First hands-on impressions of the Verizon Motorola DROID

I’m sure you’re heard by now that motorola has a new handset called the DROID.  What many people don’t appear to know is that the DROID is running on Google’s Android 2.0 operating system and that it is only one of two Android phones that Verizon has launched today.  The Motorola Droid and HTC DROID Eris are the first Android phones to hit the Verizon network.  I have a few extra minutes this morning so I headed down to the downtown Minneapolis Verizon store to check out their new phone offerings.  Upon arrival, I was a bit surprised to see how full the store was.  Typically this particular Verizon store is full during the lunch hour, but you could tell that there were a few extra customers and staff and there was a slight hint of excitement in the air.  Verizon has a few posted boards along the walls announcing the new Motorola DROID, but there was no evidence of any promotional materials for the HTC DROID Eris.  Fortunately for customers, Verizon chose to put up a total of seven display units through the store (three of the Motorola DROID and 4 of the HTC DROID Eris).  After waiting patiently for a few minutes, I finally got my turn to play with the new DROID.

The external hardware of the phone is quite nice.  Unlike my G1 and a few other Android phones, the DROID’s top screen panel does not have any grooves that separate it from the body, giving the handset a sleek and uniform look.  Motorola opted for a four row QWERT keyboard on the DROID just like they did with the Cliq (Dext), but the softer keys give the DROID a huge advantage over its little sibling. The DROID features four touch sensitive buttons located under the screen: back, menu, home, and search.  Quite a few bloggers have already mentioned how the button placement feels a bit odd in comparison to other Android phones.  I would have to agree, but it is something that I could get used to.  On the other hand, the exclusion of the call and end buttons appears to be a huge oversight on the part of Motorola.  If I want to make a call on my G1, I simply press the call button on the front of my phone.  With the DROID, you need to press the home button and then press the contacts or dialer icon.  This isn’t a huge issue since the iPhone operated in the same way.  But unlike the iPhone, there icons are not docked and can be moved around.

Android 2.0 was a pleasure to play with.  Most users will not notice many differences between 1.6 and 2.0, but that’s ok. Most of the changes occur below the surface, but user will see social network contact integration, new Google Maps Navigation, and if they purchase the GPS docking station or the charging dock they will be delighted to see the new UI transformations. The home screen on the DROID did lag a bit while scrolling between the three home panels, but the rest of the UI was snappy.  The notification shade and app drawer worked without a glitch.

Overall, the new Motorola DROID was quite an impressive phone.  Many of you know that I have been an HTC fanboy for years, but I can definitely recognize a great phone when I see one.  It’s amazing how Motorola has been able to fit a full four row QWERTY keyboard into suck a thin shell.  The DROID will definitely be a huge hit for Motorola and should be great phone for those looking for a powerful new Android handset or an iPhone alternative.