Reviewing the Motorola Droid

In November 2009, Verizon Wireless introduced the world to the Motorola Droid smartphone, which runs on the Android 2.0.1 Platform. It was initially developed by Android, Inc., a firm later purchased by Google, and lately by the Open Handset Alliance. This is an Open Source Platform, meaning third-party developers can create applications and upload them to the Android Marketplace, where in turn Droid users can then download these applications onto their handsets. There are approximately 20,000 applications in the Android Marketplace. Unfortunately, as a result of very poorly written programs as well as the drain these applications have on the phone's resources, a good number of the 20,0000 applications in the Android Marketplace have been found to be utterly useless, making one wonder if the Open Source Platform is really as cracked up as it was initially thought to be.

Best Place to Purchase This Phone

Verizon Wireless Corporate Store

Before I go any further, just let me give you some friendly advice. If you plan on purchasing the Motorola Droid, make sure you are dealing with a corporate store and NOT an authorized dealer for Verizon Wireless. Although these retail stores typically follow Verizon Wireless policies regarding contracts, etc., they typically have their own set of rules they play by when it comes to setting their own prices and return policies on the actual phone itself. Don't be fooled into thinking you are dealing with a corporate store, when in all actuality you are not.

My Horror Story With a Verizon Wireless Authorized Retailer

In summary, I went to what I thought was a Verizon Wireless corporate store. I was sold a Motorola Droid for $299.00 with a $100.00 mail-in rebate. I soon discovered, just hours after taking possession of this device, that I had been sold a used Motorola Droid which had been returned to the same retailer on two previous occasions. I was sold this phone under the pretense that it was a brand new phone and, again, paid the full price of $299.00. The phone was defective, and when I subsequently called Verizon Wireless and had the serial number on the phone traced, Verizon Wireless confirmed my suspicions, that indeed this was a used phone.

When I tried to return the phone to the retailer, they were very adamant about returning my money, telling me I would have to wait at least 10 days to receive a refund. I disputed this, based on the fact that I was sold a used and defective phone and that I had been lied to, as the salesperson never disclosed to me that the phone had been used and returned by two other individuals on previous occasions. The retailer tried to tell me they had no knowledge of this, which I found very hard to believe. This is the extremely short version of the absolute misery I encountered with this unforgiving and totally unprofessional retailer.

As it turned out, what I thought was a reputable Verizon Wireless corporate store was actually Flexicom Wireless, a Verizon Wireless Premium Retailer. After numerous calls to the executive offices at Verizon Wireless and an abundance of emotional and physical distress, I was finally able to get my money back. I filed a very lengthy and nasty complaint about the way this company does business, especially after doing in-depth research as to how this company really operates, as outlined by the reviews below.

Flexicom Wireless Reviews and Complaints

Negatives Outweigh The Positives

Okay, now that I got rid of the defective Motorola Droid, I went to an official Verizon Wireless corporate store, purchased a new Droid, and I still am not at all impressed with this smartphone in the least.

• The phone is ugly, heavy, and awkward to hold in one's hand.
• The physical slide-out keyboard is horrible (like a useless monkey riding on one's back)
• Applications constantly "force close" while in use, which is extremely frustrating
• Applications in the Android Marketplace are utterly useless.
• No Yahoo Messenger, just a beta version, which doesn't come close to official Yahoo IM
• Issues with e-mail accounts and ISP's other than Google Gmail
• Poor battery life
• Constantly having to use Advanced Task Killer to kill applications to conserve battery life
• No pinch-and-zoom feature
• Facebook application is an atrocity, compared to the Blackberry and the iPhone
• LED notification lights are about the size of a pinhead, very difficult to visualize
• Speakerphone echos and sounds very garbled to users on the other end of the line
• GPS often times is totally inaccurate, including Google Latitude
• Unable to store applications to SD card, and most likely never will be able to

Positive Attributes

Sorry, but I just don't have very many positive things to report about this phone, but here are a few:

• Large 3.7-inch high-resolution touch screen
• Capable of running multiple applications at the same time
• Sensitivity to touch scrolling was phenomenal

I realize my positive attributes of the Motorola Droid are very brief, but that is because, as a smartphone, overall, I just don't think it compares to the Blackberry or the iPhone.

Little Green Droid Martian Gets New Home

Well, as you might have guessed, I returned the Motorola Droid, just days after purchasing a brand new Motorola Droid from a Verizon Wireless corporate store, faithfully returning to utilizing my much more dependable Blackberry, and I am very happy that I did. I just don't think the Android operating system has been perfected enough to please the expectations of what consumers are truly looking for in what the Motorola Droid deems a "superphone."

The Blackberry operating system gets the highest marks from enterprise users for its security, and I believe it is also one of the reasons that many people choose the Blackberry, even if they are personal users and not enterprise users, just because of the very fact that Blackberry devices offer the highest security implementation in the wireless industry.

Who Will Eventually Win the War of the Phones?

With all the competition out there, Android versus Blackberry versus iPhone, it will be very interesting to see who ends up finishing first in this rat-race of wireless technology. Coupling the wireless provider with the wireless device will also obviously have a significant impact on the quality performance, ultimately deciding the winner.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Motorola Droid, check out these useful links for more information.

DROID by Motorola

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