Motorola Droid
Last update: 1 December ‘09
Review by MSNBC
Motorola has recently announced its first Motorola Droid built on Android 2.0; weighing 170.6g (6.0oz) and measures up at 116mm x 60mm x 15mm (4.6in x 2.4in x .6in) in size. The motorola Droid also features 3.7 inch display, QWERTY keyboard, touch-sensitive keys and built-in media player.
Overall Rating: 
| Latest Price Info
Motorola Droid Reviews
MSNBC reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
Its 3.7-inch screen is bigger than the iPhone’s 3.5-inch one, and the extra real estate really makes it easier to navigate Web pages and play with applications. It also offers plenty of space on the home screen (and two side screens that you swipe to see) for software “widgets” that give a quick look at such things as your friends’ Facebook status updates or the song you’re playing on the built-in music player.
Gizmodo reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“Verizon’s network is top notch, and being able to actually use the internet on my phone with impunity in New York is revelatory. In both New York and Seattle testing, reception has been excellent, though around Pittsburgh, it was spottier than expected. Voice quality was pretty excellent whenever we didn’t use Google Voice.”
PCmag reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“Android 2.0 means Microsoft Exchange support, a more flexible camera app, better software keyboards, better browsing and multitouch, for instance. (You can’t “pinch” things, though; for now, multitouch just makes the virtual keyboards more usable.) The world’s first Android 2.0 phone is also the fastest, by a long shot. This is the first Android phone with an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, coming in the form of the TI OMAP 3430 chipset. ”
Rating:
PC World reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“Especially snappy is the Droid’s Web browser, which loads images quickly thanks to the powerful 550MHz processor and speedy hardware-accelerated graphics. Though you are at the mercy of your 3G high-speed data network coverage, once you’re in it, Web surfing is breezy and smooth. Video from sites such as YouTube looks equally impressive; the playback of a high-definition YouTube cartoon (“Sita Sings the Blues”) was excellent, with no stalling or audio dropouts ”
Rating:
Ubergizmo reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“Web browsing is very good. Many sites (like ubergizmo) don’t require any zooming if you have sharp eyes. When zooming is required, you can use the zoom button, but my new favorite zoom method is the double-tap. Upon a double-tap on a section of the content, the browser will try to figure out the content’s boundaries and zoom there…”
CNET reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“…the browser feels faster. With a cortex A8 processor and support of Verizon’s EV-DO Rev. A network, CNET’s full site loaded in 14 seconds while CNN’s and ESPN’s mobile sites came up in 8 seconds and 5 seconds, respectively. For comparison, we checked out the same sites on the Samsung Moment for Sprint and the Moment’s browser results were 40 seconds, 9 seconds, and 8 seconds in the order listed above… ”
Engadget reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“As we mentioned, the screen on the DROID is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen — a full glass display with a WVGA resolution clocking in at a handsome 480 x 854. We found the responsiveness on the DROID to be on par (if not better) than most of its Android contemporaries; gestures and flicks registered with little to no lag.”
Mobileburn reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“Pros: Fast CPU, gorgeous 3.7-inch display, solid construction, great messaging support, free GPS navigation. Cons: Some ergonomic issues, poor still photo capabilities, inconsistent call audio”
Pocket-Lint reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“Sporting Android 2.0 there are a number of new features that have been added to the mix to justify getting this over the HTC Hero – for the time-being (HTC have confirmed 2.0 will be coming to the Hero). The OS is quick and nippy in use.”
Rating:
Video Review of Motorola Droid by MobileTech
CNET reviews the Motorola Droid and writes;
“We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A) Motorola Droid in San Francisco using Verizon service and call quality was excellent. We enjoyed crisp-sounding audio on our end with very little to no background noise, so we had no problems hearing our callers or using an airline’s voice-automated response system.”
Video preview of Motorola Droid by Phonescoop
Video hands-on by phonedog.com
Video hands-on by mobilitytoday
Motorola Droid User Reviews
Verizon’s best phone, and a worthy competitor to the iPhone by Ron Cronovich
Rating:
“…The Droid has pretty good voice recognition. I can tap the microphone icon in the upper right corner of the screen and say “Starbucks” and the Droid will show a list of the nearest Starbucks – and then I can pick one and either touch the phone number and Droid will call it, or I can touch the address and Droid will show its location on a map and give me driving directions…”
Best Verizon Smart Phone Ever! by Knowledge Forest
Rating:
“LIKES: Nice, big screen. The touch interface is will done, Full exchange email support including calendar, contact sync, and email folders. Separate corporate calendar is cool too, Voice search is the bomb, Facebook contact integration is nice, Tethering is available via the PDANet app, Battery life is surprisingly decent… “
Fear The Droid by Mute208
Rating:
“…The 3.7-inch, 480×854 resolution touch screen is stellar! Everything is crystal clear. I transferred Finding Nemo to it and wow! When I moved to the Blackberry from the Dare, the large screen real estate is what I missed most. I compared the screen with a friend’s iPhone and we both concluded that the Droid’s screen is better… “
* Android 2.0-powered smartphone with 3.7-inch touchscreen and slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
* Access a wealth of Google mobile services including Google Maps with Navigation for voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, Gmail, Google Talk, Calendar and more
* GPS-enabled for location services; Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g); 5-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth stereo music; microSD expansion (16 GB card included)
* Up to 6.4 hours of talk time, up to 270 hours (11.25 days) of standby time
* What’s in the Box: handset, rechargeable battery, wall/USB charger, 16 GB microSD card, quick start guide, user manual
* Size (LWH): 4.56 inches, 2.36 inches, 0.54 inches
* Weight: 5.92 ounces
Motorola Droid Press Release
Hello Humans: DROID by Motorola Arrives Next Week
Verizon Wireless DROID By Motorola: World’s First Smartphone with Android™ 2.0
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – October 28, 2009 – High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and the best 3G mobile network in the country: DROID by Motorola arrives on Nov. 6.
Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest wireless 3G broadband network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID by Motorola, the first smartphone powered by Android™ 2.0. DROID by Motorola features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short.
“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google™ on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”
“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”
DROID by Motorola has a solid exterior, intelligent interior and is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine – and it is available just in time for holiday wish lists.
With DROID by Motorola, you can:
* Zip through the Web: Access the Internet at 3G speeds via the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network or from any Wi-Fi hotspot. The multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor delivers the Web the way you expect.
* See it all in cinema-style: View the Web, e-mail, Google Maps™, videos and more in widescreen on a brilliant 3.7” high-resolution screen. Boasting a width of 854 pixels to reduce the need for side-to-side panning and more than 400,000 pixels total, DROID has more than twice that of the leading competitor.
* Run multiple applications at once: Customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets available on Android Market™. Toggle back and forth between up to six applications at a time to juggle the universe and your apps.
* Perform Google Search™ at the speed of sound: Simply tell DROID what you’re looking for using voice-activated search, and it will serve up Google search results based on your location. If you want more, simply type what you’re looking for into the search bar on the home screen and DROID will also search content on your phone, such as apps and contacts, and the Web.
* Capture moments: Snap digital camera-quality photos with a 5 megapixel camera loaded with the works, such as a dual-LED flash, AutoFocus and image stabilization, or capture your friend’s antics in 16 million colors with DVD-quality video capture and playback. Store it all on the included 16 GB memory card, so you always have it on hand.
* Multi-task like a master: Keep tabs on all your messages with integrated Gmail™ and Exchange e-mail pushed directly to you, but don’t let them get in your way. With the handy Android notification panel, go straight to the message or simply ignore it, and get back to the task at hand. And, a smart dictionary learns as you type and automatically includes your contacts.
* Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device.
Pre-loaded Applications and Enhancements to Google Mobile Services:
* Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information, such as My Maps, Wikipedia, and transit lines, right on the map.
* Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.
* YouTube™: One-touch recording and playback from homescreen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.
* Google Talk™: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.
* Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.
* Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.’d to your meeting invitations.
* Facebook: Syncs Facebook contacts to your address book, and a live widget gives the ability to update status and view latest updates from friends.
* Amazon MP3 Store: Download the latest tracks over the air.
* Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail: Delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.
Pricing and Availability:
* DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday, Nov. 6, for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
* Experience the all-new DROID by Motorola at www.droiddoes.com.
* To get the most from DROID by Motorola smartphone, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide voice plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide voice plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access for 450 minutes and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan is $29.99 for monthly access.
* For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Media can access high-resolution images of the DROID by Motorola in the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.)
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $30.1 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.
No comments yet.