Motorola DROID first hands-on! (update: video, impressions, more pics)
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted October 28th 2009 1:51PM
posted October 28th 2009 1:51PM
Some quick observations on the phone:
- That big screen is killer. Bright, crisp, and tons of room for your icons and widgets.
- Speed is noticeably improved -- particularly when moving from app to app. We did notice that some of the home screen scrolling looked laggy.
- Android 2.0 is definitely cleaned up -- but it's most definitely still Android
- The browser seems significantly improved -- pages now load up in a fully zoomed-out mode, and the load times and scrolling are way snappier.
- The keyboard takes some getting used to, and it suffers from a similar hand-position issue as the G1, but it's fairly usable. We think it'll be second nature once we spend some time with it.
- Facebook is integrated into accounts, which means some of that BLUR functionality is here (though now it's part of Android 2.0 natively). The good news is that when you add a Facebook account you can choose to pull all Facebook info and contacts, or just info related to your existing contacts -- a real clutter buster.
Update 2: Video is up after the break! More coming too...
Update 3: And we've got a browser speed test to round things out.
Update 4: We've added another gallery of the car and home docks, which are pretty neat -- the phone detects the dock magnetically, and switches to the appropriate mode. We're told that there'll also be third-party docks, and that Google's the one behind the different interface modes, so this could be just the tip of the iceberg.
The iPhone did video in 2007? The iPhone has a 5MP camera with dual LED flashes? The iPhone had 16GB of memory in 2007? The iPhone can multitask? The iPhone can tether? The iPhone had GPS in 2007?
Really?
Hey Josh,
What is Verizon saying about Exchange/ActiveDirectory support for us suits?
Exchange support is a yes.
oh my god...when this comes to gsm I will be in doubt whic of hd2 or this to get. Droid does, oh yeah...
When I hear iphonekiller , it does something for
me. Anyone else?
nope.. just you.
When she talks about Exchange Support she only mentions Calendar and Contacts... not email. WTF! No push email with Exchange?
yeh i'm hoping the bimbo got that wrong.
if no push email then i'll get the touch pro 2 from at&t
What I want to know is will you have to pay for the VZ nav package to get google nav to work... They have different tiers of plans and the connect plan has ultd data but no VZNav whereas the premier has "everything" (but for $20/mo more).
No you don't. Google Nav works without paying additional to Verizon. VZ Nav is not even offered for the droid.
Closed, it looks OK. Not very good, but decent. But slide it open, it's HIDEOUS! That D-pad destroys everything. Ugh. Blarg. Motorola design has NEVER appealed to me, the CLIQ is also very ugly.
When the lady said "$199 on standard data plans" it killed all the interest I had in this phone.
When the fuck are companies going to allow consumers to buy smartphones without data plans? I live on a college campus that's completely wireless, so it's illogical to pay $30+ a month for a data plan when I can get Wi-Fi everywhere for free.
I really feel they would sell a lot more of these higher priced phones if they didn't shackle people into these ripoff data plans. Just like the iTouch, people could use it to access online features in some areas and use it as a phone elsewhere. Why bother including Wi-Fi access if you have to be locked into a 3G data plan to begin with?
Will Verizon allow you to use wi-fi on the phone?
the reason they do this is because fools don't get data forget that if they use data in a non wifi area the phone will still work and at the end of the month you have a $200 bill in data alone charges and you will blame the carrier for it.
its exactly why apple has a ipod touch all of the iphone features without a 2yr contract.
The subsidized cell phone market is basically a high tech version of loan sharking. Over a 2 year contract with data plan lock-in the carrier makes back the subsidy (the loan to you) and turns a considerable profit (interest rate) off high margin data services. In the few cases where a carrier offers unsubsidized phones they artificially inflate the price. If you can get the phone from the handset maker directly you could get a legitimate price but the handset makers are mostly in collusion with the carriers to make this difficult. When you look at the alternatives to Verizon and AT&T there's almost no point in getting an unsubsidized/unlocked phone anyway since you can't switch between the #1 and #2 carrier. It might make slightly more sense on the CDMA side since Sprint's network is frequency compatible with Verizon. On the GSM side it's pointless unless you have absolutely no interest in fast data.The carriers have all the angles covered on this. It's collusion, price fixing and anti-competitive behavior. In most countries it would be illegal.
I use my g1 w/o data and have tried browsing w/o wifi. It just didn't work. nothing on my bill.
I like how people come in and say things about how this is a great phone and how Motorola redeemed themselves. This thing is not barely even out yet!!! Sure the Razr looked good on a piece of paper and in pictures when it first came out and then people started to have to return them 50 times throughout their product life. The fat lady hasn't sung yet, let this thing spend some time in the wild to prove itself.
Wow... wait a minute... You have to pay $45/phone extra for unlimited data??? WHAT?
The 29.99/month Web & Email plan is unlimited.
LOL at "Web and Email."
Can I just get web only please? No thank you, I don't need email.
As if the two can be separated.
this is older one...
Here is new one, GSM version, guys...
http://www.tinhte.com/forum/t295933/#7935-Tren-tay-Motorola-Droid-phien-ban-GSM-tai-VN
Thanks.
oooo google voice search looks spiffy. I wouldn't mind that on my iPhone...
Still doesn't change the fact that this phone is ugly as sin.
Download the google app.. It does the same thing.
Google Voice (a free service which comes with your own chosen number) allows you to make and receive unlimited calls to anyone within US and Canada. When you make a call through the GV app or website, you're receive a call on your cell, which shows up as your GV number. Once you answer that call, GV right away makes the outgoing call to the person you just selected to call. By adding the GV number to one of your 5 unlimited calling numbers, you can make (and possibly) receive calls without using your monthly minutes.
eyePhone is useless on AT&T (there's a map for that). Big Red knows fruit company all too well. Nuf said.
Droid is not ready same clunkiness. Not ready for business.
RIM or WM is the only solution. HD2 ? Now that's a DEVICE !
Bash WM and RIM all you want... at least I can make a phone call from off the pavement with Big Red.
With Exchange Mail/Contact/Calendar sync out of the box, how exactly is this phone not ready for business?
I thought the Hero on sprint would be the the next big thing, i even went out and bought it and used for for 4days before i returned it. I think all of this over hyping the phone and putting it on a pedestal will be the phones downfall. because if this phone doesn't live up to all of the hype than guess what will happen it will be forgotten just as fast as any other phone. thats the main reason i returned the Hero because i was expecting more than it was from all of the hype.
i will go to the verizon store and buy this phone just to use it for a few days and really get a feel for it. however, due to all of the hype everyone is making i'm expecting this phone to be the best thing since slice bread, and i would pretty much be disappointed if it isn't because all of the hype this phone is getting. i hope its as good as everyone says otherwise verizon will having a deja vu ( BB storm ).
so, you're incapable of forming realistic opinions on your own??
>thats the main reason i returned the Hero because i was expecting more than it was from all of the hype.
13.7 mm according to the lady in the video vs 12.3mm in its thickest point for the iphone 3gs. That's very nice.
I think it was a mistake to include a physical qwerty with this. Most everyday people don't need a physical keyboard, or find one intimidating. Plus it makes the handset less beautiful. The only people that bitch about the iphone not having a physical keyboard are nerds and suits. With a spacious 3.7 inch display, there is even less reason to include one. I'll wait for the keyboard-less version, thanks.
that video is nauseating. vanilla android widgets are pretty ghetto compared to the htc ones.
Hey engadget! Why there isn't any mention about the _capacitive_ screen this phone has? If this would be a Nokia device, this would be mentioned in the headline "Nokia DROID first hands-on! Capacitive screen still unresponsive!" :)
I love what I'm seeing. But, I'll wait for the modern version (keyboard and gold-less) :)
I'm interested in this phone, but VZ wireless plan site is a mess. Anyone know the cheapest family plan you can get for 2 lines both with Droid?
1400 mins, unlimited text, and data on both phones as well as insurance/warranty for 7.99 each....all of that cost 195.00 or around there.
Yowza! My Tmobile (non-Even More) plan is 1000 shared minutes, unlimited data and text on two phones for about $120 a month, which includes taxes. Please let Tmo get a decent Android phone within the next year or so. I have a MyTouch, which I like, but I'm jealous. I want something like this!
Cheapest plans... remove insurance if you don't want it.
Pay text: (add $5.00 for each line if you want 250 text)
700 mins and unlimited data and 7.99 insurance each = 145
1400 mins,10 friend and family, and unlimited data and 7.99 insurance each = 165
Unlimited Text:
700 mins, unlimited text, and unlimited data and 7.99 insurance each = 175
1400 mins, unlimited text, 10 friend and family, and unlimited data and 7.99 insurance each = 195
Thanks. I appreciate the info. Interesting pricing.
Don't get a texting plan and just send texts over the data network for free via Google Voice.
the google nav thing sold this thing for me, definitely upgrading to this when it comes out.. good timing too.
is there any way this phone will go overseas to GSMified places? or is it locked to verizon?
Hey people.. If you want an android mobile to be proud of.. Wait one more week, and SE will announce their "Raphael, X10"... A complete new interface, 1ghz snapdragon processor, 32GB drive....
That will be the phone that makes android popular!
Josh - What Social Networking application was that, that popped open on your iPhone during the scrolling?
I still want to know why the d-pad wasn't put on the left. How am I supposed to play my emulators now!?
Because only about 10% of the population is left handed.. Makes sense to put on the right side.
Going to have to agree with Rob. When nearly every game controller in history has had the primary navigation pad on the left side, it is far more natural to keep it there.
Having it on the right makes no sense from a video game standpoint. Hell, on a touchscreen phone, having it on the right makes little sense at all.
for gaming dpads it makes sense. but for typical users who use a mouse or keypad, the directional buttons are preferred on the right.
I, too, agree though that i would've preferred the dpad on the left, but I'm sure moto/vzw did focus groups and surveys to find the optimal placement of the dpad. Ask a group of gamers and they'll say left side, but mostly everyone else will say right.
Pretty sweet phone. The one bad thing I see if that I am going to have to say the word 'no' a lot in the next few months everytime somebody asks me if they can get this for work.
If somebody would create an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) client so I can manage and encrypt these phones with MS Mobile Device Manager that would be great.
First lady gives one of the worst demos I have ever seen. She has no idea what she's talking about...just a programmed Droid (uswidt?) "Show them the landscape keyboard", "it has to be open" "actually go into the email client...nevermind"
this hits on all cylinders. Thank goodness my "NewEveryTwo" plan kicked in already. I'll be picking this phone up 11-6-09 with $100 off instantly with an additional $100 off with the mail in rebate... WHOO HOOO!!!!!
The phone is 199 AFTER the mail in rebate (which I've heard you can only get in the form of a debit card--WTF?). So 99 with your new in 2 discount.