My Juke was great. As the smallest phone available in the US market, it did the two things I wanted it to do… make calls and play music while taking up little pocket space. Though the iPhone was a very cool “smart phone,” I just wasn’t convinced the benefits of owning one on the AT&T network justified the added expense for what I felt was a rather limited feature set on a closed platform and the worst carrier in the country. Sure, you can play music, but I could do that on my Juke, and it was actually easier than using iTunes. The iPhone could browse the internet… when and if said network was available… but it was pretty slow. Connecting to multiple exchange servers was problematic, and differentiation of accounts was limited to say the least. I could jailbreak it… but having Apple and AT&T holding the ax of a baseband update over my head would be stress I don’t need. The Juke had a crappy little camera that I never used and a bunch of other totally useless features too. Three days ago I got a Droid… I haven’t been this excited about a new piece of technology since I got my first cell phone.

   There’s been a lot of hype and rumors about the Droid, but I think a lot of the articles that have been written thus far reviewing the new device are either understated, limited in scope, or non-sense from an Apple affiliate or fanboy. It’s time to lay out exactly what the Droid gives you for your money. The iPhone is an inferior product in almost every way. Part of the problem with the reviewers, even from the dispassionate and objective ones like Engadget and PC Magazine, fail in their iPhone/Droid comparisons in that they assume you, the reader, have never used a computer before and are generally incapable of learning anything new. That may be true of the general market when averaged together nationally, but the fact of the matter is if you are reading reviews online you are using a computer and were able to find relevant information about a specific device. That means you are to some degree technically savvy, which already puts you ahead of the median consumer. As such, though simplicity typically connotes a certain degree of refinement and elegance, it does not necessarily trump functionality. Let’s face it, you probably have a Facebook account, and maybe a LinkedIn one as well. You might have a Twitter account which you may or may not use, but you know it’s there and how to use it. You have heard about Voice Over IP (Like Vonnage, Google Voice, Skype, Magic Jack, etc…) and are interested in the potential benefits even if you haven’t found that application in your life yet. You know what GPS navigation in your car is and you think it’s cool. You text, have at least 2 e-mail accounts, a business line, a personal line, a subscription for cable or satellite TV, online banking, and a bunch of websites you frequent. There’s nothing simple about all the crap you do… you’ve just gotten accustomed to doing it all and are taking for granted your existing technical prowess.

   The Droid can replace just about all of the smack above, and does so as simply and elegantly as I can imagine. That said, if anyone can think of a better way to do anything on the Droid, there will be an (open) app for that too. Moreover, it replaces or supports all the above for free. …so lets cut down to brass tacks here, and talk money and functionality.

Devices You Won’t Need Post-Droid

   Obviously one of the biggest features of the Droid is the voice activated GPS navigation with audible turn-by-turn directions using Google maps. How significant was the inclusion of this feature? Stocks for Garmin and Tom-Tom fell 16.4% and 20.8% respectively the day Google announced this functionality. I think that drop was modest, considering the Droid vastly outperforms both Garmin and Tom-Tom’s navigation functions. There’s a video to the right demonstrating some of this. The really cool feature, in my humble opinion, is the inclusion of Google’s street view as an optional navigation window. You can’t screw up missing the next turn when you have an actual picture of the intersection you need to turn at sitting in front of your face. I’ll be keeping a running total of device prices throughout this article with a total at the end, but you just saved $350 on a high end in-car GPS device, don’t have to pay the $60 per year subscription. Google maps and navigation is free, has more features, and runs off GPS via. Satellite, cell towers, or both. [iDo have navigation, albeit more limited and sans Google maps.]

   One of the devices I’ve replaced I’m going to miss for nostalgic reasons. My hand-held GPS from Garmin has been sitting in my glove box forever. I used to go geocaching and would take it with me hiking all the time. It was handy when I was stationed overseas with the Marines as well, for obvious reasons. At any given time, I could track my progress, give my location to 30 meters, and plot a course based on either UTMs or Lats/Longs. The Droid has totally negated my need for this device. In addition to providing the functionality of my former hand-held, Google pedestrian navigation has overlays for everything. Pizzerias in the area, things I might be interested given my travels and browsing habits, even other Droid users (should they choose to invoke that function). There are also a myriad of applications that build on this further. You can get workout apps that plot running or biking courses, the time you do them in, calories burned, etc…, history of other hikers in the area’s travels and information and reviews of hiked trails, even events happening live in your area. The list goes on. So much for the $99 handheld GPS. I’ll never look back. [iDon’t do this very well at all.]

   The 5 mega-pixel camera on the Droid has taken some flak in several of the reviews I read prior to purchasing my Droid. I’m of the opinion that this criticism was penned so the authoring ‘journalist’ would appear to be less biased, as most Droid reviews seem to have otherwise had a very favorable tone. The still pictures on the droid are of excellent quality. Though it won’t be replacing professional grade SLR cameras like Nikon’s D90, it will easily replace those little slim line video and still cameras. You can see video taken by the Droid (still shots too) at this link… just see for yourself and make up your own mind. One of the problems I always seem to have is when I see something I want to take a picture of, I don’t have my camera with me. Now I always have a decent camera and a DVD quality video camera with me at all times. That’s value added… (saving $150 for the still camera and $400 for the video camera to boot). [iDo sort of do this… but not nearly as well.]

   Another device and service you can do away with is the cell modem. All the major carriers have been offering USB devices and mobile WiFi hotspots for around $60 a month. Verizon will soon be offering tethering for the Droid, which, for an additional fee, will let your computer access the internet through the phone. Additional fee? Yah… right… like I’m going to pay for that. I already have an unlimited data plan, there, VZ. That means unlimited. Just as with a jailbroken iPhone, there are and will continue to be apps that let you tether your Droid to any computer for free. [iDo this… ONLY after you jailbreak me… i am hiring people to put a stop to it.]

   The Droid has started to replace office equipment too. A lot of companies have voice over IP services and equipment from companies like Skype, Vonnage, and Magic Jack. This is where the Droid gets really cool. You can use your unlimited data plan to make unlimited phone calls anywhere in the world without using a single one of your calling plan’s talk minutes. Let that sink in for a moment. You can make unlimited calls anywhere in the world on your cell phone and not get charged anything.

   Here’s how it’s working on my phone: I have my Verizon phone number. Verizon gave it to me many years ago. If you call it, my cell phone rings, and if I know you in any way your Facebook profile picture and contact info come up along with your caller ID. I also have a Google Voice number. If you call it, my cell phone rings, and if I know you in any way your Facebook profile picture and contact info come up along with your caller ID. When I make a call, I dial your number, or just select you from contacts, or just tell the phone to call you, and I get 2 buttons that come up: “Make call using Verizon” and “Make call using Google Voice.” If I use the latter, it doesn’t come out of my minutes. There are two separate phone numbers on the same phone. You caller ID will reflect the choice I make. That’s good, because my Facebook profile picture is currently a homicidal pumpkin man and my company website is actually pretty professional. These two numbers have different greetings and voice mail accounts representing my business and personal calls separately. Were I so inclined, I could even get more numbers and accounts on there. I may just end up doing that so I don’t have to use the ‘business line’ to make unlimited world calls …for free. Subscription savings: about $29 per year (excluding calling plan through Verizon savings, which is entirely dependent on your usage). Equipment savings: $25-$90. Convenience and added professionalism to your respective personal and business identities? Priceless. [iDon’t.]

   The final device I’m adding to this list might be a little more controversial. (In case you didn’t know, I’m not leaving anything above open to debate.) The mini-netbooks are here, and they are far less functional and more expensive than a Droid. It’s kind of sad to see technology that’s just emerging now dieing in its infancy, but that’s exactly what’s happening now. (I’m sure Ray Kurzweil is right, and this kind of thing is going to be much more frequent in the future.) I guess the question I have is, what does a notebook do that the Droid won’t do better? Bigger keyboard? You can get a Bluetooth keyboard for your Droid I guess. Bigger screen? Maybe. Not better resolution though… I just don’t see the benefits of a mini-netbook anymore. Saves around $300.

   iPod Touch. – I’m not even going to bother covering this, except to say the Droid sounds awesome, does not force you into iTunes, and has a 16 gig micro-sd memory chip which you can upgrade for greater capacity in the future. Saves $200. [iDon’t upgrade]

Droid Costs
Equipment: $159-$199
Service: Additional $36/month
(Includes mandatory unlimited data plan from Verizon and includes device insurance covering loss and theft. By the way, if you get a Droid at Best Buy, DO NOT GET THE BEST BUY DEVICE INSUREANCE*. It is a total scam and rip off, costs more than the Verizon insurance, and does not cover loss or theft.)

Droid Saves
Equipment: $1525-$1590+ in electronic paperweights
Service: $149+/mo in BS charges

*more on Droid and Verizon services at the end of this article.

Rumors & Trash Talk

   A feature oft cited as a shortcoming is the multi-touch screen. …well, the screen itself is not dismissed, as it is larger and higher resolution than the iPhone (854×480 pixel 3.7” screen VS 640×480 pixel 3.5” screen… Droid has higher and finer resolution and a bigger screen). Rather, it’s the lack of multi-touch that’s being complained about (using two fingers to zoom in, flip things, etc…). It turns out that the US Droid is every bit as multi-touch as its European counterpart (as it has a capacitive display). The reason it doesn’t have native support for this out of the box its rumored has to do with a copyright complication. That said, apps respond to multi-touch, and others are on the way to enable it. Of course, these apps are free. Here’s another tip from me to you: if you go into a store to check out the phone yourself, go into settings – display and turn off the auto brightness adjust to see what the screen is capable of producing. I actually keep mine on max brightness at all times.

   The slide out keyboard that comes with the Droid has been berated for not having curvy keys like a Blackberry as well. Personally, though tactile differentiation between keys is obviously more subtle than that of a Blackberry, I haven’t had any trouble typing on it. It’s just different, and takes some getting used to. I can feel the ridges between the keys just fine. That may not be everyone’s experience, but I don’t have nerve damage in my hands and I can adapt… so no problem there. Also on the complaint board is a rumor that the Droid only supports 256 MB of apps. Let me crush this right now. 256 megs is a lot of space for applications, for starters. Second, app developers can absolutely use the 16GB SD card as storage space for parts of their apps… and let me remind you that 16GB is upgradeable today to 32GB (the largest SD card currently available). Not many other phones have upgradeable storage space, including the iPhone.

   Finally, some have claimed that the iPhone has a more intuitive interface. To be honest with you, I have had exactly zero problems navigating around on both devices. I mean, come on. I do computer repairs and develop websites for people. We all have our own areas of expertise, but even the most technically challenged of my customers would have little trouble figuring out either device. I guess I just don’t know whom those reviewers are talking about that would find either interface difficult.

…and that’s it. That’s all the negative press, save of course a few Apple fan-boys with blatantly false or irrelevant complaints.

Verizon Service and Where to Buy

   The iDon’t ads coming from Verizon tell it like it is. The competing carrier networks have a fraction of Verizon’s coverage and capacity. The customer service for Verizon, in my experience, has likewise been far above and beyond that of any other carrier… and I’ve had a few (AT&T and Sprint, neither of which I would recommend). The Droid couldn’t have come out on a better carrier in the US. I think it’s interesting that AT&T’s forthcoming suit against Verizon doesn’t actually address the claim that Verizon has far better 3G coverage, but rather that some AT&T customers might be confused as to whether or not AT&T coverage exists at all in the “non-blue” areas of the map. You can watch the video and decide for yourself… I thought it was pretty clear. Instead of wasting money on a lawsuit, AT&T should try spending a little money on upgrading their over-capacity network, dramatically expanding it’s poor 3G coverage, and better non-indian customer support…. Because the future gonna cost more money.

   There are 3 options, in my opinion, for actually buying this phone. As of this posting, if you buy a Droid at the Verizon store, it will cost you $299 and you will have to send off for a $100 mail-in rebate. Mail-in rebates are a scam. I only get about 20% of them back. I recommend going to Best Buy to get the phone, as the people working the desk can just as easily answer your questions about the phone and your service plan, and the phone costs $199 because Best Buy gives you an instant rebate at the check out counter.

   The down side to Best Buy? They’ll try to pitch the Best Buy equipment warranty. It’s 10 bucks a month and does not cover loss or theft. DO NOT GET THE BEST BUY INSURANCE. It’s a scam. You can also get the Verizon warranty at Best Buy for 6 bucks a month and it DOES cover loss and theft. You may need to request it though, because employee performance is rated in part on how many Best Buy warranties they sell. So let’s be crystal clear on this: DO NOT GET THE BEST BUY INSURANCE, get the Verizon warranty instead. I can’t emphasize that enough.

   The third option to get a Droid is cheaper still. WireFly has a deal whereby you order your phone online for $159 and they ship it to you. You also need the unlimited data plan, which adds about $30 to your existing wireless phone bill. Some of you out there on the interweb might consider doing that. I was just too impatient to wait for my phone to get here and wanted to rap with Jim over at Best Buy about it for a few minutes before taking the plunge. That was worth $40 to me.

Wrapping Up

   For an extra $30 a month I have a kick ass multi-line, multi-voicemail phone with all my calendars, e-mail accounts, IM clients, social networking sites, user accounts, and websites seamlessly integrated on one upgradeable device that has voice activated turn-by-turn navigation with street view and voice cues and a really decent video and still camera. Oh, and it plays movies and music really well to on the biggest, highest resolution multi-touch screen around. I said at the beginning of this article that I haven’t been this excited about new technology since I got a cell phone. Though that’s true, I think it’s safe to say the day-to-day impact that this will have on how I work will be far greater.

   I’d just like to close with this: I am not a loyalist. I don’t care about any one company over another, and a year ago I was betting Motorola would go out of business before too long. In fact, I didn’t even like the Razr. It was too big for what it did. I can’t think of a single Motorola phone I’ve ever liked. They hit this one out of the park though. With the Droid-Verizon combo I’m left asking, does Verizon even need an iPhone?

   It comes down to this: Lets say Verizon had the iPhone 3GS. Would I get that or a Droid?

Droid. No contest. …the words technically inclined and experienced journalists have been avoiding but I’m writing right now are (and you can quote me on this): “The Droid is the iPhone killer.” Period.

]]> http://www.gogela.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=39 0 http://www.gogela.com/blog/?p=3 http://www.gogela.com/blog/?p=3#comments Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:25:55 +0000 Gogela http://www.gogela.com/blog/?p=3 Installed MySQL database.