Every DROID related site that I've been to, the naysayers/trolls seem to get the most amount of attention. I don't know if they were coddled by their parents well into their adult life or if they even own a DROID, but I wanted to start this thread to focus on the positive aspects and maybe hope to dispell some of the bad mouthing that's been going on.
Feel free to contribute.
Memory Issues/Complaints:
So I think it should be pretty well known that the memory "issues" with the 256MB RAM aren't issues at all. Most WinMo phones only have this much, if not less, and are able to use other storage locations for apps. DROID developers have already proven that applications and games can have a very light footprint in the RAM space, while putting the meat of their application on the SD card. It's only a matter of time before this becomes practice.
Screen Resolution/Display Contrast, etc.:
One of my favorite (and worst) reviews that I've read was posted on the DROID fan page on Facebook that outlined the differences between the iPhone and the DROID in side-by-side comparison photos. The photos were horribly put together and whatever they were shot with, showed terrible photos of both phones.
You just can't compare a 480x854 3.7" screen to a 480x320 3.1" screen and then have the audacity to say the smaller, less resolution screen renders web pages better. That goes against everything I know!!
Battery Life:
Now this has been a heated debate on many forums, and I still fail to see how people are observing less than 4hrs of usage. Heck, I've been having problems seeing how people are observing less than 8hrs of usage!
The thing that people have to remember is that the battery meter is grossly inaccurate. You can count on two things: 1. when it's at 100% and 2. when it's complaining that you better charge it.
There are many tips and tricks to extending your battery life, but turning off HARDWARE services should be your frist step and killing SOFTWARE services should be your last resort.
If you're having trouble with battery life, you should be analyzing what it is you have been doing. There are lots of applications and functions that can easily drain your battery faster (like GPS, email client sync loop), so pay attention first and react second.
The display does eat alot of battery, but I have not noticed a difference in discharge rate between the lowest setting and using the auto-dim setting. Don't kill yourself trying to get a little extra battery. If you can't see the phone outdoors, what good is it?
Keyboard Complaints:
The keyboard isn't the best keyboard i've seen/used, but it certainly isn't the worse. I get the feeling that the keys are moisture resistant and have had no problems pressing the correct key or getting that key to respond when I do press it. I've got a pager with a keyboard half the size of the DROID and I tend to only respond with one or two words on that.
The physical keyboard combined with the browser makes Internet surfing actually enjoyable.
General Build Quality:
I've had a real hard time with complaints of build quality. For the iPhone, it's not hard to put together a device that can never be serviced. It's a solid piece of metal and glass and that's it. The DROID has a sliding keyboard, nice and easy to use buttons, and access to the battery and memory card.
I do worry about the longevity of the rubber coating and paint on the metal surfaces, but my initial impressions of this phone are very positive. It's nice to feel something solid in my hand for a change, other than the typical, lightweight, plastic HTC phones.
Responsiveness:
As far as responsiveness complaints go, I think people need to take a step back and just look at the big picture. This (the DROID) is the first major release of Android 2.0 and no other phone is currently running the OS. Android support has been limited, at best, to a few hard-core nerds interested in Open-Source projects and Linux as a whole. Until recently, the community was very limited. Things WILL change. If you've come into the Android/DROID market expecting big things, you most likely WILL be disappointed.
As an early adopter, you have to realize that things will get better. By coming into the market early, you get to live through the progression and actually have experience with a great platform. Once you have the experience, future platforms are easier to understand and adopt.
Accessories:
The current lineup of Moto accessories for the DROID are second-to-none. There's no fancy interface and the build quality is excellent. The fun little "trickery" that Moto decided to use with polarized magnets to launch different applications almost make the purchases worth it.
OK, so I've exhausted everything that I could think of for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later.
:icon_ banana:
Feel free to contribute.
Memory Issues/Complaints:
So I think it should be pretty well known that the memory "issues" with the 256MB RAM aren't issues at all. Most WinMo phones only have this much, if not less, and are able to use other storage locations for apps. DROID developers have already proven that applications and games can have a very light footprint in the RAM space, while putting the meat of their application on the SD card. It's only a matter of time before this becomes practice.
Screen Resolution/Display Contrast, etc.:
One of my favorite (and worst) reviews that I've read was posted on the DROID fan page on Facebook that outlined the differences between the iPhone and the DROID in side-by-side comparison photos. The photos were horribly put together and whatever they were shot with, showed terrible photos of both phones.
You just can't compare a 480x854 3.7" screen to a 480x320 3.1" screen and then have the audacity to say the smaller, less resolution screen renders web pages better. That goes against everything I know!!
Battery Life:
Now this has been a heated debate on many forums, and I still fail to see how people are observing less than 4hrs of usage. Heck, I've been having problems seeing how people are observing less than 8hrs of usage!
The thing that people have to remember is that the battery meter is grossly inaccurate. You can count on two things: 1. when it's at 100% and 2. when it's complaining that you better charge it.
There are many tips and tricks to extending your battery life, but turning off HARDWARE services should be your frist step and killing SOFTWARE services should be your last resort.
If you're having trouble with battery life, you should be analyzing what it is you have been doing. There are lots of applications and functions that can easily drain your battery faster (like GPS, email client sync loop), so pay attention first and react second.
The display does eat alot of battery, but I have not noticed a difference in discharge rate between the lowest setting and using the auto-dim setting. Don't kill yourself trying to get a little extra battery. If you can't see the phone outdoors, what good is it?
Keyboard Complaints:
The keyboard isn't the best keyboard i've seen/used, but it certainly isn't the worse. I get the feeling that the keys are moisture resistant and have had no problems pressing the correct key or getting that key to respond when I do press it. I've got a pager with a keyboard half the size of the DROID and I tend to only respond with one or two words on that.
The physical keyboard combined with the browser makes Internet surfing actually enjoyable.
General Build Quality:
I've had a real hard time with complaints of build quality. For the iPhone, it's not hard to put together a device that can never be serviced. It's a solid piece of metal and glass and that's it. The DROID has a sliding keyboard, nice and easy to use buttons, and access to the battery and memory card.
I do worry about the longevity of the rubber coating and paint on the metal surfaces, but my initial impressions of this phone are very positive. It's nice to feel something solid in my hand for a change, other than the typical, lightweight, plastic HTC phones.
Responsiveness:
As far as responsiveness complaints go, I think people need to take a step back and just look at the big picture. This (the DROID) is the first major release of Android 2.0 and no other phone is currently running the OS. Android support has been limited, at best, to a few hard-core nerds interested in Open-Source projects and Linux as a whole. Until recently, the community was very limited. Things WILL change. If you've come into the Android/DROID market expecting big things, you most likely WILL be disappointed.
As an early adopter, you have to realize that things will get better. By coming into the market early, you get to live through the progression and actually have experience with a great platform. Once you have the experience, future platforms are easier to understand and adopt.
Accessories:
The current lineup of Moto accessories for the DROID are second-to-none. There's no fancy interface and the build quality is excellent. The fun little "trickery" that Moto decided to use with polarized magnets to launch different applications almost make the purchases worth it.
OK, so I've exhausted everything that I could think of for now. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later.
:icon_ banana:
