sdg1871

Well as much as I like my Blackberry Bold for emailing, its web brower pretty much sucks. Iphone is not an option as I live in NYC where AT&T's voice network stinks. To me, there's no better cell phone network in NYC than Verizon. Given this, I am thinking about getting a Droid and using it as my phone and web browser. At $199 with a 2 year contract, the price is right as I am not leaving Verizon Wireless as my cell phone provider (I've tried the others here in NYC over the years and to me, none of the others measures up).

Does anyone have any reviews of/experiences with the Droid? It has received extremely positive reviews from the media and technology websites (I've done my research and read lots of the reviews).

1esquire

I have one and am using it to post on here right now. The browser is one 1000 times better than the bberry I had before. It also has a ton of apps, and it includes turn by turn navigation for free
It's a fifty dollar app on the iPhone. I like it a lot. I've had it since it came out in Nov.

One downside is that it us thicker than the iPhone because of the slider keyboard, which i rarely use because the on screen keypad is pretty easy to use.

swajames

Scott, if you can hold on a little longer the iPhone is likely to be on CMDA carriers including Verizon later this year. AT&T's exclusive deal runs out in the summer and industry rumors point to a GSM/CDMA iPhone that would work on any major carrier. The Droid is a nice phone, but for me the iPhone still has the better UI and user experience (particularly the web browser) and the Android app store is nowhere near as comprehensive as the iPhone (by orders of magnitude).

sdg1871

Yes I have heard that. Apple made a big mistake in linking the iPhone to AT&T Wireless, the lowest-rated major cell phone carrier of them all. Had it partnered with Verizon, it probably would have doubled its already impressive sales. I have had AT&T before in NYC and the service is horrific. Dropped calls are the norm.

I may use the Droid for the time being as my BB is a great email device (I'll still keep it for work reasons) but its web browsing capabilities are laughale compared to all of its competitors. It is, of course, the email champion.

craigm1841

The only reason AT&T is rated so low is because for the past few years, its data network has been overwhelmed by the iPhone. so I guess the egg came first here... or is it the chicken

If the iPhone was on verizons network, it would have had the same problem. on the plus side, ATT does boast the fastest 3G network.... i will always have an iphone. I swore i would always have GSM, but i may switch back to CDMA when the iPhone becomes availible on verizon. by the time 4G rolls around, LTE will be a staple in the cellular communications industry and things will be far more even across carriers.

swajames

Verizon is just as bad - it all depends where you live, and Verizon's data network is nowhere near as good as they make out in their commercials. Verizon also has a history of crippling device capabilities to the extent that phone features compromise its revenue stream. The other thing - and it is an important one- is that if you look at the statistics on mobile web browsing, the traffic is massively skewed to the iPhone. Verizon's network simply doesn't have to deal with the things that AT&Ts does, because Verizon doesn't carry the device that people are using the most for mobile browsing. Verizon gets a free pass, largely because it doesn't have to deal with the 800lb gorilla - you're not comparing apples to oranges today. Assuming the iPhone does make it to Verizon, you may find NYC's coverage isn't quite as good as it may be today... Not to say that AT&T shouldn't address their SF and NYC issues, but be careful what you wish for...

sdg1871

AT&T Wireless"s problems predate the iPhone. The problems relate to dropped calls and a poor network in New York City and San Francisco. It may work fine in other cities but in NYC and San Fran, AT&T's wireless network for voice is really bad -- a fact that's been documented in many media articles and that I know from having an AT&T voice cell phone prior to the roll out of iPhone.

For 3G data services, I have no complaints about AT&T's speed (my Blackberry Bold is on AT&T). But for phone service, AT&T is the pits in NYC and SF. That's why I have to carry a separate Verizon cell phone for voice service. I am on the phone a lot with clients and dropped calls are just not acceptable for me. I do recall that when I traveled to other cities, my AT&T phone was better

craigm1841

if AT&T isn't using 1900MHz bands in NY and SF and Verizon is, there is your difference. The higher the frequency, the less natural and man made structures degrade the signal.

if it is for a reason other then that, dont know what to say. a lot of my friends on long island all use verizon too.

sdg1871

I don't know the technical reason why AT&T's voice network is subpar in NYC. I just know that it is. If it was better, I'd use my BB as a cell phone.

luigi524td

Check out this for starters:
https://5series.net/forums/index.php...pic=88900&st=0

I am very very very happy with my Motorola Droid. But since I've been a Verizon wireless customer going back to the Bell Atlantic Mobile days I can't tell you that I have personal experience with the Palms or iPhones. From what my friends and associates tell me it's a love-hate relationship with Sprint and AT&T. If you live in a good network coverage area you love it ... if you don't - you hate it!

From my personal experience it's all about the network and I have been very happy with Verizon Wireless service. And, this MotoDroid is one of the best phones I've had in 20+ years. It (the phone) does have some "issues" but they (for ME) are minor and I'm confident Moto and VZW will sort out.