MR

Finally got an IPhone a couple months ago and after looking at this, I'm kind of wishing I would have waited since I still struggle with the keyboard. Anybody getting one of these??

http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/68413 ... 1255984985

Verizon Unleashes Droid Assault on iPhone
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By Richard Adhikari
LinuxInsider
10/19/09 9:15 AM PT

Verizon is gearing up to launch a marketing blitz that pits an upcoming phone called "Droid" against Apple's iPhone. Verizon isn't divulging many Droid details at present, but a hands-on review and some supposedly leaked photos have surfaced. The phone is reportedly made by Motorola and features Android 2.0 software.

On Oct. 30, Verizon Wireless is widely expected to launch the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid, its entry into the Android smartphone market.

It's ramping up to the event by kicking off an ad campaign that appears to put the Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone firmly in the crosshairs.

About the Droid

Although Verizon hasn't officially announced details of the phone, The Boy Genius Report has posted a review as well as supposed photos of the device. The only information Verizon is currently offering is a teaser Web site.

Formerly known as the "Sholes," the Droid is slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS and has a slider keyboard, according to The Boy Genius Report. It is made of metal and very sturdy.

The Droid is also very fast, according to the review. Its QWERTY keyboard has a soft-touch rubberized finish, but the keyboard design may not yet be entirely finalized. The Droid will be shipped with a desktop cradle-cum-charger that will turn it into a multimedia station.

The Droid's speed may come in part from a 600 MHz TI OMAP 3430 CPU, as reported previously in LinuxInsider. This is a multimedia applications processor that TI claims delivers up to three times better performance than ARM (Nasdaq: ARMHY) 11-based processors.

The Droid supports microSDHC cards, according to leaked specs published by AndroidAndMe. It has a 5 MP camera with autofocus and video recorder. Its 3.7-inch display offers a resolution of 854 by 480 pixels and supports 16 million colors.

The Droid reportedly won't be released with BLUR, the Motorola adaptation of Android. Motorola declined to confirm or deny that. "Right now there is no additional information we have to share on our next Android-based device, but please stay tuned for upcoming news," Motorola spokesperson Kathy Van Buskirk told LinuxInsider.

The review posted by The Boy Genius Report glows with positive comparisons to the iPhone, and it appears Verizon wants to directly challenge Cupertino with its marketing strategy. However, the Droid may not pose a very serious threat to the iPhone, according to Carl Howe, director of anywhere research at the Yankee Group. "Every carrier wants a phone that can take on the iPhone," he told LinuxInsider. "This is Verizon's third try after the BlackBerry Storm and Storm2. If this doesn't do the trick, we'll just have to wait for Verizon to get the iPhone 4G, which is rumored for next year."


About Android 2.0
The Droid reportedly runs on Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android 2.0 operating system.

Also known as "Eclair," Android 2.0 appears to be a major improvement on earlier versions of Android, according to another post on The Boy Genius Report. It offers built-in compatibility with Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Exchange and has a unified inbox. However, this inbox won't work with users' Gmail accounts because it has its own Gmail application.

Google Maps has been updated in Eclair to include Layers, so users can overlay search queries, Wikipedia entries, Latitude buddies, and other information. Eclair appears to include some multi-touch gestures such as two-finger tapping, but it does not have zoom-out gestures or offer pinching.

"The Android folks are learning from past efforts, which is generally a good thing," Allen Nogee, principal analyst at In-Stat, told LinuxInsider. "The group is much more organized than it was from the start, and this has resulted in a more coherent product."

While Eclair's browser is better than earlier Android browsers, it does not have Flash 10, according to The Boy Genius Report. The reviewer pointed out, however, that this is not the final build of Eclair, and the operating system may be tuned up further.

"As we have not announced Android 2.0 and we don't pre-announce features, we unfortunately have nothing to share at this time," its spokesperson, Carolyn Penner, told LinuxInsider.

Google and Verizon earlier this month announced a strategic partnership that would see both companies investing heavily in creating, marketing and distributing products and services. In essence, that could give Verizon dominance of, if not a lock on, Android applications, services and devices.

Locking Horns With Apple
On Sunday, Verizon Wireless ran a television ad dissing the iPhone over its lack of a physical keyboard, its inability to multitask, and its camera's inability to capture images in dark conditions. The ad also slammed the iPhone for being a closed platform. "Everything iDon't, Droid Does," the ad stated.

On Monday, Verizon Wireless unveiled a new Web site that leads with similar criticisms of the iPhone.

Verizon Wireless's main site also includes a dig against Apple, with the slogan "Want 5 times more 3G coverage than AT&T (NYSE: T) ? There's a Map for that." This echoes ads for the iTunes App Store, which use the catchphrase "There's an app for that."

While the ads may be clever, that doesn't mean Verizon and Google will make any headway against the iPhone. "iPhone killers always look good on paper," the Yankee Group's Howe said. "We've got to see the real prices, plans and performance before we can judge how much of a threat the Droid is."

Motorola and Verizon have their work cut out for them if they want to take on the iPhone.

"So Verizon and Motorola, two companies that have lagged behind in the smartphone area, suddenly release a device and say it will change the world? I think it will be difficult in such a competitive environment," In-Stat's Nogee said.

"Consumers will have to [decide] whether they want a new and somewhat unknown phone platform on a good network or a known, good iPhone experience on an OK network," Howe pointed out. "Apple has a much higher brand value and consumer cache than Motorola at present, and that's going to affect consumer choices."

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personally, I wish that Verizon would just GET the friggin' IPhone....

The specs seem impressive, but I dunno if I like the looks of it. I rather stick to my iPhone 3Gs 32GB for now.

Behshad wrote: I dunno if I like the looks of it.

I personally think the look is awful. In fact, it looks quite dated for a product that hasn't even been released yet. That said, form factor isn't everything. I purchased the BlackBerry Storm (it's the touch screen BB for those not familiar with it)the day it came out last November and fucked with it for about 5 days before returning it to Verizon for the Curve. While the Storm looks a whole lot better, the Curve functioned 1000 times better so that's what I went with.

AT&T has some great phones but I'm NEVER leaving Verizon. Even if the iPhone comes to Verizon (as rumored), I probably still won't purchase it. I have a 64GB iPod Touch and it's a sweet device, but I really don't need my entire music collection, every picture I own, all my music videos, and a million apps on my phone. Hell, I'd never be able to keep my battery charged if I had all that shit on my phone, because I'd never put the damn thing down!

I've had terrible experience with Motorola.

I'm just fine with my $50 LG flip phone. Pretty much glued to my computer these days anyway for e-mails/YouTube and I already have an iPod, so I don't need the rest of that shit that's on there.

I like my Sidekick. ...When it works.
I gotta have buttons... that iPhone keypad just effs me up. It's probably lame that I can type faster on my phone than most people can on keyboards, but it comes in way handy to not say "In here, just farted through sexyroty." when you mean "I'm here, just darted through security."

I never had any issues with Motorola phones... but that thing ain't got no alibi. It's ug-lay.

Rhiannon wrote:I like my Sidekick. ...When it works.
I gotta have buttons... that iPhone keypad just effs me up. It's probably lame that I can type faster on my phone than most people can on keyboards, but it comes in way handy to not say "In here, just farted through sexyroty." when you mean "I'm here, just darted through security."

I never had any issues with Motorola phones... but that thing ain't got no alibi. It's ug-lay.

You just made me laugh so hard that I darted through security.

Behshad wrote:The specs seem impressive, but I dunno if I like the looks of it. I rather stick to my iPhone 3Gs 32GB for now.

Me, too. And I've had several Motorola phones and have never been anything but disappointed in them.

Ehwmatt wrote:I've had terrible experience with Motorola.

The last Motos I had were two Razr's and they SUCKED! Constantly dropped calls and very weak with my Bluetooth.

"Hell nooooo, Moto!"

Rip Rokken wrote:

Ehwmatt wrote:I've had terrible experience with Motorola.

The last Motos I had were two Razr's and they SUCKED! Constantly dropped calls and very weak with my Bluetooth.

"Hell nooooo, Moto!"

Couple of my friends rushed out and bought that POS right when it was first new... awful, every single one of them. They hated theirs. I had two basic flip phone models, barebones but should be reliable and not a lot to go wrong... both stopped charging, had miserable battery life, terrible functionality etc. NEVER AGAIN

Ehwmatt wrote:

Rip Rokken wrote:

Ehwmatt wrote:I've had terrible experience with Motorola.

The last Motos I had were two Razr's and they SUCKED! Constantly dropped calls and very weak with my Bluetooth.

"Hell nooooo, Moto!"

Couple of my friends rushed out and bought that POS right when it was first new... awful, every single one of them. They hated theirs. I had two basic flip phone models, barebones but should be reliable and not a lot to go wrong... both stopped charging, had miserable battery life, terrible functionality etc. NEVER AGAIN

Is this what you refer to as your flip phone, buddy !?

Something like that... I was tempted to post another FLeshlight pic but Drew got mad last time so use your imagination.

Ehwmatt wrote:Something like that... I was tempted to post another FLeshlight pic but Drew got mad last time so use your imagination.

Good boy !

Here's a pic of phonesex

LOL, that's my old phone or it looks a lot like it... is that an LG?

LOL -- I was going thru a box out of my mother's attic yesterday and actually found my first cell phone! I can't even remember buying this thing. It's heavy and bigger than my cordless home phone, but after charging it, it powered right up! Wonder if it could still be programmed to work somewhere?

iPhone rules. Simple.

iphone dealbreakers for me are:
no physical keyboard
no multi-tasking
expensive, unreliable at&t

the droid is just fug.

so far, i like my palm pre. they're finally stocking the app catalog with some useful apps.

I don't see the big deal with onscreen touchscreen keyboard. It's part of the technology and digital age we live in.
By you guys' logic then don't use a remote for your tv since there is no actual cable going out from your remote to the tv

And why even have a cellphone when you could just go with one of these

Behshad wrote:I don't see the big deal with onscreen touchscreen keyboard. It's part of the technology and digital age we live in.
By you guys' logic then don't use a remote for your tv since there is no actual cable going out from your remote to the tv

For me, it's really not the touchscreen that is the issue. It's the execution of the touchscreen. Not all touchscreens are created equal. The toucscreen on the Storm SUCKED! I think the toucscreen on my iPod touch is fine, but I certainly wouldn't want to use the thing for email purposes. I definitely think that a physical keyboard is almost always going to be preferrable for someone who uses their cell phone for email. Typing on a touchscreen is simply too cumbersome for email, in my opinion.

I'm currently using the Samsung Omnia...



...with the SPB Mobile Shell Interface:
http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/pocketp ... shots.html

artist4perry wrote:

Those are the kinda kitty pics I like.


Neish!

Enigma869 wrote:

Behshad wrote:I don't see the big deal with onscreen touchscreen keyboard. It's part of the technology and digital age we live in.
By you guys' logic then don't use a remote for your tv since there is no actual cable going out from your remote to the tv

For me, it's really not the touchscreen that is the issue. It's the execution of the touchscreen. Not all touchscreens are created equal. The toucscreen on the Storm SUCKED! I think the toucscreen on my iPod touch is fine, but I certainly wouldn't want to use the thing for email purposes. I definitely think that a physical keyboard is almost always going to be preferrable for someone who uses their cell phone for email. Typing on a touchscreen is simply too cumbersome for email, in my opinion.

exactly. i do a lot of typing on my pre. i can be much faster & more accurate on the tiny physical kb than on a flat virtual kb that takes up much of the screen. i can multi-task by eating a sandwich with one hand & emailing with the other, while barely looking at the kb!

cyndy! wrote:exactly. i do a lot of typing on my pre. i can be much faster & more accurate on the tiny physical kb than on a flat virtual kb that takes up much of the screen. i can multi-task by eating a sandwich with one hand & emailing with the other, while barely looking at the kb!

I'm a fan of this.

I still have my very first cell phone, purchased in 95' for about $750, the AT&T 6650 Digital, back when cell phones had absolutely no functions what so ever but to be phones only, no pictures, internet, music, video, etc, etc and the screen was this green with black digital characters only. Even though, that phone was hot shit back then! Looking at some of these pix on here, brings back memories of that phone, which I still have in it's original box up in the closet.

I've heard (so it may not be true but something to look into at any rate) that these slide phones saves all the contact information remotely, not in the actual phone itself. This is so if you lose the phone or it gets destroyed, you can just get a new phone and not have to lose or reenter all your contact data. Problem is, the servers that holds all that information have been crashing lately (that I've heard) and many people have been losing all their contact information/data that way.

I've got the Motorola Moto Q 9h Global right now so I really don't know too much about the slider type cell phone.

The Sushi Hunter wrote:I've heard (so it may not be true but something to look into at any rate) that these slide phones saves all the contact information remotely, not in the actual phone itself. This is so if you lose the phone or it gets destroyed, you can just get a new phone and not have to lose or reenter all your contact data. Problem is, the servers that holds all that information have been crashing lately (that I've heard) and many people have been losing all their contact information/data that way.

I've got the Motorola Moto Q 9h Global right now so I really don't know too much about the slider type cell phone.

i like the convenience of having my pre automatically sync with the google cloud. i'll occasionally export my gmail contacts to a file i store on my hard drive, just to be safe.

iPhone is passe'.....deal with it Apple fanboys. and physical keyboards are overrated.

Welcome to the new generation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5F0Ruzwos8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xMUEhFBJ8g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1zvj5YDy4&feature=related


Keep in mind, this is the UK version. North American version dropped Oct. 11th. Most of the quirky bugs were fixed, including that god-awful 'chin' at the bottom.....

StocktontoMalone wrote:iPhone is passe'.....deal with it Apple fanboys. and physical keyboards are overrated.

Welcome to the new generation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5F0Ruzwos8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xMUEhFBJ8g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1zvj5YDy4&feature=related


Keep in mind, this is the UK version. North American version dropped Oct. 11th. Most of the quirky bugs were fixed, including that god-awful 'chin' at the bottom.....

I can assure you that this thing isn't taking the iPhone down (and for the record, I don't own an iPhone). I think the screen on the iPhone is significantly better from the links you posted. Also, the main thing that makes the iPhone the slam dunk that it is really has nothing to do with the phone...It's the support behind the phone. There isn't a company on the planet that will EVER compete with the Apple App Store! For that reason alone, another company is going to have a VERY difficult time taking any significant market share away from Apple. Hell, the iPhone has already captured HUGE market share with shitty AT&T service. If they ever make their way to Verizon...look out!

Enigma869 wrote:

StocktontoMalone wrote:iPhone is passe'.....deal with it Apple fanboys. and physical keyboards are overrated. Welcome to the new generation:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5F0Ruzwos8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xMUEhFBJ8g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1zvj5YDy4&feature=related
Keep in mind, this is the UK version. North American version dropped Oct. 11th. Most of the quirky bugs were fixed, including that god-awful 'chin' at the bottom.....

I can assure you that this thing isn't taking the iPhone down (and for the record, I don't own an iPhone). I think the screen on the iPhone is significantly better from the links you posted. Also, the main thing that makes the iPhone the slam dunk that it is really has nothing to do with the phone...It's the support behind the phone. There isn't a company on the planet that will EVER compete with the Apple App Store! For that reason alone, another company is going to have a VERY difficult time taking any significant market share away from Apple. Hell, the iPhone has already captured HUGE market share with shitty AT&T service. If they ever make their way to Verizon...look out!

+1 except I do have an iPhone. My only problem with the phone for me is my daily battery life, but I just have to make sure I charge it any time I can. I really don't see the big deal with the touchscreen keypad. Apple has had 2 updates just since I got my phone in august and it gave me a few of the things I thought this phone was missing. I love my iPhone!

iPhone will always rule the smart phone market for one specific reason - the App Store. There are maybe several million apps for this thing right now and hundreds more appear every day. Personally I think my LG Dare is flat out the best phone out there. For those of you on my Facebook page, nearly every pic you see of Quinn is taken with the Dare camera and it rivals any standalone digital point and shoot I've ever had.

While the iphone is merely an "above average" phone rather than a great one, the ipod touch is amazing, and you get all the functionality of the iphone except the calling part and the shitty camera. I carry my ipod touch along with a Verizon Mifi and have access to about everything on my macs and nearly every app made for the iphone.