Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone

All looks promising, but some think OS is still no match for iPhone

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 28, 2009 12:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – Verizon's Droid smartphone—built by Motorola and powered by Google's Android—goes on sale Nov. 6 for $200. Some early opinions on the iPhone challenger:

The phone is "almost not worth writing about," notes Chris Dannen in Fast Company. It's "fine" but "doesn't advance" the Android platform. About all it has going for it is a cool commercial, "which is cool, if you like commercials, but less important if you like smartphones that do stuff well."

Michael Bettiol is awed by the Droid's features: "WiFi, Bluetooth, Exchange support, 6.4 hours of talk time, and a pre-installed 16GB memory card—all running on top of Android 2.0." At $200, he writes on TechBlogger, it's "one hell of a steal."
Stephen H. Wildstrom sees big changes a-brewing in the market. The Droid "is not only a very good smartphone," he writes in BusinessWeek, but it "throws the Verizon marketing juggernaut and its top-tier 3G network behind the fledgling Android operating system." All told, the combo represents "a big step forward."
Darren Murph relishes the inclusion of a full keyboard, 5-megapixel camera, and GPS-enabled turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps. "Who needs an iPhone?" he wonders on Engadget, and notes that the GPS feature will "have your dedicated TomTom/Garmin trembling in fear."

[Videos (1)]

The new Droid by Motorola is shown. (AP Photo)

John Stratton of Verizon Wireless, left, and Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

The Verizon Droid TV ad. (JailbreakNation)

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 8 comments

JoeQ

Oct 29, 2009 12:19 PM CDT

Its a great idea that will go far. It is OPEN PLATFORM for developers. That means you don't have to bow down to Steve Jobs by buying a Mac to develop apps for the phone. The IPhone is hampered by being stuck with AT&T, a company that is still stuck in the telegraph era. The Google Android model will be on networks like Verizon that are far better. Right now, the IPhone has Android beat when it comes to the nuber of apps, but in the course of time this advantage will dissipate. Google Android is to the IPhone what the PC was to the Macintosh. Did I mention that Android is a small form factor LINUX? Very exciting.

maevealleine

Oct 29, 2009 2:39 AM CDT

Android is open source too. That means there will, literally be a million apps for it...for free.

Ucantusethatname

Oct 28, 2009 11:31 AM CDT

Not worth writing about? Chris Dannen is an idiot.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

Fast Company (Source Grid »)
TechBlogger (Source Grid »)
BusinessWeek (Source Grid »)
Engadget (Source Grid »)

Technology

Iraq • Verizon • Motorola • Google Maps • GPS • smartphones • consumer electronics • Google Android • wireless industry • Motorola Droid • Droid • Droid phones • Verizon Droid price • Verizon Droid review

More Newser Stories

T-Mobile May Beat Verizon to iPhone

Verizon's alliance with Google an obstacle for Apple

(NEWSER) - Competition from Google's Droid platform may stall the Verizon-Apple marriage, meaning the iPhone will wind up branching out to T-Mobile first. With AT&T's exclusive deal near an end, furious speculation about which provider will be the next to offer Apple's signature device has focused on Verizon. But two industry analysts are predicting that Verizon, No. 1 in US subscribers with 71 million, will lose out to No. 4 T-Mobile. A big reason: technology More»

Droid a Savvy Choice for Smartphone Fans

Users sick of AT&T now have an option

(NEWSER) - Verizon has finally come up with a phone that will satisfy users who want an iPhone-quality smartphone to run on the firm's zippy 3G network, writes Walt Mossberg. The Motorola Droid, is, like the iPhone, "a powerful hand-held computer that happens to make phone calls," Mossberg writes. The Droid, at an iPhone-matching $200, runs the smooth 2.0 version of Google's Android which adds some functionality Apple's platform lacks, Mossberg notes. More»

Dell to Launch Android Phone for AT&T

Company's first mobile device should be out early next year

(NEWSER) - Dell plans to launch a smartphone that uses the Google Android operating system and runs on AT&T's network, the Wall Street Journal reports. The phone should be out early next year, sources tell the paper. It is expected to have a touch screen, like the iPhone, as well as a camera. Dell may offer the phone on other carriers besides AT&T. The news follows yesterday's announcement that Google and Verizon are teaming up to create Android phones. More»

Google, Verizon Team Up on Smartphones

Move to Android seen as real challenge to iPhone, BlackBerry

(NEWSER) - Google and Verizon will partner on a line of smartphones and software running the search giant’s Android OS and served by the carrier. Verizon is the largest-yet wireless network to back Google, and the announcement could complicate what was once a simple smartphone rivalry between Apple and BlackBerry, BusinessWeek reports. Analysts expect a handful of Android phones by the likes of Motorola and Samsung by month’s end. More»

Great Network Won't Make Up for Boring Phones

Verizon has reach, but is way behind on sexy smartphones

(NEWSER) - Verizon’s network may be the envy of its peers, but its smart phones definitely aren’t, writes Priya Ganapati. Caught off guard by the iPhone phenomenon, the carrier has taken a very cautious approach to new devices, subjecting them to a long testing process. As a result, while its competitors have carved out niches, Verizon is stuck in place. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Verizon Unveils Droid Smartphone

All looks promising, but some think OS is still no match for iPhone