Verizon's Motorola Droid To "Do" What the iPhone "iCan't"
Motorola's CLIQ hasn't even shipped to T-Mobile USA customers, and
already the outfit's "comeback phone" (not to mention its first-ever
Android phone) is being greatly overshadowed. And by another phone in
the Motorola family, no less. In a rather odd move on Moto's part, the
company has seemingly tied the knot with Verizon Wireless for its
second-ever Android device, the Droid.
The smartphone, which is set to ship with Android 2.0, a 5MP camera, a high resolution display and a slide-out QWERTY keypad, has just been revealed over the weekend in a much-played spot that saw primetime plugs during MLB playoff games. The commercial is a direct knock on Apple's iPhone, though curiously, it doesn't go so far as to attach AT&T. Instead, VZW has chosen to attack one single phone for the things is can't do, all while suggesting that the forthcoming Droid can do those things. A bold and curious move, no doubt. It also goes to show just how much market power the iPhone has. When's the last time you saw a rival carrier create a negative ad about a single handset? Feels like the Presidential race all over again here!
The 'Droid Does' spot begins by poking fun of the music and font used in iPhone commercials, though the back-end gets a little odd by flashing a few jagged edges and the Droid logo. At no point in time are we actually shown a clip of the phone itself, which we suspect was done in order to add to the mystery surrounding it. The commercial does inform us that the Droid will be coming in November, so it should be ready to buy before that fateful day in December.
We have no doubt that an Android 2.0 device will be amazing, but will it really topple the almighty iPhone? Most folks aren't really concerned that their iPhone can't take shots in the dark (we've never seen a cameraphone worth a darn in the dark), and most folks couldn't care less about a lack of widgets given the 85,000 applications to choose from. But who knows--maybe this is just what Verizon needed to get the attention of to-be smartphone buyers, but we have to say, this whole thing sure is giving Apple a lot of free press.
Oh, and you thought Verizon had even a shot at getting the iPhone in the near future, we'd say those hopes have just been blasted away to a far, far place. Sad, but true. You can check out the full ad below.
The smartphone, which is set to ship with Android 2.0, a 5MP camera, a high resolution display and a slide-out QWERTY keypad, has just been revealed over the weekend in a much-played spot that saw primetime plugs during MLB playoff games. The commercial is a direct knock on Apple's iPhone, though curiously, it doesn't go so far as to attach AT&T. Instead, VZW has chosen to attack one single phone for the things is can't do, all while suggesting that the forthcoming Droid can do those things. A bold and curious move, no doubt. It also goes to show just how much market power the iPhone has. When's the last time you saw a rival carrier create a negative ad about a single handset? Feels like the Presidential race all over again here!
The 'Droid Does' spot begins by poking fun of the music and font used in iPhone commercials, though the back-end gets a little odd by flashing a few jagged edges and the Droid logo. At no point in time are we actually shown a clip of the phone itself, which we suspect was done in order to add to the mystery surrounding it. The commercial does inform us that the Droid will be coming in November, so it should be ready to buy before that fateful day in December.
We have no doubt that an Android 2.0 device will be amazing, but will it really topple the almighty iPhone? Most folks aren't really concerned that their iPhone can't take shots in the dark (we've never seen a cameraphone worth a darn in the dark), and most folks couldn't care less about a lack of widgets given the 85,000 applications to choose from. But who knows--maybe this is just what Verizon needed to get the attention of to-be smartphone buyers, but we have to say, this whole thing sure is giving Apple a lot of free press.
Oh, and you thought Verizon had even a shot at getting the iPhone in the near future, we'd say those hopes have just been blasted away to a far, far place. Sad, but true. You can check out the full ad below.
