The Rundown:

1. It Works Right Out Of The Box
2. Beautiful OS Design
3. Verizon Network
4. Growing App Market
5. Google Maps Integration
6. Loud Speakers

Brownie Point: 16GB SD included

Price with Verizon: $200 (new contract)
Amazon: Too low to display on Amazon (affiliate link)

What’s The Big Deal About The Motorola Droid

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been in an intense obsession over the Motorola Droid. I received a review unit courtesy of Verizon Wireless in Atlanta and haven’t put the Droid down since. Considering all the hype it received over the holidays and the sheer brilliance of the Motorola Droid commercials, I couldn’t help being curious and some of my Twitter friends couldn’t hold their curiosity either. But why? Well here are the facts:

7.Droid gained 1.44% market share by November 11, 2009, or less than a month after it’s launch date of Oct.30.
8. Top Gadget Of 2009? DROOOOID
9. Google Voice Integration
10. Facebook Contact Synchronization
11. Speech Recognition
12. Seesmic Twitter App
13. Made by Google
14. Physical Keyboard
15. Megapixel Camera

The list is endless people. I put the Motorola Droid to the test last week at CES by using it as I would use my iPhone. I walked around as a proud Droid user and my iPhone stayed in my pocket the majority of the time thanks to a great number of apps for the Android platform including Foursquare.

What Can YOU Do?

I would use the Droid to:

16. Check into Foursquare like a junkie
17. Play Youtube videos
18. Send out Tweets with Seesmic for Android
19. Search for background info on companies right from the homescreen
20. Look up directions to parties
21. Check emails
22. Download a song that a friend had been searching for, for 3 years!
23. Make calls via my Google Voice account
24. Play music in my hotel room

I generally let it manage the bulk of my activities for the time being. I enjoyed being free of lugging my heavy Dell Studio 15 and exploring the showroom floors. Verizon’s network coverage was great the majority of the conference. I even had to switch from my iPhone to my Droid on a few calls, but did have issues every now and again. It begged the question of whether Verizon’s network could handle what AT&T is struggling pathetically with.

Sweet Droids Or A Beautiful Nightmare

The funny thing is, I experienced this same scenario last March when I spoke at SxSW using my iPhone 3G. As I prepare for another year of speaking and networking at SxSW10, I’m pressed to decided which phone would be the most beneficial to have. As a user of Google’s web services, the integration that Droid provides is leagues away from the iPhone. Google Maps on the Droid is the best thing since iPod connectors in cars. The Android platform really gives the iPhone a run for it’s money, at least until you talk to the Android developer community. But that’s another story for tomorrow.

The Droid isn’t perfect. The Android App Market is still growing, but no where near the numbers Apple is doing. The keyboard could really use a facelift or some botox (seriously). Exchange support is an extra $15 per month. Nokia still makes the best cameras and Google needs to pay attention. Battery life is sub-par (as always) and the OS is buggy. Taking a screen capture with the Droid requires a computer science degree. Here’s a look at how the Droid stacks up against the iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, and MyTouch3G:

Image Credit: BillShrink

Answer This:

• What do you think is missing to really push the Motorola Droid above the iPhone?
• Would you consider trading in your phone for a Droid?
• Is the Verizon network a blessing or curse for the Droid?