Motorola DROID review
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Oct 30th 2009 1:10PM
posted Oct 30th 2009 1:10PM
With the DROID, the company has perhaps created its most attractive and intriguing piece of technology yet. Forging an alliance with both Verizon and Google, Motorola has come up with a second compelling reason to count the phonemaker down, but certainly not out, while the other two giants have finally found a seemingly worthy device to position against the iPhone. So we must pose these questions: is this the phone which will catapult Android into the mainstream? Is it the device that will pull Motorola back from the brink? And -- most importantly -- is it the lynchpin Google and Verizon have needed to challenge the leader in mindshare in the smartphone market? After putting the device through its paces, we think we can give you the answers you seek -- so read on to find out!
Hardware
The DROID is an odd and beautiful device. Looking at the hardware from a purely philosophical standpoint, the ID of the phone seems staunchly defiant. Instead of taking its cues (and lines) from current contenders in the smartphone space, the DROID is all hard edges and angular slopes. The construction is a mix of plastic and metal, and the phone has a solid, expensive heft to it. Couple that weight with soft touch materials and gold highlights, and the effect is somewhere halfway between a Vertu device and the European version of the Hero -- and it's a good mix.
The basic structure of the phone is made up of two main pieces, the large, glass display up top, and the slightly longer keyboard / mainboard lower half. Above, the 3.7-inch screen dominates, almost filling the space edge-to-edge, though there are four capacitive buttons at the bottom of the display: back, menu, home, and search (which might be tricky for folks coming from other Android devices, since they've thrown the order of the buttons in the blender). The top section slides smoothly upwards to reveal the aforementioned QWERTY keyboard, though unlike other models of this ilk, it doesn't snap automatically into place; rather, it requires a bit of force to move up, then clicks firmly once settled. The keyboard is a wide (though mostly flush) affair, with minimal amount of spacing between the keys. To the right of the four row QWERTY is a 5-way rocker -- a bizarre deviation from the CLIQ's left-sided controls -- and the bottom piece has a strip which juts out from the device with a small mic hole (closed or open). It's almost like Motorola's version of the HTC chin... though tempered somewhat. Atop the phone is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a power / sleep button; along the right edge is a volume rocker, and camera button on opposite ends; the left side houses a MicroUSB port; around back the 5 megapixel camera (and flash) are revealed, along with a thin, gold, crosshatch strip that hides the DROID's speaker.
The thickness of the DROID is striking, coming in at just a hair (13.7mm vs 12.33mm) thicker than the iPhone 3GS. The body itself is actually narrower than the iPhone. While thinness is important (though typically not a deal breaker for us), the fact that the phone packs a larger, higher resolution screen and a physical keyboard in such a small frame is notable.
In all, Motorola has pulled off what seemed unimaginable for them just 12 months ago; they've made a device which is truly lustworthy, even next to the best efforts of Apple, HTC, and Palm.
Internals
Inside the DROID beats an Arm Cortex A8 CPU (a 600MHz, OMAP3430 chip downclocked to 550MHz), 256MB of RAM, and 512MB of ROM. If that CPU sounds familiar, it should -- it's similar to the chip inside the iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre. If you're wondering about performance, you can breathe a sigh of relief... kind of. Yes, there is a noticeable bump in speed when switching applications on the phone, scrolling through lists, and generally getting any basic tasks done. We did notice, however, that paging through homescreens on the DROID actually seemed somewhat stuttery; odd, considering this phone is certainly better equipped than most Android devices to handle pixel pushing. Pulling down the window shade notification area also seemed less than optimal. We don't know if this was due to the screen resolution being jacked up, or just a software quirk, but it was mildly disheartening -- especially considering that the rest of the phone's performance seemed extra snappy to us. As an aside, in a totally unscientific test of playing a 3D game (Mystique, in case you're wondering) the rendering seemed considerably smoother on the DROID than with other, older Android-based phones we've used.
Throughout our tests, we were consistently impressed with the tightness and speed of navigation on the phone. The DROID makes Android feel modern the way the iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre are -- like machines designed for a pace of life that's increasingly more Twitter and less USPS.
Display
As we mentioned, the screen on the DROID is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen -- a full glass display with a WVGA resolution clocking in at a handsome 480 x 854. We found the responsiveness on the DROID to be on par (if not better) than most of its Android contemporaries; gestures and flicks registered with little to no lag. Whether that can be attributed to Moto's screen technology, Android 2.0 improvements, or just the speedy CPU inside the DROID is anyone's guess, but we certainly won't knock the phone for it. Another perk to having that big screen is seeing webpages how they're meant to be viewed (or at least closer), and browsing on the DROID is a solid experience. Those additional pixels definitely come in handy when you're looking at something graphically intensive or wordy... such as Engadget.
As you have probably heard (or guessed), there's no multitouch on this device. That's clearly an issue with Android 2.0 and choices that Google is making about user interface -- we're fairly certain there's nothing technically holding back the DROID from utilizing multitouch input, and we wouldn't be surprised to see some tweaked ROMs hit the information superhighway with the functionality onboard. Regardless, the resolution, materials, and clarity of the DROID display make it an absolute pleasure to keep your eyes on. Motorola gets a +1 for the bump in resolution, and we can only hope everyone else follows suit.
Note: Android 2.0 does support multitouch events, but the functionality isn't implemented here.
Keyboard
A physical keyboard can be a blessing or a curse, depending on just how well (or poorly) it performs. In the case of Android devices, QWERTYs have definitely been hit or miss. We think the closest case for comparison with the DROID's version would be the G1; both have shallow, clicky keys, and both force your right hand into a bit of an awkward position. On the G1, it's due to the placement of the "chin," and with the DROID, it's all down to the five-way rocker living next to the 'board itself. We're happy to report, however, that after a short adjustment period, typing on the DROID is a reasonable experience. It's not as slick or comfortable as a nice, portrait-oriented Tour or (better yet) Bold layout, though it bests the CLIQ, and holds its own against other landscape contenders like the Moment.
Visually, the keyboard is an easier read (and more aesthetically pleasing) than those other QWERTY phones too, though sometimes the keys can feel a bit cramped. Additionally, we had major issues with the auto-dimming on the DROID. If we left the screen in auto brightness mode, the constant on / off dimming of the keyboard was intolerable; eventually we had to just switch the auto dim off altogether. We also had issues with the keyboard not lighting up at all in some instances, requiring us to close and open the pad again. Not a huge deal, but annoying when you're trying to quickly tap out a message. Admittedly, we missed the CLIQ's two-stage keyboard backlighting that only enabled the second light when ALT was pressed, but it's a luxury we can do without.
As you would expect, Android 2.0 includes the onscreen keyboard as well, but there don't seem to be many improvements in this area. As a backup keyboard for quick SMSs and the like, it works, though we eventually had to replace it with the Better Keyboard application -- which we think is more usable and snappier. In comparison to the iPhone keyboard (really the high bar for virtual keys) Android continues to feel like a distant second. Still, you won't go to it that much -- the DROID's physical keyboard is solid, but it's going to take some getting used to for most people.
Camera
Google has made some pretty major changes to the camera application in Android 2.0 (including more control over white balance, focal length, flash settings, and effects), and Motorola has smartly outfitted the DROID with a 5 megapixel camera coupled with an LED flash. It sounds like a match made in heaven, right? Well, not quite.
No, no, no. Yes! Our attempts to photograph a watch in broad daylight.
While the camera certainly seems capable of taking great looking photos, getting everything to play nice isn't as easy as it should be. First off, the camera is painfully slow to focus and snap pictures -- and when it does, the results can be unpredictable. Strangely, the lens seems to be able to take pretty sharp macro photos (it's even a setting in the camera app), but it struggled with getting adjusted to close subjects, even in broad daylight. Sometimes we got lucky and cranked out a decent pic, but the process was frustrating. Furthermore, the new settings Google has added to 2.0 are contained in a hard to get to and counterintuitive menu which sits to the left of your viewing area. Trying to make changes on the fly was a hassle. If this is the best the engineers at Google can do, they need to outsource this work.
Video, on the other hand, was somewhat of a pleasant surprise. The DROID is capable of shooting at a 720 x 480 resolution, and in our tests, produced watchable -- if not totally shake-free -- video. The phone definitely fares better in this department than with stills, and we could easily see using the DROID as a stand-in for a flip cam. You can check out a little of the action in the video below (with a surprise cameo from !!!'s Nic Offer).
Speaker / earpiece
The sound on the DROID is second to none -- really. In fact, this is simply one of the best sounding devices we've ever used. Whether it's audio through the loud (but undistorted) earpiece, or a speakerphone call -- even music -- the sound which Motorola's device outputs is crystal clear. Now, obviously Verizon's reception has something to do with our in-call sound, but it's likely Moto put some thought into the aural aspect of the phone. There's not really much to say except that we were more than pleased with the audio fidelity of the DROID, and we can only hope that future phone makers (ahem, Apple) look to this device as a high water mark in this department.
Software
Besides the introduction of the phone itself, obviously 2.0 is a major update for Android. Based on the launch and hype surrounding Moto's device, we'd say it's fair to assume that Google wanted as many eyes on the achievement as possible. They definitely got it with the DROID -- but was it worth all the fuss?
The first thing you should know is that Android 2.0 isn't drastically different than 1.5 or 1.6, save for a few notable features and tweaks that have significant impact. True to form, Google hasn't gone for visual flair or wild embellishments for the sake of a few dropped jaws; most of these changes are about functionality and usability.
One of the first major changes Google has made is support for multiple Gmail or Exchange accounts, and a new universal inbox which allows you to get a look at your electronic correspondences in a single view. For BlackBerry users, this concept is old hat, but for most people with multiple accounts, it should feel like manna from heaven. We would have been slightly more stoked about the feature if it allowed you to look at both Gmail and POP / IMAP / Exchange accounts in one field. Instead, you can view your Gmail accounts separately (not in a single stream, but in one place), and your other accounts can be blended in the "Combined Inbox" view. Not exactly a perfect implementation for those of us with both Exchange and Google accounts, but certainly a solution light years beyond what previous versions of Android were offering. Another minor niggle: deleting an email now takes you to the next email in your inbox rather than bumping you back out to the list of emails, as it did in 1.5 and 1.6. We preferred the old functionality, though we imagine some will prefer the new as well.
We loved being able to keep a few of our accounts in the phone, but we ran into a weird and annoying issue when attempting to remove one of them. We were using the DROID with two Gmail accounts active, but when we tried to remove the second one we'd added (note: not the account we used for our contacts or calendars) the device informed us that we would need to factory reset the phone because that account was "required" for certain applications. Try as we might, we couldn't find a way around the problem, and we eventually did reset the device. The behavior was strange to say the least, especially since it was a barely-used, secondary account -- not a daily use address which tied into services.
As you may have heard, Facebook account integration is now built into 2.0, and there should be more of that coming, as Google has created "sync adapters" which allow third parties to plug into the contact and calendars of your phone. Mercifully, Google has figure out that you might not want your Facebook contacts in your address book, and gives you the option to turn off contact syncing (as it does with Exchange and Gmail accounts). You're also given the option to sync contacts, but keep certain sets from displaying in your contacts list; this variation is best demonstrated with Facebook integration, because it merges duplicate names and pulls the accompanying images, but doesn't clutter up your Gmail contacts with additional names. Beyond that, the pairing doesn't go tremendously deep, even though we're told Facebook had a hand in this version of the OS as well. Really, you get a widget for your homescreen which auto-updates, and that contact integration if you really want it. This is obviously just the tip of the iceberg for this kind of... er, synergy, and we expect to see lots of people taking advantage of the feature (hello, Twitter). Regardless, it's a forward thinking move that will clearly obviate the need for some of the functionality built into BLUR, and makes the DROID (and other 2.0 phones) competitive against the Pre and Pixi when it comes to social networking integration.
Speaking of contacts, Google has made some big and thoughtful changes to how contacts are handled (and used) in Android 2.0, most notably adding a "Quick Contact" menu to your contact list. The quick contact function allows you to tap on someone's name and get a context menu with jumps to the various ways you can reach out; if you're friends with someone on Facebook, you'll be given an option to message them there, along with SMS, phone, and email choices. It's a brilliant little touch that makes quickly pinging someone a cinch. Android 2.0 also improves the SMS and MMS experience by giving you the option to search your messages, and also allowing you to set a limit on how many SMSs to store before beginning to delete old threads. It's not groundbreaking stuff, but nice choices to have (finally).
You'll notice some major changes within the browser, most notably the fact that when you load up pages now, you're presented with a fully zoomed-out "overview" (much like the iPhone and Pre). If you've been griping about that weird, half-zoom that Android has relied on for so long (as we have), this is a breath of fresh air. Coupled with the DROID's massive display, it makes navigating pages roughly a million times more pleasant. The updated browser also now supports double-taps to zoom (as does Google Maps) -- making navigation a bit more natural -- though we noticed some weird column display issues on our site and others. As we mentioned before, there's still no multitouch, but this does stand in quite well for pinch zooming. While the overall browser speed still isn't as snappy as the iPhone 3GS (or even the Pre), it's a step up from previous efforts, and when you factor in little touches like auto-prediction on URL entry, it's eminently usable.
As we said, most of the alterations are under the hood -- not stuff that immediately jumps out at you, though there are some notable visual tweaks which bear mentioning. Google has added some new fades and cross-application animations into 2.0 which makes Android seem a bit more contemporary. Of course, older iterations of Android contained animations, but 2.0 seems far more polished to our eyes. Additionally, icons and elements have been updated across the board to give the OS a more modern look, sadly there is much of this UI and its applications that remain unchanged -- and not for the better.
A few of the obvious spots include the music player, which is quite frankly a mess; not only is the navigation poorly thought out, but the application is just straight-up ugly. It's not easy on the eyes, and not much fun to use either. The same goes for the phone app -- the remnants of a hastily thrown together interface are plain here, and the functionality of the phone itself gave us some issues. Often the screen was confused or unresponsive during calls, as if the hardware and software weren't communicating with each other properly. It seems obvious to us that some portions of Android need a serious, ground-up reworking... but they don't get them here. Another annoyance was the home screen -- unlike with HTC's tweaks (or even Motorola's BLUR), you only get three screens for icons and widgets. Furthermore, the DROID doesn't come equipped with even the most basic widgets you see in most new builds, like weather. The weird thing is that there is a weather app in the dock display, but no way to access the application in standard phone mode.
Additionally, some third-party (and even some first-party) software seems unable to deal with the DROID's new resolution. There are bitmaps that look upscaled and jagged, such as the attachment icon in Gmail. The game Robo Defense seemed to play slower than it did on the Hero, which was a bit of a surprise, though it has been updated to support the new resolution. None of these problems are show stoppers, but it points to a disconnect between where Google is at versus its developers. There is catch-up to be played.
Also notable (and perhaps a selling point for some) is that the DROID is a Google Experience device, which should theoretically mean that it's more likely to receive fast and frequent software updates than its skinned cousins like the CLIQ. The Google Experience is sort of the "gold standard" Android showcase for the company, so to speak, and it's in Google's best interest to keep it rock solid at all times -- and since there's no third-party skin to revalidate after every Android version is released, the update process should go a heck of a lot smoother.
One thing to keep in mind: when it comes to media syncing, you're in the same boat you were for previous versions of Android -- which means sideloading or additional desktop apps. doubleTwist has just introduced DROID compatibility, though the experience leaves much to be desired. In fact, after our tests, we'd say you're better off just mounting that SD card and dragging your content over.
Navigation
One of the biggest pieces of news (perhaps the biggest) to come out of the DROID launch was the introduction of dedicated, fully realized turn-by-turn navigation which integrates with Google Maps. The DROID makes further use of this functionality by switching into a nav mode when snapped into a dock (you can also enter the application normally, sans dock). Google has gone all out on this, providing a rich mixture of its satellite, map, traffic, and location info with text-to-speech directions. Of course, the big G takes it one step further and adds layers like parking info, ATM spots, restaurants, and gas station locations (amongst others) to the stew, making the navigation more robust than many dedicated PNDs -- which would explain that nasty drop in Garmin and TomTom stock we saw yesterday.
In our tests, the nav worked excellently for the most part, though as you can see in the video above, we did run into some minor issues on our hunt for cannoli. It's not uncommon for a GPS unit to send you the wrong way down a one way street, and maybe it was just unlucky coincidence that it happened on our first outing, but being told to turn left where you can't -- then being sent in a loop -- doesn't fill us with warm, fuzzy sensations. Still, the navigation is super intuitive and cleanly laid out, and even if there were major issues (which there really aren't), it's hard to knock a service that is completely free. We think a little more time and some longer trips will help put it in better perspective, but we like what we've seen so far.
Accessories
The DROID will get a few nifty extras when it launches, most notably a dock for setting your phone on a nightstand (or appropriate flat surface), and a car mount for using the device as a proper GPS unit. Both are notable because they use sensors to alter the DROID's functionality. The dock turns the DROID into something that looks not entirely dissimilar from Verizon's now defunct Hub, while the car mount just boots the phone into nav mode. Both are nice touches, and you'll want the car mount if you plan on taking Google up on that offer of free satnav.
Battery life
We haven't had a lot of time to put the DROID through its paces when it comes to battery life, but at a glance it seems to be holding its own against the current crop of 3G devices -- impressive considering it's only packing a 1400mAh battery behind that extremely sexy door. Paul Miller, who has been concurrently testing the phone, claims he had 24 hours of on and off usage before requiring a recharge (syncing, but no major phone calls or lots of screen time). In general, you won't be blown away by the DROID's staying power, but it doesn't deviate in any wild ways which should make you take pause. It's solid, not breathtaking, and it seems better than the CLIQ, which -- despite using the same battery -- typically manages to just barely eke through a day's worth of typical use.
Wrap-up
It will be difficult for casual observers not to see the DROID as a kind of anti-iPhone in Verizon's arsenal. Certainly the company has played up the comparison with its "DROID does" ad campaign, and it's no secret that Verizon and Apple have previously had some friction -- the V famously passed on the first-generation iPhone, after all. Of course, it's easy to draw parallels between the two devices; as with most current smartphones, they share a tremendous number of similarities, though there is plenty that set the two apart as well. And that's really kind of the point -- it's useless to look at devices like this in black and white, or to try and figure out if an Android device on Verizon is better than an Apple device on AT&T (or any other device on any other carrier, for that matter). What it ultimately comes down to when judging this kind of device is more complicated than a "yes" or "no" answer.
If you must compare the DROID to the iPhone, then know that the Android platform still has a ways to go before the experience of using the phone is as seamless as the one Apple has created -- but also know that Apple has a long way to go before its messaging, email, and customization can match what Google is offering. Both products have very distinct strengths and weaknesses.
So, is the DROID a good smartphone? Yes, the DROID is an excellent smartphone with many (if not all) of the features that a modern user would expect, and if you're a Verizon customer, there probably isn't a more action packed device on the network. That's not to say the device doesn't have its faults; the camera was unpleasant to use, the application selection feels thin in both quantity and quality (despite the claim of 10,000 options), and the phone has bits of basic, non-intuitive functionality that might chafe on some users after a while. But even still, it's hard not to recommend the DROID to potential buyers eager to do more with their devices. It's easily the best Android phone to date, and when you couple the revamped OS, Verizon's killer network, and an industrial design straight from a gadget enthusiast's fever-dream, it makes for a powerful concoction. Ultimately, the DROID won't usurp the iPhone from the public's collective mindshare or convince casual users that they must switch to Android, but it will make a lot of serious geeks seriously happy -- and that's good enough for us.
Fair and balanced, like Fox.
Oh jeez... here they come.
/runs and hides
Care to say something constructive against the review or are you just here to spew trash? This looks like an excellent device and it's good to see google making improvements in their OS. Great review!
You can't run from them. Their zealotry powers are immense!
No Kidding, Joshua Topolsky's hatred of Windows Mobile is getting tiresome. I got a hero based in part because of the reviews and all of the fanboyism here and it sucked. I took it back and replaced it with the Touch Pro 2 running Windows Mobile. Night and day difference and I am much happier with my phone... Josh maybe you need to go buy some looser pants. Those girl pants are cutting the circulation off to your boys and make you post rubbish.
And then there was on Android to rule them all
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/10/droid_watch_1.jpg
Is that all a 5MP Droid can do ? absolutely meh.
My Nokia 5800(camera is its weakest feature) with 3.2MP can take better macro !
Cool story, bro.
W.r.t. the navigation and the bad "turn where no turn is allowed" there should have been a Tom-Tom or Garmin comparison to see if THEY said the same thing.
Don't compare Engadget to Fox! At least not with this review. Yes, Engadget obviously has their biases, as does Fox, but at least Engadget actually put their biases aside for this review. It's actually a quality review.
Can you go to YouTube with windows mobile yet. Ask because I don't know and trying to deied on my new phone. Thanks
Great review. Perhaps some of the problems (laggish performance, keyboard backlighting, camera quibbles, navigation bloopers) can be somewhat mitigated with improvements in software?
I really don't think any phone will take iphone's "mindshare" away, and that isn't something they should always look to do, anyway. Looks like a solid phone, can't wait to get my hands on it. Go Moto!
@Shmunt,
Yeah, my Sprint HTC Diamond, which is a generation out of date came with a very slick Youtube app that works very well. Very nice full screen playback.
I don't know about non-HTC WinMo devices though, I'm not sure if the Youtube app might be an HTC special.
The one thing it would've made sense to take a photo of with the iphone side by side, you didn't.
Especially since you mentioned how similar they are in size.
*facepalm*
@Satz: [quote] "Is that all a 5MP Droid can do ? absolutely meh.
My Nokia 5800(camera is its weakest feature) with 3.2MP can take better macro !" [/quote]
So what? Cameras should not be an issue in this kind of phones. A good camera is basically a big sensor and sharp optics. Phone cameras will never get any of those right. Ever.
@Ardentra
Ironicaly the Droid was probably a WinMo7 phone at first, but becasue of the delay and Motorola's finacial situation going for Android was probably the only way to generate anu sort of hype: http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2009/10/29/how-the-motorola-droid-came-to-be-microsoft-got-the-stiff-arm/
I thought this was Engadget not TUAW??
The Droid is squarely pitted against the iPhone by VZW. What does this device get compared to for 99% of the review?? Other Android devices. Every other phone gets compared to the iPhone because it's the benchmark for cell phones. The Droid has potential to be an iPhone killer and it gets a small mention in the end. I understand your trying to hide your fanboyism but after the Ballmer interview and this review it's loud and clear. It's like you're trying to help Apple since they won't be releasing their rebuttle to the Droid(and other high end phones that are coming out) until June. A 1 year product cycle in the cell phone industry looks like its getting to be too long.
My 'roids are getting to be a pain in the ass and so is hearing about this D'roid. It's made by Motorola for crissakes. You know, the company that tried to pass the RAZR 2, RAZR 3, etc. as a new handset for umpteen years. Might as well call it a Zune or an Albatross. If they manage to sell 20,000 of these things in a month with the holidays coming, it'll be a major miracle. The biggest worry is that when a couple of Engadget nerds start ooh'ing and ahh'ing about the device it's likely to be hated by the normal consumer world at large.
Did Droid kill iPhone on its pre-sell on BestBuy? maybe or maybe not. Anyway, it’s up for us buyers now if we will grade this droid as A or F. on its official unveiling Nov 6, 2009.
detailed review + official screenies and videos: http://bit.ly/Motorola-droid-bitter-sweet-symphony
“kudus to all who wait”
This phone is little too big for pocket. Physical keyboard adds to bulk, no girl will buy this. HTC droid comes with no physical keyboard, android keyboard software will be put to test.
@jnorman3
If you check this guys profile, the same review he claims to have "found" was also written by him.
Go away
Let's all drive in a circle trying to get some cannolis. Nice way to waste gas. Typical Motorola crap. Tell you to take illegal turns. Must be trying to copy Motorola management. Not half-bad. Slightly better than full-bad.
Buy a Droid. It doesn't totally suck.
Dont believe all of the reviews you read. i tried to review it twice on Verizon and they say ""We appreciate your comments but we are manually approving each comment so please allow 2 days for review to appear. SO THEY WILL MANUALLY APPROVE EACH COMMENT. Yeah i wonder why. I bought my phone and returnd it for a refund 24 hours later. It cant even do simple things like fwd texts or show animated pics (.gif files). So if you like to text alot you better play with the phone in store first. OH AND LET ME ADD ((they charge 35.00 restocking fee with this phone.You do not get 30 day trial))..................I loved the screen and the speed of the phone.But the menus are confusing,no manual coems with the phone and the motorola support site for this phone sits and spins and never loaded. The phone syncs to your gmail account no problem but users everywhere are complaining about any other email programs. It really was a major letdown since i waited so long for Verizon to allow open source on their network and nickel and dime customers to death. But they get their money anyways since you have to add 30.00 email/data plan on top of any other plan you currently have.
@(Unverified) Dude the 5800 does take better pictures thx to it's Carl zeiss optics. In mobile phones we have reached to a level of great optics especially with nokia phones having Carl zeiss optics but as for good sensors, we have a long way to go
The camera is not slow, it works perfectly as long as you dont have too many apps running in the background.
@Neato how does the motorola droid fair against the HTC eris? I can't really decide which is a better phone to go for if either of them.
droid does, bitches!!
(so wish i was on verizon right now... but... should i?)
You can easily fix that come November 6th.
So I don't get it. Is a dpad good or bad? If it's good then put it on the face/front of the phone already. Dang.
Droid does what Nintendon't. Wait... wrong ad campaign...
but I guess it's still a bit true.
The GUI is REALLY boring. I don't see what the fuss is about this device, especially when its supposed to have this bleeding edge processor that can't even keep up with swiping (as the video shows) without slugging and chugging.
FAIL.
I found a great review of the DROID here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Motorola_Droid_Cell_Phone/content_490793438852
@jnorman3
Liar. You wrote that review according to your profile.
Consider your credibility in shambles.
I like to that Motorola is stepping things up, competition is good.
Agreed. Phone makers need to compete which brings innovation = better phones for the masses. In time, and a very short amount of it, we will see better and better OS's loaded on better hardware. Apple, Android, WinMo & Palm have all provided us with a glimpse of the future.
Actually, a decent review. Good job Engadget.
BUT you guys need to stop the Apple marketing bandwagon by talking about "mindshare" they just mentioned that buzzword on CNBC, Digg, PCworld, and most wall-street analysts. Please don't go there--that's just helping wall street's Apple coffers.
AND
"application selection feels thin in both quantity and quality"
Again, and again, goto the Apple appstore: 2% of the appstore are apps from 1 VENDOR (same app, different content), 50% of app in the appstore are content based apps that either use the same code baseline--they're not unique apps in the end. Andoird has the same problem, but Apple quantity is a illusion and quality is subjective.
"Competition is good."
Wow, what an original statement.
Definitely glad to see Apple will have some real competition. The war for a better smartphone should make some pretty cool stuff.
looks like its not the car wreck I was expecting then. I guess some people will buy it - hope it helps keep Motorola solvent.
Anything from Motorola is destined to fail big time. Why? Because it's Motorola. Once the leading American cellphone company that doesn't know a thing about making cellphones or running a company. That's pretty pathetic and an insult to Americans. If they didn't have Google leading them by the hand, they probably would have shut down the cellphone division by now. Thank goodness for Android. If they'd stuck with that crappy WinMo mess, they'd have been up and down sh!ts creek and washed out to sea. Google threw them a temporary life preserver.
You mean like Apple was thrown a lifesaver by Microsoft in the mid-90s (whatever the story, that's how Apple played it), or countless other companies? Companies that are down for the count make strategic decisions all the time. Some of them work; some don't. I personally think this was a brilliant idea on Moto's part and we're going to see them come back stronger as a result.
I just want to point out to the both of you that are hating on Motorola (based on what you're saying, I'm guessing you're iTrolls), Motorola is one of the companies that made/designed the processors that powered you're precious Macs before Apple jumped ship to Intel. And if I recall, when Apple went Intel, I think there were quite a bit of you that were up in arms.
How quickly you all forget...
*your not you're
You're, not your. I'm guessing 'you are' iTrolls".
Power PC chips held Apple back. They limited the software (read OS and VM) that could run on the hardware and kept Apple out of the mainstream. They were also dogs compared to i86 processors. It was Apple's bus speeds that kept Power PC chips competitive with pre-multicore Intel processors, not Motorola's processors. Motorola has proven with their industrial design that they can choose attractive phone designs to release, and this worked on me once. Unfortunately the performance of the phone and the obviously crippled features (unusable USB port, lack of bluetooth syncing for data, etc.) lead me to realize that they were unable to build efficient phones and out of touch with user's needs. I'm considering the Droid because I don't want to be an iFanboy, and I'm a huge fan of opensource and an avid Linux user. I was hoping this article would help me to determine if Motorola or Verizon had screwed up this phone, but from what I can see Google did. People don't buy iPhones because they like the way it looks on the outside. The GUI is sexy. The usability is pretty spot on too (there are definitely problem spots). This GUI seems poorly organized and in some cases the graphic design seems rushed too. No one ever accused Google of having good graphic design, but if they really want to compete in OS territory (phone or otherwise) they have to at least do as well as Microsoft. Uneven spacing top and bottom and inconsistent un-matching backgrounds and font sizes is too sloppy to really contend on the graphic design front. I think the consensus here would be that code is probably behind the animation lags here too. I don't think the question is: "which device will put Android in the spotlight?". It is "when will Android be ready for the spotlight?" If that happens while Droid is on the market maybe the software will be pushed to it. Not sure if I'm going to take that risk though.
Thanks for the review Engadget.
Now do some cross-comparisons of leading phones! You should do this as a feature once every few months!
lol, they used to do it all of the time (if you know what I mean...) :P
yes, please compare and contrast the phones again. I'm getting lost with all the specs, name changes, features an everything.
I found the word "iPhone" like 15 times in the review... that's how sh*tty their comparison system works
Good review and lots of information. Overall I approve, but one complaint: Talking about the performance of 3rd party 1.6 SDK applications on 2.0.. really? Seems like you just tacked that on in order to say something negative. Of course the older apps are going to have hitches, they're obsolete and need to be updated.