Friday, November 27, 2009

This is the DROID you are looking for


A couple days ago, I became an owner of the new DROID phone from Verizon.  This is actually the first smart-phone I have ever had.  The main draw for me is the web access as I am not a big text message user.  For my impressions, read on.

Since this is my first smart-phone, some of the features I mention may be common but are still new to me.  Overall, using the DROID has been a great experience.

Size.  The first thing you are likely to notice is the size of the phone.  It is a bit bigger than the iPhone or the Envy and weighs more.  You will know that it is in your pocket.  It does feel solid though.

Screen.  The screen on the DROID is great.  It gives a resolution of  480 x 854, which is quite a bit more than most other phones.  It is bright and the UI looks very crisp.  I was very impressed by the quality of the videos I watched.

Web.  The built-in web browser worked without any issues.  The only slight frustration I have is using the touchscreen to follow links.  It can be a bit tricky at times.  While the DROID supports multi-touch, the browser does not.  Hopefully they add that functionality soon.  In general, it is pretty hassle free. 

Google.  The integration of Google's services is very nice.  It can monitor multiple GMail accounts and reading/writing mails is very easy.  The Google Maps implementation is amazing.  It can show you the satellite footage and traffic information through its layer interface.


Voice Interface.  I was skeptical about doing voice searches, but it works great.  I was especially impressed when I tried 'Directions to Blah' and it brought up Maps and directions to Blah.

Apps.  I downloaded a few apps and it was a seamless experience.  I'll go into the apps themselves in another post.

Lag.  There were a few times when the UI would lag, but I think this is related to an app I downloaded.   For the most part, it was very responsive.

So far the Droid has done everything I wanted it to very well.  If you have any specific questions about the phone, please ask away.
 
As Ferris would say, "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. "

DROID