
Motorola DROID

Engadget Review
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 domorewith 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 theymustswitch to Android, but it will make a lot of serious geeks seriously happy -- and that's good enough for us.

Pros
- Handsome and unique design
- Hardware keyboard
- Google Navigation on-board
Cons
- Hardware keyboard isn't great
- Android software selection still thin
- UI still not a seamless experience
Engadget - Not yet scored
0
Critics
10 reviews79
Users
90 reviews84
- Critic Reviews (10)
- User Reviews (90)
- 79AVERAGE CRITIC SCORE10 ReviewsArs Technica80About a DROID: a review of Motorola's newest smartIf you're on Verizon and you like their service, there is no reason to switch to AT&T anymore unless you just absolutely have to have an iPhone.Computerworld80Review: Taking the Droid on the roadMy iPhone lust has been sated. The Droid, which costs about $200 after rebates and a two-year contract with Verizon, is superlative. On the whole, it is as carefully designed, useful and fun to use as an iPhone. At last.Gizmodo80Motorola Droid Review - Motorola Droid - GizmodoIt's this simple: If you don't buy an iPhone, buy a Droid. It's the best phone on Verizon, and with Android 2.0, the second best smartphone you can buy, period.Wired80Motorola Droid | Wired.com Product ReviewsAn awesome Android phone on the Verizon network -- finally! Gorgeous, responsive touchscreen. Fast, fast processor. Excellent browser. User-replaceable battery.PC World70Motorola Droid Phone Review - PC WorldThe first Android 2.0 phone impresses with a strong suite of Web features and a stunning 3.7-inch display, but some users might have trouble with the shallow keyboard.Engadget80Motorola DROID reviewUltimately, 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.CNET80Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) Smartphone revieDespite some design issues and a couple of missing features, the Motorola Droid is the most powerful and fastest Google Android device to date.Pocket-Lint90Droid by Motorola mobile phone review - Pocket-linWhere the Droid by Motorola... succeeds is that it offers you a state of the art experience of Android 2.0 on a network that has flawless telephone reception across the country.ConnectedReviews70Motorola Droid (Verizon Wireless) Review | ConnectFor someone who wants more power from their phone, and the great coverage and 3G data provided by the Verizon Wireless network, this is the DROID you are looking for.Phone Scoop80Review: Motorola Droid : Is It Your Type? (Phone SIf you're a Verizon Wireless customer who's longed to be on the cutting edge, the Droid is probably your best bet.
- 84AVERAGE USER SCORE90 ReviewsEngadget Reader80August 29, 2013Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 10, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60September 28, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60September 6, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Well, quite a phone. First android phone running 2.0, and made quite a journey with me. It's hardware keyboard was quite good (until screens get bigger), and wasn't that heavy. But wasn't awesome at all, since it's no quite useless. It's the second time since I had it that it got useless, because of the touchscreen that doesn't work anymore. I think this is due to water infiltrating between screen and touchscreen, but I didn't but it in the water any times. This might be because of rain or something, and that's why I'm quite disappointed of it.It's 3 years old now, but I thought it could old a little more. Too bad!EDIT : I forgot to mention, but Motorola's customer service kinda sucks. They forgot to resolve some of my phones problem (jack that had a false contact), and they broke the screws of my device, so I couldn't even resolve it myself....Engadget Reader80August 21, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90June 26, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!best. phone. ever.Engadget Reader90March 7, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80February 15, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80January 23, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70January 22, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80January 15, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90January 15, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90January 12, 2012Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 29, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90December 9, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 27, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80November 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80October 31, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70October 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Motorola DROID is a good phone if you want an easy install of Cyanogenmod, but the hardware's usability makes it a pain to use.Engadget Reader90October 19, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I would probably still be using my original Droid if my son didn't beat the crap out of his. It was a great smartphone for learning how to root Android and tweak the settings. This made it relevant for a longer time.My son is still using it and it works great.Engadget Reader70October 6, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader40October 5, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A poor product that's more likely to be frustrating than useful. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80September 21, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80September 13, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 31, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Loved this phone: stock Android, it was the flagship phone for the new generation, and it was the first to openly contend with the iPhone. The industrial design was fine for me, because everything DOESN'T need to look space like and futuristic.All I can say is: people are still holding on to this phone for two year for a reason.Engadget Reader90July 18, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Running slow, lack of large enough internal memory. Time for an upgrade, too bad the 3rd version is not LTE.Engadget Reader80July 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Classic android. Not as fast as the modern phones, but I easily get through the day on one battery unless I'm using a lot of talk time.Engadget Reader80July 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 8, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Good Android smartphone. Lacks firepower and internal memory, but has many custom ROMs that make up for that.Engadget Reader80July 7, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60July 2, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 21, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80June 3, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader50June 2, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A disappointing product with a lot of problems. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90May 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!After a year and a half of use I'm happy with the Moto Droid and it's abilities. Netflix has an app now and you can stream movies over 3g and it works pretty well.Engadget Reader70May 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A dependable product that doesn't really stand out from the competition. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 26, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Love it!Engadget Reader90May 24, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader60May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A forgettable product. It isn't bad, exactly, but also doesn't do anything particularly well. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 23, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Try to find a high-cap battery for this? Next to impossible, usually from Malaysia or China, but the one that you can order never came for me - 12.00 lesson learned. The Verizon accessories for this are paltry - the Body Glove, forget it, won't last past 3 months without falling apart. tHECLEAR-SNAPS ARE ok, UNTIL YOU DROP THEM. oNCE. tHE LITTLE NIBS JUST BREAK AND FLY AWAY. Sorry, about the caps, but not going back to edit them. The two worst things about the Droid (can't count things that are Software problems, as those either got fixed or will get fixed with OTAs) are:1. At about one year, the slider will deteriorate, the plastic insulation will bubble and curl, the tracks will become loose. Then as you press buttons, you will feel the phone top clank against the phone bottom.2. The keyboard is a JOKE. The labels are GLUED on and not very well. I returned (for replacement) my Droid 4 (FOUR) times, when the factory must have changed the glue, because now they don't curl up and fall off. 11 months and still ok. But, initially was a complete joke. Bought in November 2009 I was lucky enough to still end up with a non-refurb - almost had to get a refurb at just 60 days from original purchase, but once I explained that I doubt very much the labels would be re-glued in a refurb, Verizon gave me the 4th unit. Which I still use.2a. Found out a little too late - the power button gets flaky - the right-side of it no longer triggers phone on-off - just the left side, which I take great care in touching lightly. I may have been a bit hard on the right-side as I would roll my thumb up and pinch down to trigger on-off at first. My bad.Engadget Reader80May 22, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Have had this phone 1 1/2 yrs and would be lost without it. I mostly use the news, navigation, and the browser. I don't think I could go back to a feature phone.Engadget Reader60May 16, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Motorola DROID really set Android on the map. It was the first major competitor to the iPhone to really get some support with users. I never liked the form factor or the keyboard, but it was a good little phone. I struggle seeing people with DROID's today though, as the handset has really aged very quickly. Motorla was definitely limited at the time, but I can see today's devices lasting two years and still keeping up where the original DROID has not. That said, for a phone from 2009 the DROID was an impressive attempt to take on the iPhone and to give Verizon customers something to brag about.Engadget Reader100May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader80May 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Traded my BlackBerry Storm 2 for it, and I haven't looked back since. I've got high standards after using my DROID for the past 9 months; it'll be challenging to find a suitable replacement.Engadget Reader80March 30, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80March 25, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90March 15, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Original Droid, purchased just a few weeks after release. Rooted, running Cyanogen Mod w/ Launcher Pro. Overclocked to 800MHz.Engadget Reader80January 20, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I love my Droid. I have the car holder for it and it is a great GPS! The first time in my life I really don't want to upgrade my phone...Engadget Reader90January 7, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best mix of portability, battery life, and functionality in a Smartphone I've ever had to date. But keyboard Sucked and the screen sensitivity was pretty inconsistent in some spots. I returned 3 for screen sensitivity issues until I gave up and just decided to live with it. Otherwise this phone ROCKS.Engadget Reader80January 3, 2011Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90December 29, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80December 28, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90December 8, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!Seriously, the grand daddy that put the Android phone in more hands than one would have expected! I love this phone. I have rooted mine to add additional features not defaulted to this device. Try rooting yours sometime!Engadget Reader70December 1, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The idea bring the Droid is great, the hardware does not stand up to use. First one had a bad proximity sensor, the next five either didn't boot out of the box or the screen died randomly after the phone would get super hot.Engadget Reader90November 11, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I was a little late getting to the Droid party, getting it when it was basicly being pushed aside. I can say even with the newer Droid 2 out, and Droid X I would still take this phone. My main reason for this? Custom Roms. The newer Models can't be hacked as well as this one and makes the Droid so much better.Engadget Reader90November 4, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader70October 7, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!So, lets write the abstract: NEVER buy Motorola. They don't care anything about their customers in most all the world.Engadget Reader80September 14, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 17, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 10, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90August 6, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader80July 27, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There's a lot to like about this in spite of a few flaws. - EngadgetEngadget Reader90July 25, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The best in its category. We highly recommend it. - EngadgetEngadget Reader100June 1, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!With the impending release of Android 2.2 for the Moto Droid, there isn't a single feature that I really wish it had that isn't there. The last major features are the bluetooth voice dialing and tethering. They should have been added sooner, but I'm glad they are finally in.I can also barely tolerate other devices after being spoiled with the high-res screen. iPhones and Blackberrys just don't compare to this device after the 2.1 release.With the Corning Gorilla glass, I really don't have to worry about screen breakage. The case is more likely to scratch or crack than the screen.Despite what most people say, I'm quite fond of the keyboard. Many complain about the smoothness, but I enjoy that. I find that I get used to the spacing of the letters the same way a person has to learn to switch between laptop and desktop keyboards.Engadget Reader100May 9, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I had a problem with my EnV3 and thought a Blackberry was a good way to go. I wanted out of my Blackberry so bad I took a chance and bought a Moto Droid and have loved it ever since. Android is an excellent smartphone platform (with the exception of being able to search calendars) and performs much better than (ahem) Blackberry. Not to mention the fact that there are far more apps available for Droid (free and paid, and the paid apps are typically less money). Android has a few things to work on but it it is head and shoulders ahead of anything else available on Verizon.Engadget Reader90April 2, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I got my first cellphone in 1998, a Nokia 5110. I was overjoyed. I could make calls from the bus, walking down the street, or waiting for friends at the mall. I could play snake during the trailers at the movie theater. And as a geek I could mod it with different face plates, LEDs, and a color changing LCD. The only thing I could have hoped for was a calender and a camera. I have gone through several phones since then but the Droid is the best. I got my camera (all five megapixels) and calender that backs up to both my Google cal and local cal and thats just the tip of iceberg. The Droid is snappy. It has navigation with Google maps, Google voice and like that first Nokia 5110 I can Mod the Droid with root access to enable features like tether. Apple may brag about apps, rightfully so but who cares if you have a million apps, can anyone download a million apps 70% of which are likely redundant.The keyboard isn't great, heck the cameras not great (it does have a flash though). The media player isn't great. The Droid is a geek's phone and as far from elegant as a high priced smartphone can get but thats okay because as a user I have the ability to customize it to fit my needs. You can jailbreak an iPhone but there can be serous consequences. Android is an open platform and exploration is encouraged. I'll stop here before this devolves into a rant against I phone. I love my Droid.Engadget Reader90April 2, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!In the interest of full disclosure, my previous phone was a Motorola Q9C. The transition from that to the Droid has been easy and, for the most part awesome. I was using Gmail to manage my contacts through Google's Exchange functionality, so they were already loaded in the Droid as soon as I entered my Google account information.Using the browser is a pleasure compared to what I was accustomed to on the Q9. I can actually view web pages on it! What a novel concept. With the OS update to 2.1, pinch-to-zoom is included if that is important to you. Only major functionality missing that I can think of is Flash, but that is apparently being worked on.The thing I'm most impressed with on this phone is the Android Market. I have found many interesting apps that turn my mobile phone into a podcatcher, a weather station, live-streaming video camera, and other neat things. If the app doesn't exist, just wait a few days, and it seems like someone will produce it. The best part is that most of them are free-of-charge, so you don't have to break the bank to do cool things.My complaints with the Droid are few, but they matter. The camera is average at best in picture quality, and it seemingly takes forever to shoot. Moving subjects are a big problem for it, as the pics tend to come out blurry.The phone feels generally solid, but I feel like the slide-out keyboard is superfluous. Typing on it is doable but awkward and slower than using the on-screen keyboard.Call quality is excellent, in my experience, and the radio seems to be better at picking up signals than other phones I have used. It is refreshing to have a mobile phone that is actually good at making calls.In all, I am thrilled with this device, but it is not perfect.Engadget Reader90March 30, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!There are many aspects of the Droid which are a big plus in my book.First, the beautiful screen. It's resolution is beautifully high and its extremely bright. I never even raise the backlight to its brightest state and I think it still looks bright, its that good. Touch responsiveness is good although sometimes it will glitch and incorrectly interpret a finger movement... these moments are rare though.Secondly, the Android OS running on the phone. I haven't owned an iPhone but I have owned an iPod Touch for quite some time. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that I actually prefer Android to the iPhone OS. I like the openness of it and the fact that the application Marketplace isn't locked down by Google and that all the apps can access more features that tie into the phone itself. I think the interface is sexy as well. Being a developer, I have tinkered around with Android app development and found that making an app is relatively simple since all apps run in a Java virtual machine.Thirdly, the phone's speaker is probably the loudest I have ever heard in a device this size. Its so loud that if I just want to listen to some music on the phone's speaker, I don't actually turn the volume up all the way.I could go on, but overall my verdict is that this is a really great phone tor businessmen and casual users alike.Engadget Reader100February 27, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!In November I wanted to a blackberry, but got to the Verizon booth and they informed me of the all the Droid could do, I was still a tad bit in the need of a blackberry but after a good 30 minutes with a droid I had decided that I was sold. It takes pictures, HD Video, its so customizable. It has amazing social features, linking Facebook to contacts is a personal favorite, and it does it all so well. The updates have only made it better. Plus its getting another update that will make it equal to the N1. I am quite excited to have this phone and find great things about it every day. New apps come quite often because of the Android Markets Open Source way of doing things. Its just an amazing phone, Motorola's best.Engadget Reader90February 24, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have my work phone and private phone separately. As a private phone I have been using the iPhone 3g and now iPhone 3gs, and no other phone have come close to these to.The Motorola Milestone (Droid) replaced my HTC Hero. I was really annoyed with the on-screen keyboard on that phone, and wanted a phone with a physical keyboard. The Milestone (Droid) was a nice suprise. The android 2.01 is a huge improvement to the 1,5 on the hero, but still it is quite far from the usability of the iphone os. Also the android market is lightyears behind at the moment. In Finland you are not able to use google checkout so there is no possibility to buy apps from android market, you are only able to download free apps. The free apps are not on the level that I would prefer, but that has nothing to do with the Milestone (Droid). Even though is is a part of the Droid Experience...Engadget Reader100January 27, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I bought my Droid the day after they came out and have really enjoyed it. The only thing I don't like is the sliding keyboard. If I do use it I only use the navigation buttons, I can't type on the keyboard and use the virtual one. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has downloaded quite a few apps and then uninstalled most of them. I haven't found very many worth keeping. I really love the navigator and have used it quite a lot since getting my Droid. It has come in quite handy on several occasions. I was thinking about getting another GPS for my vehicle but now just plan on using the Droid.Engadget Reader90January 27, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I was excited to hear that Verizon was finally getting a 'real' smartphone, something akin to the Apple iPhone. So excited, in fact, that I ordered the Droid on the day it became available. I had done tons of research and felt it would be capable of replacing both my flip phone as well as my 2nd gen iPod Touch, which I used for gaming, media, etc.I'm happy to report that it's filled both bills and then some. I don't think it really needs to be said, but what the heck: It's a very capable phone. Making and receiving calls is simple and convenient. The Verizon network here (Northern NJ) is solid. The ability to use Google Voice is a nice plus as well.Apps? Droid has 'em. I think I have about 20 apps on my Droid. I've found the same or similar apps on the Android Marketplace that I used formerly on my iPod Touch. I kept my iPod Touch for about a week before I gave it away to my daughter since the Droid filled all my needs. Yes, I know, iTunes Store has some 100k apps while the Android Marketplace has, what, 20k? But tell me, how many fart apps do you need? The downside:1. Verizon's 3G is somewhat slow. I haven't used an Apple iPhone on the AT&T network, but I suspect it's faster (when available). 2. I sometimes need to reboot the phone, I think due to running so many apps. There's no build-in way of stopping an app, at least that I'm aware of. There's several Task Killing apps on the Marketplace in order to do this, but I feel this should be part of the standard package.3. The camera seems to be inconsistent; sometimes takes great pictures, sometimes not. Sometimes focuses quickly, sometimes not. Not a real big deal, just sayin...In all, I'm very happy with the purchase and have recommended it to others.Engadget Reader100January 21, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Droid has everything I could ask for in a stock phone. The market makes it possible to add anything that I could think I would need. I do have a problem with the screen staying on when it is charged so if you forget to manually turn it off it will stay on. I do not have a problem with the keyboard but some people do. I do wish the keyboard did have the auto-complete feature that the on screen keyboard has and I could not live without the shift and function keys on both sides of the keyboard. I am glad I purchased it and look forward to the firmware updates in the future.Engadget Reader90January 21, 2010Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had the Droid for a few months now and am mostly happy with it. It feels heavy in the hand, but I like that. The screen is gorgeous, and there are plenty of apps out there. One of the biggest appeals is supposed to be the keyboard, but I've found it to be kind of lame and useless. It syncs well with everything I need it to, and the lack of built-in media management can be easily solved with apps. As for the bad news, I've found it had some weird bugs over time. Once a week it will just stop responding, and when it does go back up, it's extremely unresponsive. I'm sure this has to do with the amount of apps I've thrown on, but it shouldn't be doing that. This morning actually there's a weird bug where the notification sound is taken from a game I play on the phone. I didn't set that up and i didn't want it. Also, my roommate has the Nexus One, and boy am I envious. Overall, I'm happy with the Droid but don't know if it will keep me happy for the next 18 months or so.justdep100December 31, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I'm so excited to see what Google does with the Android OS over the next year. The Droid is an excellent phone. It is truly the nicest phone I have ever owned. It's not completely perfect, but it's as close as you can get for now. Battery life leaves a little bit to be desired, as does the camera app, but on the whole, the device functions beautifully and is zippy and fun.It's very intuitive to use. The navigation and use, they just make sense. When I pick up an iPhone I can't make heads or tails of it. The single button confuddles me most of the time. The Droid, out of the box, was never a head scratcher to use. the interface just makes sense.The Droid is one of the "Google Experience" devices, so it'll always get the best support and updates. Really, if you're on Verizon, this is a no-brainer.NachoKingP100December 29, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!A gadget unicorn - EngadgetEngadget Reader100December 27, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I work in the mobile phone industry and get to see a lot of phones come and go. Because of this, I tend to be very picky about what phone I use. For the last two years I've only been happy with Blackberry, but the Droid has found a new place in my front pocket. This phone is not perfect, but in my opinion it is the closest thing to it based on what else is available. Sure, it has some drawbacks; battery life and a practically useless keyboard, but this phone's advantages far outweigh these issues. Blazing fast is the only way to describe the user interface. It's still somewhat shocking to get an almost immediate response when launching an app. The camera is nice at 5MP, but not great in low light. By far one of the best phones I've ever seen.Engadget Reader100December 22, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had the Droid for just over a month. The only real flaw I have with it, is the slide out keyboard. I think its pretty crappy. On the other hand the virtual keyboard is very good. I've found the phone to get excellent reception in most areas. At my home my previous phone (Razr using Alletl network, now Verizon) did not get very good reception, neither did my work phone (Samsung i760). The download speeds are great, better than the Samsung phone, which is also on Verizon. I've downloaded 50 or more apps, all have worked great, especially the Google Apps.Engadget Reader70December 12, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The Good- FAST... really FAST... what you expect your phone to do. At a processor speed of 550Mhz it is amazing, however, the 1Ghz version is coming late December early January and I can't imagine what that will be like.- Screen - it is large, high resolution has great touch control and very bright- Call quality is fantastic - very clear, best thus far. Although the speaker phone isn't quite as good as the HTC TP2, it is a close second- GPS - Ready to go with Google maps day one, no enabling etc. Getting to the navigation is a series of touches, can be remedied by an app for free- Home screens are good, you have 3 that can easily be moved through to get all your apps where you want them etc. You can create short cuts to phone numbers routinely dialed for one touch dialing etc.- Browser is good, fast and scales well. Uses double tap to zoom in/out. Works very well.The Bad- The slide out keyboard is horrible, keys are small, and off to one side vs. being centered on the device. Motorola has placed a "mouse" like cursor movement pad on the right side. Really makes typing difficult since your right hand has to stretch further to get to the keys. If they lost the cursor pad and made the keys larger it would be a HUGE improvement. The HTC Touch Pro2 keyboard is far better, best I've used to date.- Calendar integration, there is none out of the box that is worth using or will connect directly to ActiveSync. BIG hold for Corporate users. You have to download a second app to sync and use your calendar in any meaningful manner with MS Exchange. The issue here is the Droid interface for email is slick, it is very good. However the downloaded app which includes email is not. I find I use the Droid email viewer and when necessary I use the other app if I need to do anything calendar related. Not a seem less design at all. I personally think they should fix this immediately. Hopefully Google is listening. The app is $4.99 and works, but not elegantly.- Global settings don't work within all apps. Since the apps are coded by anyone who can code... they don't follow a set of guidelines while developing and thus controls on code quality are not tight. For instance, when you turn off the global setting for vibrate on email delivery... you would think that meant no vibration on any email delivery. It doesn't, the aforementioned app above, still vibrates. You have to dig into the settings of it to remove the vibration option. Again not seem less in design.- Email to phone integration, there isn't any. You can't open an email, realize you have to call the individual and touch their name and have the phone dial said user. The HTC TP2, you can. I really like this feature. Maybe it will be available in the near future. Google are you listening?- SMS... the client is horrible. Free app of a quality one is available. Given the number of SMS (text) messages sent these days, you would think they could have loaded a quality client by default.My first impression of the device was that I didn't like it. I've grown to like it more, I have to say I don't love it. I feel about 50/50 on it. I love how fast it is, that is a nice departure from all WM phones to date. The call quality is excellent. At first I felt it took excessive amounts of time to get to where you wanted to go. It still does, you just figure out the controls so it seems to go faster.The app store... The app store is estimated at having 12,000 apps. I haven't looked at all of them, but I can say, I've found 3 so far that I "needed". One for calendar, one for GPS and one for SMS. I did find an app that could be useful for those that travel. It syncs with flight data to alert you if your flight is on time, delayed, cancelled etc. Thus far, my app spend rate has been $4.99.I'd love it if they hadn't missed the mark with the keyboard. Keys are tiny and the "mouse" is worthless.Engadget Reader90December 4, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I was waiting for my cell phone contract to be up for renewal, and had been pining away waiting to get my iPhone. The one huge dread for me was coverage. All I seemed to hear in the press and tech shows was how many problems people had making calls. I was ready to live with this at some point, because I so very much wanted an iPhone. As an application developer, I knew I would use many applications on it and want to learn more. But then 2 things happened that changed my mind.1- Consumer Reports. I very much trust this organization. They ranked AT&T dead last in customer satisfaction. I could take bad, I could even take "last" from someone else. But "last on Consumer Reports"? That got my attention.2- I walked into an Apple store and a Verizon store on the same day and tried out both phones. I still like the iPhone look and feel better, but the Droid was "right up there" with features, ease of use, and functionality. The Google integration was far better than the iPhone. And the Droid had Verizon's network which I already had been using for years. Conclusion: iPhone and Droid are neck and neck as phone-gadget-thingies. But Droid is better at being... a phone, if only because of the network. Apple needs to get out of the exclusive with AT&T or it'll be limited to the market it has today.Engadget Reader80November 30, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I just switched to the Droid (and Verizon) from the iPhone 3G with AT&T. So far, I've found the Droid to be a bit of a mixed bag, but more good than bad.Pros-The screen is gorgeous. Pictures just don't do it justice. It easily displays most web pages at full width in landscape mode.-Build quality is top notch. The phone feels very solid and durable. The only piece that feels a little bit flimsy is the volume toggle.-Car home, navigation, and voice recognition are all excellent. A huge step up from trying to navigate using Google Maps on the iPhone.-The Network. It's really sad that, at least here in the US, the experience of these devices is tied so closely to the network, but that's just the reality of things. Here in Denver (an area that AT&T claims is completely covered by 3G), it's been like night and day. Downloads are crazy fast compared to AT&T (and apparently without the 10MB limit also), and though I've only had the phone for a short while, no dropped calls so far either.Cons-Media syncing is a mess. I've tried 3 different methods for synching with my Droid (Songbird, Doubletwist, and Salling Media Sync). SMC is probably the best of the bunch, but none come close to the ease of syncing on the iPhone.-Media management on the phone is just as bad. Right now I have to access my media through 3 different apps; Music, for music and audio books, Google Listen for audio podcasts, and, bizarrely, Gallery for video podcasts.-The keyboard(s). I have rather large hands, and it's really bad. Aside from the obvious problem of hitting more keys than once, I can barely press the keys on the top row because it's situated so close to the lip of the screen. The portrait software keyboard is OK, but the keys are still a bit too tiny. The landscape software keyboard works pretty well for me, but, like the iPhone, Android's implementation of the landscape keyboard is inconsistent.Other thoughtsI'd say the phone is smooth but not snappy. It's certainly faster than my iPhone 3G and my wife's HTC Eris, but there's still the occasional hitch when moving through the UI.Overall, the phone's interface is much less user friendly than the iPhone OS, but there's a lot more functionality exposed to the user. A trade-off that, for me, is nice, but I think less tech savvy users might be put off by it.ConclusionAll things being equal, I probably would have stuck with my iPhone. But unfortunately, all things aren't equal. And while my iPhone made a great media player, the quality of AT&T's network where I live made it a horrible communications device. So while the Droid may lack some of the fit and finish, and iPhone apps that I've become accustomed to over the last year and a half, it comes out on top by doing something that the iPhone still fails at in my opinion, being a halfway decent phone.Update:After spending a few more days with the device, I thought I'd update my initial review with some more thoughts.-I'm getting better with the keyboard, though it's still not that great. Holding the device from the bottom, instead of from the sides, seems to help, especially with the top row of keys.-Initial phone settings were running the battery down very quickly. I made some adjustments to the wireless and screen settings and downloaded the Power Manager app, which lets you set automatic setting changes based on certain device states (eg, "battery powered", "plugged into A/C", "battery less than X%", etc...).Engadget Reader100November 30, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have been using a BB Curve 8330 for the past year and a half. The Android 2.0 is light years ahead of the BB even their newest OS5.0. I played with both a Droid and the BB Storm 2 and chose the Droid with no hesitation. The Droid really does everything and well. The physical keyboard is not as good as the one on the BB 8330 but it is usable. There are some minor lags once in a while but it is so much better than the 8330. Sometime the Curve will just sit there with a spinning hour glass for minutes. The Droid is blazing fast.The turn by turn direction is just plain awesome. There are a few things that needs improvement. It needs a night mode and dim the display. And it would be nice to customize it with additional info like arrival time, current speed, and remaining miles to destination.Really digging the "Droid" notification sound. Even my brother in law wants it for his iPhone.Engadget Reader100November 30, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I have been using a BB Curve 8330 for the past year and a half. The Android 2.0 is light years ahead of the BB even their newest OS5.0. I played with both a Droid and the BB Storm 2 and chose the Droid with no hesitation. The Droid really does everything and well. The physical keyboard is not as good as the one on the BB 8330 but it is usable. There are some minor lags once in a while but it is so much better than the 8330. Sometime the Curve will just sit there with a spinning hour glass for minutes. The Droid is blazing fast.The turn by turn direction is just plain awesome. There are a few things that needs improvement. It needs a night mode and dim the display. And it would be nice to customize it with additional info like arrival time, current speed, and remaining miles to destination.Really digging the "Droid" notification sound. Even my brother in law wants it for his iPhone.Engadget Reader90November 23, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!The things I like best about this device:* Screen resolution is great* The navigation feature rocks* Leverages Verizon's networkThings that can be improved upon:* Exchange/enterprise support for email. While it claims to have Exchange ActiveSync support, the truth is it will not successfully sync with Exchange shops that have password policies and which require the ability to remotely wipe the device (the exact setting that must be selected on Exchange 2007 to sync is "allow non-provisional devices")* I wish this device had the ability to select the Sense UI* The physical keyboard is a bit lackingIt a powerful and responsive device, but I wish a few things I mentioned could be improved upon. I think the UI and usability is still superior on the iPhone. If I had to choose sticking with the iPhone or Droid (I currently own both), I think I'd go with the iPhone.Engadget Reader90November 21, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!After owning a wide variety of phones (tend to replace my phone every 4 to 9 months) I can say that as far as smartphones from from Verizon this is the best so far.That I have to tie it to Google is a little frustrating, but at least this phone isn't complete neutered by Verizon. Most of the phones I've gotten so far had only 1/3 of the functionality enabled and you had to pay Verizon a pile of money to use the rest of it. And then you still couldn't do basic things like Bluetooth file transfer.But if I want I can even pop out a custom Java app to do whatever I want. Still need to try buying an app though.Engadget Reader100November 20, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!I've had this gem since launch day and i am thoroughly impressed. Besides a couple tiny little quirks this phone has performed flawlessly. Motorola and Verizon have a real winner with this one. The hardware is absolutely beautiful. Feels like you're holding an expensive sports car in your hands. And Google's Android 2.0 is by far the best mobile OS platform so far. The one irritating quirk is the keyboard surface and layout. Lack of touch differentiation between keys makes for a strong learning exercise in typing, and the d-pad is a little more than a nuisance. All in all this is a very solid product on a very stable network and if you don't have one of these babies yet you are definitely losing out!Engadget Reader90November 8, 2009Feedback submitted!Unable to submit feedback!This device has been a real treat to use. I have had it for 3 days now, and I can honestly say that I am still loving it.First and foremost, the screen is incredible, I have never seen a screen on a mobile device that is so crisp. The amount of detail that is contained within this screen is second to none.Audio quality is awesome, best sounding phone I have ever had. I was playing a game, Devilry Huntress (great game BTW) and listening to an album on the speaker. The experience was great.Android OS is very nice and responsive on this device, works exactly how I would expect. The inclusion of the new navigation software is a real treat, Google has a winner on its hands. If you are a power Gmail user, you will love it, finally a device that can see my labels and archive mail.It does have a few snags but I am thinking both will be corrected.First the still picture camera is horrible, under indoor lighting it is not even usable, it will not focus correctly.Second, the apps are not quite up to the quality of the iPhones apps, I think the biggest problem with them is no standard UI on the 3rd party apps, Google apps look great though.Overall it is a great device, I foresee using this device for quite sometime.
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