Droid drooling: Motorola/Verizon Droid review

LOVE

1. Verizon’s 3G network – the Droid is not an AT&T device, which is reason enough for me to sell my iPhone on eBay tonight. Seriously, there is just no comparison. Check your email in an elevator? No problem! Need to read the latest Chic Geek column pronto? Sure thing! The Verizon network is blazing fast; I thought AT&T’s 3G network was awful before; now that I’ve experienced Verizon’s 3G network, I’m certain.  

2. The user-friendly navigation – although not as intuitive as the iPhone, the Droid is well designed and easily customizable. You can drag and drop apps, shortcuts and even individual contacts right onto the home screen. And unlike the Blackberry Storm, it’s easy to get out of apps once you’re in them. 

3. Google’s turn-by-turn GPS – I mean for real! It’s got that robot lady’s voice and everything!  

4. The big and beautiful screen – this phone is about the same thickness as the iPhone, but something about the size and color quality of the screen just really did it for me. Plus it’s very sensitive to touch, which is what all smart phone touch screens strive for, yet rarely acheive.

WTF?

1. It’s heavy – and by “heavy” I mean it’s heavier than the iPhone. Women who carry purses aren’t a fan of heavy things; the good news: it feels sturdy, like it’s not going to smash into a million pieces when you drop it.  

2. Android platform apps aren’t as bug-free and fun as the iPhone apps – the iPhone has had two years - and now, 100,000 apps - to work the kinks out and get creative. Droid does have many of the brand names like the New York Times and Open Table. But, if I made the switch today I’d no longer have apps like Gowalla, and I’m just not ready to make that sacrifice. 

3. I’m not used to typing on a full landscape mobile keyboard, so my hands cramp up – clearly, this is a personal problem. Still, I found myself just using the touch keyboard instead of flipping up the screen to access the keyboard. And the real keys are small and all one size (although not as tiny as Palm Pre keys.)

4. The camera is slow to load – it is on the iPhone, too. But I was hoping things would be different on the Droid. (sigh). At least it’s got a flash and a video camera! 

Keep in mind that I’ve been using an iPhone for a couple of years now, so my comparisons are to something I (still) consider to be a superior technology. Despite my iPhone bias, I’ve been shouting my Droid enthusiasm from the mountaintop, and have now convinced my office-mate and my mom to purchase one.

If you’ve got a question about my 48 hours of Droid-drooling, drop it in the comments! In the meantime, you can get a Droid of your own for $199 after mail-in rebate (and a two-year contract) at a Verizon Wireless store near you.

NOTE: The Chic Geek never receives payment or free stuff for product reviews. The opinions expressed here are my own and not those of Her Nashville magazine. M’kay!