Should I bail on my Moto Droid?

[keiichi25]

I will state from using mostly Blackberries and the Droid at the moment, and playing with someone's iPhone...

All smart phones will have some sort of issue in general.

For me, the BB has strong Exchange Support, and that is because of the Blackberry Enterprise Server. But when it comes to getting applications for it or browsing the internet, it is still subpar to the iPhone or the Droid in this regards.

iPhone is great for the consumer market, but one thing annoying about it, is the lack of customization as far as looking at how the icons are presented. The Droid and the Blackberry are able to customize how people can see it.

Droid is a nice device that has lots of possibilities, but also introduces many ways to make things overly complicated for users who are used to the iPhone or the Blackberry because of their niche markets. iPhone focuses on Joe Schmoe user where the Blackberry tends to shoot for the more business oriented types. Droid is shooting for consumer users, but is between Joe Schmoe and IT type people who are much more into doing neater things, and have a much more technical level of focus.

This is not to say Droid isn't for the normal user, but I will say the Droid will make some normal users be a little befuddled with some stuff. It does have a slight learning curve and BB and iPhone have been around for a while that they try to make sure there isn't a hard learning curve for their users, while the Droid will play well for people who love to figure out technical things.

With the way Verizon and Motorola pushed the Droid, the Android OS is going to get a lot more interested people to lean towards the Droid simply on the fact that their Viral Advertising marketing actually hit a few points to make people go, "iDon't have to go with an iPhone." And in all seriousness, a few people don't like AT&T or the iPhone for various reasons. The fact Verizon hit on some things that people didn't like about the iPhone is probably the smartest thing to promote the Android OS compared to the Google's attempt with MyTouch commercials which just made it seem like another flavor of a cellphone and not an iPhone Competitor.

Had Google/T-Mobile (Current pusher of the MyTouch) and HTC with the "the phone that gets you" pointed out beyond the 'making the phone look nice' and pointed out that they can do music like the iPhone and internet and the like... The older Android 1.5 and 1.6 version OS would have gotten MORE attention sooner than the 2.0, and 2.0 OS would have been refined even further with more users piping in with suggestions.

The Motorola Droid is fueling the hotbed for the Android OS and HTC's Eris with its 1.5 OS, while not the latest and greatest, being billed as the Droid next to the Motorola as the lower cost point option, will make the Android OS get pushed further for the Verizon network, and when HTC and T-mobile/Google ads start pushing a little more how they are related to the Droid, those sales will also improve for both t-mobile and Sprint who feature those phones versus AT&T.

 

[medicTHREE]

Lets see, Verizon will sell 1 million units my year end alone. Applications are being added in droves and Iphone app developers are embracing the Droid (easy to write programs for). A big software update on 12/11... so yes... bail on some platform that will have more bugs with no future.

oh. my. god. I am soooo sick of people talking about this magical update. Don't assume it will fix anything until it actually does. It will likely fix some known issues and create a whole bunch of new ones. That is what happens with any software update.


I would never use an update that is yet to be seen as a way to convince someone to be locked into a 2 year contract. You sound more like a verizon salesman than anything else. I think it does nothing to help the members of this forum when everyone suggests that this update is going to fix every problem that comes around.

 

[windstrings]

I would never use an update that is yet to be seen as a way to convince someone to be locked into a 2 year contract. You sound more like a verizon salesman than anything else. I think it does nothing to help the members of this forum when everyone suggests that this update is going to fix every problem that comes around.

You have good reason to be skeptical.. the way they try and lock you in first chance they get and try to tell you anything you want to hear to seal a deal.

I've decided I like the Droid enough that in worse case scenario and if "nothing" got updated I'm still good.


With that in mind, its most likely the updates will fix more than they break.

While I like Verizons network, I too don't have allot of faith in their updates.. they are just not true geeks.... but I do have more faith in Google.
Google has unlimited funds "as it were" and have some real guru's that do what what they do.

Google has broken records and rewritten what the internet can do.
Took on Microsoft as a formidable search engine and put them flat out to shame and has never looked back.

Jokingly, I've always told my friends over the last few years that Google is going to take over the world!....

I'm pleased to own a phone they are so interested in making work like no other.

If the first update doesn't seal the deal, the one in January will do more.....and If that doesn't there will be another.

I don't believe they will leave the imperfect undone. They have a good trackrecord.... unlike some I won't mention.

They could have done far less and still would have impressed the world.. but they overdid themselves with the Droid IMO and I just don't believe they plan on stopping impressing and blowing away the world anytime soon.

Besides, things move so fast anymore that if you wait till a phone is perfected, its too late to buy it because it will already be outdated and antiquated with the next new dazzler to blow everyone away... and yes, it will have bugs too... and when they are all fixed... there will be another release that will make that one outdated.

I've discovered that no matter what you buy anymore.. there will always be better for cheaper 6 months later.
Of course you can always buy what runs smoother with less features if you buy older stuff.

I've never been one who likes to mess with beta stuff....I just don't have the time to pull my hair out on half baked projects.
I've never gotten Vista yet... and don't plan to.... I will be jumping from XP right over Vista to what?.. windows 7?.. I too am waiting to see how buggy it is... why give up what works for something thats flaky with limited driver availability right?

Hey.. maybe Google with come out with the Next OS for computers too!

But the Droid has been a breath of fresh air for me.
I'm finally out of the mulligrubs of the limitations of a mere phone only on the Verizon network to being launched into the Verizon network powered with Google.

I've never had an I-phone but have many friends that do.
I think I'm in a better boat.

So what will you do?... when will you jump on the train?

 

[lindaandmike]

Frustrated

I'm 10 days into my 30 days and I'm about to return it. Too complicated, little or no help or instructions. I havee to go to users to try to find out how to use it.... the hardware and OS builders just threw it over the fence!

 

[windstrings]

I'm 10 days into my 30 days and I'm about to return it. Too complicated, little or no help or instructions. I havee to go to users to try to find out how to use it.... the hardware and OS builders just threw it over the fence!

I had the same issue.. I bought mine on the 6th.....I called Verizon and they extended my deadline till the 14th so I would have time to assess the new update.
They just wrote it in my notes... I don't know if it would stick should I decide to exercise it.. but its better than nothing.

 

[phillybadass]

I would say to use as much of your 30 days to find out if the phone meets your basic needs...everything else is a plus. I've had my phone a week and it has met the basic things I need it to do and now I am looking to explore the fun things.