Mossberg: Droid ‘Credible Alternative’ to iPhone

Ed Sutherland ()

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The Droid provides Verizon Wireless a ‘more credible alternative’ to Apple’s iPhone, according to Walt Mossberg, a technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal.

“Like the iPhone, the Droid is really a powerful handheld computer that happens to make phone calls,” Mossberg wrote at All Things Digital. After testing a review version of the Droid, the Wall Street Journal writer told readers the Motorola-made device using Google’s Android 2.0 software has some advantage, as well as disadvantages to the iPhone.

While much is made of the Droid’s physical keyboard, Mossberg deems it “pretty awful.” The columnist wrote he frequently returned to the virtual keyboard after cramped keys repeatedly caused typing errors. The review Droid did not have auto-correction.

droid-usatoday

That keyboard plus a larger 3.7-inch screen adds 25 percent to the Droid’s weight, prompting Mossberg to judge the unit uncomfortable to carrying around in your pocket. That screen omits multitouch features and is more sluggish than other touchscreens, according to Mossberg.

Despite the larger screen, it is short of real-estate to display your apps. Mossberg notes the Droid’s screen has three panels for your apps versus 11 for the iPhone. In addition, the Droid’s “widgets” are space hogs.

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Verizon recently announced the Droid will launch Nov. 6 and cost $200, less a $100 mail-in rebate.

[Via ATD]

7 comments »

About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • chaka

    Why not list the positives as well?

  • robert

    because this is a mac-biased website that’s full of faggots.

  • iGenius

    Badly done article. Some facts are simply incorrect. Additionally, Mossberg’s comments are in places mischaracterized.

    I expect better from you, Ed. That’s why I read your stuff.

  • No Name

    > because this is a mac-biased website that’s full of …

    Here comes Robert, the keyboard typing gangsta!
    Anyway, I don’t think Droid does not look to be good contender to iPhone (at all), but having competition on the market is a good thing.

  • Shayne

    The keyboard does suck (the virtual wasn’t bad though.) Not having multi-touch does suck. It is touch is sluggish compared to the iPhone. However, only saying that you can have 3 panels is a little misleading. There are applications that allow you customization and gives you more panels.

    I prefer the iPhone, but the competition is getting a bit better finallyl

  • Willaim

    I’ll wait and see for myself. I have read many conflicting articles with some saying, save for multitouch, the navigation is superior to iPhone and some calling it ‘sluggish’. I’m reading the processor is blazing fast. And just how many apps to do you need anyway? It’s a phone/computer, not a Gameboy (at least for me). And the elephant in the room is the awful AT&T network to which most iPhones are enslaved. On that, even though I have no iPhone, I can speak to first hand….it’s bad and getting worse. My calls are being dropped more frequently (one a few a day versus one a week) and I used to be able to use my phone in my bedroom. In the last week, nada. I’ll take a slightly less sexy phone over a dreamboat if that phone is running on a good network.

  • http://www.apple.com Anony

    If the end user is the one getting the jest out of all this phone-based-wars, then carry on!

    I actually like the fact that these guys are competing, makes every company sharpen it’s teeth with every new product (or be bitten by those teeth, as am afraid would happen to the Droid)..

    Then again, I wish i can see a SEGA phone, where sonic hogs my memory for golden rings, or else am doomed..