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Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

engadget.com

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Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#11

Post by human_v2 »

jasonlbaptiste wrote: post #6

I personally don't think it's better than an iPhone, but I don't know if it needs to be. It's the first viable alternative out there. It's good for the market, which is in turn good for everyone else. I hope they don't rely on the whole "iDont" thing too much in the future, since Apple can make all those claims obsolete if they feel like it.

I was an early adopter, I pre-ordered a G1 and have had it for about a year now. I really love hardware keyboards, so +1 for the G1 and for the Moto Droid. However, the article talks about a bit of lag here and there, which is quite irritating, probably the thing I hate most about android phones. Though, I do feel like the G1 was a competitor to the iPhone off the bat because it could do everything the iphone did, just a little slower =/

The iPhone is very well done, without lag from what I can tell. I suppose that's easier to do though when you make the hardware and software in the same place.

For now, I say the iPhone is still the best phone out there, but only because of the stuttering issues that Android phones seem to have. In a year or so, phone hardware will catch up with the Android platform and will run smooth as silk.

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#12

Post by peregrine »

w1ntermute wrote: post #7
tumult wrote: post #5

Does anyone know if you can get a data-only plan? I'm planning on picking one up for dev. Normally I'd just buy an unlocked one and swap a SIM card in for when I needed to use the data/cell features, but obviously I can't do that in this case.

I would like to know if the data-only plan is an option as well. Normally I'd just buy an unlocked one and swap a SIM card in for when I needed to use the data/cell features, but obviously I can't do that in this case. Why not? It would just be a CSIM ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA_Subscriber_Identify_Module ) card instead of a SIM card, right?

Probably not, you'd need to sign a contract. You could pay full price(600+) for one...

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#13

Post by scottjackson »

I'm excited about the Droid. It looks good and it seems like it runs pretty well. It's the first non-iPhone that I've looked at and kinda thought "I would not mind one of those."

However, not to bring the mood down or anything, but do you guys remember the hype around the Pre at CES in January?

Yeah. I really hope the Droid doesn't pull a Pre. Because I really want this phone to succeed.

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#14

Post by gbookman »

If the Droid didn't have a physical keyboard, I would strongly consider getting one.

To me, the physical keyboard is just a burden that adds thickness and weight.

Aside from that, the Droid looks fantastic and is the first iPhone alternative to make me think about switching.

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#15

Post by cbeust »

nailer wrote: post #9
maximilian wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given the amount of money to be made doing this stuff, it was inevitable that other good smart phones would arise. Props to google for realizing that its the OS that really makes a phone, not the hardware. Obviously, the Droid is a nice piece of hardware, but any other Andriod 2.0 phone will be very close to the same. I wish Nokia would get their shit together and really make a good OS.

Nokia has had a great OS for years, but the Maemo engineers haven't been allowed to put a radio in their devices until the N900. Now they can.

Definitely: radio is the killer app that will save Nokia.

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#16

Post by Andys »

human_v2 wrote: post #11
jasonlbaptiste wrote: post #6

I personally don't think it's better than an iPhone, but I don't know if it needs to be. It's the first viable alternative out there. It's good for the market, which is in turn good for everyone else. I hope they don't rely on the whole "iDont" thing too much in the future, since Apple can make all those claims obsolete if they feel like it.

I was an early adopter, I pre-ordered a G1 and have had it for about a year now. I really love hardware keyboards, so +1 for the G1 and for the Moto Droid. However, the article talks about a bit of lag here and there, which is quite irritating, probably the thing I hate most about android phones. Though, I do feel like the G1 was a competitor to the iPhone off the bat because it could do everything the iphone did, ju…

Its the price we pay to be able to listen to mp3s whilst GPS navigating in the car!

Or leaving my SSH session open while replying to a tweet and checking a website.

My point: until a super-fast android is released, would you rather have things slow but the ability to multitask, or fast but no multitasking at all?

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#17

Post by vicehead »

cbeust wrote: post #15
nailer wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nokia has had a great OS for years, but the Maemo engineers haven't been allowed to put a radio in their devices until the N900. Now they can.

Definitely: radio is the killer app that will save Nokia.

I think he meant "radio" as in the GSM module.

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#18

Post by w1ntermute »

peregrine wrote: post #12
w1ntermute wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like to know if the data-only plan is an option as well. Normally I'd just buy an unlocked one and swap a SIM card in for when I needed to use the data/cell features, but obviously I can't do that in this case. Why not? It would just be a CSIM ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA_Subscriber_Identify_Module ) card instead of a SIM card, right?

Probably not, you'd need to sign a contract. You could pay full price(600+) for one...

I thought that's what you meant when you said "unlocked".

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#19

Post by hexley »

Andys wrote: post #16
human_v2 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was an early adopter, I pre-ordered a G1 and have had it for about a year now. I really love hardware keyboards, so +1 for the G1 and for the Moto Droid. However, the article talks about a bit of lag here and there, which is quite irritating, probably the thing I hate most about android phones. Though, I do feel like the G1 was a competitor to the iPhone off the bat because it could do everything the iphone did, ju…

Its the price we pay to be able to listen to mp3s whilst GPS navigating in the car! Or leaving my SSH session open while replying to a tweet and checking a website. My point: until a super-fast android is released, would you rather have things slow but the ability to multitask, or fast but no multitasking at all?

The iPhone can multitask just fine, it's just disabled by default to preserve system responsiveness and battery life. I have 6 apps open at once here.

Re: Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid

#20

Post by scorpioxy »

I recently bought an HTC Hero(still waiting for it to arrive), and I didn't want to wait for the Droid because i generally don't like moving parts in a phone. I find that they tend to break or malfunction quickly.

But i still have buyer's remorse because the Droid has the faster processor. Oh well, i guess you'll never buy anything if you keep on waiting for the newer and better.

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