After that recent barrage of “iDon’t” TV commercials, it’s safe to say that Verizon Wireless hopes it has an iPhone killer on its hands with the just-announced Motorola Droid.

Well, I’ve got my hands on a test unit right here, and while I’m not ready to declare a victor quite yet (I’ve only had the phone for a few hours, after all), the Droid certainly looks to be one of the iPhone’s toughest—and most envy-inducing—competitors to date.

Before we begin, I’d like to emphasize that this is not a full review; Verizon only handed out Droid review units a matter of hours ago, so I’ve only had limited time to test the handset. That means no results on the Droid’s battery life (Verizon claims more than six hours of talk time, which sounds pretty optimistic), no final answer to the inevitable “Is it an iPhone killer?” question (which is practically impossible to answer, anyway), and no final verdict on whether you should buy or not.

Still with me? Good.

Verizon has been touting the Android-powered Droid (set for release next Friday, Nov. 6, for $199 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate) as the slimmest full-QWERTY slider phone on the market, and I’m inclined to agree. Measuring 4.6 by 2.4 by 0.5 inches—almost precisely the same size as the iPhone, if a few hundredths of an inch thicker—the 3G- and Wi-Fi-enabled Droid makes for one of the thinnest, sleekest QWERTY sliders I’ve ever laid eyes on, especially compared to the recent, somewhat clunky Motorola Cliq on T-Mobile. Yes, it’s a bit heavy at six ounces, but the extra ballast mainly makes the Droid feel steady and substantial. 

Slide the phone open (and yes, the Droid’s sliding action feels smooth and solid) and there’s the QWERTY keypad, which is decent-sized for a smartphone, but the keys themselves feel flat and a bit slippery. Guess that’s the price you pay for having such a slim profile in a QWERTY slider like this.

Moving along, though, check out the Droid’s gorgeous, 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen, about two-tenths of an inch bigger than the iPhone’s display and crammed with 480 by 854 pixels. Indeed, the Droid’s jumbo-sized display is a joy to look at, especially when it comes to viewing Web pages.

That brings us to the Droid’s operating system: Google’s Android OS, and the Droid just so happens to be the first phone to run version 2.0 of Android, which now includes full-on support for corporate Exchange e-mail accounts, Facebook integration (meaning that the phone will draw contact information from your Facebook pals into your address book), new Google Maps features (like layers for satellite view, traffic, ATMs, and restaurants, as well as turn-by-turn directions; more on that in a moment), and a more polished-looking interface overall.

Just a few taps on the Droid’s main screen showed me that this is the peppiest Android phone I’ve tested yet. No lagging keytaps or jittery menus here; instead, my fingertaps registered almost instantly, while scrolling through menu lists or opening apps was, for the most part, a smooth operation—maybe not as fast or smooth as on the iPhone 3GS, but still, quite impressive.

Setup on the Droid is, as usual for Android phones, a snap: I just entered my Google and Facebook log-ins, and within a few minutes my address book was populated and my Gmail inbox was humming. Duplicate Google and Facebook contacts were automatically and seamlessly integrated, and it’s just one click from a contact entry to that person’s Facebook profile, complete with status updates (and yes, clicking the Back button brings you right back to the contact card).

Unfortunately, the Droid lacks Motorola’s new MotoBlur service, which sends a steady stream of social-networking updates to your phone’s home screen and does a better job of integrating e-mail/text/messaging histories and Facebook/Twitter/MySpace updates into the address book. (GPS-aided phone finder and remote-wipe features in Blur are also missing.) Why no MotoBlur for Droid, you ask? Good question: the Verizon reps I asked told me that the Droid has the “full Google experience” rather than MotoBlur, and that the Droid and the Blur-powered Cliq are aimed at “different audiences.” Not much of an answer, but there you go.

Next up: the new and improved Google Maps, now with GPS-aided turn-by-turn navigation, new for Android 2.0 and appearing first here on the Droid. It’s a free, voice-activated service that looks a lot like other GPS navigation apps on the market, complete with a first-person perspective view, big arrows that tell you where to turn next, spoken directions, and the ability to automatically re-route you if you make a wrong turn. Want to say where you want to go rather than type? No problem, thanks to Android’s voice-recognition capabilities.

Of course, one of the best things about Google’s new Navigation app is that it’s free—no initial fee, no monthly charge, nothin’—and you can even use it with Street View switched on at the same time. I haven’t had a chance to properly test the Droid’s accuracy when it comes to navigation, though, so I’ll hold off on any final judgement here. Still, I have to say … very cool. (A plastic dashboard mount will be available for an extra $25; the mount doesn’t come with its own built-in charger, however.)

Also impressive: The Droid’s 5-megapixel camera, which comes armed with a dual LED flash and auto-focus/image stabilization capabilities. I took some snapshots out the window and in a dimly lit corner of my apartment, and the Droid did a solid—if shy of Ansel Adams-worthy—job of lighting up the dark scenes, and my out-the-window shots looked sharp, rich, and detailed. As far as the Droid’s “DVD-quality” video recording does, well … I wouldn’t call my test clip as sharp as a DVD, but it looked relatively good, on a par with the snippets I’ve recorded on my iPhone.

And yes, the Droid makes voice calls, too—and even better, the improved Android 2.0 interface means that buttons for “Add call” and “mute” are now surfaced while you’re in a call. 

So, how is the Droid stacking up to the iPhone so far? (Hey, Verizon invited the comparison with those “iDon’t” ads, so I’ll bite.) Again, because I’ve only had the Droid for a few hours, I’m not going to tip a winner here. 

But a few immediate comparisons are obvious: the iPhone is slimmer and lighter, while the Droid crams in a full, slide-out QWERTY keypad. The Droid’s camera is clearly superior to the iPhone’s, but if you ask me, the iPhone’s interface is still smoother, peppier, and more elegant. The iPhone has more apps—way more apps—but the Droid has Google’s new, free GPS app, not to mention (as Verizon loves to tell us) a more open development community. The Droid has a user-replaceable battery and a microSD slot, but the iPhone has way more media at its disposal, including wireless movie rentals from the iTunes video store. (The Droid doesn’t even have access to Verizon’s V Cast media network, or at least not for now.) And while the iPhone’s multitouch-enabled browser is still superior to the Droid’s, I’m in love with the Droid’s killer ability to seamlessly integrate Facebook contacts into your address book.

In any case, that’s it for now—I’m off to spend more time tinkering with the Droid. What do you think so far? Have Droid questions you’d like answered? Planning on getting one? Sound off below.

Source:http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/58767