Motorola’s new Droid smartphone : Droid good but not great

Verizon Droid Phone

Motorola’s new Droid smartphone has attracted a fair amount of attraction as quite possibly the toughest challenger yet for the iPhone.

It’s the first phone to run Android 2.0, the latest version of Google’s smartphone operating system. It’s the first Android phone offered by Verizon, which is reputed to have the best wireless network in the nation.

And it’s the first Android phone available in the United States that has taken the iPhone’s aesthetic into account in its design: The Droid is thin but sturdy and places its large touch screen front and center.

But as much as the Droid improves on previous Android phones, it’s still no iPhone. Both its hardware and software lack the refinement of Apple’s iconic device.

The first thing you notice about the Droid is that it feels solid in your hand. Unlike the myTouch 3G, the Android phone that came out this summer on T-Mobile, the Droid doesn’t feel like it’s made of cheap plastic. On the other hand, it weights about an ounce more than my iPhone, and that difference was noticeable as I held it in my hands surfing the Web or typing email.

Unlike the iPhone, the Droid has a slide-out keyboard. The keys were small for my thumbs, but they give a satisfying sensation when you tap on them.

read full article: Wolverton: Droid good but not great
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