Android Review - Smartphone Round Robin

on 19 Dec 2009 11:41 PM

DROIIIIIIIID. Week 1 of the 2009 Smartphone Round Robin had me going hands-on with the Verizon Motorola Droid and the Sprint HTC Hero. Now that my time with these out of this world devices has come to an end and I've procrastinated all that I could, it's time to reflect on my Android experience from the perspective of the BlackBerry user that I am. Because we're looking at more than one device here and I want to throw out some thoughts on Android as a whole, I'm not going to dive into the little details on each device like I would in my normal BlackBerry device reviews. For that kind of stuff -- features and specs and anal observations -- click the two device links above and you'll jump over to AndroidCentral.com for their excellent in-depth reviews. That said, I know there are a huge number of you who want to know my thoughts on the Droid, so I'll be sure to give you what you want!

But First... I Want to Say Thank You

In following our own Android forum and seeing threads like this pop up at Android Central (which bring a tear to my eye), I know there is a contingent of ex-Verizon BlackBerry owners / CrackBerry members out there who are currently giving the Droid a go. Some of you crazy crackies won't give up your BlackBerry quite so easily (is a life without BlackBerry Messenger really a life worth living??) but are compelled to give change a chance so have even gone to the extent of paying for two plans and are concurrently running a BlackBerry and a Droid.

So before I move on, I just wanted to give a big Thank You to anybody who has moved away from BlackBerry for the time being (I'm sure RIM will win you back one day soon!) but has been a reader, member, customer and supporter of CrackBerry while they were a BlackBerry user. It means a lot to me personally to step back and look at this site and see the amazing community that you have all helped to create. And remember, just because you may be sporting a device other than a BlackBerry doesn't mean you can't stop by for a visit from time to time. I might think you're crazy for leaving BlackBerry, but I know you'll still refer all your BlackBerry-using friends, colleagues and family members to CrackBerry.com, so it's allll good. We can still be friends ☺

I also want to thank everybody at Android Central who helped me on my Round Robin forum thread over the past week, answering my questions and sharing their Android insight with me. Greatly appreciated!

A Look Back at My FIRST Look at Android.

This isn't the first time I have experienced Android. In the 2008 Round Robin I went hands-on with the T-Mobile G1. The G1 hardware was a little underwhelming and awkward and the Android software was at version 1.0, but overall there were a lot of things I liked about Android. I figured just for fun I'd maybe share that first look again with anyone who cares to watch:

In my final T-Mobile G1 review I actually looked not just at the device as it was in my hand at that time but at the potential of Android as a whole and gave some thought to it's future. A few of the paragraphs from my final G1 review are as current and relevant today as they were when I wrote them oh so eloquently just over a year ago so be sure to jump over and read my T-Mobile G1 review from a year ago if you're interested.

From my initial Android 1.0 experience, these were the highlights/takeaways that stuck in my head:

fluid homescreen experience: between the sliding tiles with customizable widgets, the pull out app drawer and pull down notifications, the impression I got was that of working on a display that's much bigger than the physical size of the glass itself. It kind of felt like I was working on an 11" display but only viewing a few inches of it at a time.
stability and the ability to run multiple-tasks well: even though Android was only at version 1.0, essentially beta, I could tell that the platform itself seemed solid. I can remember jumping into the beta Android Market and downloading six apps at the same time (mind you, at the time they were all pretty crappy apps).
it seemed to be bridging the gap and filling the middle market between BlackBerry Smartphones and the Apple iPhone: The fact that the G1 had a menu key and back button (and a keyboard and trackball on that particular device) somehow gave it a feeling of paying homage to BlackBerry. At the same time, it had a feeling of paying attention to the overall experience that Apple was establishing with the iPhone. Android didn't seem quite as communication-centric and efficient at accomplishing quick tasks as BlackBerry, nor as intuitive (simple) as the iPhone, yet I felt that as a BlackBerry user I could pick up an Android device and adapt to it quite easily, and that an iPhone user could probably do the same.

So while the G1's hardware was underwhelming and the Android operating system showed a ton of potential and I knew the next wave of Android-based devices would be sooo much better, my big question mark leaving the G1 wasn't about whether the hardware or software would be good enough to compete in the smartphone space, but more about Android devices would get positioned and adopted by the mass consumer market. Companies that control both their hardware and software and put all their branding power into one name (BlackBerry, iPhone) seem to do better at gaining mass adoption than those where the operating system is licensed by manufacturers who then never attain the same level of brand recognition (I'm looking at Windows Mobile here).

But now we're several Android devices on the market later, Android is up to 2.0, we have new and improved hardware like the Motorola Droid and HTC Hero to play with, and maybe most importantly, we have the carrier in the US who wields a mighty stick throwing a boatload of money at the promotion of their flagship Android device, promotion which is actually helping to build awareness of the entire Android platform across all carriers.

Sizing Up The Motorola Droid and HTC Hero

Disclaimer - CrackBerry Kevin's Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs: Keep in mind that these days when you're looking at new smartphones, be it in my shoes as a reviewer or for yourself as a consumer, that past device experience and your personal priorities and preferences can hugely affect how you view new and different hardware and software platforms. A long-time traditional BlackBerry user who values the speed and efficiency of a front-facing keyboard will look at things differently than a person who has only known touchscreen smartphones and values a big display and puts a priority on a media and entertainment. To try and organize my thoughts better about why I love and hate certain aspects of a device, I came up with the CrackBerry Kevin's Hierarchy of Smartphone Needs. To me, the perfect smartphone is the one that fills out they pyramid from bottom to top amazingly well with absolutely no gaps in any area. And just to be clear... I'm pretty sure that phone doesn't exist (you can maybe assemble it out of two devices!)... Yet. As it stands now, there always seems to be some sort of trade-off involved, though based on your needs there may already be a perfect phone for you.

Motorola Droid and HTC Hero First Hands-On Impressions Video

In case you missed this the first time...

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

Verizon Motorola Droid Impressions

Droid
BlackBerry Storm2 vs. Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid makes me mad, but not for the reasons that you might think. It makes me mad because it's soooo close to being a really great smartphone, but then it falls short on little details that I think Motorola could have addressed from the start had they given it just a little more thought. Though I have to say, this device puts Motorola back in the manufacturers' game, at a time when I think most people have long since written them off.

Droid Turn Ons:

Build Quality. It's a really solid device. Deceivingly heavy for the size due to a lot of metal construction, but I like that. Weight = Quality.
Awesome display. The 480 by 854 resolution is impressive, the image quality is good and the touchscreen is very responsive. Oh, and the screen doesn't click, which many will love and some will miss (as much as the BlackBerry Storm2's hardware is improved over the original Storm, I'm still not sold that I personally need SurePress. I prefer the effortlessness of a standard capacitive touchscreen).
It's fast. The Droid's processor seems to do a really good job of keeping the Android 2.0 operating software moving along. Keeping the experience snappy definitely helps to provide an overall positive impression of the device.

Those are the big hitting points on the hardware side for the Droid itself. Short and sweet, but very positive for the Droid. We'll talk actual Android operating system software in a bit.

Droid
BlackBerry Storm2 vs. Motorola Droid

Droid
Software keyboard on Storm2 vs. Slide Out Keyboard on Droid

Droid Sticky Points:

Keyboard. Come on...you must have already known I was going to say that. If you're used to the Storm/Storm2, you might actually like the Droid's physical keyboard. But if you're used to a traditional BlackBerry like the Tour or Bold or Curve then the Droid's keyboard just doesn't compare. It slight off-centering is awkward (though you do get used to it) and the keys are just a little too flat. I'm not a fan of wide landscape keyboards - they're inefficient. You need to move your fingers further as compared to a tighter portrait qwerty to accomplish the same keystrokes. I have a feeling that if I used the Droid for a longer period of time I might eventually use the software keyboard over the physical keyboard altogether (as was suggested by some of the Droid users who provided me with feedback). And if that's the case, why not scrap the physical keyboard altogether?
The navigation pad. This is the gold thing on the right hand side of the keyboard that looks like it should be something cool like a fingerprint reader or retinal scanner, but instead is just your standard old navigation pad which I found in my time with the Droid didn't get used that often. I guess I used it a little bit for scrolling down, but for the most part went back to the touchscreen.
Camera. As of now, the Droid's camera is proof that more megapixels doesn't always mean a better camera. The pictures don't compare at all to the 3.2 megapixel camera on my Bold 9700. Doing some reading around on it, it sounds like this could be a software thing that hopefully will improve with time.
CDMA only. I won't harp on this too much, but it's too bad the Droid couldn't hit the market as a world phone, like BlackBerry did with the Tour and Storms (and 8830 before that). Kind of makes it difficult (errm.. impossible) to use the device overseas.
Bluetooth issues? I didn't experiment with this too much, but from the feedback I received from Droid users this seems to be an area with where the Droid/Android have work to be done, in terms of difficulty with pairing and staying connected with different Bluetooth services (like MS Sync).
Look and Feel. I know this a matter of personal preference and opinion, but I personally think the Droid is fugly. Well, maybe it's not that it's actually that ugly per say, but more so that it's non-iconic and easily forgettable. Even my mom can pick out a BlackBerry or iPhone these days - once the Droid gets replaced becomes obselete by a newer device, the Droid's look is gone. Like the T-Mobile G1, it's just underwhelming (at least the Droid's chin is less disturbing than the G1's was). But with the Droid I'm more disappointed than I normally would be in regards to a smartphone's looks, because with the Droid you see all these awesome Verizon commercials hyping it up, and then when you see the actual phone you're thinking really, that's all you've got to show me? It looks more industrial or military to me than the out of this world coolness the name and marketing suggest. It's definitely targeted at all the male tech/gadget lovers out there, though I'm sure at least two out of every hundred or so females would like the look and feel of the device as well. One thing is for sure though. Between the Droid name (licensed from LucasArts, aka Star Wars), the Droiiiiid soundbyte and the evil Droid red eye (that brings up visions of the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings), there is no doubt that if the movie The 40 Year Old Virgin were being produced in 2009 instead of 2005 that the Droid is the phone Steve Carell would be using.

Joking aside, the Droid really does pack performance where it counts, which means that most people who pick up the Droid for the first time will walk away with a positive experience. That says a lot right there.

HTC Hero Impressions

HTC Hero

Available from Sprint, the HTC Hero is full touchscreen device (no physical keyboard) currently running on the Android 1.5 platform with HTC's own Sense user interface layered on top. Whatever the difference is between 2.0 and 1.5 is, it was pretty much lost on me because on this device you're really living in HTC's take on the smartphone operating system experience, which is pretty cool. As you'll see when we get to Windows Mobile week in the Round Robin, HTC also runs their Sense UI there. The Sense UI is very, very widget based and is kind of pretty and fun to use (skip to 4m30s in my first impressions video to see it in action). I REALLY love the innovation they have worked in called Scenes. This is something I've been wishing BlackBerry would do for a long time. Essentially, you have the option to choose modes of use for the phone - work, social, play, HTC default - which then reorganizes your homescreen experience to be optimized for each of those user cases. I LOVE THAT. I think one of the reasons the BlackBerry OS gets beat up a little bit these days is because they're only shipping the device with one theme that is fairly business-oriented. Including more themes that are more focused on the needs of individual user groups would really freshen things up and help with perception (building choose your theme into the Setup Wizard would make sure it gets noticed). I focused my time more on the Droid than the HTC Hero, so can't really dive into the Turn Ons and Sticky Points as much, though I can say it has one BIG a$$ trackball. Whether that's a turn on or turn off, I'll leave up to you!

BlackBerry Users on Android

If you want some really great feedback from BlackBerry users who have gone Android and what they are experiencing, check out the forum thread I made over at AndroidCentral.com. There are literally hours of feedback. For the most part, it seems that in general those who have made the switch from the BlackBerry Storm to the Droid have been pretty happy. And even as a BlackBerry fanatic, I can understand why. One of the biggest issues I have against RIM's BlackBerry Storm and even the Storm2 is that the initial user experience is not all that welcoming or positive. The first time you grab the Storm, you're a little distracted by trying to figure out how SurePress works, and then you're figuring out what's under a menu option vs. an on screen option and there's nothing that entertaining going on the screen to keep you thinking "wow that's cool" while you're trying to figure out what to do - it's fairly rigid and static. Once you get over the hump and start actually using your BlackBerry, well that's when the crack sets in and most people grow to love it, but that initial phase is never all that oh my god this thing is so cool I love it! RIM's touchscreen experience on BlackBerry to date is still in the form of their non-touchscreen operating system getting converted to accept touchscreen input - it hasn't been designed from the ground up with the thought of "touchscreen" in mind. It still works, and works pretty well now on a device like the Storm2, but there are also areas that can be improved.

As mentioned above, Android seems to do a pretty good job of making a positive first impression. It's strange. Speaking on the "Google Experience" Android 2.0 operating system of the Droid, I find there's almost something BlackBerry-like about it (I can't quite figure it out to put words to the thought - maybe some of you out there who have used both know what I'm talking about). There's still structure to it, there's still menu options and a back button, but it's more customizable and fluid than the current BlackBerry OS, which makes it come across as being a little more updated and modern. If you think about the Apple OS, Palm Web OS, and Android, it feels like of those three Android would be the one that RIM could most easily evolve the BBOS into, or just for the hell of it, throw onto BlackBerry hardware to see what would happen.

My guess would be that most current Verizon BlackBerry Storm owners are Storm owners vs. Tour or Curve 8330 owners because they value the things that a big touchscreen phone brings to a smartphone - more screen real estate that makes room for a better media experience, web browsing experience and app experience. And if those are your priorities, then the Droid is honestly a compelling device to check out. Looking at the Smartphone Hierarchy of Needs, whereas RIM is literally building their pyramid from the ground level right to the top one step at a time, the Droid reaches pretty high up the pyramid though it leaves some gaps here and there that may tick off some (like me) but not bother others.

The Android native web browser is faster and renders better than the native BlackBerry browser and is WebKit-based. No surprise there. Come on RIM... us BlackBerry users need you working night and day to get this new WebKit BB browser released!

Android Marketplace is up to 10,000 apps now - some of which are pretty cool and some of which are pretty crappy. I really don't think it's the quantity of apps that matters, but rather that you can find the five, ten, 15, 25 apps that you personally find value in. Coming out of the BlackBerry Developer Conference this year and all of the recent announcements, I have pretty high hopes for BlackBerry to deliver what they're calling "transformative experiences" on BlackBerry in the near future (I think of them as super apps that fundamentally change the way you do things). So that said, I'm not sure apps would be a reason for me run to Android anytime soon. Android definitely has some solid momentum behind it, coming from Google's push that has helped lay the foundation for a growing Android developer community, but I think RIM will hold their own in the app arena as well. And with RIM's announcement and upcoming rollout of the Advertising APIs, you should start to see the price of BlackBerry apps go from being on the expensive side to being cheap or free as it'll be dead simple for developers to monetize their apps via ads. As for running apps, both BlackBerry and Android can run multiple apps (multi-task) and both face that dreaded issue of not having as much app memory as their users would like. The Droid does a good job of running apps. RIM really screwed up when they only put 128MB of flash memory into the Storm 9530/9500. If they could have doubled the memory to 256MB as it is now in devices like the Storm2 and Tour and Bold 9700, Storm1 owners wouldn't have had such a rough time with device lag caused by low memory and the need for daily battery pulls. It's not the greatest experience to deliver to customers if you want to build loyalty for your products.

Media is one of those areas where there is still a lot of room for development on Android (you drag and drop your music and movies onto the device via USB), but at least it does play some beautiful HD youtube videos to make up for where it lacks on the traditional media front.

And if you're a Google person, obviously Android caters well to your needs, offering tight integration. So long as you don't mind Google knowing all your stuff, then that's a good thing. Though I've pretty much been a Google guy since about 48 hours after their web browser went live and I find the BlackBerry / Google services to be pretty solid for the most part. Props go to Google for always taking care of us BlackBerry users too, even though now they are pushing their own thing.

If you're a BlackBerry user that place communication and productivity as a priority, then a device like the Droid loses some of its luster. Gmail on Android does look really pretty, but pretty much every ex-BlackBerry gone Droid owner I have encountered to date concedes BlackBerry crushes it on email (speed of delivery, managing multiple accounts, managing multiple messages, etc.). I think for most BlackBerry users on Verizon who have gone Droid or are contemplating giving Droid ago, living without BlackBerry Messenger and RIM's pushiest of push email services are the two most difficult things to cope with.

After that, comparing platforms and devices becomes more of a preference thing. Are you using your phone for business or pleasure? Maybe both? Do you want your mobile phone to work as an extension of your computer, or is it your laptop replacement? Do you sit down and kill time on your phone? Or do you reach for it 200x per day for a minute at a time? One of the things we realized early on this year during our Round Robin editor meet-up was that pretty much every editor, if need be, could use any of the smartphones in this year's Round Robin as their primary device and make it work for them. There may be some things they would gain or lose between switching platforms that would take some adjustment and workarounds, but in general smartphones have gotten to a point where they're all pretty good, with each one tending to specialize a little bit more in certain areas. And if you want the no compromise solution, the one that would completely fill up the Smartphone Hierarchy of Needs from top to bottom with no gaps, we're still living in a time where you're going to have to carry two devices around do it all in best of class fashion (a BlackBerry in one pocket and a iPhone or iPod touch in your other pocket??).

Some Closing Thoughts

My Android review in 2008 was pretty positive, so it makes sense that in 2009 my Android review remain positive as well. After all, there are now more Android devices, they are better devices, and the software platform is more advanced. Looking at my Smartphone Hierarchy of Needs, a year of Android development and a device like the Droid has made some significant leaps in filling in gaps and cracks Android and the G1 left last year. The biggest issues for me with a particular Android device like the Droid is not so much the Android software, but that it still lacks the magic in the more basic area of daily usability and productivity, which are a combination of the hardware and software working together to provide an overall experience. Things like speed of use, ergonomics, aesthetics and even brand image (I actually had another 1500 words written just on this subject but am going to save it for some of our future Round Robin articles in the coming weeks) which are areas I really put a lot of value on, are things that lack on the Droid compared to a traditional BlackBerry experience from my point of view.

One thing I've realized in recent months is that you can sort of divide BlackBerry owners into two categories: BlackBerry users and people who use BlackBerrys. If you fall into the category of BlackBerry user, I think you immediately know what I mean - there's no living without a BlackBerry. The way Research in Motion has filled out those first few levels of the Smartphone Hierarchy of Needs (they've done that better than anyone - especially when you think of the traditional BlackBerry with physical keyboard; arguable point on the Storm) is simply pivotal to the way you communicate and manage your life - just the thought of not having a red light call out to you drives you mad. So while you may long for an improved browser and some of these "transformational experiences" from your device (I know I'm longing for them!), you're willing to wait it out while RIM gets their stuff together to climb even higher up the pyramid and fill it in more fully because you just wouldn't be able to cope without it (and if you're impatient, grab an iPod touch to fill in the in the void while you wait for your BB to get there).

As for Android, I'm really curious to see what 2010 will bring. What will Google releasing their own phone do for the platform? It'll be be interesting to see what the top Android phone looks like when the Smartphone Round Robin 2010 flies into town.

Filed Under: SPE Round Robin; Tags: android, HTC Hero, Motorola Droid, round robin 2009

105 Comments

Posted by One_Deep Saturday, Dec 19, 2009 783 days ago

Nice review

Posted by don_c11 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I was really thinking about the droid...but ill stay with my storm 2

Posted by Snowman81 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Overall I thought the review was very good and very fair. Though I do like the look of the Droid....a lot in fact. Most designs only become iconic when the manufacture stays with the same design for quite some time, but Motorola needed a reset....badly...hence a new design.

In time it might become, if not iconic, at least memorable....only time will tell.

Posted by isaacleese Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

But all I got to say is...

Posted from my Bold 9700 :)

Posted by audicy Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009 781 days ago

Classic post!, love it. LOL

Not posted from my Bold 9700, however it is sitting right beside me :)

Posted by cj100570 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I've been a BlackBerry and Windows Mobile user, alternating between devices, for at least the last 6 years. I had played around with a G1 when it 1st came out. And altthough I thought it was interesting it didn't pull me away from the i-Mate JasJar that I was carying. When I left that phone I moved on to the iPhone 3G, and then to the BlackBerry Storm. This past Nov I picked a Motorola Droid and it was love. The MotoDroid easily pimp slaps every other phone on the market today including the mighty iPhone. I truly can't see myself leaving the Android platform at this point.

Posted by aeguy616 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I know that the droid is only a little bigger than the storm but I love my BB... not sure I am ready to move on yet. Thanks for the info though, judging by your tweets you worked extremely hard on it.

Posted by bonocchio06 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Thanks Kevin, this was really good. It made me evaluate if I wanted to be "the guy who uses a Blackberry" or a "Blackberry guy". I want to be the latter. I'm guessing that I'm using my S1 until I can upgrade to the S2 or whatever else RIM does.

And yeah, I do like the red light....so much so that I'm thinking of adding my junk e-mail accounts to my BB just so I can always know if the BIS is up or not...

Thanks for a well thought out and lucid article.

Posted by CyberRanger Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

// just the thought of not having a red light call out to you drives you mad. //

Of course, the Droid has this and overall a much better notification system than the native BB system.

Nice review, yet somehow the tone to me seemed to be a wishful defense of RIM. Yes, RIM pushes email but otherwise ... that's it. We all know the browser is horrible. Management of email folders is pitiful. Games are weak. Customization is ok but still bland.

If had a Storm 1 since release date. The only reason I still have it is that the Droid doesn't support Cisco IPSec. As soon as it does, bye bye RIM. Email is great but that's an increasingly small part of the mobile experience.

Posted by wpwoodjr Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

The BB is better ergonomically. For instance, just to pause a media stream on the Droid, you must:

1) remove it from case
2) turn it on
3) swipe to unlock
4) press pause
5) turn it off
6) replace it in case

Imagine doing this while working out and sweaty.

With BB, you just press the pause button.

Posted by ds00 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Was really excited about the Droid even though 5.0 on the Storm improved it greatly... Once I got over the wow factor of the gorgeous screen and browser, I became increasingly frustrated. There's nothing like a BB for just picking up a phone and taking care of business. I felt like the Droid literally held me back from communicating. I was finding myself leaving it in my pocket instead of tapping out a quick text or email when the thought popped into my head because it would take too long.

I kept telling myself I would get used to it but I missed being able to tap out messages lightning quick and engage in rapid fire convos. Towards the end, I started to become resentful! It was just such a frustrating messaging device. Browser was great, but that's not the main focus of a phone according to my needs, the Droid's awkward physical keyboard and virtual keyboard lacking multitouch made it too hard to use.

Traded it in for a Tour even though I knew I was preventing myself from getting the Tour2 on upgrade when it comes out. I'm in love, the keyboard is beyond amazing and I'm back to the quickfire typing and messaging... and BBM of course...

Posted by Kevin Michaluk Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

yup. that's the BlackBerry user story right there. i hear ya loud and clear.

Posted by ds00 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Haha yeah, I knew I was a BB guy when I found myself on CrackBerry everyday while I had the Droid... never even been on AndroidCentral lol... Thanks for the reply!

Posted by dreedy1 Monday, Dec 21, 2009 782 days ago

Blackberry USER all the way...couldn't live without it myself. Sure, RIM has got some work to do with the OS, web browser and few other things but honestly, if you use a BB for business and pleasure then you can live with these imperfections for now until they get their stuff straight and continue to carry your BB...as for me, it the Tour :-) It would be nice to have a big fancy screen and be able to search everything that is in the world to on your phone that has the word "Smith" in it with the google base but honestly, I can do web searches with Google on my BB, I can listen and watch media very solidly, I have bout 7 apps that get me through daily work and fun and that's all I need. It's proven over years, it still excels in email services for business, it has a better camera with less megapixels, it has multiple search engines built in, you're not forced to have Gmail...it's Blackberrrrryyyy!

Posted by CyberRanger Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Curious what was so difficult about sending an email? How many days did you use a Droid? I was only able to keep mine three days but sending an email or text was quick and simple. What problem did you have?

Posted by ds00 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Made it about 3 weeks with the Droid. What held me back was mostly the keyboard experience, the physical keyboard is too flat and slick, and makes you hold the phone in an awkward position. The virtual keyboard doesn't hold a candle to the iPhone, i'm guessing due to no multitouch, it just can't keep up. I also felt the OS was too laggy. Just took too long to grab it, hit the top button to wake it up, slide it to unlock, and wait for the messaging app to load up, not that long obviously but just an overall slow experience.

Gmail was frustrating too. Text was small, no copy/paste in gmail as far as I could tell, and attachments were impossible to deal with. Downloaded BeamReader to help with PDF's but overall not a good experience.

I guess another thing that held me back was having to use SMS to carry on conversations as opposed to BBM, slows you down too much...

Posted by HusniMD Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

thanks for the review kevin! i totally agree that droid might have a better look and feel. but hey, regardless of hardware/os issues on storm 2, i'm going to get mine next week! once u go black(berry) u will never go back...cheers!

Posted by ealbertolopez Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Really good review. Not as specific as some of the others, but being a current Droid owner I don't really need the specifics.
I found the article spoke to former CrackBerry users (like myself, Storm1) and current die hard addicts.
The article really does illustrate the fact that BlackBerries in essence are communication tools that have the foundation of the hierarchy down to a science. It's the other elements, ie media, nav, apps... that RIM still needs work on. As a communication tool, the traditional BlackBerry is king, but as an App-Phone (to quote David Pogue) it still lags behind some competitors, ie iPhone.
The Android OS (and most of the "Google experience" handsets) try to focus more on a feature-rich smartphone. Unfortunately, in the process they sacrifice some of the more basic, foundation areas of the hierarchy.

On a more personal note, I switched from BlackBerry for two reasons: 1. I need Verizon because it fulfills the most basic of hierarchy needs (see network) and Verizon doesn't offer no compromises BB experience (Bold 9700) and 2. because RIM's BB OS is too spartan. Others might argue that it's no-nonsense approach to communication is it's strongpoint, but, if I'm going to be using my phone all day, I need to be able to enjoy the experience aesthetically as well as enjoy its functionality.

Posted by grundyman Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

yeah , what he just said

Posted by mitchknowsbest Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Most definitely waiting for the Essex on Sprint. No more droid lusting for me. I'll stick it out with my curve 8330 fpr the time being. Good job Crackberry.

Posted by kendal32884 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Nice review but I'm still gonna stick with my bold 9700. Any chance or info on 5.0 leak for the bold 9700? Or do u know of any tmobile official release?

Posted by Shrub-Master Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I almost switched to VZ just for the Android but have too many ATT contacts to make the switch :(

Decent review but I feel that it would have been great if you'd sort of indicated a score/checkmark on each of the categories on the pyramid and where the phones/platforms stand on that pyramid. Would have been easier to decipher what the strengths/weaknesses of the platform were. I thought the pyramid post was outstanding!!

Posted by mcm180 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

FAIR and honest.

Although I defected , which I never ever thought I would do... especially after infecting/converting/addicting spook many peeps... I mean I feel like Lucius here.. but I digress. Ironically enough my job responsibilities changed as did my Smartphone hierarchical needs. I no longer needed to be accessible via mail 24/7 ...and thus chose the faster but dumber, illegitamate love child of a bb and iToy.... and making the best of the gadget of the year....not the smartphone of the year or the mobile media/gaming touch3Gs of the year ...but the gadget of the year...the DROID.

Posted by Shlooky Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I thought the Droid was sluggish, can't deal with a phone that slow. My Storm performs better with OS 5.0. I don't know what all the hoopla is about Android to be honest. You cannot change the themes and you are basically stuck with what the phone offers.

Posted by graymulligan Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

The droid feels sluggish next to the storm1? Really? You must have a different storm OS than the one I've used.

And the ultimate irony of your statement is that the droid leaves you "stuck with what the phone offers". There are no less than 3 different home page setups, all offering themes. And...get this...you can move applications around without having to make your own themes in plazmic! OMG, I know...it's amazing.

Don't get me wrong, I love my blackberries, but to say that the droid is slow and non-customizable speaks to the fact that you haven't actually used the phone, and want to knock it down.

Posted by hatch.duffy Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I have to agree. The Droid is in no way sluggish. I have had it since Nov. 6 and have yet to have to reboot it. I have at least 45 apps on this thing and it hasn't slowed down one bit.

And the bit about the themes...COMPLETELY WRONG! There are several home screen alternative apps that offer themes, not to mention the fact that within these home alt apps you can download font and icon packs and essentially build your own themes on the fly.

Let's get our information straight before we start bashing. Understandable because I was a crackberry addict as well for years...unless you own an Android device, you have no idea of it's capabilities

Posted by bluzthyname Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

android is doing great, but as of now I'm not going to change allegiance and stay with my BB.

Posted by BB_Storm4me Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

While the BB experience still holds a few benefits over Android, now there are several Android benefits. While I enjoy BBM over other forms of IM, I'd trade it for a better web browsing experience. The rest of the enterprise related BB advantages grow less important to me everyday.

The new flock of Android devices will capture a good chunk of BB users (as the Droid has proved) who want more out of their mobile device. If HTC builds the HD2 with a Touch2 keyboard, and Android 2.1 (with Sense UI) for VZW, bye bye BlackBerry. If the Passion/Dragon/Bravo/Incredible (whatever it's called) rumors are true, my Storm1 will get parked for a full testing.

The BlackBerry OS is no match for Android. RIM better watch out and get a much improved OS out the door lickity split. The 5.0 OS isn't much improved over 4.x and the native Web Browser is only 12+ months behind anything else on other wireless platforms.

Posted by BeeRad Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

....and that's ok. BlackBerry's are just a way of life. My quick cell phone evolutionary chain:

-Motorola E815. First cell phone. Great device for what it was. It made calls.

-Samsung Alias 1. First qwerty phone. I loved that phone. Got my thumbs working and became a text addict.

BB Storm 1. Liked the idea but it was just too quirky. Not enough operating memory as well.

HTC Imagio. Awesome phone. Wow. But once I was already in the BlackBerry world, it was hard to live without it. It had to go back.

BB Tour. Love love LOVE this phone. I got used to the WiFi (Imagio) and the larger screen (Storm/Imagio) sooo......

BB Storm 2. Current phone and loving it so far. It's not as rapid fire as traditional BlackBerrys, but I find that its the happy medium. Still a ton faster than other brands, but still has the larger screen.

I still have the Tour and paid full price for the S2. Now that's BB pride. haha. I don't know though, I have a couple days to figure out if I want to stay with the S2 or take it back and wait for the Tour 2. AHHHH! So tough. I miss that keyboard! And it would have optical trackpad and WiFi. *sigh*

Sorry, went on a Kevin rant there for a second. haha But once that CrackBerry bug bites you, you can't ignore it.

Posted by grundyman Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

i dont want to start a war with what im about to say , but i dont think you get it... it seems to me you just became a crackberry addict . the storm 1 just came out last year nov 2008. i do give you credit for owning three of them in a year, but im sure, many here would agree that your a rookie in the blackberry world.

i cant blame you for your feelings right now , i was the same way for about 6 years .

i dont like the iphone , so the droid just gives me some of the things that i love about bb and some of what i like in the iphone . so now i have the best of both worlds

Posted by miloszz Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Epic review! Good job!

I'm still with my Bold ;)

Posted by umsusiep Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Very helpful! It's almost time for my upgrade and I'm considering my options - was even in Verizon today to play with a droid for the first time. Based on this I'm going to stick with BB...and try to hold out for the Tour2. The email is crucial for me and with droid it sounds like a hassle.

Posted by graymulligan Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I'm running Gmail and exchange email, and the droid picks up the exchange mail just as quickly as the tour and storm used to. And, as an added plus, when the BIS goes down, I still get my mail.

I don't understand this whole "droid doesn't do email well" thing. Mine is no different than it was on my BB. Not better, not worse, just the same, which is good.

Posted by Ajdurk Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

No blackberry messenger and if you don't have g-mail then emailing is a pain. Blackberry storm 2 for me.

Posted by FlicksBerry Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I agree, the Droid is amazing in its light. But NOTHING can touch the friendliness of a Blackberry. Both are abit overwhelming at first for their powers. But much like a BEST friend, my Tour might not be the fastest or smartest, but thats not why I like it as my best friend in the long run anyway. Sometimes? You just feel more comfortable with what works FOR you :)

Posted by detroit313 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

My smartphone experience is as follows. Kyocera 7135, Samsung i760, HTC 6900, (sprinkle in a dumbphone in here & there) and the phone that created a monster BB 8330. I never knew what I was missing until I started using the 8330. I just loved how simple the learning curve of RIM's OS was. I absolutley HATED WINMO!!! That being said, I've had a number of BB's since. Storm, Pearl flip, Tour, and currently using the Storm2 & Droid. Gadget freak, I'm aware. Now, being the crackberry fanatic I was, I was skeptical about the Droid & their OS. Google has done an incredible job with Android. I actually found it easier to use & much more visually appealing. To be completely honest, I use my Droid 6 out of the 7 days of the week. My Storm2 has become an expensive paperweight. Sure I miss BBM & superior push email, but give a heavy BB user a full week with an Android device, it would win them over. I guess the only reason I haven't made the full jump, I'm having trouble selling the Storm2. Any takers? Anyway, excellent article Kevin, great job.

Posted by leathernuts Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Anyone who says the Droid is not all that and how they love their BB, you are an old dog who cant learn a new trick-lol (laugh, its just an opinion). Give me a break. BB has nothing over droid EXCEPT email. If that is all you use your device for, then yes, the BB is the better choice. Other than that, the current bb's cant touch a moto droid. I really do hope this causes RIM to truely come out with a new BB, other than adding a track pad and a few things here and there. Think about it, they put out like how many new devices over the past 2 years and how big were the differences? And this whole, I cant live without my BB msg, yeah its cool, but only if everyones on a BB and guess what, their not!!! I can text a contact on my droid just as fast as you can BBM another BBM contact. All BBM is, another IM, so what so special??? I know I sound like a hater, Im not, Still have my trusty tried and true 8830 sitting in my desk. Had the storms, and actually liked them and had the tour. All are great devices, but to say they are equal to the Droid??? Not hardly. I will agree, getting use to this particular OS is not as friendly, but its getting their, and as a productivity tool, which is what my devices are 75% of the time, it adjusting well. Oh yeah, and to the poster who said you cant customize??? WOW, I have 6 home screens to my liking, I have several different themes on my Droid, yeah thats right, get a clue.

Posted by Zipper Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Kevin,

I have to say I live and die by the these types of reviews.
Thank you (not that I have too :) ) for taking the time to give more insight to people that are trying to make up their minds and also to stop (at least for a while) the useless bantering of (my dad can beat up your dad) in the world of Blackberry vs everything else.

I am truly and have been for years a blackberry crack head. That said, I don't just discount everything else and I love the fact that you don't either.

Props on your review and I'm foaming at the mouth for yet more information. By the way...I'm loving my 9700! Hah.

Cheers

Zipper.

Posted by KMB4 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

detroit313 I definitely will take you up on your offer. I went to the Verizon store today to try out the Storm 2 and I LOVED the touchscreen. I get it. As a matter of fact, it seems natural to "press" the screen to enter the application. I had no problems with it AT ALL. I spent a good 40 minutes on the Storm 2; playing with features, typing, etc. The only keyboard that gave me any trouble was the full keyboard in portrait mode. The "keys" were just too small. I was surprised at the suretype keyboard. I had never used it before but I could see myself using it, one handed (thumbed) for quick messages; very intuitive.

Right next to the Storm 2 was the phone everyone is talking about- the Droid. Now, I've played with the iPhone for awhile as well but this touchscreen keyboard (for me) just wasn't a good experience. I'm a heavy texter and have agile fingers (as a musician would) so my mileage is probably better than most (you can go ahead an attribute that to my positive position on the Storm 2 keyboard too). My biggest gripe on the Droid however is the touchscreen experience. For all the same reasons that I like the Storm 2's screen, I dislike the Droid's. It just makes sense to me to press on the screen. I tried to move around on the homepage and kept opening up applications by accident. I assume it takes getting used to (perhaps moving the finger in between icons) but this was NOT intuitive to me.

Of course there are pros and cons for every device. I certainly have experienced them from most devices but for me, the Storm 2 has what I want and need everyday.

Also, keep in mind these devices will always improve... ALWAYS. That is the nature of the business - give you just enough to keep you going and next year hit you with what's missing plus a little extra. Yes, even the iPhone CLEARLY does that. It's how they stay in business folks.

So come one come all to the mobile device wars. Get your ticket to the greatest show on your hip... or your pocket or wherever the bloody hell you put your mobile device. Next up 4G wars and Flash browsers (with the Android 2.0 phones firing first)

Posted by BlkBear Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Looking forward to 2010's flock of reviews on new Blackberry and GSM Android phones.

Your current Round Robin reviews were pretty good. I really like the Droid review... while the Droid is a pretty nice device, not nice enough to get me to jump to another carrier.

I like Voice Activated Dialing, and have gotten pretty used to it over the last 5 years (from two dumb phones to my current 8320 from 2008), and for now, any phone that can't do that, would be a deal breaker. But Android is young still, so it may be something we see on a "Droid" variant for GSM.

Posted by slaming Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

was thinking of going droid but i've now decided that i want an iphone because i'm still in school i don't really need a blackberry and after using an ipod touch for ages i love the way its soooo smooth in the browser and everything

Posted by grundyman Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I dont know what the hell is wrong with me ,I moved on to the Droid , but cant leave this site alone . I think this was more of my addiction then the blackberry after all. Kevin im glad that you mentioned that were still welcome to stop by, i visit here more then i go to android central.

as far as the phone goes , blackberry would have to do some major changing for me to leave this droid. when i got the storm 2 i had all kinds of negative things to say about the droid . i take it all back . all the problems that i had with the storm 1 amd 2 ,and all the other blackberries that i owned. this phone blows blackberry out of the water . no battery pulls , no waiting 4 days for a webpage to load , youtube working everytime , all the time, no memory leaks , a app store thats worth my time.... the list goes on .

but im still here with you guys thou, thanks for the review kevin , and keep up the table tapping..lol , you know what i mean

Posted by jsanta11 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

After a long battle with my BB Tour >> I jumped on the Droid ( only cause of the super deal I was giving $250 no contract).. So far am loving it , the keyboard does have a learning curve but what doesn't nowadays .. I do miss my Tour in a way ( which my wife will be enjoying starting tomorrow) I do have a offer to trade for a storm 2 so will see how it goes in the upcoming days... Thanks CB

Posted by HeLLkAt31 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

This review sums up my feelings on how I feel about the love for my BB and the hope for BB to finally reach the top of the pyramid. Cell phones will never have the perfect pyramid but my BB gave me more positive than negative on practical use, even with its outdated look. I don't see BB reaching the top of the pyramid any time soon but it has great practicality. The only solution to have the best of both worlds is the ability to have access to the Sim card on phones from the outside and that is to easily switch the Sim card in and out on phones because you will definitely need 2 phones to have the perfect phone. =]

Posted by bloodlinebb Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

I don't see the big deal. I'm a die hard BlackBerry user. BlackBerry just get the job done. Messages and emails sms, mms. The browser isn't in the best but it's fast on sprint. I'm on crackberry with the tour. It looks good enough... I am on this forum.. Reading this! I You tube .. Facebook...all that and it's good enough! Navigation and maps.. Fresh! The Tour is solid! Great design! Clear voice good speaker phone, and I wrote this post with Vlingo! You can cut and paste very easy! My friend who has no internet access asked me to cut and paste the movie theatre schedule.. Went on my browser.. Cut and pasted the schedule...and sent it to his weak phone! LoL..
Short cut keys are cool... Really its simple! My phone is for communication.. I have 4 emails set up and I need them to come in! That's where my confidence rests on BB! The keyboard is awesome! Fast typing! You can't beat the black berry's simplistic use and multitasking. Everything else is a copy off BB design!

What I want is a phone like the storm with the touch screen sensitivity of an iphone and a slide out keyboard of the tour... Good browser and flash...until then.. The tour is my home :-)

U can't touch blackberry!

Posted by dfjkl Monday, Dec 28, 2009 775 days ago

The Droid addresses all of your BB shortcomings and then some.

Posted by Planning Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

But one of the BB like things I was disappointed to see on Android was the scroll select for picking dates and times. That may work well with a trackball, but it is inexact and clunky with a touchscreen. Am I the only one who misses the simple pick-the-date from a calendar method like on the computer I use everyday??

Posted by BBKing91 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Both are nice in their own way. All of the new Android devices look cool, especially the "Google Phone" that's coming to T-mobile. The only phone that ever caused me to switch carriers was the iPhone 3G, which was awesome but ended up returning it/reverting to T-mobile because of their better prices.

My BB is used for communication, music, and web browsing. The native BB browser sucks but I have to say that OM5 and BOLT are awesome. I use OM5 because of it's fast, renders pages in full desktop form, and includes tabbed browsing so BOLT is my backup. The music player on my BB is simple and gets the job done well. The call quality on my BB is great. The keyboard on my BB is awesome. Best of all, the battery life on my BB is great. As much as I like my BB, improvements can be made, especially with the native browser and viewing YouTube videos.

I've never played with an Android phone but after learning that the Google Phone(and Milestone?) is coming to T-mobile, I'm gonna have to check it out in the store.

I don't think anyone can go wrong with a BB or Android phone.

Posted by BrianFTC Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

Thanks Kevin. Honest, very open minded and fair review. I am a Tour user (Verizon) and quite happy. Only cell phones before this was Moto E815 and BB Pearl so my ignorance to smartphones could be an issue but Android... everybody talks about Droid but I really want to give myself a try Eris way before Droid. Eris doesn't have as many of what Android is supposed to offer to the world as Droid, it sounds like but as Kevin said in the review.... fugly.

No matter how fair people's reviews are, I think it is hard to bring up 100% honest reviews when the full prices of phones are this expensive. If Android devices come down as $200, even $300, it will give people more opportunity to try Android. Without a monetary damage consideration, people could really talk about what they like and don't like for both sides. Right now, for BB owners, there is something in mind "I can't afford to buy another phone - I would try a new device and I would probably like it but I need to justify what I have" how good it is - no matter what. Sort of fear of starting to like a different device. BB users could make more honest comments about iPhone these days since, I believe, many of us have iPod Touch, and at least we can experience what iPhone is like at quite high percentage level without sacrificing $600 price or switching carriers.

If Verizon can offer BOGO, devices shouldn't be THAT expensive. Come on, carriers and manufactures (including RIM), lower devices' prices if you want to boost sales. More competitions = more refinement in the future.

Posted by briankeith513 Sunday, Dec 20, 2009 783 days ago

That was an ok review, but it's interesting that it was said said that the Droid was "soooo close" to being a great smartphone. It is obviously a great smartphone. The only real question is whether it is the best smartphone currently available.

I've been a huge blackberry fanboy for quite sometime, but there are certain obvious pros of the Droid, over ANY blackberry that were left out of this review.

The Droid, has a much faster ui, than ANY blackberry available. it's more fluid, prettier, etc. The internet browser is much better and faster, flashier, it doesn't have RIM's download limitations, and it's not even close. The emails render html better on the Droid, and there's no email truncating on the Droid as there is on blackberries. The Droid has more and better apps. Droids don't require the daily or everyotherday, battery pulls that you have to do with blackberries, and the boot time, on Droids are a minute or less, instead of the 5 minutes on blackberries.

What makes it worse, is that blackberry and their os has been around sooo much longer than Android, yet, the Droid excels in so many ways over Blackberry.

I hope RIM makes a change from their ancient os/ui, and makes a change to what I typed above, because it was hard leaving blackberry. But, until then, with devices like the Droid, the grass really is greener on the other side, imo.