Overall, we were very impressed with the Motorola DROID. The
phone feels solid, looks great, and performs very well. The Android 2.0
interface was a joy to use and the touchscreen was vibrant and crisp. Call
quality and Verizon's vast network are also key benefits to this phone.
Coverage varies widely from one area to the next, so this will definitely not
be the phone/network combination for everyone, but it is nice to have a solid
network supporting a phone such as this.
We also felt the free Google Maps Navigation Beta service is
a very nice addition to the phone. While many phones today come with GPS and
some even come with Google Maps pre-installed, free turn-by-turn voice
instructions combined with a very usable and PND (personal navigation device)-like user interface is
definitely a nice feature to have, one that the iPhone currently can't claim.
That's not to say the DROID is perfect, however. The camera
could use a little work; we wish it would have consistently taken quality
images. It's a shame to have a 5-megapixel sensor that produces images that are
more or less just on-par with an average camera phone.
We've seen quite a few "iPhone killers" to date. While
the iPhone definitely has cool features and has changed the way many users
think about and use smartphones (which Apple definitely deserves a lot of credit for),
it is nice to see a phone that offers a lot of similar functionality for a
competitive price. In some senses, the DROID has a bit more of a "geek"
factor than the "coolness" factor of the iPhone. That's not all bad,
though. After all, there are plenty of gadget lovers out there who are anxious
to get their hands on a full-featured and very capable smartphone, and the
DROID definitely meets these criteria. In addition, since the phone supports
Microsoft Exchange, the DROID is also a great candidate for business users.
All in all, we think the Motorola DROID should put some
spark back into Motorola's and Verizon's lineups and should also call some well-deserved, mainstream
attention to the Android platform.
