tiroconstruction7
New member
I am an existing iPhone user who has decided to take the DROID for a test drive. I have been using the DROID for the past 5 days. Here are my observations:
DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS:
Square corners and rubberized back don?t make it comfortable or easy to get in and out of jean pockets. My phones always go naked. Droid is also thicker and heavier than iPhone. The DROID bulge does not flatter the front of my jeans.
DROID screen is beautiful and resets the bar for higher pixel count. That said, the screen is not as responsive to touch as iPhone. Secondly, iPhone gestures are just so simple and elegant. Zooming in our out on DROID is just cumbersome. Typing accurately onscreen on DROID in portrait mode is much more difficult than iPhone but I am not clear why that is. iPhone screen is slightly smaller but my type rate on it is faster.
Keyboard on DROID sucks. It is just not useable and is not worth the extra thickness it creates on the phone. Blackberry still has the market on the best smartphone keyboards. If you want a physical keyboard no one competes with Blackberry.
Phone app is very similar to iPhone. However, I missed GSM/UMTS calling features. You cannot make calls on CDMA phones the way you do GSM. On the iPhone, I can set up conference calls with up to 6 calls, swap calls, add calls, all with gestures and swipes. The DROID has to rely on the send/flash function to initiate call features that are used in a CDMA environment.
DROID is dependent on Google. I found the email client was not as robust as my iPhone email client. And, setting up my business IMAP account on DROID was a frustrating experience. I did use gmail personal mail that was pre installed without trouble and that client works well. Integration with google calendar is also good.
Google marketplace vs. Apple app store. IMO, there is just no comparison at this time. No E Trade, Schwab, CNBC, Marketwatch, NPR. I am sure Marketplace will catch up. One issue with the applications that are out on Google Marketplace site, they are not tested the way Apple tests applications. Therefore, a bad application may corrupt or reduce the reliability of your device.
NETWORK OBSERVATIONS:
The Verizon network may have a more extensive 3G network but I was surprised by the following: At least in my area, Verizon runs their 1x network on 850 MHz and their 3G (EVDO) network on 1900 MHz. As a result, even though my phone showed a great signal for voice, my data connections would fail or run slowly since in-building penetration of the 3G data signal is not as robust. I filed a network trouble ticket with Verizon regarding this issue and they confirmed this is true and that there is nothing they can do about this, at least for the time being. The issue is so real, that they have offered to refund my activation fee if I return the DROID. Why is this important? The 1900 MHz 3G issue is what has hampered the performance of AT&T?s network for the past couple years as iPhone 3G and 3GS proliferated throughout the network. As traffic on a CDMA based channel increases, the size (geographic reach) of the cell decreases. Over the past two years as datat traffic on the AT&T 3G 1900 MHz network increased, the cell size would collapse creating gaps in coverage and fluctuating signal levels. This is likely to occur with Verizon once data traffic grows on their network. The only remedy was for AT&T to rearchiutect their 3G UMTS network. Once AT&T began to rollout 3G UMTS on 850 MHz the inbuilding issue and poor signal issues went away. AT&T is till in the middle of this activity and has been working on it for two years. Frustratingly long for many of us.
My point here is that as DROIDs proliferate on the Verizon network, they will be faced with similar issues and need to make the same rearchitecting decision AT&T made. The problem for Verizon here is that it takes a significant amount of planning to rearchitect and retune a network.
On a more personal note (this is very subjective and users have different perspectives) I feel voice on a CDMA network sounds overly compressed / engineered / mechanical. I prefer the vocoders (even half rate) on GSM/UMTS . I can always tell by the voice quality if a friend is on a CDMA or UMTS/GSM network. Especially a woman?s voice on a CDMA vocoder is much more shrill , sometimes ear piercing. Many people dislike the fact that UMTS/GSM vocoders pick up background noises that CDMA eliminates but my personal preference is I prefer the full sound more.
In my area dropped calls occur on all the wireless networks. We live in hilly terrain. Each network has its holes. Until NIMBY issues are resolved, each network will have their respective trouble spots. Each user should take a test drive as I have done to insure they are on the appropriate network for their respective needs. I prefer not to make any overall generalizations about network quality.
My conclusion, I will stay with the iPhone 3G S, return the DROID. My Verizon number will continue to be my back up service.
DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS:
Square corners and rubberized back don?t make it comfortable or easy to get in and out of jean pockets. My phones always go naked. Droid is also thicker and heavier than iPhone. The DROID bulge does not flatter the front of my jeans.
DROID screen is beautiful and resets the bar for higher pixel count. That said, the screen is not as responsive to touch as iPhone. Secondly, iPhone gestures are just so simple and elegant. Zooming in our out on DROID is just cumbersome. Typing accurately onscreen on DROID in portrait mode is much more difficult than iPhone but I am not clear why that is. iPhone screen is slightly smaller but my type rate on it is faster.
Keyboard on DROID sucks. It is just not useable and is not worth the extra thickness it creates on the phone. Blackberry still has the market on the best smartphone keyboards. If you want a physical keyboard no one competes with Blackberry.
Phone app is very similar to iPhone. However, I missed GSM/UMTS calling features. You cannot make calls on CDMA phones the way you do GSM. On the iPhone, I can set up conference calls with up to 6 calls, swap calls, add calls, all with gestures and swipes. The DROID has to rely on the send/flash function to initiate call features that are used in a CDMA environment.
DROID is dependent on Google. I found the email client was not as robust as my iPhone email client. And, setting up my business IMAP account on DROID was a frustrating experience. I did use gmail personal mail that was pre installed without trouble and that client works well. Integration with google calendar is also good.
Google marketplace vs. Apple app store. IMO, there is just no comparison at this time. No E Trade, Schwab, CNBC, Marketwatch, NPR. I am sure Marketplace will catch up. One issue with the applications that are out on Google Marketplace site, they are not tested the way Apple tests applications. Therefore, a bad application may corrupt or reduce the reliability of your device.
NETWORK OBSERVATIONS:
The Verizon network may have a more extensive 3G network but I was surprised by the following: At least in my area, Verizon runs their 1x network on 850 MHz and their 3G (EVDO) network on 1900 MHz. As a result, even though my phone showed a great signal for voice, my data connections would fail or run slowly since in-building penetration of the 3G data signal is not as robust. I filed a network trouble ticket with Verizon regarding this issue and they confirmed this is true and that there is nothing they can do about this, at least for the time being. The issue is so real, that they have offered to refund my activation fee if I return the DROID. Why is this important? The 1900 MHz 3G issue is what has hampered the performance of AT&T?s network for the past couple years as iPhone 3G and 3GS proliferated throughout the network. As traffic on a CDMA based channel increases, the size (geographic reach) of the cell decreases. Over the past two years as datat traffic on the AT&T 3G 1900 MHz network increased, the cell size would collapse creating gaps in coverage and fluctuating signal levels. This is likely to occur with Verizon once data traffic grows on their network. The only remedy was for AT&T to rearchiutect their 3G UMTS network. Once AT&T began to rollout 3G UMTS on 850 MHz the inbuilding issue and poor signal issues went away. AT&T is till in the middle of this activity and has been working on it for two years. Frustratingly long for many of us.
My point here is that as DROIDs proliferate on the Verizon network, they will be faced with similar issues and need to make the same rearchitecting decision AT&T made. The problem for Verizon here is that it takes a significant amount of planning to rearchitect and retune a network.
On a more personal note (this is very subjective and users have different perspectives) I feel voice on a CDMA network sounds overly compressed / engineered / mechanical. I prefer the vocoders (even half rate) on GSM/UMTS . I can always tell by the voice quality if a friend is on a CDMA or UMTS/GSM network. Especially a woman?s voice on a CDMA vocoder is much more shrill , sometimes ear piercing. Many people dislike the fact that UMTS/GSM vocoders pick up background noises that CDMA eliminates but my personal preference is I prefer the full sound more.
In my area dropped calls occur on all the wireless networks. We live in hilly terrain. Each network has its holes. Until NIMBY issues are resolved, each network will have their respective trouble spots. Each user should take a test drive as I have done to insure they are on the appropriate network for their respective needs. I prefer not to make any overall generalizations about network quality.
My conclusion, I will stay with the iPhone 3G S, return the DROID. My Verizon number will continue to be my back up service.