Face it, every month we all enthuse over a new phone. But now and then one comes along and it makes us all go "Ooh", and then if very good "Ahh"... but sometimes you get a "WOOOO". This is one of those times... and is it an Apple? No. A HTC? Nay. A Nokia? Nay, it's a Motorola. The Motorola Droid.
We absolutely nailed this puppy to the wallover and over and over again, so it’s only fitting we’d be doing the first actual unveiling, right? We’re not going to get too in-depth though, that will come at a later time. Here are some brief thoughts before the photos:
It’s running Android 2.0. Duh.
It’s thin. Just slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS and the thinnest QWERTY-slider we’ve ever seen.
It is the fastest Android device we’ve ever used. (It’s running a TI OMAP3430 processor)
The feel of the device is very reminiscent of the OQO 02 model computer. Just smaller. It’s metal with a non-spring-assisted slide, very sturdy, and half soft-touch plastic.
Awesome capacitive display. Plus it’s huge. Easily the best screen we’ve ever seen on an Android handset, and an amazing screen overall.
The QWERTY keyboard is actually pretty usable and has a soft-touch rubberized finish. We’ve been told the keyboard design isn’t final on this unit, thus the two no-shows.
Have we mentioned this phone flies? It’s the Android device to beat, and easily the most impressive. From what we’ve been told, Google had a direct hand in the Motorola Droid. Something to the point of almost dictating every move Motorola made when designing and making the phone. Interesting, huh?
There’s a desktop cradle/charger that will ship with the Motorola Droid that we’ve been playing around with. It turns your Droid into a “multimedia station” and displays local weather, the time, etc.
No one wants to listen, but it makes the CLIQ looks like a child’s toy (partly because it is, and partly because the Droid, even in its non-final form, is the most impressive phone we’ve used since the iPhone. It’s positively amazing).
Ok, enough of that — enjoy the photos! We’ll put together a nice little review soon.
So enough blabbering, lets get some specs on the table:
Quote:
Screen:
3.7 inch, 16:9 capacitive glass touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 854
CPU:
550MHz TI OMAP3430 processor, same as in the iPhone 3GS yet specced 50mhz slower. It's fast.
GPU:
PowerVR GPU, same as in the iPhphone 3GS.
Camera:
5 megapixel camera with 4x zoom, DVD quality video recording, autofocus and a dual LED flash
Communications:
GPS
Bluetooth
802.11b/g WiFi
Micro USB port
Battery:
1400 mAh Li-ion battery which will give you up to 385 minutes of talk time and up to 270 hours of standby time.
Accessories Included:
A 16GB microSD card
Dimensions:
2.4 inches x 4.6 inches by 0.5 inches thick and it weighs in at 6 ounces
Google Android 2.0
So in other words... what we have is an Android 2.0 handset with a full QWERTY that is only a fraction bigger than the iPhone in dimension, and yet has a beautiful high-resolution glass capacitive screen, a 5MP camera, a beefy battery, and pretty much everything else you can ask for barring a xenon flash.
I really can't wait for this to hit the EU... I desperately need to replace my crappy nokia 5800.
Last edited by Richdog; 26.10.2009 at 10:29.
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Heh i'm a bit of a mobile phone and gadget buff so glad to see someone else is interested. This phone covers every base I can think of... the software is the new and much improved version of an already awesome OS, and the hardware is spot-on. It really looks set to be a winner, I just hope it doesn't take too long to get here as I really want it for christmas.
the problem with all these new phones is support, I wouldn't mind an iphone, bb, android etc but one of the main apps I use on my phone is satnav so tomtom or igo, iphone only recently got a stand alone satnav app no idea what its like though. and apple prices are just ridiculous anyway. so for now I'll just have to stick to my windows ce devices
the problem with all these new phones is support, I wouldn't mind an iphone, bb, android etc but one of the main apps I use on my phone is satnav so tomtom or igo, iphone only recently got a stand alone satnav app no idea what its like though. and apple prices are just ridiculous anyway. so for now I'll just have to stick to my windows ce devices
do people really use there phones as camera's?? I have not yet come across a phone that has an anywhere near acceptable camera, the one in my x1 is useless and my wife has the sony camera phone, don't remember the model, but its the one that was supposed to be a camera with a phone rather then a phone with a camera, and thats still hopeless, can literally take 2 seconds to take a pic after pressing the button, it would be better if they just didn't bother with the camera's in the first place.
I personally do use a phone as a camera, obviously not as a replacement, but for impromptu snaps at parties etc. My Nokia N82 has a xexon flash so it was great for facebook snaps at pubs and clubs. I also use video when i'm at family events and we are out for the day walking somewhere or having a laugh. I think there's a lot to be said for having a half-decent camera in a phone, and they do have their uses.
It all depends on the manufacturer though. HTC are useless with cameras and their softwate, while Nokia and Samsung and usually SE do a decent job.
Last edited by Richdog; 26.10.2009 at 14:26.
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The Droid will be released first on Verizon (CDMA) around November. No news on a GSM version, but it seems one should be coming soon after.
...as for camera phones: the camera on the SonyEricsson C905 is excellent. It's not just the 8MP, but also the imageing software, lens and flash are also good. It doesn't replace my regular camera, but great for times when I don't have that available...
There are three contenders in the race for my next phone:
- The Motorola Droid (downside: only 528mhz processor, bound to be sluggish for playing videos etc. Upside 3.7" screen and physical keyboard)
- The Acer Liquid (downside: no keyboard, but 1ghz snapdragon processor)
- The Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 (to be determined)
They're all Android phones.
I have the feeling that the X3 will be the only one to become available in Europe anytime soon. Acer has already said that the Liquid will be primarily pushed to the US market. The Droid is CDMA-only for now, so it's US-only as well. Motorola needs to restore customer-confidence again in the US before they can even think about exporting. However, I find it somewhat odd that Acer goes for a US-only phone, considering the fact that HTC seems to think the European market is much more profitable.
There are three contenders in the race for my next phone:
- The Motorola Droid (downside: only 528mhz processor, bound to be sluggish for playing videos etc. Upside 3.7" screen and physical keyboard)
- The Acer Liquid (downside: no keyboard, but 1ghz snapdragon processor)
- The Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 (to be determined)
The Nokia N900 is similar to the phones you listed above, you may want to give that a look as well... altho it's not Android, it's Maemo (Symbian successor)
The Nokia N900 is similar to the phones you listed above, you may want to give that a look as well... altho it's not Android, it's Maemo (Symbian successor)
There are three contenders in the race for my next phone:
- The Motorola Droid (downside: only 528mhz processor, bound to be sluggish for playing videos etc. Upside 3.7" screen and physical keyboard)
- The Acer Liquid (downside: no keyboard, but 1ghz snapdragon
Tut... the processor is the same as used in the Palm Pre and the iPhone 3GS... it's not all about mhz you know. It's fast.
The Nokia N900 is similar to the phones you listed above, you may want to give that a look as well... altho it's not Android, it's Maemo (Symbian successor)
Maemo is not going to be anywhere near as big as the other leading competitiors. It's slick, but it has a limited future in my opinion. App support will be slow, and will never come close to Android. Android literally is the future now, it's going to be huge, really huge.
Resistive touchscreen. No matter how "sensitive" they are made, they will never be as finger friendly or as responsive as a capacitive screen. Yes, they are marginally more accurate, but this was only really useful for Windows Mobile... the average person now has no need for a stylus. And even so, you can now get stylus for capacitive screens, so the point is moot.
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