October 28th, 2009
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).
Droid boasts a glorious 3.7″ FWVGA (480×854) 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 (320×640), 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 (720×480) 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.
Related articles:
- What’s new in Android 2.0? Part 1: User features
- What’s new in Android 2.0? Part 2: Developer features
- Motorola Droid gets official on Verizon; arrives Nov. 6 for $199
- First pics of Motorola Droid with Android 2.0 build
- Verizon vs. AT&T: Droids for the win
- Motorola hopes new Android phone will Cliq with users
- Mobile megahertz madness heats up
- Google gives away 4,000 phones, promotes Android and HTML 5
Ed Burnette is a professional developer and author of several articles and books about computing including Hello, Android: Introducing Google's Mobile Development Platform, 2nd Edition. For disclosure of Ed's industry affiliations, click here or to view his full profile click here.
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| 10/29/09
