Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • IT Management
    • Mobile
    • Servers

    Verizon’s Motorola Droid

    Written by

    Wayne Rash
    Published April 13, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      With the release of its Droid smartphone at the end of the year, Verizon Wireless entered into the world of open-source software in an effort to compete with archrival AT&T, which offers the iPhone. The Droid runs Android 2.1, which is the latest version of Google’s operating system that has already been adopted by the other three major U.S. carriers for some of their phones. Android 2.1, which is a minor upgrade of the 2.0 version that initially shipped with the Droid, supports a number of iPhone-like features such as a multitouch screen.

      As is the case with most other Android phones, the Droid, which is available for $199 with a two-year contract, connects through its carrier’s 3G service and with WiFi. It has the full suite of multimedia capabilities, access to the Android Market, applications that take advantage of the device’s GPS (such as Google Goggles and Google Maps), and, of course, e-mail. The Droid features a slide-out keyboard, as well as an on-screen keyboard for use when the slide-out keyboard is closed.

      In other words, the Droid is a lot like many other Android-based devices out there from other carriers. The biggest difference between them is the operating system and the applications that ship with the device. Verizon would contend that another important difference is its 3G network, which, if you believe its ads, is more widely available than AT&T’s. I didn’t find that to be the case, however, in the Washington, D.C., area, where the device was tested.

      What I did find is that the Verizon Droid is a competitive Android device. Like other similar devices, it provides a nice alternative to Apple’s iPhone, it has features the iPhone lacks, and lacks a few features that the iPhone has. Android 2.1 multitasks very well, which is something the iPhone can’t do, and it can connect with two Microsoft Exchange e-mail accounts, which the iPhone, BlackBerry and earlier versions of Android can’t do.

      On the other hand, Droid doesn’t come with an easy synchronization service such as what you find in iTunes, or a sort-of-easy one like in the BlackBerry. There is the capability to sync with Microsoft Outlook, however. Transferring music from your computer is a multistage process that involves manually enabling the USB port, mounting the mass storage capability, opening the Droid as a mass storage device in your computer, copying the files, then turning off the USB port on the Droid. It’s not hard, but it’s not exactly the elegance of iTunes.

      Otherwise, the Droid is easy to use, as you’d expect. The multitouch interface allows you to zoom on an image by putting two fingers down on the screen and spreading, or to zoom away by using the opposite motion. The onscreen keyboard uses multitouch to reduce typing errors, according to Motorola, although my typing may have overwhelmed it. On the other hand, the physical keyboard isn’t all that much easier to use.

      Fortunately, for those of us with fat fingers, the Droid includes software that tries to guess what you really mean, so you only need to get close and then choose what the Droid offers up. It was nearly always right. The keyboard also has a directional touchpad that acts like the arrow keys on a regular keyboard. Unfortunately, it doesn’t act like a mouse pointer on Web pages as it does on the BlackBerry.

      The touch keyboard, which is what you get when you need to type something in portrait mode, seems very sensitive to the position of your fingers, sometimes reacting just before your fingers touch the surface of the screen. I got around this problem by using a stylus designed for the iPhone. One thing that doesn’t work in portrait mode is the automatic rotation of the home screen when the phone is rotated counter-clockwise to landscape position. Despite promises in the menus and the manual, you had to slide out the keyboard for the home screen to rotate. Some other screens did rotate automatically, however, and some did not.

      The Droid promises that it will be a very fast smartphone. It has a lot of memory and storage, a fast processor and both 3G and WiFi. Most of the time it was indeed pretty fast, but the range of the WiFi was surprisingly short. Unfortunately, some features such as the ability of Google Goggles to look up a bar code and compare prices depend on a reliable connection. Goggles also has the ability to work as a sort of augmented reality layer, wherein if you stand on a street, for example, and hold the phone in landscape mode the phone will present labels of whatever you’re looking at. Unfortunately, you have to be outdoors to do that, and the Droid screen isn’t very visible in sunlight.

      All things considered, the Droid is one of the better Android phones. It’s thin and light, it has a real keyboard, and it does e-mail very well. It does require that you have a Gmail account in order to get updates and the like, but it will handle an unlimited number of POP and ActiveSync accounts and two Exchange accounts. Battery life is quite good, and unlike some of its competition, it works well as a phone. I had no problems with dropped calls or poor voice quality.

      Whether it’s a phone you should consider depends on Verizon’s service in your area, whether you like the way Android works, and what you need in terms of other corporate support in your business. As an Android phone, it’s one of the best.

      Wayne Rash
      Wayne Rash
      https://www.eweek.com/author/wayne-rash/
      Wayne Rash is a content writer and editor with a 35-year history covering technology. He’s a frequent speaker on business, technology issues and enterprise computing. He is the author of five books, including his most recent, "Politics on the Nets." Rash is a former Executive Editor of eWEEK and a former analyst in the eWEEK Test Center. He was also an analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center and editor of InternetWeek. He's a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×