Droid. Does anybody have one?

[Dogmama]

I'm a sucker for gadgets and this one really looks cool. Anybody have one? I've heard this is Verizon's answer to the Blackberry. My Verizon phone - which I LOVE - is finally dying. Just in time. <insert evil laugh>

[Medianox]

No...not yet, but I will by next Monday.
I drooled over my friends iPhones, but held back buying one(not loving AT&T service for one thing). A few months ago I heard the rumblings about what motorola was doing and was intrigued...since then I have become slightly obsessed with the droid....my poor DH has had to listen to me go on about it, and I sent him links to a whole bunch of reviews. I admit, I'm geeky enough that a good techie gadget can set my heart to racing and make my palms sweat-droid does that to me for sure.

I still have my original verizon flip-type phone, and havent really upgraded anything in over 5 years so I think the time has come!

[OakLeaf]

I'm not eligible for a new phone 'til February... just enough time for the problems in the Droid to shake themselves out and let me decide whether I want one or not.

Is it as huge and heavy as it seems from the specs? That's not so much of a problem for me - since if I get one, I'll be replacing a flip phone and an iPod Touch and a compact camera - but it seems like a "big" issue for people wanting to switch from iPhones.

[ny biker]

I don't even know how old my phone is, and I'm not planning to get a new one until I have to. But I did see this review of the Droid on Friday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110600959.html

I've learned a lot from reading this guy's columns -- he helped me buy a new TV and laptop this year.

BTW re: qualifying for a free new phone every 2 years, if you don't get a phone after 2 years and you just remain a satisfied Verizon customer without a contract to force you to stay with them instead of switching to a new provider, they won't let you get a free phone when you need one. They're willing to give expensive incentives to people who like new gadgets whether they need them or not, but loyal customers can f*** off.

[Flur]

It might be Motorola and Google's answer to the Blackberry, but Verizon carries Blackberries, and is the sole carrier with the BB Storm 2, the closest BB competition to the Droid - I'm sure they'd be more than happy to to sell you either phone

I'm intrigued and am interested in getting into a Verizon store to look at one. They do look really big, but it's hard to tell without handling one in person. I didn't realize how tiny the Palm Pre was until I saw in person (and couldn't put it down).

[OakLeaf]

I didn't realize how tiny the Palm Pre was until I saw in person (and couldn't put it down).

Which is exactly why I never wanted any Palm phone. The screens are so tiny as to be useless. I was a loyal Palm PDA user for years, but their phones have never interested me. If/when I get a combination phone, it'll be iPhone or Droid (or the next "big" thing )

[Becky]

BTW re: qualifying for a free new phone every 2 years, if you don't get a phone after 2 years and you just remain a satisfied Verizon customer without a contract to force you to stay with them instead of switching to a new provider, they won't let you get a free phone when you need one. They're willing to give expensive incentives to people who like new gadgets whether they need them or not, but loyal customers can f*** off.

Even if you sign a new contract at the time that you choose to upgrade?

(I don't have Verizon for my personal phone, just the work one, so I don't know anything about their terms and conditions.)

[OakLeaf]

Hmmmmm. That must be a new policy with Verizon, because the only time I got a new phone within my "new every 2" upgrade period was last time when I dropped my old one in a portajohn... The two times before that, I've gotten the upgrade discount no problem.

[Irulan]

BTW re: qualifying for a free new phone every 2 years, if you don't get a phone after 2 years and you just remain a satisfied Verizon customer without a contract to force you to stay with them instead of switching to a new provider, they won't let you get a free phone when you need one. They're willing to give expensive incentives to people who like new gadgets whether they need them or not, but loyal customers can f*** off.

no such problems with ATT. My contracts been out for several years now and I've got tons of free phones to choose from. just haven't decided what to get, yet. I second the "call and tell you what you want" department.

[MomOnBike]

anything that's a half decent music player won't be an issue in voice conversations

True, but only if the words come through. My old phone (a Motorola, FWIW), picked up every word. With my new one, it sounds to me like the reception is fuzzy. The phone's sound quality is good, I can hear every crackle and pop, and about every other word. I think it's antenna problems, or something.

That still kind of misses the point I was trying to make (whine about). Phone reviews seem to be all about the neat apps, not about whether or not you can hold a conversation. I take my phone to some fairly iffy places, reception-wise, and would like to know if it has the antenna power for me to, you know, use the thing as a phone. /rant

As far as using a Droid as a GPS, the review I read talked about it having a special docking port to put on the car's dash, which would presumably take care of the battery issue. This struck a cord, as DH's Garmin has this cute little habit of running out of battery about halfway through rides and car trips to see relatives.

For myself, I'd probably use the GPS function only when needed, like trying to navigate in an unfamiliar town. I hope I have enough confidence in my navigational abilities to make it down a long straight road all by myself.