Scott, starting to sway towards the Droid court and was amazed to see that you, Shoemoney and Chris Brogan are all experiencing the conversion with positive feedback. I agree with you that the integration of music & video via iTunes is hard to beat as really is a central feature of the iPhone. I am still looking to find out about tethering, using evernote, remote access and more. Thanks for the review!
I am still really liking my Droid and I will probably end up keeping it. My first plan was to use it for a week or two and see if I wanted to keep it or trade it in for an HTC Eris.
But as I use it more and grow more comfortable with they keyboards (I still hardly ever use the slide out keyboard) the more I like it. I haven't really done too much as far as looking into different apps and I will probably rarely use it for music so a lot of the questions you bring up probably won't apply to me. At least for a while.
From someone that has been using a previous Android based phone I find the writer of the article to be very critical of Android OS not realizing its not an iphone. The point of this phone is to get away from things like the itunes kind of lockdown....The Android OS is meant to be be open like this.
Adding ringtones to this phone is as simple as mounting the drive, creating a folder named ringtones and dragging in ringtones. They will appears in the phone ringtones menu after the card is remounted.
The same goes for notifications, music, alarm sounds, etc...
It's simple, fast, and it always almost maximum customization of the device.
Regarding the battery life, it is actually fantastic on this phone. If you are charging VIA USB then that explains why it's slow. The phone charges must fast using the wall plug adapter, and also charges fast using the car adapter(at least my phone does).
I am a administrator for many businesses and smaller contracted customers and I use my phone quite a lot. My previous phone was the G1 and it's battery would almost be given out by 4/5 o clock (starting at 8 in the morning working) and the Droid for me hasn't gotten below 40% yet with lots of heavy use during the day(texting, talking, browsing and pandora some of the time).
It's by far the best battery life I've gotten out of any recent media enabled smart phone.
Regarding the Iphone comparisons and your opinion on why some people won't switch. One of my employee's switched from an Iphone to the Droid and so far loves it. The customization options really sold him, and really getting away from itunes also really made him happy..You would be surprised how many people don't like using itunes for everything.
Tethering is possible without root, via PDAnet and is undetectable unless you go over 5gb a month in bandwidth, then Verizon will analyze your data activity.
Maybe I have a bias for the phone because I love Android OS, but I think the phone is much more capable than the Iphone has ever been personally. The iphone has one big leg up from the Droid and thats how dumbed down it is. A 6 year old can use an Iphone with ease, it's super simple and quick.
Another mentionable on the phone is the Droid browser. It's fantastic and loads so much better than the other smart phones. Not to mention it will have official flash support downloaded from the Verizon section of the market by the first quarter of 2010.
I'm so jealous. I've been trying to talk Anna into going (back) to Verizon and just eat the cancellation fee for our craptastic ATT coverage here in Western North Carolina (which might as well be Timbuktu on an ATT coverage map since we barely have EDGE and 3G is in perpetual "3-6 months away"). Regardless, keep the posts coming.
I've been waiting silently for you to catch wind of this Sam.
I would have bet money that you'd have picked up a Droid by now, especially knowing your challenges with the AT&T network down there in the backwoods and mountains.
Pick one up risk-free for 30 days.
The Google voice integration will blow your mind.
Critical? How about honest. I posted a rave about it previously, and I wanted to balance that with the fact that the honeymoon will be over for EVERYONE who buys any new device.
Maybe you're getting too caught up in my title, but I really haven't said anything truly critical here. I'm still leaning toward keeping it, which says a lot given the expense that will be with AT&T contracts and such.
I know it's not an iPhone, and I love it for all its non-iPhone-ness. And I do love Android. But I've been using an iPhone since it appeared on the scene, as have millions of others, and we can't help compare them. They MUST be compared.
Thanks for the comment, I appreciate your viewpoint.
Maybe that will sway Anna... just fwd'd your comment to her :)
We primarily communicate via GMail's integration with Voice now since our
iPhones are becoming worse and worse at actually allowing for voice/txt
communications.
I took her to the local Vz store the day the Droid came out and have been
pushing hard since... will keep you posted!
I'm assuming tether means using it as a modem for your laptop? It appears to be possible, there is an extra dataplan even for that ($15 more a month).
I got my droid tuesday and love it. I never had an iphone because I can't get ATT coverage here on the island, but the verizon 3g rocks out here. My blackberry was getting harder and harder for people to hear me on, and the call quality on the Droid actually blows me away. Battery life is kinda short, need to figure out what is sucking the power, but for now I am mostly home so can leave it attached via usb.
I love the ringtones folder option, the browsing is great, apps are cool and what I need, I didn't mind dragging my music folder over since I hate iTunes and haven't used it. I never did set up my blackberry for email or apps, but got email set up fast and easy on the Droid. Camera is adequate, but I'm tough on cameras :)
It's bigger than a lot of people might like, but I like the heft, so I won't lose it. I love the keyboard, I am not a touchscreen fan. My "wishlist" is pretty short, I wish the usb was at the top not the bottom because I set it on a holder on my desk, I wish the battery lasted longer and that I didn't have to take it out of a case to change the battery, or to take out the sd card.
A case is a must have, and a screen protector. Guess I should write my own review on my blog, lol.
Side note: Vinny got his phone for $149 because he was eligible for he new every two years, I wasn't eligible and by going to the store, I got mine for $199 PLUS got another $100 rebate (mail in) so got mine for $99. So even if you don't think you are eligible, go ask them!
I like the fact that a 6 yr old could use the iPhone- that is part of its appeal for me. I love how integrated the music app is. I love it for all of my medical apps, for its lack of cheap buttons. I love my iPhone- just DESPISE the service. WHY WHY WHY APPLE did you have to make a deal with AT&T!!? I am not a GEEK- just the average user- which is why the droid to me has not won me over. For now- I research.
Thanks for this post. I just got a DROID the day before Thanksgiving, (couldn't get it activated until the Friday after, so frustrating) and I've been documenting my experiences with the phone on my blog Drew's Droid, it is an offshoot of my blog http://BenSpark.com" rel="nofollow">BenSpark.com but it talks about droid related tips and issues. Thank you for pointing me towards the Salling software, it works great. Of course, I am not synching a lot of stuff so the free version works well for me right now. I was looking for a good way to download podcasts the other day and I could not find any. I think that the Salling Media Sync software is going to work perfectly for this. Giving you a shout out on the post once it is up. Thanks very much Scott.
Thanks for this post. I just got a DROID the day before Thanksgiving, (couldn't get it activated until the Friday after, so frustrating) and I've been documenting my experiences with the phone on my blog Drew's Droid, it is an offshoot of my blog http://BenSpark.com" rel="nofollow">BenSpark.com but it talks about droid related tips and issues. Thank you for pointing me towards the Salling software, it works great. Of course, I am not synching a lot of stuff so the free version works well for me right now. I was looking for a good way to download podcasts the other day and I could not find any. I think that the Salling Media Sync software is going to work perfectly for this. Giving you a shout out on the post once it is up. Thanks very much Scott.
"Yes, mount it like an external disk. Then you drag and drop, yes, drag and drop media into the phone. Are you kidding me?".... Many non-Apple-tit-suckers find this to be a much more natural and universal method for adding data. Not everyone wants some solitary app with its limitations to manage their music collections. Not everyone runs Windows, or a Mac either. You really demonstrated your ignorance on this issue.
Just because a device isn't like th iPhone doesn't make every difference a bad one. Everyone always fails to see the iPhones MANY shortcommings, but its funny how the iPhone fanboys are always the ones being so critical of other devices without that Apple branding. Thanks for your unbelievably biased viewpoint. It was useless.
I think it's always better to have iphone in your hand rather than having droid as I have always felt annoyance with my droid. The battery last too soon that for every 2 hour I need to recharge it.
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Today was my second day with the Droid phone, my first full day. We're getting to know each other, and like any relationship, time brings out the annoyances. There actually aren't many so far, but here we go...
The Hardware
The droid phone is a little clunkier than the iPhone. At some point I guess I'll stop comparing the two. But in any case, there are buttons all over the place. The power/standby button is at the top and isn't very easy to locate without some practice. There is volume and camera buttons on the right side that just feel a little cheap. When handling the device, it's easy to hit these buttons. Fortunately, they don't do anything critical.
The biggest complaint I have is with the loose battery cover on the back of the Droid. It doesn't lock very tightly and I've had it open up on me a few times caused by the action of putting the phone in and out of my jeans pocket. I'm afraid I'll lose that cover.
Battery Life
Speaking of the battery, the droid takes a pretty long time to charge, a good deal longer than the iPhone. But maybe it'll drain more slowly as well. Standard on the phone is a great battery usage app (buried in settings) that tells you what application and/or function used how much memory. Here's a current screenshot from today's usage. I got 7h 15m on a full charge down to about 10% left. That feels a bit less than the iPhone. But I guess that's the price you pay for multi-tasking.
The good news is that the battery is replaceable. I can definiately see getting a backup battery for the road.
Screenshots
One of the things we take for granted on the iPhone (there I go again) is how simple it is to take a screenshot. Simply press two buttons and voila.
Not so much on the Droid, or the Android OS, actually. To get a screenshot like the one in this post, I had to install the Android SDK. Yeah, the Software Developers Kit. Hello, screenshot app anyone?
The good news is that the screenshot appears on my desktop, so I can easily grab it with Skitch and post away.
Music
When you do, it is downloaded to the device and it appears in the Music app. But how do you get your existing music onto your Droid? This is where the Droid shows it's geeky side. You plug the phone into your computer via the USB port and you mount it. Yes, mount it like an external disk. Then you drag and drop, yes, drag and drop media into the phone. Are you kidding me?
And if you're an iTunes user, don't even think about copying over the DRM protected music. It won't work. So I just copied over stuff that I'd purchased previously from Amazon.
I did discover a great little desktop application called Salling Media Sync. It basically acts as a go-between from the Droid to your iTunes library and automatically copies anything over that you want it to, much like the iTunes interface (music, video, podcasts, etc.)
If you love iTunes, you'll want to get this app.
The Droid Ain't for Everyone
The title was a bit overstating things. I still love this phone. I think it might even stick.
I will say however, I don't think the Droid will be for everyone. The 20-somethings and every-day-user won't ditch the iPhone for the Droid.
The Droid definitely has geek appeal, which is why I'm enjoying it so much.