Droid Appeal
"The Motorola Droid is an Internet and multimedia enabled smartphone designed by Motorola, which runs Google's Android operating system." (Wikipedia.)
But that doesn't really tell you much, does it?
So far, the buzz on the Droid has been all that and more. While I do have a couple of friends who started out on the iPhone, moved to the Droid, and are less than enchanted, almost everyone I know who has gone from regular-old-smartphone to Droid is delighted.
With its similar form factor, and touchscreen interface, the Droid is clearly an entrant into the iPhone space, with an aim at doing the iPhone at least one better. For example, Droid will do search-by-voice command, a primary feature of the Droid, but only working on specific apps on the iPhone. A lot has been written about the Droid versus the iPhone, but from what most reviewers can ascertain, it's a genuine neck and neck contest - right down to the data plans and cost of the phone. Truly exclusive to the American version of the phone are software applications: Google Maps Navigation, an Amazon MP3 Store applet, and Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail management.
The Android operating system, which is what powers the Droid phone, is a key, and potentially lethal differentiator between it and the iPhone. With the release of Android 2.2 late this month, users are anxiously awaiting a host of significant predicted enhancements:
Tethering: (Tethering is the use of a mobile device such as a mobile phone to supply Internet access for another device which is otherwise unconnected, using the mobile device as a modem); Android is expected to provide tethering via USB
WiFi Hotspot: Android will act as a hot spot for other WiFi enabled devices (it's unclear if these two features will be offered at a cost by providers)
Full Adobe Flash support (a feature not available on the iPhone, and annoying as heck when browsing the Internet these days!)
More speed: some benchmarks show Android 2.2 providing up to a 450 percent boost
Apps on SD card: there is also some speculation that Android 2.2 will allow users to install applications on an SD card, so the number of apps you can run would no longer be limited by the built-in memory of the phone.
One major complaint about the Droid that I've heard has nothing to do with the OS: many users complain that "typing" is just not as easy on the Droid. It was hard enough for me to make the conversion to the virtual keypad of the iPhone - in fact, it was a major consideration when I made the switch. I had heard users complain that it too more than a little getting used to. If text messages I get from friends is any testimony, it's clear that the Droid really is more difficult to use - typo occurrence is way up, as far as I can see! Or perhaps the auto-correct algorithm is not as sophisticated - and frequently inventive and entertaining - as the iPhone's.
Some friends have also speculated that the Droid may grab market the way Microsoft did from Apple way back in the 90s: just open the OS to developers, and watch them make a market for you.
So far, I'm keeping my iPhone. But then I only have a year to go on my contract...
But that doesn't really tell you much, does it?
So far, the buzz on the Droid has been all that and more. While I do have a couple of friends who started out on the iPhone, moved to the Droid, and are less than enchanted, almost everyone I know who has gone from regular-old-smartphone to Droid is delighted.
With its similar form factor, and touchscreen interface, the Droid is clearly an entrant into the iPhone space, with an aim at doing the iPhone at least one better. For example, Droid will do search-by-voice command, a primary feature of the Droid, but only working on specific apps on the iPhone. A lot has been written about the Droid versus the iPhone, but from what most reviewers can ascertain, it's a genuine neck and neck contest - right down to the data plans and cost of the phone. Truly exclusive to the American version of the phone are software applications: Google Maps Navigation, an Amazon MP3 Store applet, and Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail management.
The Android operating system, which is what powers the Droid phone, is a key, and potentially lethal differentiator between it and the iPhone. With the release of Android 2.2 late this month, users are anxiously awaiting a host of significant predicted enhancements:
Tethering: (Tethering is the use of a mobile device such as a mobile phone to supply Internet access for another device which is otherwise unconnected, using the mobile device as a modem); Android is expected to provide tethering via USB
WiFi Hotspot: Android will act as a hot spot for other WiFi enabled devices (it's unclear if these two features will be offered at a cost by providers)
Full Adobe Flash support (a feature not available on the iPhone, and annoying as heck when browsing the Internet these days!)
More speed: some benchmarks show Android 2.2 providing up to a 450 percent boost
Apps on SD card: there is also some speculation that Android 2.2 will allow users to install applications on an SD card, so the number of apps you can run would no longer be limited by the built-in memory of the phone.
One major complaint about the Droid that I've heard has nothing to do with the OS: many users complain that "typing" is just not as easy on the Droid. It was hard enough for me to make the conversion to the virtual keypad of the iPhone - in fact, it was a major consideration when I made the switch. I had heard users complain that it too more than a little getting used to. If text messages I get from friends is any testimony, it's clear that the Droid really is more difficult to use - typo occurrence is way up, as far as I can see! Or perhaps the auto-correct algorithm is not as sophisticated - and frequently inventive and entertaining - as the iPhone's.
Some friends have also speculated that the Droid may grab market the way Microsoft did from Apple way back in the 90s: just open the OS to developers, and watch them make a market for you.
So far, I'm keeping my iPhone. But then I only have a year to go on my contract...
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