What I Like and Dislike About the Verizon Droid
The Verizon Droid has only been in my hands for a few hours, so I can only share very general impressions so far. I have snapped a few pics to let you see the Droid in action, as well as alongside the iPhone 3G and the Palm Pre. Read on to see my likes and dislikes after a brief affair with the Droid.
Likes
- Display — the screen is brilliant and very resolute. It is a joy web browsing on the Droid.
- Build quality — the phone is solid in the hand and is the best built Android phone I’ve tried so far. The slider works perfectly, and feels like it will stand up to the tests of the road warrior. The Droid feels a bit heavier than expected as a result of the solid metal build. It is impressive how thin the phone is considering it has the sliding keyboard.
- Android 2.0 — this new version of Android is more polished and fits the Droid well. It’s not a huge jump from version 1.6, but it’s decent.
- Call quality — I have been pleased with the quality of audio calls. There have been no issues of any kind.
- Web browsing – the Android browser works really well on the large screen of the Droid. It is fluid to manipulate with the finger, and the double-tap method of column zooming makes up for the lack of pinch and zoom.
- On-screen keyboards — the soft keyboards in Android 2.0 work well in both portrait and landscape. I prefer on-screen keyboards over physical ones, and the Droid versions work really well. The predictive text and auto-correction work very well.
- Camera — the 5 MP camera on the Droid can take good pictures, if I am patient with it. The flash is a welcome feature, and the video recording is very nice.
- Google Maps Navigation — this is fantastically useful and would be even more so with the Droid car dock which I don’t have.
Dislikes
- Keyboard — the physical keyboard is better than no keyboard, but it will take getting used to it. The keys are very flat and it is easy to make typos while using it. The single biggest problem with this keyboard is how there is no predictive text nor auto-correction while using it, even though they exist for the on-screen keyboard. Including it with the real keyboard would have offset the typing difficulty a great deal.
- Camera — the slow operation of the still camera has it appearing on the list of dislikes, even though the video camera is something I like. It is possible to take pretty decent stills with the Droid, but the slow operation and non-intuitive controls usually require taking several photos to get one just right.
- Plain home screen – I was spoiled by the great HTC Hero widgets due to the Sense interface, and the Droid seems very plain without good widgets. There are a lot of widgets available in the Android Market, but it requires searching through them to get ones that I like. The Droid home screen only has a few application icons on it as it ships, and it needs some additional functionality out of the box. Only having the standard three home screens that Android provides is not a liability compared to the seven on the Hero, as there are no cool widgets to put there anyway.
- Power cord – this seems nitpicky but the USB charging cord that comes with the Droid is so short to almost be unusable. I have an outlet on the floor, just inches from the corner of my desk, and the cord will barely reach the corner of the desktop for charging. The Droid almost perches on the edge of the desk as a result.
That’s the extend of my evaluation so far, but I will continue to use it and share that experience. I’ll also be shooting some video soon of the Droid in action. My current feeling is that the Droid is the best phone currently available on the Verizon network. If I had an upgrade available I would consider getting a Droid. I probably wouldn’t pick one up at full price.
its a real shame about that keyboard, get rid of that goofy D-pad & make a bigger/spaced keyboard & you could have some killer hardware.
why doesnt Android have a quick launch bar like iPhone & Pre? instead that stupid tab at the bottom that just wastes space & doesnt even go too the top of the screen when opening it. Android could have a quick launch bar & dedicated launcher button just like the Pre does, best of both worlds.
i really think this hardware *had* potential & Android *has* potential as with just a few changes it could be perfect, but as of right now both of them are the product of alot of half-baked idea’s. Android OS just doesnt have the polish that ive come to love with iPhone & Pre.
if the KB is as bad as literally EVERY review ive seen says it is, why did they even bother? should have made it a slate & used the extra space for a bigger battery. while they were at it make more efficient use of the bezel & stick in a larger screen. oh wait, i think i just described the HD2.
i will be curious too see its sales, with VZM ad campaign & HUGE network they have no excuse for it not too be a blockbuster hit. if it flops it could be a disaster for Android to become a mainstream name in OS’s.
personally i think all the over-hype was a combination of several things, decent hardware, Android 2.0, but MOST importantly is that VZW finally has a decent smartphone. if this phone had come out on any other carrier ATT/iphone, Sprint/Pre, Tmo/Android’s it would have had much less hype.
One answer I haven’t found is if the device provides data encryption at rest. This is a security requirement of my firm for any device carrying company data (e.g. Exchange) and without it I can’t use it for work.
I played with the Droid at a VZW store today and I don’t think keyboard is bad. The keys are flat but I think they provide a satisfying enough squishy click. The spacing is ok. I had a Touch Pro 2 for a couple of weeks and I thought the spacing there was a bit too spread out. The keyboard may not be great but is it also not bad.
In the side-by-side pic with the Pre the Droid looks really big, and the squared off corners don’t help.
James, you didn’t comment on the size. What do you think, is this pocketable, or will you carry it in a man-bag?
This is about the same size as the iPhone and easily is pocketable. It is the smallest phone with a keyboard I’ve seen yet.
Smallest with a keyboard? Isn’t it obviously larger than the Pre?
I thought I would like it more…Sticking with my TP2. I got me my slingplayer, free tethering and free Mifi on there. Yee-haa
James, does Verizon allow making Google Voice the default number to be used by the built-in dialer for outgoing calls? How about allowing Google Voice to be used as the default for SMS?
Yes to both on all Android devices. The native Google Voice app on Android allows full use as you describe.
Does GPS work without (i.e. with Google Maps) without having to pay for the Verizon navigation service?
Does anyone have any experience with Exchange email service? Will it synch mail, appointments and tasks?
Is Evernote available for Android phones?
Wow, looks like Sprint has WAAY more coverage in your area than VZ (judging by the pre pictures)
My first impressions (I’ve had mine for a week now): http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/motorola-droid-first-impressions/
So instead of the Archos 5 Internet Tablet, you think you can torment me with this Android device instead? You’re falling down on the fienditry, Kendrick. Maybe next time. Droid does not excite me.
The worse thing about Verizon is that you cannot simultaneously get phone calls and data. When you are browsing the web, no one can call you. You can’t be on the phone and browse the web simultaneously.
This is Verizon’s version of 3G. To me, it is like AT&T’s Edge network.
Thus, Droid can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
“The worse thing about Verizon is that you cannot simultaneously get phone calls and data. When you are browsing the web, no one can call you. ”
Actually, that’s not true. When browsing the web on a CDMA device, it will basically pause the data connection and switch to the phone function if a call comes in. If nobody could call you when browsing the web on a CDMA device, you wouldn’t see any smartphones at all offered by Verizon or Sprint. Who would buy such a device?
I can make calls – put the cller on speaker phone – then click home / browser – and surf the web all on the phone at the same time.
does anyone know if android support encryption .. either full disk encryption or just a partition.. like truecrypt.com does????