. The Android is designed to have room just for 512MB of app storage maximum. Will android apps be six times smaller than the same iPhone app or will I have no choice but to loose 80% of my current ‘app for that’ choices in my phone just to have Verizon?
That sucks!
WIDGETS
I don’t want to have to run apps from off the web or a bunch of stupid ‘Widgets’. There are a ton of those on the Mac and I use maybe a half dozen from time to time. I really could live without any of them. I would not waste space in 512MB limited app storage for that kind of crap. I disable the Widgets in the sidebar of Windows 7 for the same reason – they are dumb. They take up screen room and they are distracting. And if someone wanted money for one – super dumb!
BTW if what I heard about T-Mobile “Project Black” is true one will be able to switch to a T-Mobile 4G phone for one third less monthly cost in the very near future that will be compatible with Apple’s online store for apps and media.
That will be a game changer even for Verizon who still will not have a phone compatible with iPhone applications. They are going to have a hard time justifing high monthly rates on a slower network that is not yet Apple compatible.
Paying for an app does not mean it’s secure. In fact, Apple has had major problems with bogus for-pay apps getting through the approval process.
http://www.mobi...ific-developer/
Comparing mobile widgets and desktop ones really isn’t fair. On smartphones, you’re trying to minimize the number of clicks and time it takes to do something. For example, I have a weather widget on my Android home screen. You can get get one-click widgets to perform common tasks such as during GPS or Bluetooth on and off. I’m not saying it’s the “killer feature” of Android, but it’s definitely a distinct advantage over the iPhone.
Also, on the issue of app space, only the base apps need to be in that 512MB. For example, the base installation of Doom on my phone is in that 512MB but only takes up 1.38MB. The WAD (game level) files are on my SD card, so it’s really not a big deal.
You don’t get it.
It is going to take a lot more than that to kill the iPhone, and the “killer” product better come out soon or the iPhone will get harder and harder to kill.
Apple has a lot more going for it with this phone than previous gen phone winners. It has lock in. People aren’t likely to give up on all the apps they’ve bought and put their data into and their mobile me setup unless something significantly more compelling comes along… and a keyboard doesn’t cut it.
That’s a good point. Sort of like the built-in advantage Windows has had, to some degree – people reluctant to switch to OS X or Linux because of software they’ve bought (not to mention software they might not even be able to find elsewhere).
I think that’s going to be the thing too – it’s not enough to say “hey, we can do what the iPhone does”. You have to show it too; for a user that does have a ton of iPhone apps, one of the biggest concerns they’d have isn’t even so much “do I have to rebuy all my apps?” but “can I get all of my apps on Android?”
Seems like that will be a big thing. It seems like Verizon is emphasizing some of the things the iPhone doesn’t do (running multiple apps at the same time, physical keyboard), but the question becomes, are those fundamental problems tons of iPhone users are complaining about, and will switch? Presumably not by their own (it’s not like the Droid is the first Android device, or that the Pre doesn’t have similar advantages).
I realize it’s natural – find what the competition doesn’t do and emphasize it, but it could be a problem if they are making assumptions about what people do and don’t care about.
The biggest advantage that Android has that does seem to be a clear differentiator would be the open platform, but again, it might be a question about how many users care about that? Surely there are some, but how many?
Isn’t that the same lock-in advantage that Mac had over PC? What’s the diff?
The point is not to “kill” the iPhone. Apple is the only phone manufacturer that does it’s own marketing. And it probably spends more on advertisements than the phone carriers spend on all of their products COMBINED.
The point is to relegate it to the same niche that Mac has. Unless there is a major cultural shift at Apple, it’s heading down the same road. Which is not necessarily a bad them for them because it’s still profitable. But with the overwhelmingly greater choices the Android platform provides, it’s lining itself into becoming the “PC” of the smartphone world.
You mean like how people aren’t going to get rid of all those PalmOS apps they bought to go to Windows Mobile, or aren’t going to get rid of all those Windows Mobile apps they bought to go to BlackBerry, or get rid of all those BlackBerry apps they bought to go to Android?
I swear, sometimes I think some people don’t know anything in the world exists until Apple tells them it does! News flash, the Smartphone market is over a decade old! It didn’t start 3 years ago when Apple created it! And before you even try the “but normal people didn’t buy them before Apple” argument, all of those devices were selling by the tens of millions before Apple even entered the market.
This confirms no iPhone on verizon in my opinion. You don’t slam a product then try to sell it.
Not true.
Verizon is reaching for negotiating tactics with Apple, and they don’t have very many. This is a sad attempt to put Verizon in a more powerful negotiating position.
I’m not sure how much more of a negotiating position they need — they’re the largest carrier in the United States. They have the best data network, and LTE is slated to solidify that position.
Can T-mobile and Sprint honestly even be considered options?
I have a Pre and love it. I have friends who can’t live without their iPhones, and that’s great too. Who cares which phone is better? Smart phones in more hands will lead to a better mobile experience for all of us.
“Looks just like Iphone” – *waits for imminent Apple lawsuit*
Droid.com is owned by Star Wars & George Lucas — Will Darth Vader represent the new Verizon Droid.com
Wow, so this Droid phone is going to have a camera, removable battery, and multi-tasking! This is so great because no other phone on the market currently has those things. This is sure to kill the iPhone!
Yay!
/s
Hey Paul! I see you’ve taken your show on the road. Tired of getting downranked to oblivion on Engadget are you?
Couple of points:
1) My understanding is that Android 2.0 code is more highly optimized and should lead to a more responsive UI even on existing processors.
2) Android doesn’t have to “kill” the iPhone, it just needs to provide serious competition. This will be good for everyone.
3) As the Android user base grows, so will the number and quality of applications. I own a TM3G and I have to say, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on a lot of applications that I could only get with the iPhone. Maybe its just me, but I get my FB app, eBay app, guitar app, games, Maps, etc. I really can’t think of any iPhone appp I’m pining over.
4) Android has what the iPhone doesn’t… carrier choice. You’ll be able to buy an Android phone from virtually every carrier. I’m saving $100 a month with T-Mobile over AT&T and that’s a boatload of cash.
5) People love the Apple brand, Yes. People also love the Google brand. And Google mail, calendar, etc. integration on Android is superb. Type in your username/password and you’re setup. Done.
6) The pace of Android development is on a tear. In fact, I can’t think of anything else Google has done in recent years that matches the current pace of the Android dev cycle. This is real competition and is ultimately yielding a better experience for buyers. Apple fanboys should be very happy as this is likely to cause Apple to up the ante…perhaps even loosen up some of their monopolistic walled-garden policies.
A US-only cellphone is going to challenge the iPhone?
Get a clue, Michael. The US cellphone market isn’t the biggest in the world, it isn’t even #2. Apple can ignore a product that will only be sold in the third biggest market in the world.
Not if that #3 market is their primary market. Apple can’t even begin to compete with Nokia outside the US.
“Not if that #3 market is their primary market. Apple can’t even begin to compete with Nokia outside the US.”
Is this the same Nokia that just reported an $834 million loss? And who’s product line is in disarray? Bloomberg–http://bit.ly/3YRmOo.
Apple just reported record sales of iPhones for the previous quarter–7.4 million of them.
“According to people who’ve handled the device, the Droid is the most sophisticated mobile device to hit the market to date from a hardware standpoint.”
That strikes me as a surprisingly irrelevant statement.
The iphone is awesome, but not because of its hardware. The integrated experience is what matters. How exactly is a phone designed by three companies going to have a better integrated experience. Unless google did all the software, and there is no verizon branding on screen, I highly doubt it will be better software.
Ohh, and I’m writing this from home, where I have zero AT&T coverage. So I want to believe…
The rumor is that there will be very little (if any) Verizon branding on this because it’s a ‘Google experience’ phone. So, stock Android 2.0.
As much as I want to see Android take off in general, I’ll reserve judgment on Verizon’s poke at it until I see what they have – and have not – crippled. You know what I’m talking about, crippled OBEX on Razrs, no user access to GPS, etc. etc. Verizon has been the worst offender in my experience with their monolithic corporate screw-the-user attitude. Unless they’ve found religion, paint me a skeptic. I envision an Android device with 60% of its intended functionality. And that, my friends, is a bad move for Google to make. Guilt by association.
Absolutely agree. Hardware doesn’t matter.
According to my colleague who has owned both, the 1st gen iPhone is still a better mobile device than the myTouch 3g.
It’s not the hardware, it’s how well the software uses it that matters.
Michael,
Verizon’s networks is a DISADVANTAGE compared to ATT because it’s a CDMA network.
For anyone that travels internationally, CDMA is useless. The rest of the world uses GSM. Even Canadian carriers are ditching CDMA. So why would I ever want to own a CDMA phone that doesn’t work outside of the US?
I have a work phone that is a Verizon blackberry 8830. Everytime I go to Europe or Asia I have to go buy a SIM card, then send a message to everyone back home what my temporary # will be. What a hassle! With ATT my US # follows me around the world.
Not to mention problems with Verizon here in the US. My Verizon work phone drops twice as many calls as my personal ATT phone, and at my home in California, my Verizon phone gets almost no signal compared to a full signal on ATT.
But bottom line is that CDMA is dying. At least Verizon finally got the message and will join the rest of the world for 4G on LTE. When that day comes, I’ll look at Verizon again. But this is what’s killing the Pre. Sprin is sticking with CDMA and even adopting a 4G standard that nobody else in the world uses.
As people travel more and more, they want devices that work everywhere. So a CDMA device is a horrible choice, unless you just never leave the US.
its ridiculously expensive to use your iphone overseas anyway. I just buy a cheap unlocked phone and add a sim card when i’m abroad. And that’s even when i had an iPhone, which i left switched off.
“a CDMA device is a horrible choice, unless you just never leave the US.”
I doubt your average consumer even knows, or cares, about CDMA, GSM etc… They don’t care, just like they don’t care about what’s under the hood. You give the consumer way too much credit.
No you are the idiot. Look how well your logic is working out for GMC and Chrysler.
Seeing as Verizon is the #1 mobile carrier in the U.S. I really don’t think the average consumer gives a damn about being able to use their phones overseas. Let’s be realistic, your average customer doesn’t give a shit what processor is in their iPhone or care about AT&T’s spotty network – they just want the phone.
Cool! Another “iPhone killer” I can watch fail miserably!
Apple doesn’t fail at very many things. Despite what some people believe, Apple is content to just reap huge profit margins on a relatively low marketshare.
I’ve been hearing about “iPod Killers,’ ‘Mac OS Killers,” and “iPhone Killers” for years – not a single one of them has even come close to gaining a following, let-alone killing anything.
So spare me the “Apple needs competition” garbage. The iPhone is quite possibly the closes thing we’ll ever see to a perfect phone without going overboard with technology. Yes, we would love a higher MP camera. Yeah, vid quality could be a bit better. But overall, it is virtually perfect for all but the most demanding tech geeks.
The ONLY problem with it is that Apple stupidly chose to go with AT&T instead of opening it up to more than one carrier.
‘Mac OS Killers,”
Who was supposed to be the “Mac OS killer”? Mac OS is, and always has been, an “also ran”.
Yeah, right. “Windoze” is and has ALWAYS been the copy-cat, the ‘also-ran’ and the ‘forever-behind’ OS, trying in vain to catch-up to the innovation and technology Apple has put into their hardware and software. If Apple were so behind, why are their products always the standard that every other company is trying to beat? You never here of Zune killers, or Android killers, or Windows killers. Why? Because no one cares about beating losers. Apple is so far ahead of the game.
You sound like one of those Neo-Confederates still fighting a war that was lost long ago. Come back when Mac OS breaks the 5% mark in global marketshare or Win drops below 90%. I hate to be the one to break it to you but Mac OS is a niche product like Linux. Again fanboyism ignores the fact that Microsoft software and Nokia phones are, by and large, what the world uses.
You mean except how Apple utterly failed to be a “BlackBerry killer.”
People who keep talking up Apple’s phone seem to forget that in the smarphone market it is still number 3 (at best) worldwide, and in the general phone market, they aren’t even in the top five.
product differentiation will be nill in the coming years. the safari browser is the most powerful app on the market. price and differentiation of niche offerings is when the real game changing begins. how many differnt kinds of keyboards and touch screens variations with internet access will there be in the future and how many do we really need?
They fail for having a bad redirect for people outside of the U.S. (Japan in my case). The site then croaks. A missed opportunity, oh well…
I think we’re going to see a lot of these phones go away and, like PCs, there’ll be two or three choices, i.e. iPhone, Android and 1-2 other platforms maybe. Lord knows these fringe companies are going to have a hard sell when most of the value of the iPhone, for me, comes from its app store, not from it just being shiny.