Motorola DROID on Verizon: Is this the iPhone killer you're looking for?
Motorola and Verizon officially announced the DROID this morning, surprising many with an earlier than expected release date (November 6) and a lower than expected price ($199 after rebate). Droid is the first phone running version 2.0 of the Linux-based Android operating system (which itself was just announced yesterday).
Motorola and Verizon officially announced the DROID this morning, surprising many with an earlier than expected release date
(November 6) and a lower than expected price ($199 after rebate). Droid is the first phone running version 2.0 of the Linux-based Android operating system (which itself was just announced yesterday).
Droid boasts a glorious 3.7" FWVGA (480x854) capacitive multi-touch display, which works out to 260 dots per inch and a true 16:9 HD aspect ratio. By contrast, the Apple iPhone is only 3.5" HVGA (320x640), at 160 dots per inch and a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. Bottom line: on the Droid you'll get crisper graphics, smoother letters, high definition movies without letterboxing, and web pages with less scrolling.
In addition to an on-screen keyboard it also features a super-thin QWERTY slide-out keyboard. Yet somehow Motorola managed to squeeze all that in a package that is almost exactly the same size as the iPhone. It's a little heavier, though:
Motorola Droid
Apple iPhone
Width
60.0mm (2.36in)
62.1mm (2.44in)
Height
115.8mm (4.56in)
115.5mm (4.55in)
Depth
13.7mm (0.54in)
12.3mm (0.48in)
Weight
169g (5.96oz)
135g (4.76oz)
In a departure from other Android phones, the Droid has no physical keys on the front. Instead, it has a touch sensitive area below the screen that accesses the back, menu, home, and search functions. If you've ever tried to apply a screen protector to a phone with lots of buttons on it, or you've gotten dirt and grit in the tiny cracks around the buttons, you'll appreciate this "slab" approach.
Other features:
Webkit HTML5 based browser with geolocation and video support; Flash 10 on the way next year
Exchange, Gmail, IMAP, POP, Macmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL mail support
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR Stereo, 3.5mm Headset jack, microUSB 2.0 with charger
Advanced video record/playback at D1 resolution (720x480) with up to 24fps capture and 30fps playback, MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
5.0 megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash and image stabilization (digital I presume)
16GB microSD card included, 32GB supported
aGPS and sGPS, turn-by-turn directions
TI OMAP 3430 Cortex A8 ARM CPU with GPU for faster graphics
It looks like Motorola and Verizon have a hit on their hands with the Droid.
