Motorola DROID A855 Android Phone
March 10th, 2010
- Android 2.0-powered smartphone with 3.7-inch touchscreen and slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
- Access a wealth of Google mobile services including Google Maps with Navigation for voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, Gmail, Google Talk, Calendar and more
- GPS-enabled for location services; Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g); 5-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth stereo music; microSD expansion (16 GB card included)
- Up to 6.4 hours of talk time, up to 270 hours (11.25 days) of standby time
- What’s in the Box: handset, rechargeable battery, wall/USB charger, 16 GB microSD card, quick start guide, user manual
Amazon.com Product Description
The first Android-powered phone for Verizon Wireless, the 3G-enabled Motorola DROID smartphone offers a full package of powerful mobile connectivity–from easy access to all your social networks and viewing of full Web sites to spoken turn-by-turn directions thanks to the new Google Maps with Navigation Beta app. One of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available, the Motorola DROID also features a high-resolution 3.7-inch touchscreen display and a v… More >>
pro: bright and shiny
cons: not a phone, too thick to fit credit card slot of a shredder
The Droid is probably best considered an overweight flash drive with bluetooth.
It has no controls worthy of the name.
One might fantasize that a stylus could offer an illusion of control,
but iPod/iPhone reviews suggest that styluses are effectively incompatible with capacitive touch screens.
A phone should have a grip, place to speak and place listen, so zero for three.
Fully charged before turning off: two days later the battery was flat.
This appears to be related to (and can be repeated by) selecting full power down
while in airplane mode, then storing in the Verizon holster,
which by the way has cutouts which in no way correspond with connectors.
We have seen the battery go from fully charged to flat over night in this way.
Leaving the Droid in sleep mode, on the other hand, barely discharges the battery.
For dependable wireless communications (that is why you chose Verizon, right?),
you will need to also carry a real cell phone. Voice communications are
nearly unintelligible, mostly resembling grunts and mumbles.
Droid Wi-Fi appears to confuse our NETGEAR WGR614v6;
for the initial connection each day we now have to power that wireless router off and on
to re-enable 802.11g access for any of our wireless devices.
If you are the sort of person who prefers their SLR with a battery grip
or appreciates why real typists chose the IBM Executive to Selectric,
then move along, nothing to see here.
The LCD seems quite nice until your eyes tire of focusing on things no more than 8 inches away.
Rating: 3 / 5
Democracy in America (and elsewhere) is under threat by corporate domination. The Supreme Court (through its conservative majority) decided on Jan. 21 to allow giant corporations and other special interests unlimited economic influence in elections. The power to control information is, in the end, the power to control the future. The rich and powerful already have too much influence in Washington. This new rule (supported only by so-called conservatives!) will give them much much more.
What does this have to do with Verizon, and the Droid?
Some Verizon products and services are pretty good. But if you give Verizon your money, you are threatening the future of the United States. That’s because Verizon is a key supporter of the groups that organize the Tea Party movement.
Verizon doesn’t support this movement because it shares their agenda. It has a different agenda, one that has something to do with band widths and other tech issues. It only wants to get certain politicians elected because it wants greater freedom to dominate its markets. In other words, it’s using the Tea Party movement as a private lobby– exploiting and corrupting its aims.
If you want your government to be strong, let Verizon know (through your consumer choices) that you won’t tolerate them exploiting urgent American problems as tools for their own corporate ends.
Rating: 4 / 5
First of all, this review is based on my personal experience. This is not just review of the product but also some experience with VW services. Since this phone is exclusive so the carrier service is part of the overall product experience I believe.
Here are what I care about when select phones:
carrier service quality
product quality (user interface, build quality, functionality, etc)
international roaming
I waited for the droid but I got iphone 3GS (2 of them now, one for me and one for the wife) after I delt with VW rep. When I asked the VW rep if I could see one that is powered one for demo. the guy told me one word ‘NO’ and walked away. Then I immediately drove to the nearby ATT store. While at ATT store, I got warmly greeted. the girl asked me what’s the purpose of my visit and put me on the list. while I am waiting, she offered me some water. then in about 2 minutes, a rep is ready. Does VW have better network coverage? probably yes but better coverage doesn’t mean better service overall.
Another thing I am concerning about is since most of my friends are using iphone, so switch to VW will cause higher phone bill and not be able to stay in touch( I assume even the same Apps e.g. ping! is available on Droid, it probably won’t be compatible between iphone version)
I think iphone has better build quality overall. it has the solid feeling. the UI is extremely easy to use. Droid has it’s advantage too. multitasking is my favorite. turn by turn GPS is another one and higher resolution is very attractive as well. It’s all about personal preference I guess.
International roaming might not be a concern for most of Americans. however, I do travel from time to time and I need GSM since this is most available mobile network around world.
So overall, I think iphone fits me. JB it and it will even fit better.
Rating: 3 / 5
Not a very good phone and Android is a work in progress.
The physical keyboard is unusable and the onscreen keyboard is not much better. iPhone keyboard is much better especially in wide screen.
Laggy! You can’t even scroll the home screen without lag.
You can only install a few hundred MB of apps. Thats all. Seriously.
Touch screen not as sensitive or accurate as the iPhone.
Syncing of data and multimedia not very good other than basic Google services.
Can’t do data and voice at the same time. Thats a Verizon issue though. Verizon also charges a fortune if you cancel your contract early so you better be really sure you want this phone.
Rating: 1 / 5
MY DROID IS BROKEN. SO, THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD SEND ME A NEW ONE. GOOD. I PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR IT. BUT, THEY SENT ME A USED, CERTIFIED LIKE NEW PHONE. I DON’T WANT A USED PHONE. I WANT WHAT I PAID FOR–NOT A USED PHONE THAT SOMEONE ALREADY HAD PROBLEMS WITH AND HAS BEEN RETURNED AND MAYBE OR MAYBE NOT FIXED; I WANT A NEW PHONE THAT WORKS. HAVE YOU EVER RETURNED A PRODUCT THAT IS BROKEN AND THEY GIVE YOU A USED ONE?
ALSO, WHEN ASKED ON THE PHONE, VERIZON WIRELESS COULD NOT PRODUCE THE WARRANTY INFO THAT EXPLAINS THAT. THIS IS THE VERY WORSE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF MY LIFE. I FEEL SCREWED.
Rating: 1 / 5