The Droid....

[cmtar]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/29/cnet.verizon.motorola.droid/

Verizon Wireless customers will soon be able to get their hands on the much anticipated ...

http://phones.verizonwireless.com/motorola/droid/

[bobukcat]

I have a friend of a friend who works at VZW and they have mine set aside and reserved for me on Friday morning so I don't have to worry about them selling out or waiting in a long line!! The video reviews I've seen posted on youtube look awesome - I'm sure it's not perfect and there will some thing or things I don't like that much about it but it's still going to be a HUGE step up from what I'm using and previous Android devices.

[wingrider01]

I have a friend of a friend who works at VZW and they have mine set aside and reserved for me on Friday morning so I don't have to worry about them selling out or waiting in a long line!! The video reviews I've seen posted on youtube look awesome - I'm sure it's not perfect and there will some thing or things I don't like that much about it but it's still going to be a HUGE step up from what I'm using and previous Android devices.

We looked at the specs for authorizing as a business smart phone, after getting done talking to the business tech support people in VZW and being informed that it will not do SSL to a exchange service, they have been dropped from the authorized list. Which is a pity since I was going to upgrade from tbe Windows Mobile phone I have

[bobukcat]

We looked at the specs for authorizing as a business smart phone, after getting done talking to the business tech support people in VZW and being informed that it will not do SSL to a exchange service, they have been dropped from the authorized list. Which is a pity since I was going to upgrade from tbe Windows Mobile phone I have

I was worried this was going to be a show-stopper for me too because I work for a very large company and access Exchange but I contacted our Help Desk and they have support for Android 2.0 setup so I'm good to go! I won't know until I get it if there is something special they are doing or are just allowing the lack of ssl on a temporary basis until it's supported in Adroid 2.X (Flan).

[wingrider01]

I was worried this was going to be a show-stopper for me too because I work for a very large company and access Exchange but I contacted our Help Desk and they have support for Android 2.0 setup so I'm good to go! I won't know until I get it if there is something special they are doing or are just allowing the lack of ssl on a temporary basis until it's supported in Adroid 2.X (Flan).

That is a major stopper for us, we will not even allow access temporaly to out servers without SSL, think the current version on the droid is eclair which has 0 support, where as what you mention Flan will have it, until we can make sure we get a droid with the correct version of the OS on it, it will be a no for any of my users that want it.

If you excuse me, all this talk of Flan's and eclairs and given me the urge to hit the local donut shop:lol:

[bobukcat]

Here's the latest commercial from Verizon / Motorola / Google. I'm actually quite curious who is sponsoring these commercials, the "iDon't" spots say that "Droid" is trademarked by Lucasfilm and used under license to Verizon so I assume they're paying for the spot but it could be a group effort too, I suppose.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9fXYQjwR0w&feature=player_embedded

[Lee L]

I think Lucas just trademarked the term Droid in conjunction with the Star Wars movies so rather than fighting it out with them as to whether it was just a contraction of the word Android, they negotiated a fee instead.


It will be interesting to see the final handset and if this eventually changes, but it looks like Verizon might not have learned its lesson just yet. It seems that they have disabled multitouch in the base OS even though the phone handset itself has it and in Europe it is being used. According to Engadget, it does look like Apps will be able to use Multitouch, but none of the built in stuff will.

That at the massive jacking of the ETF on their phones to $350. Looks like they want to lock some people in.

[bobukcat]

I think Lucas just trademarked the term Droid in conjunction with the Star Wars movies so rather than fighting it out with them as to whether it was just a contraction of the word Android, they negotiated a fee instead.


It will be interesting to see the final handset and if this eventually changes, but it looks like Verizon might not have learned its lesson just yet. It seems that they have disabled multitouch in the base OS even though the phone handset itself has it and in Europe it is being used. According to Engadget, it does look like Apps will be able to use Multitouch, but none of the built in stuff will.

That at the massive jacking of the ETF on their phones to $350. Looks like they want to lock some people in.

This is a Google Experience phone so it's Google that's decided not to include the pinch-zoom api in the base OS, not Verizon. I don't think it's been confirmed if the "Milestone" (Droid for Europe) is a "Google Experience" device but the pinch-zoom api in that device was apparently written and included by Motorola.

The speculation (and that's all there is because no one that counts is talking aobut it) is that Google doesn't want to risk a lawsuit over the Apple pinch-zoom patent or that they just don't want to further weaken their once-strong relationship with Apple. It seems to be the general consensus that Patent is weak, but it's still going to cost someone a bunch of cash to get that judgement if they get sued, since the patent doesn't apply outside the US there is no risk including the functionality in "Milestone".

Given the open source nature of Android I bet there are multiple people working on an api to bring pinch-zoom to the Droid right now, how much it would effect things like the browser, Google Maps, etc. is unclear but I don't think we'll see if any time soon. I've never had an Iphone so I won't miss it.

[bobukcat]

That is a major stopper for us, we will not even allow access temporaly to out servers without SSL, think the current version on the droid is eclair which has 0 support, where as what you mention Flan will have it, until we can make sure we get a droid with the correct version of the OS on it, it will be a no for any of my users that want it.

If you excuse me, all this talk of Flan's and eclairs and given me the urge to hit the local donut shop:lol:

For anyone that wants to get Droid (or any Android phone for that matter) and needs SSL synchronization with Exchange it appears there are two 3rd Party Apps in the Android Market for this. "Touchdown" is $30 and supposedly includes task synchronization along with all e-mail, calendar and contacts. Moxier Mail is $25 but doesn't appear to offer as much functionality. I don't know if either of these work on Android 2.0 yet but I'm sure they will soon if not.

I'm surprised that Google / Moto / VZW are releasing this powerful phone lacking such an important feature for business users. Moto used MotoBlur to resolve this issue on the social-network focused lower-tier Cliq on T-Mobile but left their flagship lacking (not that I want Droid to run MotoBlur).

[wingrider01]

For anyone that wants to get Droid (or any Android phone for that matter) and needs SSL synchronization with Exchange it appears there are two 3rd Party Apps in the Android Market for this. "Touchdown" is $30 and supposedly includes task synchronization along with all e-mail, calendar and contacts. Moxier Mail is $25 but doesn't appear to offer as much functionality. I don't know if either of these work on Android 2.0 yet but I'm sure they will soon if not.

I'm surprised that Google / Moto / VZW are releasing this powerful phone lacking such an important feature for business users. Moto used MotoBlur to resolve this issue on the social-network focused lower-tier Cliq on T-Mobile but left their flagship lacking (not that I want Droid to run MotoBlur).

Corproate policy, no 3rd party applications on the phones unless reviewed by IT and legal. Do not want to have to support a 3rd party application to make the phone corporate legal, if thye cannot supply native support, then the phone stays on the not allowed list

[bobukcat]

I don't know why this isn't in the product manual or in the reviews I've seen but I just saw a video (it's not something I can post or link to - sorry!) of setting up an Exchange account with SSL using the stock Droid build. It will accept SSL certs as well. I'm a happy camper! :joy:

[wingrider01]

I don't know why this isn't in the product manual or in the reviews I've seen but I just saw a video (it's not something I can post or link to - sorry!) of setting up an Exchange account with SSL using the stock Droid build. It will accept SSL certs as well. I'm a happy camper! :joy:

We tested on a loaner unit with Exchange 2007 that is specificly setup to only allow a secure connection, the droid would not connect at all. This was verified by VZW's business tech support team and our sales rep

[bobukcat]

We tested on a loaner unit with Exchange 2007 that is specificly setup to only allow a secure connection, the droid would not connect at all. This was verified by VZW's business tech support team and our sales rep

I think the problem is in how you add the account, which is also why a lot of reviewers claimed it didn't support SSL. I have confirmed with BGR that they have it connected via SSL and I will have one in my own grubby pawls tomorrow morning. Since we use SSL on Exchange 2007 and that is how I currently connect my WM phone I'll let you know if it works by tomorrow afternoon (I may even post from the device since I will not want to put it down!).

I can't wait to have a phone that causes people to say "what is that!?" in an excited tone instead of in a "where did you dig that fossil up from" tone. :grin:

[trdrjeff]

pretty good review comparing contrasting with iphone:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/technology/personaltech/05pogue.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[wingrider01]

I think the problem is in how you add the account, which is also why a lot of reviewers claimed it didn't support SSL. I have confirmed with BGR that they have it connected via SSL and I will have one in my own grubby pawls tomorrow morning. Since we use SSL on Exchange 2007 and that is how I currently connect my WM phone I'll let you know if it works by tomorrow afternoon (I may even post from the device since I will not want to put it down!).

I can't wait to have a phone that causes people to say "what is that!?" in an excited tone instead of in a "where did you dig that fossil up from" tone. :grin:

If I recall correctly on Exchange 2007 it can be set for a mixed connection, we have it specificly set to connect SSL only. I can verify with my exchange people but they where unable to get the connection to work on the loaner. I have a call into the manufacturer's support people to see if I can get some detailed information on it.

[bobukcat]

I got my phone this morning and it is just flat-out awesome! I'm not sure if we use Exchange 2003 or 07 but I connected to ours with SSL in about 15 seconds, calendar, contacts and e-mail all synched in seconds!

[trdrjeff]

Almost looks like an Ad on the google home page

http://www.google.com/

[bobukcat]

I just used the turn by turn directions with traffic overlay and street view to find my destination and I have to say it is without a doubt the BEST GPS Nav system I have ever used!!

[dennisj00]

Interesting article on CNET that 'there were no lines and no waiting' to get the 'Droid. . . and they're not worried that it will be a success.

[bobukcat]

Interesting article on CNET that 'there were no lines and no waiting' to get the 'Droid. . . and they're not worried that it will be a success.

I have no idea how it was at other stores but when I showed up at 7:50 at my local store for an 8:00 opening there were about 20 people in line. I was afraid it would take forever but they had a BUNCH of salespeople working with mobile tablets taking orders and I was done in under 25 minutes. The guy told me they really learned their lessons from the Storm launch last year and had more stock (although some accessories like the card dock were in relatively short supply) and a lot more people working.

[Getteau]

For those that haven't been following the forums on Goggle, this phone will do ActiveSync over HTTPS to an Exchange 2003 infrastructure (I don't have 2007 running, so I can't comment on that).

However, here's the catch. From what I have seen in my Exchange 2003 environment, if you have ActiveSync policies configured, the only thing you will be able to do is Calendar synching. If you add the users to the exceptions area of the ActiveSync policies page, the phone will sync all data. Unfortunately, by adding the user to the exceptions area, you are essentially defeating the purpose of the ActiveSync policy.

I had two users that could only sync their calendar data. Once I added them to the exceptions list, they were able to sync all data.

[wingrider01]

For those that haven't been following the forums on Goggle, this phone will do ActiveSync over HTTPS to an Exchange 2003 infrastructure (I don't have 2007 running, so I can't comment on that).

However, here's the catch. From what I have seen in my Exchange 2003 environment, if you have ActiveSync policies configured, the only thing you will be able to do is Calendar synching. If you add the users to the exceptions area of the ActiveSync policies page, the phone will sync all data. Unfortunately, by adding the user to the exceptions area, you are essentially defeating the purpose of the ActiveSync policy.

I had two users that could only sync their calendar data. Once I added them to the exceptions list, they were able to sync all data.

So it does not truely function correctly, adding a uid to a exception list is not an acceptable action for our security model.

Will wait till the enterprise version of the OS becomes available and test that to see if it falls within the rules of my organization for being included in corporate distribution

[dpeters11]

Has anyone tried the Touchdown app? It looks to do what is needed from a security policy perspective. But it also means trusting a third party app.

[wingrider01]

Has anyone tried the Touchdown app? It looks to do what is needed from a security policy perspective. But it also means trusting a third party app.

It may do what is needed, but we don't allow something like this. Will wait till they release their Enterprise class OS to review it more

[Getteau]

Has anyone tried the Touchdown app? It looks to do what is needed from a security policy perspective. But it also means trusting a third party app.

From what I just read on an InfoWorld article, the current version of the Touchdown app mistakenly reports that it supports the security policies. From what the article said, the app can't encrypt the mail on the droid device because there is no encryption mechanism built into the Droid OS. Apparently, Touchdown is writing their own encryption routines and will release it in the next version (this is all based on the article)

http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/first-look-motorola-droid-htc-droid-eris-are-risky-business-434?page=0,1

Based on some additional testing in my environment, I was able to use the OMA device management website in Exchange 2003 to remotely delete email from the phone (I didn't try to delete the calendar, but it would probably be the same). Notice I said delete, not wipe. Unlike devices that fully support ActiveSync, you can only delete the mail from the handheld. Full device wipe isn't supported. The other odd thing the Droid does is that it creates multiple "Device ID's" in Exchange. So from the OMA management page, I saw an "Android" type device and a "MotoAndroid" device. As best I can tell, the "Android" device relates to the email profile. The "MotoAndroid" device seems to be related to the Calendar. Because when I told it to wipe the "Android" device, the user stopped getting email but still got Calendar data.

All in All, it's still a partial implementation of ActiveSync. You would have thought Google would have learned something from Apple with how badly the iPhone V1 was received in the corporate environment because of the lack of ActiveSync support.

[Drew2k]

OK, I did a bunch of research and went to the Verizon store Saturday and picked up the Droid. I was ticked they didn't have the HTC Touch Pro in store, not even on demo, so I couldn't do a real-world test of that phone, so I went with the Droid.

I picked up the Droid, desk-cradle/charger/multimedia station, hard-case, car charger, and blue-tooth headset.

I will be returning the desk-cradle/charger/multimedia station, hard-case, car charger, and blue-tooth headset.

The phone browser is awesome, the screen is awesome, the rest ... I have had to make a lot of modifications to get it close to what I want.

I've been finding a lot of free Android apps and playing around with widgets, but I'm not that big a fan of Gmail so it really sucks that everything is tied to your Gmail account. A minor complaint (maybe not so much, though) is that auto-word completion is not native to every text field, only certain apps. I'm used to WinMobile where it would offer suggestions everywhere I typed.

My biggest complaint, something I never thought of or saw while researching, is that this phone is not compatible withe HandsFreeLink system in cars. This means I need to wear the bluetooth headset while driving or unlock the phone so I can quickly make calls (not that any boys in blue here heard me say that).

The coolest thing I've seen so far is the Amazon.com app ... with it you can scan a product barcode and instantly get a price from Amazon! This is why the extra gear I purchased is being returned ... The car charger as part of the "package" was $19.99 ... at Amazon? $3.99 http://www.camera3.org/images/smilies/tongue.gif

I did find a free app to let me look at Office docs, but it's a paid version to create or update them, so I have to decide if I want this. Anyone have any preferences on DocumentsToGo versus OfficeSuite? DocsToGo has a free reader but totally screws up Excel docs, while the trial for OfficeSuite is rendering perfectly, but the paid version of OfficeSuite is much more expensive than DocsToGo, as it requires separate "license keys" for each Office product (Excel, Word, etc.)

The "Car Home" navigation app is also really cool ... but I didn't buy the car docking cradle since I have built-in dashboard navigation in my Pilot.

I have 30 days to decide if I'm going to keep this or return it ... and if I return it I pay a $35 restocking fee.

Right now I'm really leaning towards keeping it.

[bobukcat]

For those that haven't been following the forums on Goggle, this phone will do ActiveSync over HTTPS to an Exchange 2003 infrastructure (I don't have 2007 running, so I can't comment on that).

However, here's the catch. From what I have seen in my Exchange 2003 environment, if you have ActiveSync policies configured, the only thing you will be able to do is Calendar synching. If you add the users to the exceptions area of the ActiveSync policies page, the phone will sync all data. Unfortunately, by adding the user to the exceptions area, you are essentially defeating the purpose of the ActiveSync policy.

I had two users that could only sync their calendar data. Once I added them to the exceptions list, they were able to sync all data.

I am not, nor have I ever been an Exchange Admin so I can't answer a lot of specific questions (I have asked our Corp IT for more information but it's a VERY LARGE company so who knows what I'll hear back) but I did confirm that we are running Exchange 2003 with Active Sync policies enforced and the phone synced up and works perfectly (so far) for me. When I contacted them they did say they were prepared for Android 2.0 support and had found some patches, etc that had to be applied to Exchange in order to get it working properly. The biggest feature lacking right now in our implementation is how you accept or reject meeting invitations. You can accept or reject them on the device and the meeting organizer will recieve your response but it doesn't carry over to office on your desktop in that your inbox will still show the meeting invite as unopened / unreplied to even though the meeting is in the calendar. Google is apparently aware of this and working on a patch they hope to release "soon".

[Lee L]

The coolest thing I've seen so far is the Amazon.com app ... with it you can scan a product barcode and instantly get a price from Amazon! This is why the extra gear I purchased is being returned ... The car charger as part of the "package" was $19.99 ... at Amazon? $3.99 http://www.camera3.org/images/smilies/tongue.gif



I definitely remember when I was with Verizon (and it is the same with ATT now pretty much), they would stick the knike in, twist it, then break the blade off in you when it came to accessories pricing.

[bobukcat]

OK, I did a bunch of research and went to the Verizon store Saturday and picked up the Droid. I was ticked they didn't have the HTC Touch Pro in store, not even on demo, so I couldn't do a real-world test of that phone, so I went with the Droid.

I picked up the Droid, desk-cradle/charger/multimedia station, hard-case, car charger, and blue-tooth headset.

I will be returning the desk-cradle/charger/multimedia station, hard-case, car charger, and blue-tooth headset.

The phone browser is awesome, the screen is awesome, the rest ... I have had to make a lot of modifications to get it close to what I want.

I've been finding a lot of free Android apps and playing around with widgets, but I'm not that big a fan of Gmail so it really sucks that everything is tied to your Gmail account. A minor complaint (maybe not so much, though) is that auto-word completion is not native to every text field, only certain apps. I'm used to WinMobile where it would offer suggestions everywhere I typed.

My biggest complaint, something I never thought of or saw while researching, is that this phone is not compatible withe HandsFreeLink system in cars. This means I need to wear the bluetooth headset while driving or unlock the phone so I can quickly make calls (not that any boys in blue here heard me say that).

The coolest thing I've seen so far is the Amazon.com app ... with it you can scan a product barcode and instantly get a price from Amazon! This is why the extra gear I purchased is being returned ... The car charger as part of the "package" was $19.99 ... at Amazon? $3.99 http://www.camera3.org/images/smilies/tongue.gif

I did find a free app to let me look at Office docs, but it's a paid version to create or update them, so I have to decide if I want this. Anyone have any preferences on DocumentsToGo versus OfficeSuite? DocsToGo has a free reader but totally screws up Excel docs, while the trial for OfficeSuite is rendering perfectly, but the paid version of OfficeSuite is much more expensive than DocsToGo, as it requires separate "license keys" for each Office product (Excel, Word, etc.)

The "Car Home" navigation app is also really cool ... but I didn't buy the car docking cradle since I have built-in dashboard navigation in my Pilot.

I have 30 days to decide if I'm going to keep this or return it ... and if I return it I pay a $35 restocking fee.

Right now I'm really leaning towards keeping it.

Glad to see there is another Droid owner here!!! FWIW I think the car dock is the coolest accessory in that it puts the phone in a more in-car friendly mode, including large icons for voice search, navigation, maps, etc. One other feature I found is that if you have a meeting on your calendar with an address in it Android recognizes this and you can just click on it to go straight to Nav or just Google Maps. I used VZ Nav on a WM phone before and it never had anywhere near that kind of integration.

If you want to sync music, photos ect. to the Droid there is a free app from Motorola that will find and sync to your iTunes or WMP library. Of couse it can't deal with DRM protected files in either library and it's a little clunky but since it's written by Nero I'm hopeful they'll continue to improve it.

http://www.motorola.com/consumers/US-EN/Motorola-Media-Link-US-EN.do?vgnextoid=9502cf7689373210VgnVCM1000008806b0 0aRCRD

BTW - if you haven't seen them the new commercials are pretty cool. Clearly Verizon / Google / Moto are putting some marketing money behind this thing!

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/11/09/new-droid-ads-show-off-android-will-make-a-man-out-of-you/

[bobukcat]

There is a pretty interesting list of known issues compiled so far by VZW for both the Motorola Droid and the HTC Eric. For the Droid it looks like we might see the first new release as early as Decemeber 11th with another one possibly on January 22nd.

http://phandroid.com/2009/11/09/motorola-droid-and-htc-droid-eris-ota-updates-coming-december-11th/

[bobukcat]

I forgot to mention that because Android and iPhone / iPod Touch share the basis of the webkit browser the Droid works well with the Dish Remote Access site! :hurah:

[dpeters11]

I've had several spontaneous reboots, reboot loops and no service indicators in areas I generally have no issue.

At least the "Droid" when I get email can be turned off. It gets annoying very quickly.

[wilbur_the_goose]

What would be my per month cost to use this thing?

[bobukcat]

I've had several spontaneous reboots, reboot loops and no service indicators in areas I generally have no issue.

At least the "Droid" when I get email can be turned off. It gets annoying very quickly.

I've seen none of those problems but have had an issue when turning Wi-Fi off in it taking a longer than anticipated time to start getting data from the WWAN network instead. Coverage and call quality have easily been as good or better than other phonese I've used on VZW. Do you have any kind of case on the device? I asked because someone I know bought one and got the hard plastic case that VZW was pushing and when installed it actually reduced her signal reception considerably, even though it's clear plastic.

BTW - what version of s/w is yours running?

[bobukcat]

What would be my per month cost to use this thing?

I'm no expert in VZW pricing but it does require (it is not optional) a $30 / month data plan on top of whatever else you are paying for talk minutes, etc. Don't let them tell you that you have to have the $45 plan to use e-mail, it's a load of BS, just tell them you only want internet access and then you can use it for whatever you want (5 GB/month cap not withstanding).

[drded]

I'm thinking strongly about the HTC Hero (from Sprint), another 'droid phone. Anyone have one, or have any comments? I hear the Eris is a very similar phone, but not on Sprint.

Dave

[Mark Holtz]

I'm holding off until the next generation.

[Marlin Guy]

Are there any issues with using the device in Germany?
My son is going there in March for a semester. His Zune won't work there and he's due a new phone soon, so I'm thinking about something for Christmas.

[PeterB]

My biggest complaint, something I never thought of or saw while researching, is that this phone is not compatible withe HandsFreeLink system in cars. This means I need to wear the bluetooth headset while driving or unlock the phone so I can quickly make calls (not that any boys in blue here heard me say that).


works just fine with the bluetooth in my Pioneer aftermarket radio...

[bobukcat]

Are there any issues with using the device in Germany?
My son is going there in March for a semester. His Zune won't work there and he's due a new phone soon, so I'm thinking about something for Christmas.

Droid is not a "World Phone" and will not work in Germany or anywhere outside the US that doesn't have a CDMA network it can roam to. Europe is getting a GSM version of the Droid called "Milestone" (which apparently includes pinch-zooming ala the iPhone) but it will not work in the US.

[Marlin Guy]

Thanks, bobukcat.

[elaclair]

One of my friends at TI got one of the Motorola units. Some pretty cool stuff on it. And then we tested a call on it.....he's taking it back. Hopefully it's just the unit, but the quality of the sound on the call was amazingly bad compared to the Sony/Erricson he had before. Very tinny and not much dynamic range. Sadly, the sound was pretty much the same through his bluetooth (which also sounded very good on the Sony), so it's something internal to the unit.

[Lee L]

I've had several spontaneous reboots, reboot loops and no service indicators in areas I generally have no issue.

At least the "Droid" when I get email can be turned off. It gets annoying very quickly.

I have seen some posts at other forums about similar issues. People were able to exchange the phone for a new one at VZW and they had no further issues. Evidently ther eis at least one bad batch floating around.

[Drew2k]

works just fine with the bluetooth in my Pioneer aftermarket radio...Is that Pioneer aftermarket radio a HandsFreeLink system? That's what's built into my car and right now the Droid is not compatible with the system, so the car doesn't recognize the phone. I'm hoping the December/January updates will correct this.

[Drew2k]

One of my friends at TI got one of the Motorola units. Some pretty cool stuff on it. And then we tested a call on it.....he's taking it back. Hopefully it's just the unit, but the quality of the sound on the call was amazingly bad compared to the Sony/Erricson he had before. Very tinny and not much dynamic range. Sadly, the sound was pretty much the same through his bluetooth (which also sounded very good on the Sony), so it's something internal to the unit.I haven't noticed any audio issues so far with my Droid, but which specific T1 Motorala unit does yoru friend have? As far as I know the only "Droids" out there are both at Verizon: Droid (A855) from Motorola and Droid Eris from HTC ...

[jadebox]

I'm no expert in VZW pricing but it does require (it is not optional) a $30 / month data plan on top of whatever else you are paying for talk minutes, etc. Don't let them tell you that you have to have the $45 plan to use e-mail, it's a load of BS, just tell them you only want internet access and then you can use it for whatever you want (5 GB/month cap not withstanding).

I was confused about the plans when ordering my Droid. I found out that all the more expensive plan adds is syncing of your phone and computer through the 'net - definitely not something worth $15 a month. You can sync your information manually by connecting your phone to your computer. I think Google even offers free ways to do it through the internet.

BTW, It's funny that the "unlimited" plan has a 5GB cap.

-- Roger

[jadebox]

One of my friends at TI got one of the Motorola units. Some pretty cool stuff on it. And then we tested a call on it.....he's taking it back. Hopefully it's just the unit, but the quality of the sound on the call was amazingly bad compared to the Sony/Erricson he had before. Very tinny and not much dynamic range.

One of the first things I noticed after getting a Droid is that the sound quality during calls is much better than any other cell phone I've used.

-- Roger

[bobukcat]

I was confused about the plans when ordering my Droid. I found out that all the more expensive plan adds is syncing of your phone and computer through the 'net - definitely not something worth $15 a month. You can sync your information manually by connecting your phone to your computer. I think Google even offers free ways to do it through the internet.

BTW, It's funny that the "unlimited" plan has a 5GB cap.

-- Roger

The extra $15 a month really should only be charged for Blackberries that need to have BES setup on VZW network. It is not needed for normal e-mail like gmail, Exchange Server, etc. but it also does not cover tethering the device to a PC as a modem. Reportedly VZW will sell the tethering service for another $30 (!!!!) per month which is like putting a data card on your plan and adds another 5 GB max per month. If you aren't going to do a LOT, and I mean a LOT, of tethering you can buy PDANet and get no additional fees from your carrier (pssst, don't tell VZW you're doing this) and unless you start knocking agains the 5 GB per month ceiling a lot they'll never know it.

As for voice quality, I've used mine quite a bit including the speaker phone in a pretty loud F150 at highway speeds and have nothing but praise from sound quality. When asked callers on the other end have all praised it as well. In Cnet's "Prize Fight" against the iPhone 3GS it won hands-down for voice quality and was called much better than average so your friend at TI may have just gotten a bad phone.

[elaclair]

I haven't noticed any audio issues so far with my Droid, but which specific T1 Motorala unit does yoru friend have? As far as I know the only "Droids" out there are both at Verizon: Droid (A855) from Motorola and Droid Eris from HTC ...

It's the Motorola unit. Since my earlier post he called from another Moto unit and the sound was MUCH better, so it looks like he just got a dud.

[uscboy]

The extra $15 a month really should only be charged for Blackberries that need to have BES setup on VZW network. It is not needed for normal e-mail like gmail, Exchange Server, etc. but it also does not cover tethering the device to a PC as a modem. Reportedly VZW will sell the tethering service for another $30 (!!!!) per month which is like putting a data card on your plan and adds another 5 GB max per month. If you aren't going to do a LOT, and I mean a LOT, of tethering you can buy PDANet and get no additional fees from your carrier (pssst, don't tell VZW you're doing this) and unless you start knocking agains the 5 GB per month ceiling a lot they'll never know it.

As for voice quality, I've used mine quite a bit including the speaker phone in a pretty loud F150 at highway speeds and have nothing but praise from sound quality. When asked callers on the other end have all praised it as well. In Cnet's "Prize Fight" against the iPhone 3GS it won hands-down for voice quality and was called much better than average so your friend at TI may have just gotten a bad phone.

Actually, the idea behind the extra $15 is for all "enterprise" email - be it
ActiveSync or BES. The cheaper plan is internet access only, and for email
that means IMAP only.

Basically if you want to sync everything, not just get your email, their plan is
to make you pay $45/mo instead of $30/mo.

[rudeney]

The higher priced plan gives you access to a 3rd-party sync server. This used to be required for Windows Mobile before version 6 (IIRC) where they came out with Direct Push If you have an Exchange or POP server and a Windows Mobile 6 or later phone, all you need is the "basic" Internet access.

As for tethering, VZW does try to charge for this, but I've always been able to use it on my WM phones just by installing or unhiding the wmodem or Internet Connection Sharing program.

[Drew2k]

I have been on the fence about the Droid and finally decided I love it.

The browser is just awesome, with instant searches trying to match any URL I key in, I love the touchscreen keyboard and almost never use the physical keyboard, and I love the Android Market.

It's time to turn in my rebate forms. :)

[bobukcat]

For any fellow Droid-ers here you may want to check out the Dolphin Browser, free from the Android Market. It's still under development (by the same folks who bring you FireFox) but includes pinch-zoom, gesture support and some other neat features. Scan the QR code or search for it in the Android Market to give it a whirl.

[joshjr]

I wanted to mention that I found a site selling the Droid for $119 with a 2 year contract.

https://mobility.dell.com/specialoffer.aspx?cid=35693_013dbee5972f4af0b6a0a2 f64f131c21

Thats a great price I thought anyways. I plan to get one soon but I dont know if I will get one from there as I want a 1 year contract just in case I want to change providers or get a different phone after one year. What did everyone else pay for their Droid?

[joshjr]

Well I got my Droid to and so far I love it to. If I get signal at work with it to then it will be time to shut off my AT&T cell phone and think about shutting off the home phone to. I would port one of those numbers. Time will tell but this is looking great so far.

[The Merg]

I wanted to mention that I found a site selling the Droid for $119 with a 2 year contract.

https://mobility.dell.com/specialoffer.aspx?cid=35693_013dbee5972f4af0b6a0a2 f64f131c21

Thats a great price I thought anyways. I plan to get one soon but I dont know if I will get one from there as I want a 1 year contract just in case I want to change providers or get a different phone after one year. What did everyone else pay for their Droid?

I haven't gotten it, by VZW is offering the Droid to me for $99, plus I have a $100 New in Two credit. So, I could get it for free with a new two year commitment.

- Merg

[Drew2k]

Hey all you Droid fans ... stop by this thread if you get a chance and feel free to add to it! Favorite Android Apps (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=168627)

[bobukcat]

Looks like Droid is getting it's first s/w update starting today and supposedly finishing up within about 48 hours.

http://learning.verizonwireless.com/learning/Droid_Motorola_Software_Update.pdf

[Drew2k]

I forgot the rollout of the upgrade started today ... can't wait to see how my Droid handles it.

[The Merg]

Been hearing some info that you can synch it with Outlook... Any truth to that?

- Merg

[wingrider01]

Looks like Droid is getting it's first s/w update starting today and supposedly finishing up within about 48 hours.

http://learning.verizonwireless.com/learning/Droid_Motorola_Software_Update.pdf

Sad, no information of it being patched to full support all the Exchange 2007 security policies, until that happens it is persona-non-grata on our network. Corporate SOP states and smart phone needs to support all the security policies for connecting to Exchange. Maybe someday it will be enterprise capable

[bobukcat]

Been hearing some info that you can synch it with Outlook... Any truth to that?

- Merg

You can synch to an Exchange Server (mail, calendar and contacts but not Tasks and Notes). Some have reported issues if you have certain ActiveSync policies enforced by my corp e-mail is SSL encrypted and I'm told we have the ActiveSync policies in place and it works fine. I was also at a customer site a couple weeks ago and they have adopted is at their standard smartphone. Their IT guy told me there were some patches and things they had to apply to the Exchange Server but once they did that it met the same security policies they had enforced on WM phones before. I'm not an Exchange guy so it's easy to quickly talk over my head on setup issues on the server.


If you want to synch directly to Outlook on your PC you would need some kind of 3rd party solution that would synch Outlook to GMail and Droid to Gmail. Some

[The Merg]

If you want to synch directly to Outlook on your PC you would need some kind of 3rd party solution that would synch Outlook to GMail and Droid to Gmail. Some

Yeah, that would be my situation. I'm not going through all that to synch my phone and without Outlook info on my phone, there is no need for me to get a SmartPhone. I guess I'll be looking into the HTC TP2 again.

- Merg

[wingrider01]

You can synch to an Exchange Server (mail, calendar and contacts but not Tasks and Notes). Some have reported issues if you have certain ActiveSync policies enforced by my corp e-mail is SSL encrypted and I'm told we have the ActiveSync policies in place and it works fine. I was also at a customer site a couple weeks ago and they have adopted is at their standard smartphone. Their IT guy told me there were some patches and things they had to apply to the Exchange Server but once they did that it met the same security policies they had enforced on WM phones before. I'm not an Exchange guy so it's easy to quickly talk over my head on setup issues on the server.


If you want to synch directly to Outlook on your PC you would need some kind of 3rd party solution that would synch Outlook to GMail and Droid to Gmail. Some

The must not enforce all of the polices then, our security specialists have downchecked the droid for corporate use until the enterprise OS comes out, Eclair I think is the release name, there is a thread and a open developer ticket over on the verizon forums that show it does not comply 100 percent to the policies like pin entry, remote wipe without a 3rd party app.

http://community.vzw.com/t5/Android-Devices/Active-Sync-Policies-and-Android-2-0-on-Motorola-Droid/m-p/118644

[bobukcat]

The must not enforce all of the polices then, our security specialists have downchecked the droid for corporate use until the enterprise OS comes out, Eclair I think is the release name, there is a thread and a open developer ticket over on the verizon forums that show it does not comply 100 percent to the policies like pin entry, remote wipe without a 3rd party app.

http://community.vzw.com/t5/Android-Devices/Active-Sync-Policies-and-Android-2-0-on-Motorola-Droid/m-p/118644

Eclair is the current version the droid is running (2.0), I believe the next version is supposed to be Flan but I'm not sure it that will be 2.1 or 2.2 or 2.5 or 3.0.

Thanks for the link, I have been meaning to search the google development status for this but have never gotten around to it and this article has that link. I know our corp used to require a password on WM but they basically told us all to ensure we use an unlock sequence (same as a pin but without the numbers) and I suppose they removed the policy that enforces the PIN.

I know it doesn't fix it for those that require it natively on the device but I'm using a Beta Version of a product called WaveSecure that will let you remotely track the location of the phone (or at least the last time it was turned on and had coverage) and remotely lock and wipe it. It's currently free but I have no idea how much it will be when it comes out of Beta.

EDIT: If you are interested in this feature being added and have a Google (gmail, etc.) account you can "star" the issue here: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4475 to let Google know it's an important feature they should add sooner rather than later.

[wingrider01]

Eclair is the current version the droid is running (2.0), I believe the next version is supposed to be Flan but I'm not sure it that will be 2.1 or 2.2 or 2.5 or 3.0.

Thanks for the link, I have been meaning to search the google development status for this but have never gotten around to it and this article has that link. I know our corp used to require a password on WM but they basically told us all to ensure we use an unlock sequence (same as a pin but without the numbers) and I suppose they removed the policy that enforces the PIN.

I know it doesn't fix it for those that require it natively on the device but I'm using a Beta Version of a product called WaveSecure that will let you remotely track the location of the phone (or at least the last time it was turned on and had coverage) and remotely lock and wipe it. It's currently free but I have no idea how much it will be when it comes out of Beta.

EDIT: If you are interested in this feature being added and have a Google (gmail, etc.) account you can "star" the issue here: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4475 to let Google know it's an important feature they should add sooner rather than later.

Had them reversed, everytime I read about a new droid OS release I get the urge to visit the local bakery or Krispy Kreme.

There are a number of 3rd party apps out that that will do what is needed, but our security SOP specificly states native support to prevent the possiblity of security issues being brought in by the 3rd party application. App useage and installation is very tightly controlled by our security specialists.

[bobukcat]

If you have a Droid and haven't received the OTA update yet you can manually do it pretty simply. I have used this file and procedure and can vouch that it works very well.

http://www.howardforums.com/showpost.php?p=13310742&postcount=141


It also appears as if the Droid has been successfully rooted. It will be interesting to see what kind of ROMS may end up seeing for it down the road. NOTE: I am not going to do this to my phone and this may or may not violate the s/w EULA you "signed" when you bought the phone. I'm just providing the link for informational purposes.

http://alldroid.org/viewtopic.php?f=210&t=567

[hdtvfan0001]

Curious if there's any comparative data on the battery life as opposed to the iPhone (especially since battery life is a nemesis issue to iPhone users).

[bobukcat]

Curious if there's any comparative data on the battery life as opposed to the iPhone (especially since battery life is a nemesis issue to iPhone users).

I've never had an iPhone so I can't answer that first hand but most comparisons seem to indicate that Droid is slightly better but not overly so. Battery capacities and processsor specs would seem to support this although Droid is on a CDMA network which tends to be more power hungry than the GSM networks. I can easily get a full days use of mine with moderate talk time and liberal browser, text and e-mail usage.

[hdtvfan0001]

I've never had an iPhone so I can't answer that first hand but most comparisons seem to indicate that Droid is slightly better but not overly so. Battery capacities and processsor specs would seem to support this although Droid is on a CDMA network which tends to be more power hungry than the GSM networks. I can easily get a full days use of mine with moderate talk time and liberal browser, text and e-mail usage.
Good to know....

Without getting into any debate on it....my daughters 3GS iPhone ends up getting charged 2+ times a day.

[xmguy]

I currently have the Samsung i910 Windows Mobile 6.1 Verizon Wireless phone. It works ok. But locks up ALOT! Even the techs and sales people AT Verizon said the Windows Mobile phones are the worst they sell. I plan on getting the Droid on my next upgrade. Next year or later. I really like the size and qwerty keyboard.

[bobukcat]

Good to know....

Without getting into any debate on it....my daughters 3GS iPhone ends up getting charged 2+ times a day.

I think the paradigm shifts with any powerful smartphone in that you should use the advanced features with battery life in mind. For instance, if I know I'm not going to be able to charge it fairly soon after landing I am NOT going to watch a movie or play games on my phone during the flight. Along the same lines, if I know I don't have a car charger with me I will not use it for GPS turn by turn directions unless I don't have much choice. I have had several cell-phones that would last 3-5 days without recharging it, with smartphones that's just not going to happen unless you turn off the apps that use data when you aren't on it.

[hdtvfan0001]

I think the paradigm shifts with any powerful smartphone in that you should use the advanced features with battery life in mind. For instance, if I know I'm not going to be able to charge it fairly soon after landing I am NOT going to watch a movie or play games on my phone during the flight. Along the same lines, if I know I don't have a car charger with me I will not use it for GPS turn by turn directions unless I don't have much choice. I have had several cell-phones that would last 3-5 days without recharging it, with smartphones that's just not going to happen unless you turn off the apps that use data when you aren't on it.
You are likely correct...but when it comes to many folks under 25...all bets are off - they use it when they feel like it. :D

[rudeney]

I use my HTC Touch Pro2 all day long. I'm not watching video and listening to music, but I constantly send and receive e-mail, make calls, browse the web, etc. I've only had it a few months, but so far, the battery is only down to 2 out of 4 bars by the end of the day. My previous phone was an HTC Apace (VZW XV6700), used in the same way. The original battery lasted about 18 months before I had to start doing a midday charge (at which time I bought a new battery).

[Marlin Guy]

http://www.droidapps.org/

[jadebox]

I've never had an iPhone so I can't answer that first hand but most comparisons seem to indicate that Droid is slightly better but not overly so.

'Course, we also have the option of carrying an extra battery with us. :-)

-- Roger

[Shades228]

Good to know....

Without getting into any debate on it....my daughters 3GS iPhone ends up getting charged 2+ times a day.


There are certain tricks to batter life with the droid. For heavy usage where the screen is always on if you don't turn off auto brightness control you'll burn the battery fast.

I received mine 2 days ago and have charged it 3 times from dead to full. Now this is because I've been "playing" with it much more than I will in a few weeks. Showing off videos and stuff to people all the time causes batter drain. So once the showing off period wears off the battery will of course last longer.

The main thing is that you never close applications on the droid without a 3rd party app. They always stay open in the background and therefor they use clock cycles which reduces battery life. There are several task manager programs out there like ATK. Using them helps a lot. The nice part is you can view what is using your batter the most. The main one will always be the screen, which according to my statics has accounted for 50% of the batter drain since last charge, and all of the other programs follow suit.

The sacrifice with these devices is that we want these huge beautiful screens, which I might say is the best I've ever seen, with super fast processors and loads of apps. The problem is we're not near the same technology in batteries, atleast at a cose point and size, for what we're willing to accept.