cardfan

Android has google behind it, but i don't think they do near enough making that known to the masses. If "apple" sells iphones, then "google" would be selling those.

Where you have to be careful in your assumptions though is that the main reason the masses haven't flocked to smartphones is fear of the unknown. The iphone became the success because they marketed well and it's EASY to user.

This reason alone, and if Palm was anywhere near competent at making people aware of what webOS could do, I'd say Palm has good chances.

Also, apple on at&t and Droid on verizon mean squat to Palm for now. Palm's competition is on Sprint and trying to penetrate that carrier's users.

cardfan

Sorry for another post. But that is a really nice screen if i haven't mentioned it already. What's great is that this may inspire a new standard for smartphones. I can't see upgrading to another phone without this whether its a Palm, Apple, or whatever.

The Phone Diva

It somehow got neutered in the Verizon version but it actually DOES have it. I don't know what happened but US users are getting shafted on multi-touch.

Milestone is the same phone in GSM form and it DOES have multi-touch but I believe they took off the free Google navigation. I wonder if that was the trade-off.

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♥ GSM Phone & MP3 player freak! ♥
*Formerly Lady Treo. Too many phones now!*
Current smartphones: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic.
Current dumbphone: Sony Ericsson W995a(next)/G705
Current smart dumbphone(LOL): Jailbroken 16GB iPhone 3G
Next smartphone: Leaving my options open, lots to choose from.

Slayix312

Droid won't be crap as I have said before in 4-5 months TOPS. Way to many Android phones coming out. Sprint will almost 99% for sure have the first 4G phone operating widely on a national carrier within the next 4-5 months which could bring features that could embarrass the Droid. The only big advantage it has over any phone currently is its screen. With all this hype you would think it would be running a 1ghz snapdragon chip, AMOLED screen, and 4G radio. Don't get me wrong it seems impressive all right but not anything that even resembles a generation leap over the Pre. Not even close.

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darreno1

Just came back from checking out the Droid at a local Verizon store. I can't say I wasn't thoroughly impressed with this phone. It's quick, it's got a beautiful, vivid screen (sh*ts all over the Iphone's imo) and the keyboard felt great. I thought it was just going to be another Android phone but I was wrong. No multitouch, true, and this is one area I thought would disappoint, but honestly, after playing with the browser a while, I didn't miss it - maybe because the screen is so big and the zoom button is conveniently placed withing thumb's reach.

I could see why the Apple-biased crowd (who pretends to be objective reviewers)will feel threatened by this phone. The only thing that was noticeable (and is common with all Android phones it seems) is the roughness when scrolling across web pages. It is not as smooth as one would expect. Also compared to webOS, Android, even the 2.0 doesn't seem as polished but again, this is something can be easily overlooked with all things considered. I will miss webOS, especially the card view and the gestures, but I'll get over it.

I took one quick pic with the camera and not only did it take it in about 2 seconds, it came out sharp and with good colors. Based on the reviews, I expected the camera to suck but it didn't seem like it was half as horrible as they were saying. I didn't get to play with macro shots but I have a Nikon digital slr for that.

Tried out the google nav and it worked flawlessly. Only time will tell how it performs as I put it through its paces.


Bottom line is, I'm getting this phone even though I will miss the Pre a lot. If Palm can come up with such an innovative OS on their first try, I'm not counting them out like others are quick to do. The Pre will only get better and hopefully will span carriers. I'd have stuck it out had the screen and keyboard been bigger but I really need the extra real estate the droid offers. Had the Hero come with a decent keyboard, I might have considered it but otherwise, it wasn't compelling enough (hardware and software wise) to switch.

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Sony Clie --> Tungsten t2 --> iPhone3g --> Palm Pre --> Droid

cardfan

If Palm has anything to worry about, it's users such as yourself and some others i've seen...including me even.

You were all over this device if memory serves and happy with it. Willing to grow with it. Defending it against the bashers.

Yet you still had an eye out (which is a problem for Palm). Checked out the Hero. Not compelling enough. Checked out Droid. And its bye bye Palm webOS. See ya later and all that.

Pixi? Not compelling in the least. Going even lower end makes little sense when prices keep coming down for the high end ones.

a1aone

Palm drags their feet when it comes too making customers happy! Thats why I made the choice too switch too the Htc Hero today...! Bye Bye Palm

LurkerX

I love most of the Droid hardware. The screen is great. It's nice and thing, and the slider seems solid. The keyboard is wide but the problem with it is there is no 'feel'. It's such a smooth transition from one key to another, you can't feel when you are on a key. I think I'll be waiting to see the Nokia N900. It has a similar size keyboard, but appears to have rounded top keys that will give some indication that your finger is actually on a single key.

The problem with the Droid for me is I hate the software. It's Google everything. I really don't want to give them all my data. I'm ****ed enough at Palm for making everything sync to 'somewhere' out there rather than with my desktop. If Android would give any option of keeping your data private rather than giving everything to them, heck, even giving the option of using other providers for calendar, etc, I might have considered the move. But no way for me because I don't want my life totally locked into one provider, whose big revenue stream is going to come through mining through my stuff.

darreno1

You are correct up to a point. I was happy and willing to grow with it but my needs have changed and let's face it, more capable phones have hit the market and the Pre isn't even 4 months old yet. People defect for varying reasons, that's to be expected. Even almighty RIM and Apple have their defectors.

I thought about waiting it out but my needs outweigh my love for WebOS. In the end, my phone is a critical tool for me and how well it can be that first and foremost, takes priority over any loyalty I may have to a particular manufacturer or device.

I do have to agree with you regarding the Pixi though, unless they price it very competitively, it will get drowned out or left by the wayside.

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Sony Clie --> Tungsten t2 --> iPhone3g --> Palm Pre --> Droid

sivan

I played with it a little today. The keyboard is definitely better than the G1, it's legit, though I still prefer the Pre's. But, this thing is barely pocketable and next to the Pre it's just ridiculous. For hard core nerds.

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Palm Vx > Treo 650 > Centro > G1 > Pre

gabe2gg

how does such a big phone have such a great battery life?

donm527

My buddy only had the phone a few days... the first day he was playing with it all day while charging on cable and he said he was suprised how long it took to charge (but probably not hard to understand since he was playing with it all day non stop). but talking to him on the weekend he said that the battery life has been very good even though he didnt give me any hard numbers. he's coming from a BB pearl and i'm sure he doesnt expect similiar battery life but still sounds good that he has no battery complaints so far.

jhoff80

A big phone can have a big battery.

Anyway, the Droid is a great (for lack of better word) nerd-phone. For a lot of us tech-geeks it's going to be huge. Smartly, Verizon / Motorola decided to target the advertising in this direction as well. But even in 2.0, Android just doesn't have the ease of use that the iPhone has, or that the Pre has even, so it's going to be tough for it to keep a lot of the mainstream users. It's really two different sectors of the market.

Edit: To clarify, no it's not a huge battery on the Droid by any means, but it is still 1.5x the size of the Pre's stock battery.

THETRUTH

I really don't think the phone fits a category. I saw a variety of people buying it at all ages. THe phone has many capabilities that people have been waiting for. Google maps with voice guidance is a big one, live searches, and access to a growing library. Of course the iPhone is very capable of some of these things, but the droid is on the most powerful network. That a big plus to anyone. At&t is suing over map depiction as a cover up to the fact that the droid is going to steal business from the iPhone.

I would have the droid if verizon was more reasonable with pricing. The Verizon rep at best buy tried his hardest to sway me but when I told him the discounts and what my plan offered, he quickly stopped.

The droid is going to change the game like the iPhone did and it can only get better from here. Competition is always good.

mmcnamara43

I Just check Out The Droid..its a Beast, I hope At sometime it DOES come to Sprint..

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