If you are a tech lover, there is nothing quite like the launch day of a much hyped new gadget. Expectations run high. And since those expectations are rarely satisfied once you have the special little device in hand, it’s a moment to savor. In the hours before you own it, that device is perfect in every way. It will make you happier, a better person. There are no bugs, there are only features. It is whatever you want it to be.
Launch day of a new cool gadget is the closest thing to being a kid again on Christmas day (or whatever your winter solstice holiday of choice). You’ve anticipated the day. You’ve called in sick to work. And you are standing out in the freezing cold at 7 in the morning, hoping your place in line assures you a device before the carefully-planned sell out occurs. You’ve worked yourself into…a Fever Pitch.
I’ve always been let down with the real world gadget after that high of anticipation. But that’s ok. It’s part of the cycle of tech.
Today is Droid day. In just a few hours Verizon stores will open and the first customers will get their hands on their very own Droid.
And I promise you, if you are one of the people waiting in line, you will have a much lower than average amount of letdown. That’s because, in my humble opinion, the Droid is the coolest mobile phone to exist to date. It is as close as we’ve come to the Platonic ideal of a smartphone. Its very existence ensures that the next iPhone will be even better than it otherwise would have been. Competition is good.
Yes, this is an unabashed love letter to the Droid. If you want the dispassionate reviews, we’ve got em. And then some. That isn’t what this post is about.
This post is about love of technology.
I’ve had one of the devices, a free loaner that I wasn’t ashamed to beg for, for a week now. I’ve assigned it to my Google Voice account and have used it and only it since it arrived.
I have placed it in the car doc and have used Google Navigator to get around, shunning my expensive but suddenly dated in-car navigation system. I talk to my Droid. And it talks back to me, guiding me to my destination.
I have installed a dozen apps on my Droid, and all run smoothly in the background. Skype, Yammer, Twitdroid and Google Voice all let me know when something is happening that I need to be aware of. There is no lag when I open these apps. Even when most of them are running at once.
And when I respond, I can choose between the quick virtual keyboard or the slider real keyboard. And I notice how slim the device is, about the same as the iPhone, even though it has a physical keyboard.
I make calls from my home via the robust Verizon network, something I had to forgo in my AT&T/iPhone days. My voicemails are transcribed automatically by Google Voice and delivered via email, along with my text messages. Not one call has been dropped in a week’s use.
I view web pages in the gorgeous 3.7″ WVGA (480 x 854 pixels); 16:9 widescreen. And the scrolling speed on web pages is faster than even my desktop computer.
Droid is the Alpha phone. And I will love it and only it. Until something better comes along.
Happy Droid Day. Let me know what you think of yours.
i’m on my way to verizon. ditching iphone for something that excels as a “phone”- the killer “app” for “app phones” : )
i actually prefer that there are only 10,000 apps instead of 100,000. it’s a good filter. means only the real ones that are worthwhile make it across.
better speakerphone, better screen, better email, better contacts, better mapping, better phone, better connectivity. you can keep the rest of the stuff. this is all i want. i was about to ditch my iphone for blackberry, so this is a godsend.
yes but will there be a MOG app on the Android?
haha the first two paragraphs of this post made me LOL. Soooo true!
@david Hyman — The statement “it’s a good filter. means only the real ones that are worthwhile make it across.” is untrue. I have a G1 and an iPhone. While it may be easier to find apps on the smaller Android Market, there is just as much crap there (%-wise) as there is on the iPhone app store.
The approval process for Android is simpler (which is good AND bad), so you get quite a few fart apps, ‘pretty lady’ apps, etc.
Let’s talk about where the Droid really excels and quit the fan-boy posturing/hating. The Droid has superior hardware and the open source roots means we can expect to see some pretty cool homebrew versions of Android (I have been running Cyanogen on my G1 and it actually makes THAT phone useful). I just wish it looked better (purely judging on looks here).
Too bad Verizon’s prices are not better or equal at least with ATT’s…
it is the exact same as the iphone pricing – $70 per month.
I want some of your drugs.
Sturgeon’s law hasn’t been repealed just because this isn’t Apple.
90% of your 10,000 are still crap.
o after the “not so phenomenal” unveiling of Motorola Droid to USA yesterday http://bit.ly/d...uered-USA-today
Like us, other buyers are asking too, if did it really conquered america or not (like verizon promises to their “mocking” advertisement)
Now it seems, iPhone realize that they should try AT&T for a change? Dang.. shouldn’t they see what will happen to droid first? before making hasty testosterone induced decisions…
Your opinion is never humble
(rimshot!)
I am looking forward to actually owning something that I actually want to write about. :/
Lovin the droid love.
You make me realllly want to get one!
So tired of my iPhone’s lack of keyboard.
Mike – Love is blind!
In Mike case , its hate. (IPhone)
At $550.00 for this existing customer it is not the Droid I am looking for and neither is the Eris at $450.00. I will have to wait to get an Android phone until either June when I can get a discount or until they drop the price for existing customers. If they want to take over the market then they need to get their existing customers purchasing these phones as well as the new ones.
it’s worth it.
I am sure it is worth it and I am absolutely thrilled with this OS but right now I am raising my daughter on $1000.00 a month so $550.00 on a phone won’t work. I’ll be patient and wait until June or until I can find a better job.
a free phone is always worth it.
You should hook @tawnie up with a free Driod.
I second that! Give it to her!
Yes it is. I bought it retail.
Pay big now, pay little when the Droid 2 comes out.
My friend just bought one on Verizons web site for only $99. Just something to look into?
Phone price $560
2 yr act -$260
Yrly upgrad -$100
Mail in rebat-$100
The Android fanboi just poked the iPhone fanboi (Seigler). Waiting for a rebuttal
I love the idea of this device. The specs are stunning and I really love Android. However, I just think that keyboard is the awful.
Aesthetically, the Dpad on the right doesn’t line up with anything and the gold?
Functionally, its almost flat. If I’m going back to a physical keyboard please make it a one where they keys are ofset or at least have some definition.
I really really wanted this to be the phone to replace my iPhone 3GS, but I guess I’ll have to wait for the HTC Passion if it every surfaces.
Oh yeah and what is the deal with the random chin at the bottom of the phone? I’m sure there is a good reason for this but damn, surely there was a better looking solution.
Completely agree. It’s a triumph of marketing over esthetics. Ugly as hell, and that chin just makes my skin crawl.
I think the chin on all cell phones is there for engineering reasons — you need somewhere to put the antennas (WiFi and cellular) where the signal is not obscured by the screen electronics. Putting it at the bottom is better than putting it at the top since people typically hold the bottom of the phone further from their head than the top.
Agreed. It looks like a 1997 Sony remote with a screen. *And, isn’t the multi-touch crippled for the U.S. market on this thing?
You don’t have to use the physical keyboard. I prefer virtual keyboards on phones anyways, but I am glad this has a hardware keyboard simply for emulation gaming (NES etc). Without a real keyboard you can’t play these worth crap, but now you can. Well… once the developers update them for Android 2.0 anyways… right now they don’t work but I imagine they will within a week. I think it has to do with the new resolution of this model.
“You don’t have to use the physical keyboard. I prefer virtual keyboards on phones anyways”
Perhaps that’s what Apple thought when simply leaving the physical keyboard and being able to ship essentially the same product to markets with different characters (e.g. China, Russia, etc).
Competition is indeed good Mike, and that’s really the only reason I like Google’s Linux based mobile OS.
With Android based phones flooding the smart phone market, and Yes.. Windows Mobile 7 will be a force next year that Apple has to deal with.
We get great feature full phones that put Apple under pressure and gives AT&T headaches.
Bring it on..
Nice article Michael..
Pushing out new apps for Droid..
Time magazine has a very good *objective* article about the Droid.
http://nerdworl...rizon-wireless/
One thing I did not realize is that, while the Droid has plenty of memory thanks to the microSD support, you cannot use that for applications (thus you’re limited by the onboard 256MB for apps).
Does the Droid have an accelerometer? So many cool iPhone apps make use of that.
Surely this can’t be true. Apps are limited to 256MB onboard? WHAT?
The executable space is limited. Apps can store their data on the card. I have a few Android apps that are just a small executable in system memory, and then a fairly large DB on the card.
It really isn’t the issue you think it is. I have around 40 apps installed, and they are using 58 megs of space on the system memory. The apps themselves are not big.
Thanks for expanding on this.
Yeah. But by limiting the onboard memory, Motorola killed the chances of this thing running 3D games. Go onto Glu or Gameloft sites and look at how much clunkier the games are on Android vs. Iphone/iPod.
Yes, non-executable files can be applied to the SD card but that leaves alot of opportunity for “breakage” by the consumer. What if they swap SD cards, update SD cards, look at their SD card and see a random directory, say “what is this” and delete it. All problems that will keep big game houses more focused on iPhone than Android at this time.
Hopefully HTC will see this problem and ship the passion with plenty of onboard memory.
At least on the Droid, you can’t remove the SD card without removing the battery. And Google is working on many of the problems you addressed in your comment.
Call me silly, but if I want to play a 3D game, I get out my PSP, not my phone.
The problem with this (that no one seems to be bringing up) is that this is because the SD card storage space on an Android phone is OPEN — you can just plug it into your computer and access it.
On an iPhone, I’m pretty sure the only way to get data on and off a (non-jailbroke) phone is by using iTunes.
Now, this is kind crappy to the consumer, but great to a developer — on the unjailbroken iPhone world, piracy isn’t a problem — the user has no ability to access application files.
In the Android world, if they let applications be run on the SD card, any user would be able to access these applications directly and then possibly distribute them — disastrous to the developer, if these applications cost money.
This argument is flawed in that you don’t NEED to get apps from the App Market for Android. You can distribute apps via your web site, or however you wish.
To run apps not purchased from the App Market, it’s simply a checkbox in the settings on Android. So someone can already pirate the Android apps if they really want to.
It might not be the most user friendly solution, but the guys over at the xda-dev forums solved this problem a long time ago with app2sd. I have flashed Cyanogen ROM on my G1 and all my apps are on my sdcard. I am sure someone will find a way to root the Droid and let the games begin
That doesn’t help the other 90% of the public. The developers are looking to satisfy that 90% so the 10% of you that root your phones are going to miss out because of the 90% not able to install to SD.
It’s a huge problem.
It’s not the big deal you think it is. Very few apps are over 1MB so unless you’re insane 256MB is fine. The only problem with it is if you are a big gamer. But as someone else mentioned, developers have the choice to store everything besides the executable itself on the SD card (sound/textures/etc).
So really, it’s not a big deal. Promise.
Yes, the Droid has an accelerometer.
Competition is good.
Waiting with lots of anticipation for the Droid to hit the UK, along with all the other next-gen Android handsets.
New Android-powered Sony-Ericsson Xperia X10 (http://bit.ly/eWCcy) also looks pretty sweet.
“My boots are full of Vaseline . I can feel it squishing in between my toes.”
God that was one squishy “review”. A free phone does wonders I guess.
iphone or not, it’s a g*damned phone.
When, oh when, is the UK going to be treated to the Droid? Just an announcement would help please Moto?
Everybody hold your hats. the Pope of Silicon Valley has blessed the Droid!
Now, I’m not sure who’s goona be standing in line, I didn’t understand why one would do so for an iPhone. I still have my 2006 BlackJack on ATT.
I’ll even bet if you wait a couple months, you might see better refinements to the Droid, and even better models for A2.0.
Still as one who has a Wallmart right down the street, and it is a GPS….which I don’t have in the car….hmmm.
And, ATT gives me no coverage at home.
Is there a Skype or Gizmo APP for Android? Anyone?
Unfortunately the version of Skype is just Skype Lite, which still uses phone minutes. Sipdroid will let you connect to any SIP service over Wi-Fi or 3G though, without using any minutes.
I Said This B4 Being A Former Google Tech.. Bet On Google Like U Bet On My Coffee
c|_|
Michael,
Does this mean you are effectively giving up your MyTouch?
the mytouch has been retired.
The Droid Gadget looks so kool!!!
Its Droid everywhere.
DROID for $149 for existing customers when you renew your contract for two-years – http://bit.ly/136bNa
Just needs to be a $69.99 plan or better, I think
Mike, what do you think of the physical keyboard? So much has been made of how bad it is.
i think i can type about twice as fast on it as i could on my old iphone.
Makes me kind of wish I had waited for this phone instead of my 3GS.
Aw…feelin’ all warm on the inside!
I have the TMobile MyTouch 3G. Nice, but not a Droid. I am looking forward to the 2.0 update but won’t switch to Verizon until they drop their price somewhat. My wife and I have a pair of these and are both on an unlimited plan. It costs $150/mo. With Verizon, its $250/mo. I can’t justify the extra $1200 a year.
But I have to say that even without all the 2.0 goodness, sliding keyboard or the Verizon network, I still think my Android phone is great and I don’t even drool over the iPhone the way I used to. It’s like the kid in high school you thought was cool until you woke up one day and realized he’s a douche!
BTW…I expect a MASSIVE explosion of Android apps in the next 6 months. Critical mass is going to kick in.
Have you installed the latest Cyanogenmod on mytouch? The latest version makes it as smooth as butter.
Oh boy, hope to have one soon..
The key to this review is “Enjoy The Moment.” It is a moment, and it’s an enjoyable one – made more enjoyable because I’m eligible for a free update from VZW otherwise. Not sure yet that this will qualify, but I’m sure a VZW customer rep will help.
But it is only a moment. If you want to see innovation, market churn, and design mania, check out the keitai scene in Japan, and then match that with the reality of phone service in the US … will things really be much different in 2015.
Add to this the dominant (western) mindset. I wonder how VZW will edit their iDont ad now that they have a device with a “virtual” keyboard ??
Me, I’ll keep my iPhone, update my VZW phone, and keep my eye on the clone phone market place …
wow! thats what i was looking for the next Motorola i-phone.am a fun of Motorola veru much.has great features.Artificial intelligence wherever i go.
i think the look they are going for is the HP 12c
http://en.wikip.../File:Hp12c.jpg
Why doesn’t it have on-board memory? It can’t really be an self-proclaimed “iPhone Killer” without that, can it? Doesn’t quite make sense.
It isn’t like a mini (or micro, I can’t remember which the Droid has) SD card is some huge burden to tote around. I’m quite positive I’ve seen hits of acid bigger than the microSD in my G1!
While it is possible for apps to store data on the SD card, there is a performance hit to consider. The load time on some apps can be slow (ex: camera app). And I get frequent skips/stutters with the music player when using other apps, receiving email, etc. Maybe this is addressed with the better hardward of the Droid.
I just don’t see why a manufacturer has not created an android phone with more onboard storage space. I rooted my G1 because I was running out of space on my phone and ended up spending more time than needed to cull apps from memory.
With the Cyanogen mod I have nearly 600MB of apps on the phone. Do I use all of them often? No. But it is nice to be able to show that on Android there is also an “app for that” and just because and app is seldom used doesn’t mean I won’t use while waiting at the airport or on the bus to kill some time.
You know, I sometimes feel so bad for handset manufacturers. It doesn’t matter what decision they make, there will be a bunch of people who think they know better. I remember when the big trend in PocketPC and PalmOS devices (long before the iPhone came out), was to add more and more internal memory, and all anyone complained about was that they wanted expandable memory slots. Then developers made handhelds with tons of memory, and multiple expandable memory slots, and everyone complained that they were too expensive. Now they have gone to very little memory on the device, and one expandable memory slot, and people are screaming that they should go back to where they started, because Apple came into the game 10 years late, and reset everything back to lots of internal memory on the device.
I personally could care less where the storage is. I’ve had devices with every combination imaginable of external and internal memory, and I don’t remember it ever making the slightest bit of difference to my use of the phone, except on the very first Palm Pilot. I would maintain that the market for app collectors like yourself, who just want to have hundreds of apps, just to say they have them, is fairly small in the grand scheme of the mobile phone market, and Apple, with their 10 billion apps (or whatever the number is up to this moment) seems to be more than happy to make the device for them. For the rest of us, who just want to do certain things on our phone, a paltry selection of tens of thousands of apps, with only 40 or 50 installed on our phone is more than enough to make us happy.
By the way, as far as music skipping, you must be encoding at an insane bitrate if 2MB per second is a bottleneck! Have you tried a Class 4 card?
It’s because the manufacturers are cheap. There’s really no other excuse for the pitiful internal storage.
For those who want to save a quick $100 *NOW*, don’t forget that Best Buy is offering to give you the rebate in store which makes the initial purchase an honest $199
I got one on wirefly for 149, no rebates needed
How come no comments on pricing like you bashed AT&T? I am considering switching, went on line, and saw that as a new customer, I have to pay $50 more for the phone!? F that!
Anyone know if Augmented Reality apps will work well on the Droid?
Does it have a decent compass (magnetometer I believe they call it) and fast enough video camera? I have been hearing some bad things about the camera, but I am not sure if it is a hardware or software issue.
MOG on android for sure.
It sure was an eye opener to read the above referenced Time magazine review after reading Mike’s. It’s almost like they’re talking about two different phones: “it comes in right behind the iPhone” “second fiddle to the iPhone’s Safari Browser” “multimedia playback continues to be a disappointment” “doesn’t support multitouch” “it won’t replace your Garmin or whatever PND you might currently own” “the camera is horrible. Possibly the worst of any phone on the market”
Could there be a lack of objectivity on the part of one of these reviewers?
Some reading comprehension is in order, eh? He stated, pretty clearly, that this is not a review. It’s an expression of fanboi love.
“fanboi love” or Apple hate? Either way, it’s a level of immaturity that seems inappropriate.
“And since those expectations are rarely satisfied once you have the special little device in hand”
All my expectations where satisfied when I first held the iPhone when it first came out. I was just blown away.
I think Apple has not deal with certain things in an appropiate way. This force some of us to believe that some of these phones are better. At the end of the day Droid is just an iPhone wannabe. Their advertising campaign just establishes that–stating things that at the end of the day the average user doesn’t care and that Apple will shortly (when it doesn’t affect user experience) provide.
The physical keyboard is so obsolete. I’m writting this from my iPhone probably at 65WPM. The iPhone’s just has a learning curve that the older generations are not willing to face. I’m certain a couple of years from now technology will be laughing at anything physical.
Just getting of the cab at Verizon store on Water St. where there isn’t a line that streches out the door like when every version of the iPhone came out. Hopefully this device will prove that it is some worth mentioning competitor.
65 words per minute? with your thumbs?
WORDS per minute? I doubt it.
If you mean 65 Characters per minute, which is a little over one character per second. Well, OK then.
I guess I’m not your average user. I write around 110WPM on a computer keyboard; so I was making an estimate of writting about half of that on my iPhone after using it for 1 year.
“The iPhone’s just has a learning curve that the older generations are not willing to face.”
It’s ok, English has a learning curve that the younger generations are not willing to face
I was waiting for this one.
I can speak 4 languages; starting to learn my 5th (thank God for Rosetta)–so don’t point a finger at me for not having perfect syntax.
However, the point I was trying to make was that older, corporate, blackberry crowd always talk about how slow they type on the iPhone. They just don’t realize that if they give it a try and practice they probably will end up typing faster on a touch-screen keyboard. I don’t even look at my iPhone keyboard while typing anymore.
Ditto. Have an iPhone and tried sending messages using a friend’s Palm Pre and… it was terrible. Actually having to physically mash down buttons felt so slow and… archaic.
And Droid has a touch-screen keyboard as well.
I’m up for my “new-every-two” discount so I can get the phone for $99 after rebate. How awesome is that?
Fever Pitch without Jimmy Fallon is a crime.
Boston SUX!
oh. wow. you didn’t read the book, did you? sucks for you. the movie is an atrocity.
The English version of the movie is somewhat entertaining. The book is a must read for Arsenal fans.
That book is a wonderful testament to the culture of football in England. The fact that it got turned into a badly acted dramedy in the UK and a “jimmy fallon experience” in the U.S. is sad.
Oh. I’m loving the Droid so far, but incredibly pissed at how bad the keyboard is.
This guy is the cats pajamas.
There’s no other boss than Tony Danza.
The question for me isn’t “Do I want this phone”. Hell yes I do. The question is, is it worth switching back to Verizon from T-Mobile just for this phone? Considering I switched away for the G1, and vastly prefer TMob to verizon as a carrier… Will something equivalent be available for GSM come out in the near future? Or is this going to be like the iPhone, where we don’t see its equal for years to come?
There _is_ a GSM version of the Droid — however, considering how exclusive the contract between Google and Motorola and Verizon (in the US) is, the only way to get the Droid on T-Mobile in the US will be to buy one unlocked, but you probably won’t have 3G capability because of it.
googcrunch
applecrunch
twittercrunch
yahoocrunch
I’m sure I’ve seen more variants, anyone want to add more?
YAHOOCRUNCH? hardly ever.
used to be applecrunch until google made them choose sides during the FCC suit…. and now after this, a huge droid/android push? hmmmm….
“This phone will be different. This one will treat me right. I’m sure it won’t abuse me like all my other phones and wireless providers.”
The cycle of violence continues! I look forward to the Droid- and Verizon-bashing posts 12 months from now.
it’s inevitable, isn’t it?
I got my Droid!!!!! One of 8 initial geeks waiting for Verizon to open.
So far, AWESOME!!
Speaking of “much hyped new gadget”, Michael, when will we be hearing about the Crunchpad launch? I’m as excited about it as you are about the Droid. Please don’t disappoint us…
Can they build a non-phone Droid? like the Apple Touch?
That would kick up sales of their apps as well.
This is very tempting, I am trapped in a contract… I’ve thought about breaking the contract with AT&T over this phone… I would like to demo it before hand. If this phone outperforms the My Touch and is sleek and quick.
My main concern is whether Verizon dumbed down the OS and phone features. I don’t want to spend countless hours hacking the OS just so I can plug a USB in and load all the mp3’s I want, iDon’t want to load Alltec firmware onto it just so I can use Blue Tooth file transfer. iDon’t want to use Vcast. iWant to change my DNS to Google. iDon’t want my phone falling apart ever other month and lack significant battery life.
iWant a phone from Verizon that doesn’t have proprietary restrictions. iWant a phone that is like a Pocket PC, where you can play with everything. When I say everything, I mean geeking out for hours just so you can have a pocket sized war driver (dude that would be sick) – or write php code to your server on the fly. Terminal into your linux box and load repos… z0mg, steal neighbors cat and submit lulcats! ^_^
/endrambling
The one that will piss you off is no tethering. At least not till ‘10 when they will charge you more for that privilege.
As much as I want to see the iPhone have some competition just to knock Apple off hits cushy throne, I so wish it isn’t Verizon that does it. I used to be a Verizon customer and their nickle and diming for every little thing caused me to jump carriers. When I saw the Droid was going to be exclusive to Verizon, I knew they would take full advantage of the people that want it. Check out this link for further info on how Verizon is exploiting its customers seeking a Droid:
http://www.pcwo...l_cost_you.html
Boycott this POS company!
I already have for exactly the reasons you state. Here here.
Why is Motorola, Google & Verizon running TV ads for the Droid where they have a bunch of jets bombing the crap out of America?
Saw the ads last night which is in REALLY bad taste seeing how our country and military had a horrific day yesterday with the tragedy at Fort Hood.
Plus, nothing really special or aspirational about the ads from a creative standpoint so why be complete morons?
IDosen’t,
Droid does,
Windows been there, done that..
Meh.
Wake me when there’s a GSM version that I can use anywhere in the world (the way it should have been from the start), and then I’ll get excited…
will do.
I share the fever too. Never felt like this for a phone before.
Love my Droid+Google Voice.
I am a Verizon customer and Blackberry user. I am up for a new contract and have been waiting on the Droid to see if I will stay with Verizon or move to AT&T for the Iphone.
When I went to look at the Droid, I ended up playing with the Eris. I just like it more than the Droid. I know it doesn’t have the guts of the Droid. But other than that, does anyone have any feedback on the Android HTC Eris? I don’t really care about the keyboard. Anyone use it/like it/hate it..
The Eris is the same phone as the HTC Hero. You’ll find plenty of raves out there for the Hero. At $49.99 (new account or upgrade, Wirefly prices) the Eris is a shockingly great deal. I agree it’s nicer than the Droid if you want to go pure touch screen.
We are on the same page on Google Voice, and now Droid. Even though I have only been reading about it. Competition is good. Very good.