Verizon Google Droid Phone

The latest wave of competition in the smartphone market comes in the form of Google Inc.’s Android software platform, which gets a boost today from the launch of Motorola Inc.’s Droid handset by Verizon Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier.

Verizon Wireless, which has relied heavily on the BlackBerry to counter its rival AT&T Inc.’s stranglehold on the iPhone in the U.S., will now also have Motorola’s Droid in its smart phone lineup.

Early reviews have been favorable, praising the Droid’s large, high-resolution screen and ability to run multiple third-party applications simultaneously - something neither the iPhone nor Blackberry do.

The much-anticipated Motorola Droid is now storming Verizon stores across the nation. Before you go out and buy one, check out the pros and cons of this exciting smartphone.

Verizon’s Droid: The Basic Features

Verizon’s Motorola Droid is 4.56 by 2.36 inches and weighs just under 6 ounces.
The phone features 3.7-inch, 854-by-480 pixel touchscreen display.
It has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 5-megapixel camera with DVD-quality video recording.
The Droid utilizes an ARM Cortex 550mHz A8 processor with 256MB of built-in memory. It has a 16GB microSD card and can be expanded to 32GB.
Running the Android 2.0 operating system, the Droid is capable of multitasking and features unique options such as integrated turn-by-turn GPS navigation.
The Droid connects to Google’s Android Market, which features roughly 10,000 downloadable apps.

Other Exciting Features

A built-in FM radio with 12 presets.
Integrated Song ID.
A dedicated side key for easy access to favorite songs.
A 3.5 mm headset jack.
Dolby Mobile Equalizer.
A Sound Level Controller.
A Music Player that works with MP3 as well as WMA, AAC, and AAC+ files.
The Chocolate Touch is designed to offer easy access to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other sites.

Limitations

Droid Cost You Extra for work with E-mail
Accessing Exchange e-mail over the new ‘iPhone killer’ costs an extra $15 per month.
Exchange Surcharge Could Hinder Droid With Businesses
If Verizon wants to win over business iPhone users, it needs to rethink its data plan.

Verizon Expands Droid Invasion with Eris

When Verizon launches the Droid on November 6 it will not be alone. The HTC Hero is being repackaged as the Droid Eris to offer a less-expensive alternative to the Droid lineup.

Droid Faces Uphill Battle Against iPhone

Analysis: Despite all Verizon’s ads, there is a question whether Droid’s iPhone will attract people.

Conclusion

Droid devices are likely to pose more of a threat to BlackBerry smart phones made by Canada-based RIM than they are to iPhones, according to analysts.

“It’s not an iPhone killer, It will keep people at Verizon from going to AT&T and keep some people from going to BlackBerry,” said Gartner vice-president of mobile computing Ken Dulaney said of Droid.

Verizon has brought a new dimension for social networking with its shortcut key for uploading pictures and videos captured with the built-in camera/camcorder, which comes with a 1.6x zoom and five different resolutions. For improved picture quality, “facial makeover”, removing blemishes, a panorama mode, and a variety of other features are also available with Droid.

So I think you will surely fall in love with the Motorola Droid. It’s a perfect storm between awesome hardware, great software, and a great network.

NEWS HOUNDER

Nov 6, 2009