TP2 or Motorola DROID

[egan21]

So I have to switch from Alltel to Verizon due to the takeover and now I have this very very hard decision to make. Do I get the TP2 or do I turn to the dark side and get the DROID?

The more I read about android and everything the better and better it sounds. Right now, the hardware and software seem much better than what the TP2 has to offer. They're priced the same and although I like the look of the TP2 ( minus the bulky-ness) The DROID is also very attractive and internally appears to be a lot more advanced than the TP2.

I'm really torn between the two especially now that the TP2 is available online at the verizon website.

What are your thoughts? Anybody here going to get the DROID?

Is there anything I may be missing in making my decision or anything that stands out on either phone that would make it worth purchasing over the other?

Thoughts please!...

Thanks

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by egan21 ”

So I have to switch from Alltel to Verizon due to the takeover and now I have this very very hard decision to make. Do I get the TP2 or do I turn to the dark side and get the DROID?

The more I read about android and everything the better and better it sounds. Right now, the hardware and software seem much better than what the TP2 has to offer. They're priced the same and although I like the look of the TP2 ( minus the bulky-ness) The DROID is also very attractive and internally appears to be a lot more advanced than the TP2.

I'm really torn between the two especially now that the TP2 is available online at the verizon website.

What are your thoughts? Anybody here going to get the DROID?

Is there anything I may be missing in making my decision or anything that stands out on either phone that would make it worth purchasing over the other?

Thoughts please!...

Thanks

i will be getting the droid but there isnt a true answer to your questions.... until it is released i cant tell you how it is... noah and phonedog have a review and walkthrough of it.... i love my tp2 through verizon and it comes down to really is if you want windows mobile or android... adroid is nice but cant do some things wm can but at the same time the same thing goes for android compared to windows mobile....

[PHE-NOM]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

i will be getting the droid but there isnt a true answer to your questions.... until it is released i cant tell you how it is... noah and phonedog have a review and walkthrough of it.... i love my tp2 through verizon and it comes down to really is if you want windows mobile or android... adroid is nice but cant do some things wm can but at the same time the same thing goes for android compared to windows mobile....

in other words in cant be compared until the droid drops..... just wait and once it drops buy the droid, you will have a month to return it and get a different phone.... if you dont like it, get the tp2...

[egan21]

“ Originally Posted by PHE-NOM ”

in other words in cant be compared until the droid drops..... just wait and once it drops buy the droid, you will have a month to return it and get a different phone.... if you dont like it, get the tp2...

Thanks for the quick replies guys.. I hear what you're saying, can't compare until we can physically compare them in hand.

Well, I've pre-ordered the DROID from best buy so I will pick it up on friday and see what it's all about.

I did not know I had 30 days to return the phone if I don't like it, so that's a great option (new to verizon) but, I will patiently wait for next Friday to roll around a go from there...

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by egan21 ”

Thanks for the quick replies guys.. I hear what you're saying, can't compare until we can physically compare them in hand.

Well, I've pre-ordered the DROID from best buy so I will pick it up on friday and see what it's all about.

I did not know I had 30 days to return the phone if I don't like it, so that's a great option (new to verizon) but, I will patiently wait for next Friday to roll around a go from there...

word if your itching for android it will be good for you..... should be one of the best android devices out there to date.... i cant wait to get mine and take that puppy for a test drive and alternate between the two devices... now the droid and the tp2 is a deadly combo ill tell you what

[egan21]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

word if your itching for android it will be good for you..... should be one of the best android devices out there to date.... i cant wait to get mine and take that puppy for a test drive and alternate between the two devices... now the droid and the tp2 is a deadly combo ill tell you what

I feel ya, I'm still boating around with the Alltel PPC-6800. With Alltel I was in the dark ages and now that the switch over has happened with Alltel and Verizon, I'm all the sudden able to get these phones due to the switch over with a discount on top of the current prices.

So, either way I'm definitely upgrading, I really like the keyboard on the TP2 as for the DROID, I'm a bit concerned I will not like it, especially after messing around with the dummy phone at best buy but we will see how I adjust.

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by egan21 ”

I feel ya, I'm still boating around with the Alltel PPC-6800. With Alltel I was in the dark ages and now that the switch over has happened with Alltel and Verizon, I'm all the sudden able to get these phones due to the switch over with a discount on top of the current prices.

So, either way I'm definitely upgrading, I really like the keyboard on the TP2 as for the DROID, I'm a bit concerned I will not like it, especially after messing around with the dummy phone at best buy but we will see how I adjust.

the speeds arent really that much different to tell the truth between the devices considering os slows some down and such.... they asre going to be pretty even but you should be happy with the droid and if not as strated you got 30 days to trade in for something else aka the touch pro 2 or the imagio if you dont mind not having the keyboard physically.

[illwillmatic09]

not ready 2 give up windows but will be gettin the droid just 2 get familia with the os!

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by illwillmatic09 ”

not ready 2 give up windows but will be gettin the droid just 2 get familia with the os!

you will love it gonna be great and android is an awesome interface... your gonna be like me and switch between droid and tp2

[Mike20PR]

i still cant get over the fact that the Droid will most likely to ship with the horrendous gold trim...

the only thing i dont like about it is that the screen may be longer than the pro2 but its skinny....

i rather have the nice and wide TP2 screen rather than the droid's

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by Mike20PR ”

i still cant get over the fact that the Droid will most likely to ship with the horrendous gold trim...

the only thing i dont like about it is that the screen may be longer than the pro2 but its skinny....

i rather have the nice and wide TP2 screen rather than the droid's

yea but im still going to be getting it.

[egan21]

Do you guys know if the droid will be able to make calls internationally from Europe to the US?

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by egan21 ”

Do you guys know if the droid will be able to make calls internationally from Europe to the US?

i dont think this is a world phone but i could be wrong

[egan21]

Yea, after looking into a little further, it's not a global phone. I guess I'll be using skype when I go over seas...unless there's a better option?

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by egan21 ”

Yea, after looking into a little further, it's not a global phone. I guess I'll be using skype when I go over seas...unless there's a better option?

google voice is all that has to be said.

[iLuvFon3s]

I'm wrestling with the same decision. So I think I'll wait for the Droid drop, then play around with it, if I don't like it, I'll just get the TP2

[roopull]

For me, re-learning a new OS is a tall order. I've never been tempted to leave WinMo, before. The iPhone is nice, but NOT what I need or want. The G1 was nice & all, but couldn't do much of anything my TP couldn't do.

The Droid, however, is tempting me. The only drawback is that I believe most of what the Droid has to offer that my TP doesn't have will eventually be offered for free like most other Google apps.

And TP2's dual speaker/mic system looks amazing.

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by iLuvFon3s ”

I'm wrestling with the same decision. So I think I'll wait for the Droid drop, then play around with it, if I don't like it, I'll just get the TP2

yup best way to go about things

“ Originally Posted by roopull ”

For me, re-learning a new OS is a tall order. I've never been tempted to leave WinMo, before. The iPhone is nice, but NOT what I need or want. The G1 was nice & all, but couldn't do much of anything my TP couldn't do.

The Droid, however, is tempting me. The only drawback is that I believe most of what the Droid has to offer that my TP doesn't have will eventually be offered for free like most other Google apps.

And TP2's dual speaker/mic system looks amazing.

yeah the droid is looking pretty good and still stoked and counting the days down till 6am eastern time friday wehn i get mine in my bathrobe hahaha and you compared what it can do to eachother, it can do all of wm including the office suite and more including multi-touch and so on.... gotta remember to think all the small things out before jumping too... you also have the dragon dropping soon

[roopull]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

yup best way to go about things




yeah the droid is looking pretty good and still stoked and counting the days down till 6am eastern time friday wehn i get mine in my bathrobe hahaha and you compared what it can do to eachother, it can do all of wm including the office suite and more including multi-touch and so on.... gotta remember to think all the small things out before jumping too... you also have the dragon dropping soon

...that's one of the great things about sites like this. I know for a fact that there'll be guys like you who a)know more about the devices than any sales rep will and b) will have the device in hand long before I will even see a working model at my local store!

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by roopull ”

...that's one of the great things about sites like this. I know for a fact that there'll be guys like you who a)know more about the devices than any sales rep will and b) will have the device in hand long before I will even see a working model at my local store!

hahaha for sure i should start taking donations sicne i cant afford all these devices anymore especially with the way that they are pouring out.... more phones= bigger site=more reviews and videos=more happiness

[plowking90]

Dash you and the others here at spj make owning the TP2 awesome. I will also look forward to your review on the new Droid.

[egan21]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

google voice is all that has to be said.

So question for you, I have google voice and and I looking at the international call rates and it's fairly cheap.
So, if my google voice is setup through my cell phone and I make or receive a call from overseas, lets say Europe, would I A: have to be roaming internationally on my cell phone? and B: would the rates be charged to my cell phone or my google account?

Also, doesn't skype have an unlimited internation calling plan? or is that only mobile to mobile skype?

[oracle646]

Let me just tell you this! I have the TP and it is sweet, I know the TP2 is legit for sure as well.

Now I work for Verizon (Boooo!!! What a loser! Ya I know) Anyhow, we got the Droid in today and let me tell you! It blew my mind how fast and responsive it was! It was a sexy feeling and looking phone and am way excited to see what it can do...The keyboard isn't as nice as the TP/TP2's but still it is a nice physical keyboard. The screen resolution is sexy and to die for. But anyhow that's my opinion!

I would myself go with the Droid just to test it out and have it, because either way it is a good phone and no one will really have it for a bit (2 weeks) so you will have the cool phone for a while..!


Later TB

[ppopper78]

I would go with the droid cause it will surpass wm/tf3d will its diversity of endless program use. the tp2 is great but now getting old and really there are not too many changes from tp1.

[oracle646]

“ Originally Posted by ppopper78 ”

I would go with the droid cause it will surpass wm/tf3d will its diversity of endless program use. the tp2 is great but now getting old and really there are not too many changes from tp1.

For the moment you are somewhat correct, go look at the HTC HD2 coming out it won't out done....WM won't really but beat out by Android because it can adapt so well like Android will be able to.....It will def. crush the iphone because of the locks that Apple has on the iphone in every way.

But your right, and say you have the TP1 now and are wanting to upgrade and are looking that the TP2, it isn't worth the money unless you really want those little changes. The droid is worth it now, just because of the new flashiness of it.

[egan21]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

Let me just tell you this! I have the TP and it is sweet, I know the TP2 is legit for sure as well.

Now I work for Verizon (Boooo!!! What a loser! Ya I know) Anyhow, we got the Droid in today and let me tell you! It blew my mind how fast and responsive it was! It was a sexy feeling and looking phone and am way excited to see what it can do...The keyboard isn't as nice as the TP/TP2's but still it is a nice physical keyboard. The screen resolution is sexy and to die for. But anyhow that's my opinion!

I would myself go with the Droid just to test it out and have it, because either way it is a good phone and no one will really have it for a bit (2 weeks) so you will have the cool phone for a while..!


Later TB

Sounds sweet, I already pre-ordered the DROID so I will be picking it up tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. Like I said I was with alltel before the switch to verizon and I've been waiting to upgrade for so long from the PPC6800 haha.

TB- You work for verizon, do you know what data plan will be required for the droid? like i said I'm new to verizon so sorry for my ignorance.

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

Let me just tell you this! I have the TP and it is sweet, I know the TP2 is legit for sure as well.

Now I work for Verizon (Boooo!!! What a loser! Ya I know) Anyhow, we got the Droid in today and let me tell you! It blew my mind how fast and responsive it was! It was a sexy feeling and looking phone and am way excited to see what it can do...The keyboard isn't as nice as the TP/TP2's but still it is a nice physical keyboard. The screen resolution is sexy and to die for. But anyhow that's my opinion!

I would myself go with the Droid just to test it out and have it, because either way it is a good phone and no one will really have it for a bit (2 weeks) so you will have the cool phone for a while..!


Later TB

hahaha im with verizon now damn i wish i had your discounts ahahahah but anyways the droid looked tempting but gonna wait for the dragon since droid doesnt have multi-touch and i want the faster processor.

“ Originally Posted by ppopper78 ”

I would go with the droid cause it will surpass wm/tf3d will its diversity of endless program use. the tp2 is great but now getting old and really there are not too many changes from tp1.

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

For the moment you are somewhat correct, go look at the HTC HD2 coming out it won't out done....WM won't really but beat out by Android because it can adapt so well like Android will be able to.....It will def. crush the iphone because of the locks that Apple has on the iphone in every way.

But your right, and say you have the TP1 now and are wanting to upgrade and are looking that the TP2, it isn't worth the money unless you really want those little changes. The droid is worth it now, just because of the new flashiness of it.

how can you say there arent that many changes? you got the larger screen, WAY BETTER PERFORMANCE, tilt screen, the better keyboard with more spacious keys, WAY BETTER BATTERY LIFE, less scrolling needed for internet and even file explorer, probex themes (hahah had too), etc

[oracle646]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

hahaha im with verizon now damn i wish i had your discounts ahahahah but anyways the droid looked tempting but gonna wait for the dragon since droid doesnt have multi-touch and i want the faster processor.






how can you say there arent that many changes? you got the larger screen, WAY BETTER PERFORMANCE, tilt screen, the better keyboard with more spacious keys, WAY BETTER BATTERY LIFE, less scrolling needed for internet and even file explorer, probex themes (hahah had too), etc

lol I hear ya...But see I have Sprint for my personal phone stuff lol. I agree with the multitap touch screen business and the new proc. coming out......Will the dragon have a phys. keyboard? I am looking it up now, just asking anyways....And I assume you mean for Sprint right?

TB

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

lol I hear ya...But see I have Sprint for my personal phone stuff lol. I agree with the multitap touch screen business and the new proc. coming out......Will the dragon have a phys. keyboard? I am looking it up now, just asking anyways....And I assume you mean for Sprint right?

TB

what do you mean for sprint? im with verizon and not sprint any longer and why you using sprint service and paying more for it when you could be getting the employee discount and paying dirt cheap for better coverage?

[oracle646]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

what do you mean for sprint? im with verizon and not sprint any longer and why you using sprint service and paying more for it when you could be getting the employee discount and paying dirt cheap for better coverage?

haha. well you see I was with verizon...UNTIL I got promoted to a Supervisor/Manger thing when I worked at Bestbuy. And all Sups and managers will eligible for the Sprint Corporate discount for $27.99 For:
-Unlimited Texts and Pic Messages
-3000 Week Min./ 1000 Night and Weekend Minutes
-$20 a Month In free downloads
-Unlimited Data Usage
- And some other good stuff..

My bill each month is like $33. For ALL OF THAT! Don't get me wrong I want Verizon's coverage. But here is the deal. The discount that our store gets BLOWS! And I cant even keep my phone number say if I put the discount on it, I cannot port it out back to a personal plan. If it goes on the discount plan I lose it for good. And I don't want to do that.

Are you not working for Sprint anymore?

But that is the reason that I don't go with Verizon...Plus they are freakin' expensive in general. I mean I still have a %20 discount also from when I was at Best Buy, but sprints everything plan is still so amazingly cheap!...

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

haha. well you see I was with verizon...UNTIL I got promoted to a Supervisor/Manger thing when I worked at Bestbuy. And all Sups and managers will eligible for the Sprint Corporate discount for $27.99 For:
-Unlimited Texts and Pic Messages
-3000 Week Min./ 1000 Night and Weekend Minutes
-$20 a Month In free downloads
-Unlimited Data Usage
- And some other good stuff..

My bill each month is like $33. For ALL OF THAT! Don't get me wrong I want Verizon's coverage. But here is the deal. The discount that our store gets BLOWS! And I cant even keep my phone number say if I put the discount on it, I cannot port it out back to a personal plan. If it goes on the discount plan I lose it for good. And I don't want to do that.

Are you not working for Sprint anymore?

But that is the reason that I don't go with Verizon...Plus they are freakin' expensive in general. I mean I still have a %20 discount also from when I was at Best Buy, but sprints everything plan is still so amazingly cheap!...

word makes sense than and naw hasvent worked for sprint for a while now..... had to move back home to take care of the moms.

[oracle646]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

word makes sense than and naw hasvent worked for sprint for a while now..... had to move back home to take care of the moms.

That's legit. I can respect that.

I tell you what lol. I am the manager at our verizon store here in town. If you want to move here and take over you are good to do so! lol I will put in a good wordfor you!

I will be living in like 5 months or what not to move back home.....soooooo if you want it you go it.

I mean you know cell phones at least kind of good right? That is some what of a requirement lol..

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

That's legit. I can respect that.

I tell you what lol. I am the manager at our verizon store here in town. If you want to move here and take over you are good to do so! lol I will put in a good wordfor you!

I will be living in like 5 months or what not to move back home.....soooooo if you want it you go it.

I mean you know cell phones at least kind of good right? That is some what of a requirement lol..

hahaha not sure if i could go to oregon lmao i would hate being at the college of arguably the biggest flop of a qb besides leaf for my lions when they chose harrington hahahha, if it wasnt so far and on the west coast i would def be down for that if it would work that way and yes i feel pretty confident that i know phones hahha

[oracle646]

“ Originally Posted by D/\SH ”

hahaha not sure if i could go to oregon lmao i would hate being at the college of arguably the biggest flop of a qb besides leaf for my lions when they chose harrington hahahha, if it wasnt so far and on the west coast i would def be down for that if it would work that way and yes i feel pretty confident that i know phones hahha

I hear ya man...when good ole' Joey came out of UO I was all excited and then blahhh. haha

But I am like a few hours from there though.. PLUS I am from Idaho...Boise basically soooo I am a BSU fan...which as of right now and the last 5 years has owned Oregon and Oregon state. Which knowing that and being a BSU fan and living here is AWSOME haha...If I have my Boise State sweater on and some dude has an Oregon hat on, he just stares and me, and me knowing he already doesn't like me for what I am wearing and whom I like......which I love lol.....

But any how..If you do want to take this thing on down here. Just let me know. I might have to kind of go over the PDA/Smartphones with ya at first, but something tells me you can catch on fast...hell maybe even teach me a few things! haha

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

I hear ya man...when good ole' Joey came out of UO I was all excited and then blahhh. haha

But I am like a few hours from there though.. PLUS I am from Idaho...Boise basically soooo I am a BSU fan...which as of right now and the last 5 years has owned Oregon and Oregon state. Which knowing that and being a BSU fan and living here is AWSOME haha...If I have my Boise State sweater on and some dude has an Oregon hat on, he just stares and me, and me knowing he already doesn't like me for what I am wearing and whom I like......which I love lol.....

But any how..If you do want to take this thing on down here. Just let me know. I might have to kind of go over the PDA/Smartphones with ya at first, but something tells me you can catch on fast...hell maybe even teach me a few things! haha

hahaha for sure i think the only way that i could ever do that would be if the benefits were good sicne i cant leave good benefits at the hospital doing security if not.. thanks again for looking out.

[oracle646]

No doubt. I hear ya with the benefits thing...here they are not as good as a Hospital for sure. But It is all I had to offer lol...You have taken care of me here, figure I would offer what little I have to offer lol.

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by oracle646 ”

No doubt. I hear ya with the benefits thing...here they are not as good as a Hospital for sure. But It is all I had to offer lol...You have taken care of me here, figure I would offer what little I have to offer lol.

and is much appreciated thanks brudda

[CrAshTaH]

I've got the touch pro 2 for now, but man I've got serious envy of google navigation. That alone makes me want to make the switch to android.

[bubbleflubber]

Hey guys,

I don't know if it's worth anything or not, but I was wrestling very heavily with the same issue. I've loved my original Touch Pro, and appreciated all of the things I could tweak in WinMo. I consider myself a "power user" and utilize a bunch of small business features that WinMo fulfills well.

That being said, I thought when I re-upped my contract, the TP2 was a foregone conclusion. The keyboard was nice, dual mic/speaker, nice display, etc.

.... but honestly, when they opened up the Droid and let me play with it.... I couldn't, in good conscience buy the TP2.

The hardware provides for so much better a seamless user experience on the Droid vs. ANY WinMo phone I've played with (and there aren't many that I haven't). It rivals the iPhone, if not equivalent in my humble opinion.

The processor is so much, much faster than the TP2, and the screen is larger, with more pixel real-estate (the largest out there now). The keyboard is NOT, and I repeat NOT nearly as bad as many have stated. Once you become used to it, it's a non-issue. It also comes pre-loaded with a 16GB microSD card installed, and with the current firmware, can support a 32GB card natively. (This will, of course, change in the future, as larger capacities will fit on the microSD chipset. The firmware will assuredly update to accommodate those capacities as they develop.)

The physical phone packs better hardware, yet is still thinner than the TP2. One of the nicest things, for me, is the glass capacitive scratch-resistant touchscreen. Wow, honestly, wow. (Check YouTube for the "scratch-test", which it passes with marvelous results.)

Now, onto the firmware/software. I purchased with the newest 2.01 firmware update already installed. I can't compare it to the previous 2.0 version, but from my understanding, the camera is miles and miles ahead of where it was (takes very nice stable pics and DVD-quality widescreen native video.) As for the operating system, be guaranteed that you'll never ever have to pay for an OS upgrade again. Verizon is allowing for any and all future system upgrades to be sent over-the-air, or done in-store at no charge. Thus, when Android 2.1 comes out, you'll in effect have a brand new phone to play with, and so on.

Now, for the 2 things I can't do without.... first, the Google Search feature. Press the onscreen microphone and speak whatever your heart's content... it is pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen a phone do. Not only will it open up a browser, but you get a huge load of choices... shopping, navigation, contact, phone, email, location, etc. Speaking of location, it uses BOTH simultaneous GPS and wireless location managers to provide lightning fast location locks (eons faster than HTC and WinMo has ever provided me).

Secondly, the onboard navigation is worth its weight in absolute gold. It provides me super-accurate results, equal or better than my Garmin or TomTom, as Google's maps are constantly updated. You can choose various points of view to the nav system, and it will provide real-time street views if you'd like to see if your surroundings match where you actually are. Again, the ultra-high crystal resolution really knocks your socks off when using it.

Now, as for a comparison to my WinMo experience. I have found, like I did when I made my computer switch from Windows to Mac, I didn't "have" to tweak everything.... it just "worked". That's much the way I feel about my transition from WinMo to the open-source (Linux-based) Android operation system. There's nothing to "learn"... it just works (by the way, the Unix kernel that powers Android is the same Unix kernel behind MacOS... stripped down, of course, just like Apple did with the iPhone). Everything, thus far on the Android Market (for applications) is very reminiscent to the Apple approach... seamless integration from app to app. I have literally kept 20 applications running simultaneously with only half of my RAM in usage. And for those who say that apps won't close, or always "have to" run in the background, this is not exactly true. Verizon themselves provide their users FREE access to a normally "paid" app to kill any app or process task. (It is provided under the 'Verizon' tab in the Android Market. Search for the same app openly on the market, and it is not free by design.)

Speaking of apps (and development), although there are only 10,000+ apps right now (in comparison to the touted 100,000 iPhone apps), the Droid is revolutionizing the development of such open-source platform apps, and that number is DRASTICALLY increasing. Most WinMo users complain that two of the best features with WinMo are not possible with Android. First, is the ability to create and share documents.... wrong, just wrong. Search the Market. Next is the inherent ability for tethering apps to use your phone as a router. Not only is the software app available, the prominent software to do so was just "downgraded" in price to FREE.

You have to also remember that from a marketing strategy, the Droid is the first REAL attempt for Verizon to do a 180-degree turn from their "lock every VZW phone down" approach. The only, and I mean ONLY thing from Verizon that comes on the Droid is Visual Voice Mail (which is absolutely incredible to never ever have to call your voicemail again.... it downloads the actual sound file to the phone and you can store or listen to it immediately... very neat). Verizon gave up a LOT of concessions to take on this phone. No preloaded Verizon crap at all, and the one app (Visual VM) is easily uninstallable if you should choose not to keep it.

All-in-all, the end user-experience is what I'm about. The Droid provides the absolute fastest, easiest and seamless experience to date for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm an HTC lover. I think they provide a wonderful array of phones, and they will answer the Droid in similar fashion. (They already provide the ERIS Droid, but it's no Moto Droid by any stretch of the imagination.) Personally, I think they made a very bad choice in providing pretty much the same hardware specs (with a different screen display) from the switch between the TP and the TP2.

And for those tweakers out there, I know flashing your phones with custom ROMS is a reliable, if not necessary capability for the user. Well, HTC and WinMo are not the only ones out there now.... you can flash most WinMo HTC phones, you can jailbreak your iPhone.... and now, the exploit has been found to delve under the hood of the Droid... so that means yes, custom ROM's are possible, plausible and inevitable for the Moto Droid.

But then again, I understand doing that on WinMo... I did it myself (many, many times). But if you don't have to, why fix something that isn't broken?

Sorry if I came off as a Droid fanboy. I'm really not. I'm just comparing my experience with the phones, and the reason that the Droid was the clear-cut winner in my opinion. You won't go wrong with a TP2, but you'd be well-served to check out an updated Droid and play with it for a while. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

[GokuSS3]

Wow what a review you gave there. Thanks for all your input !!!!

[jerryrigg]

“ Originally Posted by bubbleflubber ”

Hey guys,

I don't know if it's worth anything or not, but I was wrestling very heavily with the same issue. I've loved my original Touch Pro, and appreciated all of the things I could tweak in WinMo. I consider myself a "power user" and utilize a bunch of small business features that WinMo fulfills well.

...{trimmed for space}.........

Sorry if I came off as a Droid fanboy. I'm really not. I'm just comparing my experience with the phones, and the reason that the Droid was the clear-cut winner in my opinion. You won't go wrong with a TP2, but you'd be well-served to check out an updated Droid and play with it for a while. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Not to mention, the Droid is cheaper. And this is one of the best and mst accurate reviews I have seen for Droid yet. awesome!

[iamdasht19]

“ Originally Posted by bubbleflubber ”

Hey guys,

I don't know if it's worth anything or not, but I was wrestling very heavily with the same issue. I've loved my original Touch Pro, and appreciated all of the things I could tweak in WinMo. I consider myself a "power user" and utilize a bunch of small business features that WinMo fulfills well.

That being said, I thought when I re-upped my contract, the TP2 was a foregone conclusion. The keyboard was nice, dual mic/speaker, nice display, etc.

.... but honestly, when they opened up the Droid and let me play with it.... I couldn't, in good conscience buy the TP2.

The hardware provides for so much better a seamless user experience on the Droid vs. ANY WinMo phone I've played with (and there aren't many that I haven't). It rivals the iPhone, if not equivalent in my humble opinion.

The processor is so much, much faster than the TP2, and the screen is larger, with more pixel real-estate (the largest out there now). The keyboard is NOT, and I repeat NOT nearly as bad as many have stated. Once you become used to it, it's a non-issue. It also comes pre-loaded with a 16GB microSD card installed, and with the current firmware, can support a 32GB card natively. (This will, of course, change in the future, as larger capacities will fit on the microSD chipset. The firmware will assuredly update to accommodate those capacities as they develop.)

The physical phone packs better hardware, yet is still thinner than the TP2. One of the nicest things, for me, is the glass capacitive scratch-resistant touchscreen. Wow, honestly, wow. (Check YouTube for the "scratch-test", which it passes with marvelous results.)

Now, onto the firmware/software. I purchased with the newest 2.01 firmware update already installed. I can't compare it to the previous 2.0 version, but from my understanding, the camera is miles and miles ahead of where it was (takes very nice stable pics and DVD-quality widescreen native video.) As for the operating system, be guaranteed that you'll never ever have to pay for an OS upgrade again. Verizon is allowing for any and all future system upgrades to be sent over-the-air, or done in-store at no charge. Thus, when Android 2.1 comes out, you'll in effect have a brand new phone to play with, and so on.

Now, for the 2 things I can't do without.... first, the Google Search feature. Press the onscreen microphone and speak whatever your heart's content... it is pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen a phone do. Not only will it open up a browser, but you get a huge load of choices... shopping, navigation, contact, phone, email, location, etc. Speaking of location, it uses BOTH simultaneous GPS and wireless location managers to provide lightning fast location locks (eons faster than HTC and WinMo has ever provided me).

Secondly, the onboard navigation is worth its weight in absolute gold. It provides me super-accurate results, equal or better than my Garmin or TomTom, as Google's maps are constantly updated. You can choose various points of view to the nav system, and it will provide real-time street views if you'd like to see if your surroundings match where you actually are. Again, the ultra-high crystal resolution really knocks your socks off when using it.

Now, as for a comparison to my WinMo experience. I have found, like I did when I made my computer switch from Windows to Mac, I didn't "have" to tweak everything.... it just "worked". That's much the way I feel about my transition from WinMo to the open-source (Linux-based) Android operation system. There's nothing to "learn"... it just works (by the way, the Unix kernel that powers Android is the same Unix kernel behind MacOS... stripped down, of course, just like Apple did with the iPhone). Everything, thus far on the Android Market (for applications) is very reminiscent to the Apple approach... seamless integration from app to app. I have literally kept 20 applications running simultaneously with only half of my RAM in usage. And for those who say that apps won't close, or always "have to" run in the background, this is not exactly true. Verizon themselves provide their users FREE access to a normally "paid" app to kill any app or process task. (It is provided under the 'Verizon' tab in the Android Market. Search for the same app openly on the market, and it is not free by design.)

Speaking of apps (and development), although there are only 10,000+ apps right now (in comparison to the touted 100,000 iPhone apps), the Droid is revolutionizing the development of such open-source platform apps, and that number is DRASTICALLY increasing. Most WinMo users complain that two of the best features with WinMo are not possible with Android. First, is the ability to create and share documents.... wrong, just wrong. Search the Market. Next is the inherent ability for tethering apps to use your phone as a router. Not only is the software app available, the prominent software to do so was just "downgraded" in price to FREE.

You have to also remember that from a marketing strategy, the Droid is the first REAL attempt for Verizon to do a 180-degree turn from their "lock every VZW phone down" approach. The only, and I mean ONLY thing from Verizon that comes on the Droid is Visual Voice Mail (which is absolutely incredible to never ever have to call your voicemail again.... it downloads the actual sound file to the phone and you can store or listen to it immediately... very neat). Verizon gave up a LOT of concessions to take on this phone. No preloaded Verizon crap at all, and the one app (Visual VM) is easily uninstallable if you should choose not to keep it.

All-in-all, the end user-experience is what I'm about. The Droid provides the absolute fastest, easiest and seamless experience to date for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm an HTC lover. I think they provide a wonderful array of phones, and they will answer the Droid in similar fashion. (They already provide the ERIS Droid, but it's no Moto Droid by any stretch of the imagination.) Personally, I think they made a very bad choice in providing pretty much the same hardware specs (with a different screen display) from the switch between the TP and the TP2.

And for those tweakers out there, I know flashing your phones with custom ROMS is a reliable, if not necessary capability for the user. Well, HTC and WinMo are not the only ones out there now.... you can flash most WinMo HTC phones, you can jailbreak your iPhone.... and now, the exploit has been found to delve under the hood of the Droid... so that means yes, custom ROM's are possible, plausible and inevitable for the Moto Droid.

But then again, I understand doing that on WinMo... I did it myself (many, many times). But if you don't have to, why fix something that isn't broken?

Sorry if I came off as a Droid fanboy. I'm really not. I'm just comparing my experience with the phones, and the reason that the Droid was the clear-cut winner in my opinion. You won't go wrong with a TP2, but you'd be well-served to check out an updated Droid and play with it for a while. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

i wanna check out the motorola version of the droid.... you know anyone that wants to trade for an eris? and WOW that is a great review and walkthrough... do you mind if i take that and add mine together with your for the eris and we will make a droid series review thread?