Droid. Does anybody have one?

[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.

[OakLeaf]

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.

Yeah, that's basically it, you're fine if you have a vehicle you can plug/hardwire it into. Not so much on a bici.

Which Garmin does your DH have? And how long does he ride? My 301 and 705 have always been good for 12 hours, and if I won't be near a power outlet or computer overnight, I can recharge them with a AA battery pack. I'll bet if he isn't getting good battery life, he can get a replacement. Garmin customer service is top-notch. (As long as you call... forget about trying to contact them by email. One rep I talked to on the phone said they get like 40,000 emails a day.)

Personally, I don't have the navigational abilities to make it down a long straight road...

[Medianox]

Personally, I don't have the navigational abilities to make it down a long straight road... [/QUOTE]

LOL-OMG I'm glad I'm not the only one....
A few years ago when I worked in a large hospital (I had worked there close to 10 years), they were doing some remodeling in the basement and I got lost taking a patient to the cath lab-darn good thing it wasn't urgent!
Like I always tell my friends, everyone has a gift...mine is a gift for getting lost.

Thats one reason I'm interested in the droid, surely can't hurt, if I have it in my jersey pocket at least I can consult it for directions while I'm out riding.
Believe me, I'll be getting the car mount also if I decide to get the phone.
Earliest I can go play with one is next Monday.

[MomOnBike]

Oh, I'm not necessarily blaming the Garmin. I suspect the problem is that DH does not do preventive maintenance, so the Garmin runs out of battery in the middle of rides. Still, 12 hours is kind of pushing it for the drives we take to see relatives - more so now that I'm under orders to take frequent breaks.

I'm pretty proud of my navigational abilities. That's one thing my dad did right. He'd saddle up a couple of horses, take me to the top of a mountain, and then it was my job to get us home. We often took the "scenic route," but I always got us back. It was good practice.

So yeah, I want a phone that will work in areas with spotty reception, and help finding what I need in strange towns. I'm looking hard at a Droid.

[OakLeaf]

12 hours is kind of pushing it for the drives we take to see relatives

Office supply stores and electronics stores carry adapters so you can plug a USB charging cable into a cigarette lighter slot.

Oh, and on our ride yesterday in darkest Fairfield County, Ohio (and not the suburban end of the county), we rode by a SUV with signs on the doors saying "Motorola" "Mobile Phone Testing in Progress." Now, I resisted the temptation to shake him down for his Droid, so I don't know which phones they were testing, but it was interesting to see it being done by the manufacturer, not the service provider.


OT: I wonder if directional sense isn't more innate. I actually attribute my poor directional sense to childhood experience. When I don't know where I am, my first instinct is to panic like a five-year-old trying to protect her two-year-old sister , and that's definitely no help as an adult. Even when I don't panic, I'm not good at parsing out the "big picture" around me. In my favor, I'm really good at reading maps...

[GLC1968]

OT: I wonder if directional sense isn't more innate. I actually attribute my poor directional sense to childhood experience. When I don't know where I am, my first instinct is to panic like a five-year-old trying to protect her two-year-old sister , and that's definitely no help as an adult. Even when I don't panic, I'm not good at parsing out the "big picture" around me. In my favor, I'm really good at reading maps...

I'm the same way. Give me a gander at a map and I'm good to go using only my memory ... but without one? I can get lost in a paper bag. Seriously, I get confused getting off elevators in department stores (where I used to work!) if the displays were changed/moved. I rely on landmarks - innate sense of left/right/north/south does NOT exist for me and never has.

And more on topic - I dont have a Droid, but I'd like to encourage everyone go buy one. Get a Droid from MOT or go get the 3G iphone - both will make me and my company very happy. Thanks!

[Dogmama]

I'm the same way. Give me a gander at a map and I'm good to go using only my memory ... but without one? I can get lost in a paper bag. Seriously, I get confused getting off elevators in department stores (where I used to work!) if the displays were changed/moved. I rely on landmarks - innate sense of left/right/north/south does NOT exist for me and never has.

OMG - that's me!! I'll ALWAYS take the wrong turn off of an elevator. I have zero sense of direction.

I wish the Droid/Garmin/Whatever would work in malls, department stores, etc. Like - "go to Banana Republic, turn left..."