I am a gadget geek... always have been. I think I got bitten by that bug, when I got my Atari 2600 for Christmas, 30 years ago, this past..... Ever since then if it bleeps, blinks, dings, or whatever, I am in love with it.
However, I do like devices that can be modified, beyond what the manufacturer intended. I was a Linux user for a brief period of time, but, having a family, and being out of the IT industry, I didn't have much use for a Linux box around here anymore, so, it's all Windows.. (yeah, I know)
I'll admit, when I saw the iPhone, I was sort of ga-ga'ed by it. I thought... "damn, that's impressive, look what this thing can DO"...... My brother and his wife both have iPhones, and while there are tons of apps, the phone seems limited, in some way. It's like Apple is saying "We are making this device do everything you want, so long as we approve of it".
When my son offered to get me a smart-phone for Christmas, and since he is a Verizon customer, I thought, well, let's see what they have. I knew the Droid had arrived, and thought I would take a look at that. I played with a Droid, and went to that AT&T store to look at the iPhone. The girlfriend has AT&T, and offered to help my son buy an iPhone if that's what I wanted. After playing with both, I went with the Droid. There is something so "un-iPhone" about the Droid. It's a more enjoyable device in my opinion, plus it has the slide out keyboard, (even though it's a bit clunky) Also, the fact that the OS is open source opens the potential for this device.
Also, calling the Droid a "phone" is a bit of a misnomer. It's really a pocket computer that can make phone calls, in my opinion.
It think the Droid will make more inroads into market share. It will be the "serioius" device for people, who want performance as well as a completely customizable phone, that they can tailor do do exactly what they need it to do. I don't see the droid appealing to the under 25 set like the iPhone does. It seems like every other kid in my son's high school has an iPhone. I see the Droid appealing to the 30 and over crowd.... but then, what do I know.
