In the rightful effort to disseminate the up-to-date Android technology Google has embarked on something officially called "device seeding program for top Android Market developers".
ActionComplete has been steadily approaching the 50000 downloads mark and has an average rating of 3.97 so here I am playing with a new toy.
Google couldn't go the straight way and decided to introduce an element of surprise by pseudo-randomly sending out Nexuses and Droids. It feels like developers in the US got Droids while other developers got Nexuses.
The Droid I got came with a complimentary one month of free Verizon service, both voice and data. A very smart move as that was the only way for them to make me try the Verizon network.
By now I've already used around 10 days of that free month and can report the initial findings.
The Phone
Fast. Functional. I always try to come up to a triad... This time it's going to be a dynamic duo.
I realized why it has that sunken chin. That's the only place where you can safely hold the phone in landscape without hitting the touch-sensitive buttons. Even with that in mind I still touch them a lot in very inappropriate moments. I'm yet to figure out why I keep sending empty emails now and then.
Oddly enough, the keyboard is less convenient than that on G1. The upper row is quite close to the slid-out top of the phone and you end up touching it a lot with your thumbs. The buttons are almost flat and the press response is minimal.
The good part is the phone is fast. And very functional. You can actually do what you are supposed to be able to and it usually works as advertised. You can get the directions to your lunch destination before you arrive there. You can view house prices in Zillow application for Android while driving at 40 mph. Believe it or not, but Droid in fact Does.
Which logically brings us to the the next review item - the network.
Verizon touts itself as the best network in the States (who doesn't?). Here in DC it might well be the case. The data network is always in 3G mode wherever I am. The connection is fast and reliable. The maps load promptly as you drive, voice-assisted navigation works well most of the time.
To keep its network fast Verizon puts some restrictions in place that are not typically found on other networks. You can't upload a video over 3G - it'll sit in the queue until you get a Wi-Fi connection.
The Conclusion
I found my attraction to the phone growing with every single day. Maybe it'll even become my primary phone after the free honeymoon is over. Who knows?
1 comments:
Only real problem you might ever get is overheating causing the keyboard (which is flat because it is literally just a plastic sheet over inputs) to bubble up a little from time to time.
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