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Motorola Droid: Look out, iPhone
Could this be the next iPhone "killer?" If you think hardware is the secret to the iPhone's success, maybe. Here's the first good look at Motorola Droid, the much talked-about smartphone running Google's shiny, updated Android 2.0 operating system. It's only slightly thicker than an iPhone, but looky there — there's a slide-out keyboard and a 5-megapixel camera.
One thing's for sure: When this baby ships in the next few weeks, it'll be the best Android phone ever. Faster than any other Android phones, it'll run the same processor core as the iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre, the TI OMAP3430. Best of all, the boy genius who got his hands on this 3.7-inch-screened trinket says it has a sturdy build, an "awesome capacitive display," and is "the thinnest QWERTY slider we've ever seen." And hey, AT&T haters, it'll be on Verizon, maybe the lesser of four evils.
Could this be the phone that boosts the Android operating system into the top tier? If they could just add about 70,000 apps to the mix, it could be an iThreat. Take a look at Droid's teaser ad, after the jump.
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By Dai Hao at 2:22 PM ON 10/19/09
But does it have wifi? I don't need an iPhone Killer. I need an iPod Touch killer.
By Mihos at 3:56 PM ON 10/19/09
So... how many of the 70k apps are worth a crap?
Also realize 10 2% of 'good' ones are free on most other phones... not een 'smart' phones. I know you are sexually attracted to your iPhone... but it makes you sound like a biased elitist anytime a new phone technology comes out.
By AVPR1a at 4:26 PM ON 10/19/09
Can we get a side-by-side with ipod Touch?
By Mitchrapp at 4:50 PM ON 10/19/09
WIFI? GPS chip? (not A-GPS only) PRICE?
gah...
By Georb at 6:32 PM ON 10/19/09
It has WiFi and GPS. Those are 100% true.
PS it also runs on a network that is 5 years ahead of AT&T dinosaur.
By afwoal at 7:11 PM ON 10/19/09
i see it has gps but will verizon disable it in favor of there vz navigator like they always do with the black berries? i have a hard time seeing such an open os on verizons network. i hope they dont cripple it.
By Dave.T at 10:49 AM ON 10/20/09
Having been a Verizon customer for years now, I have a hard time believing they won't cripple it. Verizon likes to nickel and dime you for everything. But being an Android 2.0 OS, I have hopes that the 'Droids will be easy to unlock.
By BrianP at 11:07 AM ON 10/20/09
It is my belief that Verizon will NOT cripple this device. Google has personally taken part in the development of this phone, both on the hardware and software aspects. Also, Google has declared the Droid to be a "Google experience" phone, meaning that they are aiming for an authentic Android showing. Verizon has promised Google to cooperate on development and production of this phone.
Despite Verizon's history of locking down parts and crippling its phones, they have been easier on this lately. I currently use a Samsung Omnia, and when I first bought it last year they had the GPS chip locked off. Sometime this spring Samsung released a ROM (approved by VZW) that I flashed that unlocked the GPS chip. I never had my Wifi locked down, and I definitely expect that neither the GPS nor the Wifi will be held down by proprietary apps. This phone has the potential to destroy the current smartphone market, and Verizon knows this. They can't afford to choke after the bold marketing plans they ran against the iPhone.
By Dodger at 7:17 AM ON 10/22/09
A physical keyboard is not a selling point, if only because on my iPhone I can click the little globe button once to switch to British, and then again to switch to hiragana.
Try that with physical keys.
By Dodger at 7:23 AM ON 10/22/09
Another thought: If you really want an iPhone killer, how about a wide open guaranty to have the warranty cover drops?
iPhones are pretty. people think they are pretty. They like to show them off. Then they see someone else peeling a sheet of plastic and putting it on their iPhone to protect their thumb from the edge of the broken glass crack running down the centre because it got knocked out of their hand by some jackass in line at the grocery, and they do what i did: wrap it in an ugly thick rubber sheath that hides its prettiness and replaces the apple logo with some frickin rubber manufacturer's lame-ass logo, and defeats the whole social status symbol and aethetics effect because we know, if we drop ours, Apple will say "F*** you, but thanks for buying! We'll replace it at twice what you paid in the first place!"
By pho at 10:45 AM ON 10/22/09
@Dodger: I think you overestimate the number of people who speak multiple languages. That is a niche market.
By meta at 11:49 AM ON 10/22/09
@pho - actually, it's becoming a bigger market than you think... English is chosen by many Chinese as a second language, with a native use of Mandarin Chinese already in place. That alone, and needing to easily switch back and forth between character sets is becoming a more common need.
I use English, Spanish, and Polish, and that has only happened in the past year. If you think globalization isn't going to make an impact on your use of language, your world vision is tiny.
By Vrmithrax at 2:11 PM ON 10/22/09
I think you guys are missing a point... Just because there is an integrated keyboard, doesn't mean you have to use it all the time. This is an Android phone, as in it can have apps for specific capabilities, like say needing an alternate language keyboard on screen.
As Apple is fond of saying "there's an app for that"
By evenevan at 2:30 PM ON 10/22/09
I'm not that much concerned if it's an iPhone killer. I'm more interested in how well it performs against BB Storm and the other smartphones in the Verizon stable. I will not subscribe to AT&T, so I'm staying with Verizon. I loathe my BB Storm, andI want a replacement phone that is cutting edge and will actually live up to its hype. Maybe this is the one...?
By Sato at 6:50 PM ON 10/22/09
Where is the telephone numbers dial pad?
By cl04k3d at 7:18 AM ON 10/23/09
Do you not see the numbers?
By Eldryn at 4:27 PM ON 10/23/09
Apple take note: I WILL NOT buy any of your Ipod/Iphone gizmos because of one simple fact.
You don't allow for the simple replacement of the devices batteries!
You start fixing that problem, then I'll start looking in your direction...
By peetee at 3:41 PM ON 11/11/09
So its judgment day today for Droid, was it? According to Cnet it was a little bit slow nonetheless a good start of droid, other "critiques" says otherwise. But I say, "Hell yeah! droid conquered US for a couple of hours today". We just hope that their ROI is profitable compare to the hunderds of thousand worth of ads they spend during the promotion period and err.. did I say, their impending "lawsuit" with AT&T too?
Collation of info about droid release today: http://bit.ly/did-droid-conquered-USA-today
Hope Droid will serve as a hand of midas to Verizon Corp. Soweet
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peetee:
So its judgment day today for Droid, was it? According to Cnet it was a little bit slow nonetheless a good start of...More »