by bintangkecil on Saturday, November 7th, 2009 | News, Tech/Gadget | 1 Comment

“Motorola’s Droid is the best Google phone on the market.”

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The word “best” says it all!

We’re getting this out of the way now: Motorola’s Droid is the best Google phone on the market.

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Maybe that’s not saying a whole lot. The Droid’s only competitors in the U.S. are T-Mobile’s 1-year-old G1, its chubby younger brother the MyTouch 3G and HTC’s Droid Eris, a $99 Verizon Wireless phone that comes out Friday — the same day as the Motorola Droid — with an already-outdated Android operating system.

Here’s another one: Droid is the best phone on Verizon.

As we wrote last week, the Droid marks a notable shift for the nation’s largest carrier. Verizon — often renowned for its service, not its selection of phones — seems to be wisely minimizing its interference with handset makers.

What we get is an attractive and fast smart phone packed to the brim with features for $199 (with a two-year contract).

The Droid hardware is a technical feat. It has a 5-megapixel camera with a flash that doesn’t perform exceptionally well but still pretty great for a phone. The speaker is pleasantly loud. The touch-screen screen is gorgeous — larger than the iPhone’s with way more pixels per inch.

Oh, and it has a keyboard.

After spending plenty of time with the iPhone and MyTouch, we realized just how much we don’t miss physical keyboards. Granted, the Droid’s isn’t as nice as most Blackberry keyboards. We spewed just as many typos on the Droid’s black-and-white-and-brown keyboard as we did on software keyboards. Only problem is that we’re not offered automatic corrections like we get on the touch-screen keyboard.

Impressively, the slide-out keyboard doesn’t add much thickness compared with the iPhone — the Droid is only slightly bigger and noticeably heavier. The keyboard is a nice option (geeks will enjoy the pro shortcuts), but if you’re not digging it, you never have to pull it out.

Motorola takes a step back with its navigation buttons. Competing Android phones use a scroll ball — you know, that little nub that makes the Blackberry so good for e-mail. Instead, the Droid opts for a four-way rocker navigation with a center button, which sits next to the keyboard and provides little utility.

Under the hood, the Droid runs a version of Android 2.0, becoming the first device that has it. That means it packs features and polish you won’t see on the other guys — most notably the free Google Maps Navigation software.

Android has really come a long way in a year. The software keyboard is smarter, the included apps more sophisticated and the subtleties of switching between programs more natural.

But for as far as Google’s operating system has come, it remains several steps behind Apple’s iPhone in many respects. Even though we ripped on Apple for leaving out the copy-and-paste feature for so long, there’s something to be said about how it was finally implemented. It’s simple and works incredibly well.

On the flip side, selecting text on the Droid drives us nuts. The option is hidden behind a menu screen; there’s no clever magnifying glass to help you grab the right section; and to copy, you have to again find the option somewhere in the menus.

This design choice underlines a prevalent problem that still plagues Android. Some fairly common actions are hidden, including the basic ability to delete apps.

(Here’s a tip so you don’t look like a stooge at the Verizon store: Press the lock icon and turn to the right to open the phone. The majority of people who played with our review unit couldn’t figure out how to get into the phone.)

Button layouts can vary widely from app to app. Transitioning between the many programs that can run simultaneously works well enough, but some can’t be closed while others gobble up battery power with no warning.

Android’s Marketplace offers more than 10,000 apps — that’s certainly not on par with Apple’s library of 100,000, but Android’s selection covers most of the main utilities.

As a game system, it’s severely lacking. As a media player, it’s even worse.

The iPhone can sufficiently replace a standalone iPod. The Droid won’t. Getting songs onto the thing is a hassle. No media sync, no smart playlists, no TV shows or movies.

Sure, we love some of the features Motorola built exclusively for this handset — things that could never be done on the iPhone without Apple engineers building it themselves. For example, the Droid phone book integrates with your Facebook contacts.

But these little perks don’t make up for the intuitiveness and maturity of the iPhone’s operating system that Android has yet to match.

Yet, as a phone, the Droid is top-notch. It integrates seamlessly with Google Voice and runs on Verizon, a telecom with a superior reputation for reliable call coverage — unlike AT&T, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone.

For at least the next couple of months, Droid will wear the crowns of best Android device and best Verizon phone.

But Google is constantly making improvements behind the scenes to its mobile system, so who knows how long that will last? With more phone makers on the Google bandwagon, next year could very well mark the Droid renaissance.

Watch the Motorola Droid’s review from cnet:

Check out these top 10 applications you can have on Droid phone!

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by gadgetqueen on Friday, November 6th, 2009 | News, Tech/Gadget | 12 Comments

So, you got the Verizon Droid phone now. What applications are you going to install?
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When it comes to applications, the Android ecosystem is pretty different from that other far more controlled alternative. Sure, the Android Market may not have 100,000 options just yet. But it does offer plenty of powerful programs — somewhere around 10,000 total — and, in a refreshing twist, it lets you decide what apps you want, instead of frequently censoring selections for you.

We’ve compiled a list of 10 top-notch Android apps to help get you going with your Android experience. These are all highly ranked programs that’ll be strong starting points as you work to make the most of your new Droid device. After all, the much-discussed turn-by-turn GPS navigation system isn’t the only thing out there.

Remember: This is only the beginning of the conversation. The Android Market is expanding every day, and there’s no end to the interesting options it holds. If you have a favorite we didn’t include, add it onto our list in the comments section below. Your recommendation will help other Droid users find even more cool ways to enjoy their new phones, too.

1. Twidroid

If you’re a Twitter user and used to the iPhone, the first thing you might notice is that Tweetie isn’t in the Android Market. Not to worry, though: Twidroid has your back. The Android-based Twitter app is available in a free and a pro (paid) version.

Both of Twidroid’s offerings provide most every Twitter function you might need, from the basic — viewing and sending tweets, following and unfollowing users, viewing profiles — to the more advanced: saved searches, URL shortening, photo posting, and geo-location support. The pro version adds support for multiple accounts, bit.ly integration, video posting, and a handful of other options. It runs about $5.

2. Meebo for Android

Twitter? Check. Instant messaging? Check. Our second featured app will keep you connected to all of your IM accounts while you’re roaming around with your new Droid. Meebo links multiple IM protocols into a single app that you can always keep running on your phone. AIM, MSN, Yahoo, MySpace IM, Google Talk, Jabber and ICQ are all supported — and, if you create a Meebo account, you can save a collective log of all your chats that’ll be accessible online.

The Meebo for Android app is free.

3. Pandora on Android

Crank up the tunes on your new Droid immediately by installing Pandora’s Android app, available for free in the Android Market. Like its online and on-the-iPhone counterpart, the Pandora Android app lets you listen to personalized radio stations based on your favorite artists or songs. Thanks to Android’s multitasking capabilities, you’ll be able to rock out while running other apps — something the iPhone can’t handle.

4. Google Voice for Mobile

File this one under “outlawed on iPhone,” too. The official Google Voice for Mobile app fully integrates Google Voice functionality into your new Droid phone. Once installed, you can make outgoing calls from your Google Voice number with the touch of a button, right from your contacts list. You also gain easy access to voicemail and Google Voice-based SMS messaging.

The Google Voice for Mobile app is free to install and use. You do need to have an existing Google Voice account, however, for it to work.

5. Locale

Take control of your phone with Locale, one of the coolest apps available for Android. Locale lets you customize your phone’s settings based on your location. You could program the app to set your phone to vibrate every time you’re at your office, or set it to go silent when you enter the perimeter of your local movie theater. You can get advanced and make exceptions for VIP callers, too.

6. ActionComplete

Another handy location-aware app for Android is ActionComplete. ActionComplete is a high-tech to-do list for your Droid phone. It makes it easy to organize your tasks and appointments, using a system developed by “GTD” (Getting Things Done”) guru David Allen. You can even set reminders that’ll pop up based on where you are, allowing you to remind yourself of certain tasks at the office, others at the home, and so on.

ActionComplete is free.

7. Google Sky Map

Stare at the stars with Google Sky Map, the “mobile planetarium” for Android phones. The Google Sky Map app, free, actually overlays information about the night sky onto your Droid display. It uses a combination of GPS data, compass data, and date and time information to help you identify planets, stars, and constellations.

8. KeyRing

Get rid of all those annoying membership cards with KeyRing, an Android app that puts your barcodes into your Motorola Droid. Simply scan your various cards — anything from gym memberships to drug store discount clubs — and Key Ring will categorize them into a drop-down menu.

The next time you need a card, you just pull it up on your phone — no need to actually carry the physical piece of plastic.

9. Compare Everywhere

While we’re on the topic of barcodes, you may want to grab Compare Everywhere. With the program installed, you can scan a barcode in any store to get instant information about any product. Compare Everywhere will connect you to reviews and pricing details to make your shopping simpler.

Compare Everywhere is a free download.

10. Sherpa

Ready to explore? Check out Sherpa, an Android application that helps you find new places based on your own personal preferences. Sherpa “learns” your likes and dislikes, then uses your location information to suggest restaurants, stores, and attractions in your area that might float your boat.

The best part? Sherpa won’t cost you a dime to download.

Source: PC World

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