I had a hard time writing this article. It wasn’t because of the shame of breaking my promise to keep the iPhone 3g for its full 2 year contract term (which I broke and payed an ETF for to switch). It wasn’t because the Droid was an “impulse” buy, fueled by my stewing hatred for AT&T’s poorly serviced Bay Area market. It was because I had a hard time trying to find ways to  differentiate between the new features of the Motorola Droid, and the general features of the Android Operating System. With Motorola still being a significant brand name in the US market, the Droid seems to be drawing more attention than it’s Android OS predecessors on T-Mobile, the G1 and MyTouch.

Fortunately they are about the same size, which is good so they can fit in the case that was originally for my T-Mobile Dash

Perhaps the only key difference between the Motorola Droid and the other two Android OS enabled phones on the market right now (the G1 and MyTouch) is the faster hardware and higher resolution camera (I won’t get into rooting/hacking a G1 to do a whole bunch of things). As such, moving from one of the earlier Android OS phones to the Droid may not be a huge jump worth breaking a contract over. However, for disenchanted iPhone users, who are are either dissatisfied with their iPhones or AT&T’s network (like me), the Droid offers a solid competition at both the price point and feature set.

In short, there are a lot of key differences with the way Apple and Android OS handle their phones. Apple currently has a large market share , which has in turn fueled a larger application catalog than that of Android. However, Android’s much more relaxed developer restrictions have led to many apps that simply were denied by Apple’s censors. Google’s plan of spreading the Android OS across multiple carriers and hardware also gives Android OS the potential to spread much faster Apple currently can, given it’s limited hardware and carrier options. I don’t want to delve too much into the intricacies of what apps are and aren’t available so if you have an app you can’t live without on either platform, then don’t switch!

The hardware specs are also something I’m not going to go into heavy detail with, as many reviewers before me have already done so. Camera megapixels, battery cells, and processing speeds are pretty cut and dry statistics that the Droid excels at, however other factors (such as the carrier network and application library) can make or break a phone. The Droid contains what I would consider to be the “bread and butter” feature set for a smartphone (GPS, camera, touchscreen, web browser etc.). If you care about specs and general consumer features, let the commissioned cell-phone salesmen at the mall tell you all about them; or google them.

Four Good Things about the Droid

Because thinking of five things is 20% more difficult.

1. Even though I can’t talk to women, I can talk to my Phone (Android OS 2.0 Feature)
I have been highly distrustful of voice technology for the past few years, mainly because it has always sucked. When I first read about this feature on the Droid, I wrote it off as just a gimmick; however, after using it in practice while driving or when I’m simply too lazy to move my fingers in a typing motion, I am convinced this is the most surprisingly useful feature of the Android OS. Google Voice search has been on the iPhone for over a year now, however, the integration with the Google Navigation application is when it really gets cool. “Navigate to Albertson’s” will surprisingly take me to Albertson’s. Now if only I can can get it to make me a cup of tea (earl grey, hot).

By the way a quick note on Google Navigation. Turn by turn GPS is available on select Verizon phones (and even the iPhone) for a 10 dollar monthly fee. However, google navigation is available on the Droid for free (and since it’s powered by Google Maps, no need to pay for map updates like on standalone GPS units). Not too shabby.

2. It makes me look busy and important (Android OS  Feature)
When Apple added application notifications to the iPhone 3g, it was a big deal, as it made many applications (such as IM and 3^rd party calendaring) suddenly ten times more useful to users like me who didn’t buy into Apple’s MobileMe scam. The Android OS, on the other hand, has taken application notifications to the N’th degree, as you can customize each application to have its own notification sound, and even LED light color. Everytime I get an IM or twitter notification, it’s like a mini-rave in my pocket!

3. I can now properly give Google all of my personal information (Android OS Feature)
This one really only applies if you’re a heavy Google apps user (Gmail, Google Voice, Latitude, Contacts..etc), and if you’re not a Google Apps user you really should be. One of the best parts of moving to the Droid was having all of my contacts from my iPhone (which I had setup with Google contacts earlier) instantly appear on the Droid upon linking my Google account.

I can't wait till Google initiates "PeopleRank", and deletes 80% of the worlds most irrelevant people.

Now, the iPhone does get an honorable mention for also being able to sync with Google contacts. This was awesome for me until my work got Exchange and a painful shortcoming of the iPhone was pointed out: only one Exchange account per a phone. Since Google Contacts was being done on the iPhone via the Exchange protocol, once I switched to my employer’s Exchange server to receive email, I also had to use their Exchange contacts. I’m not keen on placing personal info on my work email (or contacts for that matter), so this really was less than ideal. Now with the droid, I can have both my personal email and contacts as well as my work’s Exchange server working side by side in harmony.

4. It touches me in ways my iPhone never could
I wrote a few months ago how I was a bit miffed about how lower end “messaging” phones had added this feature, but the full on smartphone crowd had been missing out. Well the Droid does have tactile feedback; and now that we can touch each other we are closer than ever.

And now…the bad parts

I have still yet to find that “perfect” phone (I’m at phone #14 and counting), and while the Droid inches ever closer, it still has it’s drawbacks.

1. The slider keyboard is a geek tragedy (Droid Specific)
This has been by far the biggest disappointment, as one of my biggest reservations over the iPhone was its lack of a keyboard. The slide out keyboard, while sturdy and solid, is for some reason proving to be awkward to use. Part of me thinks this is a problem inherent to thin slider phones, as finding a comfortable grip position (and there are very few possible ways to hold it) is a bit of a chore. The keys themselves may also be the culprit, as the flat-style makes it difficult to differentiate with thumbs. Whatever the case, I am sure the keyboard will prove to be subpar, especially against the likes of the Treo and Blackberry.

If you have an Android enabled phone, you will never see updates for this guy. That could be a good thing

2. The Facebook app blows (Android OS)
Not really the Droid’s fault so much as the developers of the Facebook app. The default Facebook app is woefully behind that of the iPhone’s (though some paid apps are supposedly more up to par). Should this be a deal breaker though? No, not really, but seeing as how many people like me suffer from Facebook addiction, this isn’t to be overlooked. The notifications are haphazard, the Live Feed doesn’t update properly and despite constant refreshes, a lot of information will simply refuse to show up. Fortunately, this is something that can be fixed at the application level, though you are left to the mercy of developers.

This little problem does also reflect the Android OS’s relatively infancy compared to the iPhone. Remember Android has been out much longer than the Droid has, however it is still just over a year behind the iPhone OS. I predict the application climate will change over the course of the next year or so, as the application count for Android inches higher towards that of the iPhone.

3. It’s not an iPod (Android OS)
Perhaps one feature I think is often overlooked about the iPhone 3g is that it is also an iPod Touch; arguably one of the best media players on the market. The Droid did surprise me by being a very capable MP3 player, offering all the standard functions of displaying CD art, track info, multiple shuffle and repeat modes, and also having expandable memory via the microSD card (a plus over the iPhone). That being said, the functionality “out of the box” of the iPhone 3g, namely, the ability to skip tracks from the unlock screen, “cover flow” (seldom used, but still pretty to look at), and the onboard EQ still trumps the Android OS player’s feature set.

I don’t want to draw a line in the sand on this just yet. Not being an iPod means it can play other formats, like WMA (though who has these..honestly) and that you don’t have to deal with iTunes (I personally hate iTunes, and prefer managing my music through windows explorer). I will be looking into 3^rd party apps to address some of these short comings in the future.

4. There’s no manual and more buttons (Android OS Specific)
If my grandmother wanted a smartphone, I’d still give her the iPhone (though I would still try really hard to convince her to just get a Jitterbug). On first glance, the iPhone is simply less intimidating as an electronic device, with only one giant button at the bottom. Everything you need is also right there on the first screen, ready to be launched. To date, I still think the iPhone is the first smartphone that doesn’t loose it’s core functionality of a phone due to it being burried in directories or menus.

To use the Droid, delete the trash file from the Gibson.

However, I don’t want to make the Droid sound like an insanely difficult phone to use, and in fact, I still rank it above Symbian, Blackberry and Windows Mobile in the intuitiveness department. The additional buttons mean additional features at your fingertips including, ironically, a menu button that I can only describe as right clicking for smartphones, as it will bring up a context menu specific for the application you are on. Apple has always sacrificed features and customizeablity in the name of making it’s products “simpler” for users. I think the Android OS helps bridge the gap between simpleton and power users, offering the best of both worlds.

So what’s the verdict?

The things I like about the Droid that I listed above really push me over the edge towards liking it more than the iPhone 3g, however I am hesitant to recommend anyone to follow my same course of action unless they are in a similar situation . Merely being “just as good” as the iPhone isn’t worth paying an EFT over (leaving a crappy network for my market was my reason for doing that). I also have to say I am comparing the Droid to the 1.5 year old iPhone 3g as opposed to the newer 3GS, which has some hardware improvements to put it more on par with the Droid spec wise.

However, if you are coming from much older generation smartphones (or even from the flip/candybar generation), are out of contract and want something that is easy, intuitive and offers features for both business users and general users, the Droid is a solid choice that at least meets and exceeds the iPhone feature set.