Motorola DROID A855 Phone
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
- Android 2.0-powered smartphone with 3.7-inch touchscreen and slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
- Access a wealth of Google mobile services including Google Maps with Navigation for voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, Gmail, Google Talk, Calendar and more
- GPS-enabled for location services; Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g); 5-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth stereo music; microSD expansion (16 GB card included)
- Up to 6.4 hours of talk time, up to 270 hours (11.25 days) of standby time
- What’s in the Box: handset, rechargeable battery, wall/USB charger, 16 GB microSD card, quick start guide, user manual
Amazon.com Product Description
The first Android-powered phone for Verizon Wireless, the 3G-enabled Motorola DROID smartphone offers a full package of powerful mobile connectivity–from easy access to all your social networks and viewing of full Web sites to spoken turn-by-turn directions thanks to the new Google Maps with Navigation Beta app. One of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available, the Motorola DROID also features a high-resolution 3.7-inch touchscreen display and a virtual onscreen keyboard that auto-rotates depending on the phone’s orientation. And you’ll be able to capture high-resolution images and DVD-quality videos on the go with its 5-megapixel camera with flash.
The Motorola DROID … More >>
blekenbleu says:
January 27th, 2010
4:32 am
pro: bright and shiny
cons: not a phone, too thick to fit credit card slot of a shredder
The Droid is probably best considered an overweight flash drive with bluetooth.
It has no controls worthy of the name.
One might fantasize that a stylus could offer an illusion of control,
but iPod/iPhone reviews suggest that styluses are effectively incompatible with capacitive touch screens.
A phone should have a grip, place to speak and place listen, so zero for three.
Fully charged before turning off: two days later the battery was flat.
This appears to be related to (and can be repeated by) selecting full power down
while in airplane mode, then storing in the Verizon holster,
which by the way has cutouts which in no way correspond with connectors.
We have seen the battery go from fully charged to flat over night in this way.
Leaving the Droid in sleep mode, on the other hand, barely discharges the battery.
For dependable wireless communications (that is why you chose Verizon, right?),
you will need to also carry a real cell phone. Voice communications are
nearly unintelligible, mostly resembling grunts and mumbles.
Droid Wi-Fi appears to confuse our NETGEAR WGR614v6;
for the initial connection each day we now have to power that wireless router off and on
to re-enable 802.11g access for any of our wireless devices.
If you are the sort of person who prefers their SLR with a battery grip
or appreciates why real typists chose the IBM Executive to Selectric,
then move along, nothing to see here.
The LCD seems quite nice until your eyes tire of focusing on things no more than 8 inches away.
Rating: 3 / 5
trastevere says:
January 27th, 2010
6:39 am
Democracy in America (and elsewhere) is under threat by corporate domination. The Supreme Court (through its conservative majority) decided on Jan. 21 to allow giant corporations and other special interests unlimited economic influence in elections. The power to control information is, in the end, the power to control the future. The rich and powerful already have too much influence in Washington. This new rule (supported only by so-called conservatives!) will give them much much more.
What does this have to do with Verizon, and the Droid?
Some Verizon products and services are pretty good. But if you give Verizon your money, you are threatening the future of the United States. That’s because Verizon is a key supporter of the groups that organize the Tea Party movement.
Verizon doesn’t support this movement because it shares their agenda. It has a different agenda, one that has something to do with band widths and other tech issues. It only wants to get certain politicians elected because it wants greater freedom to dominate its markets. In other words, it’s using the Tea Party movement as a private lobby– exploiting and corrupting its aims.
If you want your government to be strong, let Verizon know (through your consumer choices) that you won’t tolerate them exploiting urgent American problems as tools for their own corporate ends.
Rating: 4 / 5
escalation says:
January 27th, 2010
8:27 am
First of all, this review is based on my personal experience. This is not just review of the product but also some experience with VW services. Since this phone is exclusive so the carrier service is part of the overall product experience I believe.
Here are what I care about when select phones:
carrier service quality
product quality (user interface, build quality, functionality, etc)
international roaming
I waited for the droid but I got iphone 3GS (2 of them now, one for me and one for the wife) after I delt with VW rep. When I asked the VW rep if I could see one that is powered one for demo. the guy told me one word ‘NO’ and walked away. Then I immediately drove to the nearby ATT store. While at ATT store, I got warmly greeted. the girl asked me what’s the purpose of my visit and put me on the list. while I am waiting, she offered me some water. then in about 2 minutes, a rep is ready. Does VW have better network coverage? probably yes but better coverage doesn’t mean better service overall.
Another thing I am concerning about is since most of my friends are using iphone, so switch to VW will cause higher phone bill and not be able to stay in touch( I assume even the same Apps e.g. ping! is available on Droid, it probably won’t be compatible between iphone version)
I think iphone has better build quality overall. it has the solid feeling. the UI is extremely easy to use. Droid has it’s advantage too. multitasking is my favorite. turn by turn GPS is another one and higher resolution is very attractive as well. It’s all about personal preference I guess.
International roaming might not be a concern for most of Americans. however, I do travel from time to time and I need GSM since this is most available mobile network around world.
So overall, I think iphone fits me. JB it and it will even fit better.
Rating: 3 / 5
Bill Lynn says:
January 27th, 2010
8:51 am
Before purchasing this phone on Amazon I went to my local Verizon store to test drive the Motorola Droid. I walked into the store 8 days after the phone’s release. I did not see one sign, poster or display that indicated that this phone even existed. There was not ONE dummy phone on display in the entire store. This is a large store in a major market!! When I inquired about the Droid I was told they have a functional model in the “back room.” There were 10 customers and 2 employees in the store. I left and went to Best Buy. The exact same story. No phones on display and no signage. Nothing!! I live 15 minutes from the Best Buy world headquarters so this is not a Verizon store or Best Buy issue. Note to Google, Motorola and Verizon: If you are going to label a phone an “iPhone Killer” maybe you should have a functional model on display and some signage in the two most important stores selling your product. You can go to Walmart and demo a functional iPhone. Walmart people!!
I was able to obtain a functioning model from a Best Buy employee that was stored in a locked cabinet!! I sat down with the phone for 45 minutes to demo it. Due to the nature of my business I have used 3000-7000 cell phone minutes a month for the last 7 years. I receive 100-200 emails a day on my cell phone. In 7 years I have owned and wore out 4 Treos and 3 BlackBerrys. I know what a smart phones does and should do and the Droid does not. With the demands I put on my phone, functionality is absolute paramount but I must comment on the Droid’s appearance first because mobile phone design has been taken to a high art in recent years. The overall appearance of this device can only be described as embarrassing. How could the company that created the Razor have produced this device? As you may recall, the Razor was the pinnacle of mobile phone design for it’s time. The best way describe the Droid’s overall appearance is to compare it to an early 1980’s Texas Instruments calculator. The gold accents and the flat black appearance are just awful. Look at a photograph of the keyboard and you will see the gold color of the directional device. Enough said!!
As I have previously mentioned, my use of smart phones is comprehensive and significant so I have no problem saying the functionality of this phone is a mess. Yes, there are learning curves and software updates to be had but the most important communication device you own should not take more than 15-45 minutes to obtain an understanding of it’s functionality. I taught my wife to use a BlackBerry in 30 minutes. She had never used one and has abandoned ever electronic device I have ever bought her. 5 hours after using this device I am still uncertain what I encountered. The screen lagged at times and was too sensitive at others. The directional device on the keyboard is virtually useless. The keyboard is like something from the previously mentioned 1980’s calculator. The keys are flat and smooth with no feedback. The top row of keys can barely be used because your thumbs touch the edge of the device and my hands are tiny. My 12 year son has bigger thumbs. This keyboard is fine for 5-10 emails a day but no business user could send 50-100 emails a day without going insane. Look at a close up photo of the keyboard. It doesn’t even look like it could be on a device built in 2009. People have raved about the Droid’s on screen keyboard but I found it to be sluggish and inaccurate. Previous reviews have detailed the Droid’s email abilities and if you are a heavy email user you should beware. This phone has a long way to go to compete with Blackberry.
Additional issues: How could they release this phone without the ability to Sync with Outlook? I know it is possible wirelessly but does it have to be that complicated? No physical phone buttons? It is a 3 step process to hang up a call on this phone. I was very under whelmed by the screen quality and may have been a victim to the “better than iPhone hype” but I just don’t see it. I have had my Blackberry Curve 8900 for 11 months and at least once a day I am amazed by the screen. I held the Droid for 45 minutes and I was never once was “wowed” by it’s screen. I don’t know how long Verizon has exclusive rights to the Droid but I suspect, based on what I have seen, this phone will be heavily discounted and available through other wireless providers in a short period of time. The reason I mention this is that I am a “charter customer” with T-Mobile because I signed up with their service when they first started doing business in the U.S. in the late 90’s. This allows me benefits and discounts not available to everyone so it would be a significant step to leave them for Verizon. But, after testing this phone it is highly unlikely that I would purchase one at a steep discount if it became available at T-Mobile let alone switch wireless providers to obtain it.
I must say that I am no fan of Apple or the iPhone. The ad campaigns to the masses selling the iPhone and extolling it’s ability to “cut and paste” make me want to puke when the first smart phones could do that 7 years ago. Motorola, Verizon and Google had a tremendous ad campaign for the Droid and I wanted to believe it. After all I am their target market. It worked!! I was ready to abandon my Unlimited Plan for $50 at T-Mobile and my Blackberry but the Droid under delivered big time. The geek in me wanted to so bad walk away with this phone. The bottom line is years I ago I would have bought this phone and had a lot of fun playing with it. But today, most people rely on their devices to perform and perform well at a high level and the Droid is not a high performance device. In the meantime I will wear out two more BlackBerrys waiting for the next version of the Droid!!
Rating: 2 / 5
L. Davis says:
January 27th, 2010
11:14 am
VERY surprised that so many people are giving this phone good reviews (hmmm). I have had my Droid (3 of them actually) since November 7th -long enough to be extremely frustrated. My complaints are endless but I will try to condense them.
1. The Droid locks up, powers off, and you have to do a battery pull. I have replaced 2 droids and the 3rd does the same thing. My daughter also has one (purchase at the same time) and she had the same problems with hers. It is horrible as a phone(because of the freezes, very poor battery life)and even worse with emails. It does not allow you to forward email attachments. Maybe it does with Gmail but I do not use Gmail. The most annoying thing is that emails that I have read and even deleted keeps popping up as new messages regardless of how many times you delete them (uugghhhhh). The email notifications only work sometimes. My yahoo IM does not work. Of course, no voice dial using bluetooth AND no voice dial button (you have to create a shortcut icon on the screen, which I can barely see without my glasses). The volumn button is too big and often gets pressed accidentally, when pulling the phone out of holder, pocket, or handbag. The camera is the worse that I have had on any cell phone. These problems have happened on all 3 phones and my daughter’s phone as well. Before buying this phone go the Android site and you will find all of the complaints I have listed and more. To sum it all up, Motorola and Verizon should be ashamed to release such a phone with so many kinks.
Rating: 1 / 5