thinking of getting a droid

[reaversrock2]

hey all, im thinking of getting a droid phone, im on a tight budget as i have a newborn and a stay at home wife so i just want to be sure im getting something im not going to want to trade in in a year(specially with a 2 year contract) i currently have a no frills basic as you get phone and like i say im looking to upgrade as an investment and was wondering what anyone thinks about what might be happening with 4g networks and phones that may be coming out next year i really want to upgrade to smartphone status but dont want to kick myself in the gary if 3g and these smartphones out now become "last years technology" like i say i look at something like the droid as an investment-something ill have for years to come and was just wondering if anyone could help with my decision to run with it or wait for the next best thing...thanks in advance

 

[vzwmandroid]

go for it man you wont regret it remember you can never go wrong with an android phone especially the motorola droid

 

[Dr. Tenma]

What this good man said. The Droid is such a powerhouse of technology that no matter what comes out, it will still operate on the state of the art Google system used by handhelds universally and will still do everything the iPhone can and more. I was considering getting that new "Retro Handheld" thing to play NES and SNES games but I've got those as well as GBA and Genesis all on a cell phone. That's pretty cool, you must admit.

If you don't want the absolute state of the art in technology, the epitome of everything that is machine, then go for the HTC Droid Eris and save the cash- it does the same basic functions minus a much needed physical keyboard. If you dare to take the plunge and enter the twilight zone of robotics, then the Droid will not dissapoint.

 

[reaversrock2]

yea ive looked and played with a bunch of phones and the droid is a beast, but like i say i would hate for verizon to put 4g nationwide early-mid next year and be stuck with a "dated" phone(and yea, iPhones not in the picture)- im not really considering any other phone just want to think that after having a basic phone for years my new toy wont be old next week

 

[Dr. Tenma]

Although I understand your concern, everything will be outdated soon. After 4g comes out you will have to worry about 5g. 3g does an excellent job and doesn't appear to be disappearing any time soon, and the Droid has excellent WiFi access, much faster than the iPhone even. You can wait as long as you want, but you'll never get the one thing that will truly not become "obsolete" in one way or other in a year or two- unless of course you purchase a phone the day before the apocalypse

That aside, there is really no hurry I suppose. I suggest the Droid only because it's worth the time until 4g (which comes out supposedly "sometime next year") to play with and enjoy and it will still be just as fun later- 4g may be faster, but 3g will still do just what it did before. If you are satisfied with the price and functions of the Droid I say go for it, Android as an OS isn't going away any time soon and will be just as cool when 7g comes out.

 

[Bill Beltway]

I was told by the Verizon reps that the LTE service on 700 mHz is being tested in Japan. It should be out sometime next year, but only for pure data subscribers, not for smartphones. LTE won't be integrated enough for smartphones for at least 18 months, and then give it six months to get the glitches out and there you are, your two-year Droid contract will be up.

That's what they SAY, anyway, and from the time it usually takes for things to get to market it seems about right.

LTE, btw, has been tested at over 100mbps. That's nearly 100 times faster than 3G. That's in testing, though, we'll see about real life.

I run my own business out of my house, my wife has a killer commute, and I have kids in high school and middle school. I have to take care of everybody's loose ends, and trust me there are a lot of them. My schedule was he!! and my previous phone wasn't up to the task of helping me keep it. The Droid is all I could ask for and more.

My teenage daughter runs a lawn mowing business and makes enough money to pay for the service. I figure if I don't like it, by next summer I can give it to her and get whatever's next. You may be in a different position, but I can tell you that the Droid has taken my scheduling and connectivity to a new level, and I'd like to think I was pretty high up that ladder to begin with. -BB

 

[takeshi]

im looking to upgrade as an investment

Buying a Droid is not an "investment". Even if it was it would be an extremely poor investment.

It is an excellent smartphone that will hold up though.

 

[reaversrock2]

im looking to upgrade as an investment

Buying a Droid is not an "investment". Even if it was it would be an extremely poor investment.

It is an excellent smartphone that will hold up though.

sorry...meant "investment" as in an investment in something more substantial than what i have, not on gaining a return on something

 

[StupidGenius]

Like another poster said. 4G will be out next year, but it will only appear as dongles for laptops (maybe embedded in some). Handsets are likely two years away. In fact, a true Voice over LTE hasn't even been approved yet. If you keep waiting for the next big thing the best devices will elude you. In this case, the Droid.

 

[boatman2220]

hey all, im thinking of getting a droid phone, im on a tight budget as i have a newborn and a stay at home wife so i just want to be sure im getting something im not going to want to trade in in a year(specially with a 2 year contract) i currently have a no frills basic as you get phone and like i say im looking to upgrade as an investment and was wondering what anyone thinks about what might be happening with 4g networks and phones that may be coming out next year i really want to upgrade to smartphone status but dont want to kick myself in the gary if 3g and these smartphones out now become "last years technology" like i say i look at something like the droid as an investment-something ill have for years to come and was just wondering if anyone could help with my decision to run with it or wait for the next best thing...thanks in advance

Pretty sure that I've read where the Droid want be 4G capable. But it will probably be quite awhile before it's rolled out to a vast area. Unless you are in one of the market areas that 4G comes to first, most want be able to utilize 4G for awhile.

 

[boatman2220]

yea ive looked and played with a bunch of phones and the droid is a beast, but like i say i would hate for verizon to put 4g nationwide early-mid next year and be stuck with a "dated" phone(and yea, iPhones not in the picture)- im not really considering any other phone just want to think that after having a basic phone for years my new toy wont be old next week

Trust me the Droid will be relevant for quite awhile, too much invested by too many for it not to be. But there will be newer devices coming out built out of the evolution of the Droid. Look at the way laptops have grown and evolved in the last 6 - 8 years. The 1st laptop that I ever bought many years ago is still a good machine. Doesn't have as many features as the latest laptops out there though.

 

[iiimegamaniii]

There's always--ALWAYS--going to be something better in the future. That's just the way things are. You can either get yourself in the game now and have fun, or suit-up and wait until your team finally makes it to The Series. (All-the-while not letting yourself experience the thrills of the regular season with your team.)

- Mega (who plays senior baseball and cannot wait until March, but is definitely having fun with the DROID now!!!)

 

[superglen99]

fyi for everyone the droid does not contain the necessary hardware to run 4g. no phone on the market right now does. besides 4g being available in as many areas as 3g is right now is about 2 years away. yes they will start deploying it mid-late 2010 but it will be sparse to start. when 4g is everywhere there will be new phones but by then your 2 year contract will be up and you can get the newest 4g phone. I'm hoping they continue the Droid onto the 4g network say the Droid II?

 

[bigthinker]

Even if someone is not super high tech, the Droid is a basic phone that has great functionality. THEN Add a few apps and start browsing...THIS thing is a Maserati heading down the highway doing 185+....You will not regret making the decision....I tried one out for a week first....Took a little getting used to, but would not go back to the BB Tour full time for anything....:motdroidhoriz:

 

[zegolf]

Even if someone is not super high tech, the Droid is a basic phone that has great functionality. THEN Add a few apps and start browsing...THIS thing is a Maserati heading down the highway doing 185+....You will not regret making the decision....I tried one out for a week first....Took a little getting used to, but would not go back to the BB Tour full time for anything....:motdroidhoriz:

Plus, you could probably recommend the Eris for anyone that might be scared of the Droid. It's like Droid Lite.