Experts Say Verizon-Motorola Droid Is No iPhone Slayer

News Analysis: If there is a smartphone capable of trumping the overall experience of the Apple iPhone, from hardware to native software to the 100,000 applications created for it, the world hasn't seen it yet.

That's the conclusion we can safely draw after early reviews of the Google Android operating system-based Motorola Droid, which Verizon Wireless will begin shipping Nov. 6 for $199 with a two-year contract after a $100 rebate.

Often, advertising and prelaunch buzz can be a good thing, and Verizon certainly did a fantastic job leading up to the Droid's unveiling Oct. 28. The iDon't ad is a classic; it's confident and makes the Droid sexy in a way only science fiction geeks will appreciate. When it starts up, a red light recalls a Cylon from Battlestar Galactica. Or something like that.    

Unfortunately, the hype leading up to the unveiling this past week triggered a letdown once some users got a Droid to test. Om Malik noted:

"I'm not sure how you guys will feel about the Droid in a few days, but I can safely say that like so many so-called iPhone killers in the past, this isn't one. That's not a judgment as to the robustness or usability of the device—I need more time for that—it's just that Verizon seriously overhyped it."

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney put a bulls-eye on his back when he proclaimed Android phones would scoot past the iPhone in 2012, grabbing 14 percent market share.

Though he had yet to test the device when contacted by eWEEK Oct. 29, the early reviews he had seen and heard clearly underwhelmed him; he said the Droid will not make the iPhone cough up its mantle as King Smartphone. Dulaney said:

"I don't think it's an iPhone killer because it's only on Verizon, and that means it's competing in the U.S. iPhone users are not going to leave AT&T for this phone. I think it keeps people potentially at Verizon, but it's a different design than the iPhone."