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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 virtual onscreen keyboard that auto-rotates depending on the phone’s orientation. And you’ll be able to capture high-resolution images and DVD-quality videos on the go with its 5-megapixel camera with flash.

The Motorola DROID offers the powerful Android 2.0 operating system, fast and reliable Verizon Wireless 3G connectivity, and a wealth of Google Mobile services–including the new Google Maps with Navigation app.

With integrated Google technology, the Motorola DROID brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services millions use every day, including Google Search by Voice, YouTube and Picasa. The DROID also provides easy access to both personal and corporate email, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail.

In addition to 3G connectivity, the DROID offers Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for accessing home and business networks as well as hotspots while on the go and Bluetooth connectivity for both hands-free devices and stereo music streaming. Other features include memory expansion via microSD memory cards (a 16 GB card is included with the device), threaded text and picture messaging for seamless on-the-go conversations, Visual Voicemail capabilities, 3.5mm headset jack, and up to 6.4 hours of talk time.

Here are just a few of the things that the Motorola DROID can do for you:

• Zip through the Web: Access the Internet at 3G speeds via the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network or from any Wi-Fi hotspot. The multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor delivers the Web the way you expect.
• See it all in cinema-style: View the Web, email, Google Maps, videos and more in widescreen on a brilliant 3.7-inch high-resolution screen. Boasting a width of 854 pixels to reduce the need for side-to-side panning and more than 400,000 pixels total, DROID has more than twice that of the leading competitor.
• Run multiple applications at once: Customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets available on Android Market. Toggle back and forth between up to six applications at a time to juggle the universe and your apps.
• Perform Google Search at the speed of sound: Simply tell DROID what you’re looking for using voice-activated search, and it will serve up Google search results based on your location. If you want more, simply type what you’re looking for into the search bar on the home screen and DROID will also search content on your phone, such as apps and contacts, and the Web.
• Capture moments: Snap digital camera-quality photos with a 5-megapixel camera loaded with the works, such as a dual-LED flash, auto-focus and image stabilization, or capture your friend’s antics in 16 million colors with DVD-quality video capture and playback. Store it all on the included 16 GB memory card, so you always have it on hand.
• Multi-task like a master: Keep tabs on all your messages with integrated Gmail and Exchange email pushed directly to you, but don’t let them get in your way. With the handy Android notification panel, go straight to the message or simply ignore it, and get back to the task at hand. And, a smart dictionary learns as you type and automatically includes your contacts.
  

  Other features include a 3.7-inch touchscreen, slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, real HTML web browsing, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, microSD memory expansion (with included 16 GB card), and access to both personal and corporate email (see larger image).

  See a schematic of all the controls.

• Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device.

The Motorola DROID comes pre-loaded with a variety of Google and Verizon Wireless mobile services, including:

• Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information, such as My Maps, Wikipedia, and transit lines, right on the map.
• Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.
• YouTube: One-touch recording and playback from home screen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.
• Google Talk: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.
• Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.
• Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.’d to your meeting invitations.
• Amazon MP3 Store: Download the latest tracks over the air.
• Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail: Delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.

Key Features and Specifications

• Fast 3G connectivity thanks to the reliable Verizon Wireless EV–DO, Rev A network
• Powered by the Android 2.0 operating system with deep integration of Google services and access to thousands of apps to customize your phone via the Android Market. Built-in GPS with turn-by-turn directions provided by Google Maps and voice prompts using the Google Maps Navigation (BETA) app.
• 3.7-inch touchscreen with 480 x 854-pixel resolution and 16 million color depth
• Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard with familiar layout lets you type messages easily without scrolling for the letter you want.
• 5-megapixel autofocus camera also includes multiple scene modes, white balance settings, image quality choices, macro setting, multiple color effects, and geotagging capabilities.
• DVD-quality video capture at 720 x 480-pixel resolution and up to 24 fps capture; up to 30 fps playback
• Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g) for accessing home and corporate networks as well as hotspots while on the go.
• Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.1) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile–enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
• Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 32 GB (16 GB card included).
• Multi-format digital audio player with dedicated Amazon MP3 Store app for over-the-air downloads. Includes compatibility with MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, and WMA formats and the capability to create and manage playlists on the phone.
• YouTube app for streaming video over 3G and Wi-Fi connections.
• Real HTML Web browsing provides more pages and better Web content delivered efficiently to your phone (Android Webkit HTML5-based browser).
• Standard voice mail and compatibility with Verizon Visual Voice Mail (subscription required), which enables you to delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions. Features include on-screen access to voice mail message status, save up to 40 messages for 40 days (or archive permanently), create up to 10 different caller ID-based greetings, and reply via call back, text or even voice mail.
• Email: Corporate (Exchange 2003 and 2007), Gmail, IMAP, POP3, Attachment and browser document viewer (Microsoft Office and pdf)
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• 3.5mm Headset Jack
• Bilingual Interface: English/Español
• Cortex A8 processor with dedicated HW Acceleration
• Memory: ROM: 512MB; RAM: 256MB
• TTY compatible
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3/T3

Vital Statistics
The Motorola DROID weighs 5.96 ounces and measures 4.56 x 2.36 x 0.54 inches. Its 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6.4 hours of talk time, and up to 270 hours (11.25 days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as EV–DO, Rev A 3G frequencies.

What’s in the Box
Motorola DROID handset, rechargeable battery, wall/USB charger, 16 GB microSD card, quick start guide, user manual

I wanted an iPhone bad, and finally gave up waiting for it to come to Verizon. Got a Droid and am very happy with it.

The screen is awesome – bigger than an iPhone’s and more dense with pixels, so images are very sharp. The colors are great, and the screen is nice and bright. I had a Samsung Rogue for about 10 days. Everyone raved about the Rogue’s screen. The Droid’s screen blows it away. The touch screen is accurate and responsive, and very intuitive to use. About as good as the iPhone but much better than every other touchscreen phone I’ve tried and better than a few cameras with touchscreen controls.

The Droid’s display is sharp enough and wide enough to view most web pages – including those not specifically formatted for mobile phone browsers. Because of this screen and because of the way that the Android OS implements the browser, surfing the internet is very easy, intuitive, and pleasant. Much less horizontal scrolling/panning. Much better than most phones I’ve tried, including the Samsung Rogue and Blackberry. The iPhone’s browser is also a pleasure to use, but the Droid’s screen is better at displaying full web pages.

Email is very well-implemented in the Droid. I was already a Gmail and Google calendar user before getting my Droid, and the level of integration is amazing, thanks to the Google Android OS. But any Android phone will also handle most other popular webmail, like hotmail, and also can sync with Microsoft Outlook and similar programs.

The Droid’s call quality is good, and the speakerphone is loud and clear enough to be useful in most places. I get slightly better reception with the Droid than with my previous Verizon phones, especially in places with poor network coverage.

The Droid’s built-in Facebook app is good, but is not as full-featured as the iPhone’s FB app, which has been around longer and had more time to be improved. Yet, the Droid’s FB app is as good as or better than FB access I’ve seen on most smartphones, including Blackberry and especially the new Samsung Rogue.

One extremely cool thing is you can easily import the contact info from all your Facebook friends into the Droid’s contact manager, including their profile photo, email, phone, birthday, etc. Then, from your contact list, you can tap on any of their names and with one touch either call, email, or jump to their FB page. This is very well-implemented and easy to use, and makes the Droid’s contact manager highly useful.

The Droid has pretty good voice recognition. I can tap the microphone icon in the upper right corner of the screen and say “Starbucks” and the Droid will show a list of the nearest Starbucks – and then I can pick one and either touch the phone number and Droid will call it, or I can touch the address and Droid will show its location on a map and give me driving directions.

Droid like all Android phones has Google maps built in, including satellite view, and Droid can give you directions (from your current location or any location) just like Google maps on a computer.

What’s more, Droid has built-in GPS functionality and can give spoken directions, just like a Garmin GPS. I tried it and it works pretty well.

Loading music and photos onto the Droid is as easy as dragging and dropping files from your computer to a thumb drive. Droid’s music player is not as refined as iPod/iPhone, but it is easy to use and works great. If you have an iPod, you probably have lots of music tracks in AAC format. The Droid will play them no problem, as long as they don’t have DRM copy protection (and most don’t nowadays). The Droid also plays MP3 and other formats.

The Droid has the standard 3.5″ headphone jack so you can use it with any earphones, unlike some phones that have a non-standard jack. To judge the sound quality, I listened to the same track on the Droid and on an iPhone. Using $100+ headphones, the sound quality was better on the iPhone, but the difference was harder to notice with cheaper earphones or through my car stereo. Yet, the Droid’s sound quality is as good or better than other music-playing wireless phones, and I’ve tried quite a few.

I have not yet loaded videos on the Droid. But I have watched streaming video, and it is very smooth, studder-free, and looks really great, best I’ve ever seen on any phone, including the iPhone and iPod touch.

The Droid comes with a 16GB microSD card. These normally go for 40 to 50 bucks at least, so I’m really grateful that Verizon and Motorola included it with the phone. It can hold a ton of music, video, and photos. For comparison, the highest-capacity iPod Nano also has 16gb of storage.

Plus, the Droid has internal memory for apps and its own operating system, so your phone will still work in the unlikely event the SD card ever fails. (My Droid worked fine even though the Verizon store guy didn’t insert the SD card correctly when he set up my phone and the phone didn’t recognize it. I reinserted it later and all was fine.)

The Droid’s interface and OS (Android) is not quite as polished as the iPhone’s. But it is still excellent, VERY easy to learn, and very easy to navigate around and use. Like most phones, the Droid is highly customizable (ringtones, wallpapers, placement of your favorite widgets and icons on your home screens), and the Android OS makes it super easy to do so.

The Droid has one-touch access to the Android app market, which has 10,000 apps so far. I’ve downloaded a couple dozen. There are lots of good ones, but overall the Android app market lags the iTunes app store in selection and quality, and specific apps available for both platforms tend to be a little better on the iPhone/iPod touch than on Android.

However, the Android app market is much younger than iTunes app store and is growing very quickly. Until the Droid, there were only a few phones running Android. That number will at least double over the next few months, and the number of people who use phones running Android will more than double, according to industry projections, because of the increasing quality and selection of Android phones on most major carriers. All this will fuel even more rapid growth in the Android app market. But even in its present state, you can find a lot of really useful and fun apps for the Droid, many of which are free.

The physical QWERTY keyboard is not as good as it could be. The keys are flat with no space between them. Still, I’m not a big texter and I find the keyboard fairly easy and pleasant to use. I also find the 5-way rocker button on the keyboard to be very useful. But if I were a big texter, I might not like the keyboard as much. So, my advice is to go to your local Verizon store and try out their demo unit.

The 5 megapixel camera has a built-in LED flash. I have taken a couple dozen pictures inside and out, and find the photos to be acceptable, good for a camera phone, but nowhere near as good as a dedicated digital camera, and maybe slightly inferior to the iPhone’s picture quality. The flash is better than nothing, but causes the colors to be off. I have posted 6 pictures I took with the Droid to the “customer images” area so you can see for yourself the quality of photos you get with Droid. Once you snap a picture, you have to wait a couple seconds before Droid will let you take another; this lag is common on camera phones and cheap digital cameras, but seems slightly worse on the Droid.

I have not yet shot any video clips with the Droid, so can’t comment on their quality.

The Droid is 1.5 to 2 ounces heavier than most other smart phones I’ve used or tried. Doesn’t sound like much, but you can definitely notice it. For me, having the bigger screen and keyboard easily justifies the weight, but for some folks, the weight could be an issue. This is another reason why I wouldn’t suggest ordering it online without first seeing it and holding it at your local retailer.

Everyone has different tastes, but I think the Droid is not the most stylish phone. It has kind of a masculine, industrial look to it, which I can tolerate but I’m not crazy about it. But, it is easy to change the wallpaper, and there are a variety of cases for the Droid – more coming out every week – so you can customize the look any way you want.

The only other thing I’m not crazy about is no physical dedicated call button. To use the phone, you have to press the phone icon on the home screen. This is a very minor inconvenience, and I got over it pretty quickly. But it’ll bug some people.

I really like that the Droid has WiFi, and I’ve used it to connect to wireless networks at home, work and a Panera cafe. It’s easy and works great.

If you’ve taken the time to read all this, then you’re probably interested enough to justify a trip to your local Verizon store or Best Buy and play with their demo unit. Try the keyboard, try the browser, play around with the pre-installed apps or maps. Take a picture or video clip. See how the weight feels in your hand. I think you’ll really like the Droid, especially if you’d been wanting an iPhone but didn’t want to leave Verizon to get one.

Technical Details

• 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

Motorola DROID A855 Phone (Verizon Wireless)