Fast-surfing Droid worthy rival to iPhone
I've finally tested a mobile phone I don't want to send back. The previous two dozen or so that I have reviewed over the years just didn't stack up.
The Droid from Motorola and Verizon Wireless has the right stuff, or at least enough of it, to be mentioned in the same breath as an Apple iPhone. I won't chuck my iPhone in favor of the Droid, but if the smartphone genie suddenly appeared and told me the Apple option no longer existed, I'd choose the Droid, hands down.
On the plus side, the Droid is:
•Sturdy;
•Has a superfast Web browser;
•Has almost enough applications to get me by, as developers continue to crank out new ones for the Google Android operating system, the brains behind this phone;
•Has a strong Verizon Wireless network to keep you connected.
The Droid offers three options for data entry -- horizontal touch-screen keypad, vertical touch-screen keypad and a slide-down keyboard. I found myself using the vertical touch screen most often. The keys are smaller than those on the iPhone, but the assumptive spelling, with choices to click the proper word, was helpful. The actual keyboard is a good first try, but the keys are too flat and are hard use.
Another Droid plus is the speed of downloading applications. It took about 10 seconds for most apps to pop into place on the home screen. Although the iPhone has about 100,000 app choices from iTunes, the app marketplace for Droid has about one-tenth as many, so not everything I searched for was there. Nevertheless, I found many of my favorites.
I was happy to see updates for about five of the applications I downloaded immediately after getting my test unit, given that the Droid runs on the Google Android 2.0 system and many apps had not yet been upgraded from the Android 1.5 system.
Verizon and Motorola tout the ability to run multiple apps simultaneously. But I found this to be a hindrance in some cases, as I neglected to shut down certain apps that caused the battery to drain quickly.
I recommend a vehicle charger and an additional battery or charger for use during the day. The Droid has a nifty battery-use monitor that shows which resources are hogging the power. The display is always the top drain and some applications use more juice than others.
Bluetooth voice dialing is missing, which some users complained about on the Verizon review site.
But the "back, info, home and search" icons on the Droid's bottom edge make navigation a breeze.
If you can't get an iPhone, go for a Droid. You won't be sorry.
It sells for $199 with a two-year contract from Verizon Wireless.
Share your Internet story with me at agibes@reviewjournal.com.
TIP OF THE WEEK
Pogo Stylus and Sketch
(www.tenonedesign.com)
Because sometimes you just can’t (or don’t want to) use your finger to navigate the touch screen of your iPhone or iPod Touch, the folks at Ten One Design came up with this pair of styluses that do the job of your fingertip. I used to live by my stylus when I was a Palm user, as the leadless pencil that tucked into its own slot was necessary for easy use. I found myself recently with an injury to my right thumb, making it much more difficult to manipulate the touch screen on my iPhone. The Pogo Stylus came to the rescue, with it’s specially tipped end that is smaller than a finger and just as effective, after a few minutes of learning how it works.
The Sketch is designed for multi-touch interfaces like touch pads and works at almost any angle. This option has a pocket clip, which is missing on the Stylus model. The Stylus does include a clip that snaps onto the iPhone that will cradle the device, but the protective cover I use on mine prevented its use. They sell for $14.95 each on the company’s Web site.
I know I’ll be keeping them handy as I wear gloves in the morning and manage my e-mail from the chilly dog park.
