IMPRESSIONS: Droid / Storm 2
 

Just dropped into the Verizon store to do some "market research."

Tried the Droid and the Storm 2.

Quick Impressions

Droid

Overall, the unit doesn't make much of an impression. Seems like yet another slider, which, at the end of the day, it is. I didn't try any calls, just mucked around with the interface.

Liked

• Large screen
• Fast browser
• Fast screen scrolling

Disliked

• Google maps crashed on me, twice
• Camera quality, speed seemed very subpar, especially for 5.0 MP
• Interface does not feel at all polished - clunky is a better word, especially compared to the iPhone, or even the Storm 2
• Maybe something needed to be calibrated, but the "click" action on the touchscreen was pretty sketchy
• Difficult to select even a hyperlink in the browser on the touch screen - selection precision very low
• Keyboard is weak and my thumbs collide with the screen when trying to type on the top row keys

Conclusion

Google has a long way to go on Droid. It lacks basic polish still. Pick up an iPhone, and everything seems to be in the right place, and reacts exactly as you'd expect. No so with the Droid. Keeping working at it Google. First impressions are big. I wasn't left with the feeling that I would want to invest the time to get used to the Droid.

Storm 2

This truly is what the Storm 1 should have been. I might have actually kept a unit like this - that wasn't even a remote possibility with the Storm one.

The interface is super snappy, the SurePress has the right feel (still not sure if keeping sure press is a good idea).

Only downside I could see was that the 480 x 320 resolution stretched to that size looks a bit pixellated after using the Tour or trying the Droid. So 6 months ago! ;-)

Congrats to RIM for getting the Storm 2 right. You best hope you weren't too late.

Nice try to Google, but you've still got a lot of work to do it seems...

Moving to the BlackBerry Versus section.

I went and checked out the Droid today at Verizon. Since the touch screen is heat sensitive and they had it under a A/C ven the touch cabablilites were pretty much nulled. No matter how hard I pressed it wouldn't even acknowledge my presses. That was enough for me I walked on out.

With that being said, what of its cold as heck outside? I guess your f-ed(n)

i find this hard to belive since its a capacitive screen not a resistive.

Sees like many of these issues are Motorola hardware issues, not Android issues. HTC seems to have gotten it right with their Android phones. Motorola sucks when it comes to phones. I wouldn't write off the whole platform because of them.

A ggod point, Argon. Has anyone compared the Droid to the T-Mobile MyTouch, for example?

I bought a Droid yesterday morning at 8 AM and have been using it non-stop since. Clunky? Compared to the Blackberry OS? Puhleeze.

I passed on the iPhone because of some issues that I have with the phone, but the Droid is spot on for me. Is it perfect? Hell no, it isn't. The camera is slow. As it stand right now it blows my former BB away. No contest. Google can and will make it better. The home screens lag a bit when you scroll them. Again, something that Google can and will do something about.

Clicking the screen has been no issue at all for me and Google Maps Navigation has been nothing short of perfect. Has not crashed once and I have used it for numerous trips, just to try it out. Directions have been perfect and it recalculates the route faster than my Tom Tom.

The Storm 2 might be night and day better than the Storm 1 but it is still running an out of date OS with an out of date web browser using out of date and underpowered hardware.

I shall not miss my Blackberry or that stupid f'ing trackball for a second.

Oh, FWIW, I did look at a Storm 2 several weeks ago when I was trying to decide between the iPhone or waiting for the Droid. Sorry RIM, not even close to good enough to keep me.

I've only had it now for 2 days but I can tell you that there hasn't been a single hardware issue for me. Every part of the phone just works. The lag in the camera is software related as are issues with home screen scrolling being jerky. The keyboard's top row is a bit close to the phone when it is down, but "hitting the phone" isn't something that I have experienced.

I was leery of buying another Moto phone, but this Droid rocks. Plain and simple. None of the restrictions that I hate about the iPhone and very un-Moto like hardware quality.

Yeah your right I am lying just like misleading people. Both display models they had were doing the same thing, store req even said its cause they were placed under the air vents. The one they had behind counter was fine, still not better than my tour though.

I too was looking @ the phone in a VZW store and got the same impression as the OP, it's not polished and has a way to go, but at the same time I am confident that it will get there in time. This OS has huge potential and I believe it will take off.

One of the biggest complaints that I've seen so far is the problems with exchange integration. It was announced that the Droid had native exchange sync support which is not working well at all. So there are folks who ditched their blackberries for the droid who are stuck. There's a issue on the Android code issue board and there are a lot of upset folks, and rightfully so seeing as this phone was supposed to have exchange integration.

I'll probably wait a while and then spring for the Droid or a newer Android 2.x device down the line. At the same time, the Storm 2 is looking pretty promising for my corporate device.

I don't doubt you, but I have had the Droid outside in near freezing temps each morning that I have owned it. No problems here at all. Don't know what might have caused it in store but it is not an issue in thr real world.

Well that is good cause I really wanted to get a good look at the phone and the touch screen not responding really hurt my chances at that. Still think I will stay with tour for now.

I got a Droid on launch day. My last five handsets were Blackberries... this is the first device to make me switch.

Short review: the Blackberry is still the king of email, but the Droid (from a consumer standpoint anyway) trounces it in nearly every other regard.

I'd disagree that Android is better than the Blackberry platform. I've just come from a G1 and I've loved that phone. However, with the stock ROM; it pretty much wasn't quite there. The hacking (or mod community) for the platform is thriving because of the open source platform. This is the only reason I stuck with the G1 as I got what I wanted from custom ROMs. It seems developers such as HTC who are pioneering the platform are slow to update the device and develop their devices so we see the kind of approach Apple have taken with the iPhone and bring every version of their device to a common platform.

While Google are now at version 2 with Android, most devices are still stuck on 1.5/1.6 and may possibly will be. I feel it's going to take one company to throw all their development at the platform to make Android "grow-up".

I did love the google apps intregration, very good WebKit browser, interface etc. Just feel it needs another 18 months to mature. It's not the interface (I only had experience of the standard UI), but maybe the stability that needs to be improved. Loads of crashes and lots of sub-standard apps in the market that really need to be flushed made me go elsewhere. I was thinking of buying the Droid (called the Milestone here in the UK), but no network has offered it as of yet.

I'll see how my experience goes with the new 9700 Bold. Only 3 days in and loving it already. Not really missing the touch-screen experience.

I wish the Droid would come out for other carriers...heard a rumor of a gsm version making rounds.

The Android OS rocks.

If google maps crashed, there must have been an issue with that phone. It doesn't happen on my wife's phone. It is rock solid, far faster than my 8530, and with a ton more apps. It ticks me off how every app for the BB cost money and my wife gets thousands of apps for free.

Anything with Google behind it is going to be a winner.

I know how you feel. I just purchased a new curve 8530 but my wifes droid is making me want to return it.

Comparing the G1 to a Droid is like comparing a Pearl to a Storm 2, it just isn't a fair fight.

Aside from that, the only phone at this point that will have issue running Android 2 is your G1, but the aforementioned hacking community already has it working quite well. Besides that, it's no worse than the number of handsets that RIM left out of the OS 5 upgrade. My wife bought an 8130 last December and it can't be upgraded to OS 5 so your point is, well, pointless.

Better is in the eye of the beholder and to me, Android is the way to go. It is in every single way far superior to BB. That's just my opinion.

Yeah tried the Droid compared to my touch
 

The mytouch seems 'slicker' BUT right now they only have OS 1.6 from google. Droid uses the new 2.0 OS which is much better. They won't give mytouch the new OS until Droid has had a chance to shine....so droid has the better OS.