Hands on with the Motorola DROID and some of its optional accessories

Hands on with the Motorola DROID and some of its optional accessories

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Published on: 29 October, 2009 by PhoneArena Team

Hands on with the Motorola DROID and some of its optional accessories

Click to see a large image.Click to see a large image.
Click to see a large image.Click to see a large image.
On a wet and rainy Wednesday in the big apple, there is much going on even when rain is steadily dropping down with no end in sight. The World Series will commence in the Bronx with the New York Yankees set to play against the Philadelphia Phillies – with much of New York's attention focused on that. Right in the heart of Times Square, there are many people eagerly awaiting the anticipation of players from the popular ball club to make an appearance at a pep rally. Further down the street away from the noise of people chanting, nestled slightly at a corner, is an event being helmed by Verizon Wireless and Motorola to promote their latest premier handset – the Motorola DROID.


We've managed to get a sneak peak at the Android powered handset and got our first hand taste of what to expect with Motorola's latest smart phone. There's a lot of expectations with this one, especially when it's already been hype as being probably Motorola's saving grace – bringing back the once venerable company to its former glory. We have to admit from just getting our hands on it that it's built quite well with a feeling of quality workmanship from Motorola. The solid metallic feel is a welcomed sight with the soft matte rear finish complimenting the phone well. This form factor they've decided to go with isn't the traditional one we've seen in the past from them, but it's new design is a refreshing sight to behold.


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Undoubtedly its the first phone to feature Android 2.0 and we hope to put it through its paces to see how this latest version stands up. So far, we just notice a little bit of lag from just moving between the home screen, but the smooth typing experience using the virtual QWERTY is a definite improvement. There's some new applications that the DROID will prominently feature out of the box – specifically Google Maps Navigation.

Finally, there will be a couple of accessories expected to launch with the release the phone to compliment some of the specific aspects of the phone. GPS users will be pleased to know that a dash mount will offered to give the phone that standalone GPS feel. Surpsingly the unit will automatically switch to the GPS mode of the phone when connected to the accessory – we're still scratching our heads as to how the phone recognizes it because the mount was just one piece of plastic. Nonethless, we're sure that it'll find its niche out there – especially when Google Maps Navigation is offered for free without any monthly subscriptions. There's even a charging stand which doubles as an alarm clock that will display useful information such as weather and time while it's connected. Both are expected to be available for under $30 each from what we were told – so it won't break you in the bank. We'll see if Motorola has an ace up its sleeve in the form of the DROID – one thing we know for sure is that this will mark the beginning of the Android explosion. Enjoy the shots from the event and expect our in-depth review soon!

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+1
1.
i read somewhere that the reason the docks know to change to a docked screen is from the magnets placed in the docks. Friday the 6th cant come soon enough
Reply to this comment
0
2.
Saw the video from the launch event yesterday, ordering mine on the 6th!
0
3.
same here
Reply to this comment
Reply to coppertrail Hide 1 replies to this comment
0
4.
this phone looks like its built like a tank its nice to have an all metal exoskeliton its seems like a really sturdy phone i give an A+ in my book... im getting this phone on the 6th and im not paying a cent upfront... put it on the tab
Reply to this comment
0
5.
I can't buy this phone from my store till the 12th.
Screw that noise, I'm buying it online.
Reply to this comment
-1
6.
Why do people want this phone so much?
I don't see anything special about this phone other than the Android 2.0.
Plus, the phone seems too laggy and slow to compete with the phones being released these days.
-1
7.
you probably dont have the network
Reply to this comment
0
8.
I'm just making personal comments and being curious on why people want this phone so much..
I don't see the point of your reply lol
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #7 ( Show )
-2
10.
For most people it's because their on Verizon and don't have a good choice in phones. Second, as you stated, it's Android 2.0 with several improvements. Third, the new Google Maps Navigation blows away most third party nav apps that you have to pay for. Fourth, the docks are a nice feature. I'm getting the car dock with my Droid.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #8 ( Show )
0
11.
The point of vzwman's reply is that you don't have the network, which seems to be true since you didn't rebut his claim, meaning you can't actually have the droid even if you did want it. If you don't understand why the droid is creating so much buzz, than you don't know anything about the phone.
Reply to this comment
-1
14.
its the first android phone from verizon i hope i answerd your question
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #8 ( Show )
0
29.
oh okay it makes sense to me a bit now lol
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #14 ( Show )
-1
37.
Everyone on Verizon wants it so bad cause it's the closet thing to an iphone they can get,,,and we all know how bad VZ wants the iphone. Shouldn't have turned it down when they had the chance,,,,regretting it now
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #29 ( Show )
Reply to shgam2 Hide 7 replies to this comment
0
9.
can this phone sync up your email accounts, like hotmail, yahoo, etc...?? will it support office suite docs? perhaps theres an app for that?
0
12.
Supposedly it has a notification pull down menu that will color code your email messages based on which account they come from, so yes. Don't know about the office suite docs, maybe there is an app.
Reply to this comment
0
32.
sweet, thanks for ur reply.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #12 ( Show )
Reply to MR521 Hide 2 replies to this comment
0
13.
I see that the HTC android phone runs Sense UI which I really like..

Are we able to put that on this Droid?
-1
26.
can you put touchflo3D on the Omnia or Palm Treo?
Sense UI is made by HTC so it only comes on their handsets, like touchflo but for Android.
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Reply to zfly9 Hide 1 replies to this comment
0
15.
Does anyone know what data plan this wil require?
0
16.
29.99 Data plan...just like EVERY PDA on the market for pretty much EVERY carrier
Reply to this comment
-1
17.
well some window mobile phones have the 44.99 plan
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #16 ( Show )
0
20.
The 44.99 is for business customers... All devices require minimum 29.99 Data plan. If your accessing a corp server or backing up wirelessly on Windows Mobile you'll need 44.99. Thats the only difference.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #17 ( Show )
-5
23.
wrong
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #16 ( Show )
0
34.
What is wrong exactly? You didn't make any sense therefore you obviously don't know what your talking about.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #23 ( Show )
Reply to vzwpenguin Hide 5 replies to this comment
-3
18.
the droid won't have vz navigator though...i wonder why??
-1
19.
Have you been paying any attention at all? What is your reading comprehension level? This very article says "especially when Google Maps Navigation is offered for free without any monthly subscriptions."
Reply to this comment
+4
21.
VZNav is a Brew application and is made specifically for the device. There isn't one for Android yet as the device is new. Plus GoogleNav is free. I work for the company and free is way better than 9.99 :)
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #19 ( Show )
0
28.
ik but i'm just saying...thank you vzdubrep for an intelligent response.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #19 ( Show )
0
30.
damn fanman 1026 postcount your a freaking veteran
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #28 ( Show )
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31.
HAHAHA thats funny...made me laugh bro.
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #19 ( Show )
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33.
actually there are many more. i registered in december because it was mandatory to post comments, i've been coming to this website for a long time...:-)
Reply to this comment This comment is posted in response to #30 ( Show )
Reply to vzw fanman Hide 6 replies to this comment
0
22.
so now that the droid has bin released phone arena we need an in dept review asap before some of us drow away our savings or for some their life savings
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