Motorola Droid

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Originally Posted by Solesk

depends on what you consider less features, and how you plan to use it. i also did not know about the no video thing. and find it disappointing as well. but in the year and a half i've had an iphone, i've never actually watched any video on it. partly because i have no need to, and partly because the battery life just isnt long enough. not for movies anyway. i used my iphone on and off for web surfing just the other week, not straight all day, and it still didnt make it past 7pm before it died completely on me.

that was from maybe half an hour total of surfing the web and check score updates with a quick turn on / turn off fairly regularly whenever a new update notification came in. the iphone also has no flash support. so that's pretty much an even trade.

on the other hand the droid has free turn by turn directions. you can leave aim apps running in the background, use google voice, and get better call quality.

thanks for your experiances gentex.

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You must have gotten a bad phone, because I sit my daughter watching Mickey Mouse Club when we are out to eat for 45-60 minutes at a time with no problem.

I also surf all the time, and my phone pretty much always lasts the entire day on one charge.

On top of that I stream movies from my Pogoplug which has a 1tb drive attached. So I have my entire collection on my finger tips. Hopefully the Droid gets that app too.

You can't be having that many problems with battery life based on your supposed usage.

But I mean...if turn by turn directions is the best you get from it, then I'm not all that interested.

Now if you get flash support, that would set it apart. But right now it just sounds like a poor man's iPhone with verizon.

I plan on getting a droid, but does anyone have comparisons from say the Blackberry Storm (1 or 2) vs the Droid? Both seem viable phones, and the Droid seems more 'upgradeable'.

Some quick advice would be great if anyone is so inclined.

I currently have an HTC TYTN II (aka AT&T Tilt). It's a WinMo slider (full KB). It's got a few dings. My main reason for wanting to switch my hardware is that WinMo is a pain to use when compared to the iPhone OS (and now that I've played with it, Droid OS as well).

My SO has an iPhone and I dig it. I went to the Verizon store and played with a Droid. It seems good as well.

Network coverage isn't a major concern of mine as AT&T is sufficient for where I usually am and Verizon should be better.

The issue I have is that I like to canoe/kayak/free climb/camp/etc. often. Right now, on AT&T, it's very easy for me to leave my nice phone in the car or at the camp, put the SIM card into a cheapy backup phone, do my nature thing, then put the SIM back and check my email.

I work remotely for the most part but I need to be reachable when I'm out and about on a weekday. I'm also alone on many of these trips and want a phone with me for safety reasons.

Is there an easy method to switch hardware with Verizon? The store hinted that the iPhone was special somehow. Would I even be able to switch phones if I had an iPhone?

My other concern is the ability to have read access to Excel and Word files. Once in a blue moon write access to Word files would also be nice to have.

Are there applications available that can provide this functionality?

Thanks for the help.

The iPhone IS different from every other GSM phone on the market in the US in that you can't use other phones' simcards in it. Fortunately for you, you CAN use the iPhone's simcard in other phones, so switching it out on camping trips shouldn't be a problem.

I do not believe the CDMA carriers will let you do that anywhere except at the store for a fee.

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Originally Posted by Eamin

The iPhone IS different from every other GSM phone on the market in the US in that you can't use other phones' simcards in it. Fortunately for you, you CAN use the iPhone's simcard in other phones, so switching it out on camping trips shouldn't be a problem.

I do not believe the CDMA carriers will let you do that anywhere except at the store for a fee.

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Thank you. My admin at work handled our last hardware flop on Verizon. She says that you can do ESN (hardware) changes online or by phone for free.

That still doesn't solve the issue easily. It means I'd have to have net access wherever I am and fumble with it when moving from the cheapo (which now has to have internet) to the nice phone.

I'm heavily leaning towards an iPhone at this point. With Verizon, it'd be a 3-4x a week pain in the ass or I'd be calling my admin to do the swap for me all the time. The last thing I need is my employee keeping tabs on my schedule when I'm not setting the best example.

That's right! Fuck CDMA!

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Originally Posted by Ialnyien

I plan on getting a droid, but does anyone have comparisons from say the Blackberry Storm (1 or 2) vs the Droid? Both seem viable phones, and the Droid seems more 'upgradeable'.

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The Storm 1 was apparently the most-returned smartphone of all time. I think it's safe to say the Droid is a better phone.

Storm sucks. The only reason to get it is if you absolutely need Verizon service and you absolutely need to take your phone overseas.

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Originally Posted by Eamin

Storm sucks. The only reason to get it is if you absolutely need Verizon service and you absolutely need to take your phone overseas.

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And you only absolutely need Verizon's service if you actually want to make a phone call.

I live in the actual city of Atlanta and there are areas in the city where AT&T does not have a signal. This is completely absurd and voids AT&T ever being a provider for me.

Verizon's phones have sucked ass but I'm holding out hope for this droid. BB Storm was possibly one of the worst cellular phone creations to ever be sold.

Yeah, I hear that AT&T's network falls apart in bigger cities. Thankfully I won't be moving to one until my contract is up.

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Originally Posted by Eamin

Yeah, I hear that AT&T's network falls apart in bigger cities. Thankfully I won't be moving to one until my contract is up.

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Really? I didn't have issues in NYC, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Atlanta...think I made it to Pitts/Philly but that may have been on Verizon.

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Originally Posted by Eamin

Yeah, I hear that AT&T's network falls apart in bigger cities. Thankfully I won't be moving to one until my contract is up.

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Having used ATT in both NY and Philadelphia, I don't see those problems.

Perhaps it's more phone related than carrier? iPhones do seem to drop calls a lot.

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Originally Posted by Ringo

The Storm 1 was apparently the most-returned smartphone of all time. I think it's safe to say the Droid is a better phone.

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The storm 1 was actually worse than my samsung omnia. That is a difficult feat.

Oh, if it's the iPhone's fault and not AT&T's that's encouraging. I haven't gotten to a big city since I switched to AT&T, we'll see how it works this spring when I go to New York.

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Originally Posted by Vdou

The storm 1 was actually worse than my samsung omnia. That is a difficult feat.

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Wow. That IS saying alot!

I have the Samsung Impression. While the phone by itself is good, now after owning it a few months I'd have a hard time suggesting anyone ever buy a Samsung phone running one of their 'special' OSes.

Remember, a lot of the problems with AT&T's iPhone coverage is that iPhone users use a LOT more data bandwidth than anyone else. I imagine we will see Verizon having similar problems if the Droid becomes huge, as will any other carrier that gets the iPhone. (I think it's likely this is the year they get a second carrier, in summer 2010.)

Given the relative sizes of the networks, the quality of service signals for AT&T versus Verizon in particular, and the quality of the hardware, it's no big surprise that AT&T has consistently ranked lowest in wireless service. See the latest issue of Consumer Reports - they have a GREAT couple of articles about Cell Phones and Cellular Services.

From an inside-the-industry perspective, VZN has been serious about upgrading its networks and cell towers, as well as acquiring upgraded service providers. While they may not have the fastest network (per commercial advertising), they certainly do have the largest coverage and highest reliability. Interesting metrics to consider.

I have AT&T, and I lose signal constantly. Driving, sitting at home, sitting in a 5-bar awesome spot. Bang, dropped call. Happens about 1 in 4 calls, regardless of location. Plus, there are gigantic deadspots in the city, and they aren't "newly developed" areas, either - and Colorado Springs is commonly used as a medium test market for distributions of new networks and tech.

We plan on switching to Verizon shortly after the New Year, since we'll be moving anyway. I'm looking at a variety of phones as it is - the CR articles are helping out in that margin, but I won't go straight off of their recommendations. There's no substitute for holding the device in your hand, if not operating one owned by a friend/family member. I expect I'll get a simple phone and the wife will get a smartphone (she really wants an iPhone, of course, but might go for a Droid or some other smartphone). The information about the Storm (and Storm2) here helps - thanks. I'll take that into consideration.

I look forward to a much more robust (and carefully constructed, cost-saving) service from VZN. Here's hoping my next home will be in an area of Texas that has FIOS (D/FW area) and is not restricted to the worst cable company option: TWC.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/1...hile-att-lags/

I have a hard time trusting a survey that gave Sprint any mark above "complete suck".

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Originally Posted by Apallohadas

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/1...hile-att-lags/

I have a hard time trusting a survey that gave Sprint any mark above "complete suck".

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I live in Kansas City, which is Sprint's HQ. And I have to say that in my experience the customer service has been first rate, the phones top notch and general I hae been very happy and satisfied with them.

And now,hopefully, their thugs will release my wife and child.

With my Treo and Sprint, there were multiple rooms in the house where my phone simply wouldn't work. And while I obviously don't live in Atlanta (as much as I might like to), I've never had a call dropped with AT&T, except when halfway down a mountain pass.

So this stuff tends to vary a lot by region.