Two QWERTY sliders hard at work – one portrait with a small 3.2″ screen running BlackBerry 6, one landscape with a large 3.7″ screen running Android 2.2 – and both quite multimedia savvy.
Two 5 MP autofocus cameras ready to play – one with a single LED flash and VGA video recording, one with a dual LED flash and 480p video recording – and both with a two-stage shutter button.
Like robots? Well rejoice – thanks to the folks at Verizon, the Motorola Droid 2 is here :)
The Droid 2 is the successor the original Droid, my pick for device of the year 2009 – that’s a lot to live up to!
Beyond the cosmetic changes mentioned in my unboxing video (above) and first power on video (after the break), the Droid 2 packs an improved keyboard, and the same 1 GHz processor as the Droid X.
The Droid 2 is the first phone to ship with FroYo pre-installed, but sheds Android’s default UI for the same non-Blur skin showcased on the Droid X – it’s rather unfortunate…
While the flagship status of the Motorola CLIQ was decimated with the arrival of the Motorola Droid, both devices actually feature similar cameras with similar quirks!
Other than the CLIQ’s missing flash, there is no major difference between the cameras in terms of stills. Performance matches the Droid, and the resulting pictures are decent (slide show).
The Devour looks like a premium device. The body is machined out of a single block of aluminum, just like the MacBook Pro. The spring-loaded sliding mechanism of the QWERTY keyboard feels truly fantastic, and the optical trackpad is a lovely touch. In that respect, it’s nicer than the CLIQ and the Droid…
The Motorola CLIQ was a prophet, hinting at the future… It told us Schaumburg was coming back to life. It told us that Android was the new lifeblood pulsing through Motorola’s veins. The Motorola Droid was the messiah, securing its title as Motorola’s comeback device!
So what of the CLIQ now? Eclipsed by the Droid a mere 2 months after being born, is it completely irrelevant or is it a worthy phone in its own right? After weeks of requesting a CLIQ review unit (since Mobilize), the people at T-Mobile finally obliged. Better late than never, I guess :)
Today is my birthday, the perfect day to get my very own Google Nexus One :) Was it worth all the speculation, hype, and scoops? You bet – the Nexus One is the new benchmark of the phone world!
Sure, the Nokia N900 features a better camera, the Motorola Droid a physical keyboard, the Apple iPhone 3GS more applications, the Palm Pre a nicer user experience. But after using the Nexus One for just a few hours, it’s clear to me that it’s a milestone device…
What a fitting picture :) Say ‘hello” to the Motorola Droid, my choice for device of the year!
I would have picked the Google Nexus One if it was available today, and I would have picked the Nokia N900 if it was more accessible, but the Motorola Droid made a bigger impact on the mobile industry…
I just played with the Google Nexus One for a few minutes, Here’s my report:
- It’s extremely thin
- It’s much nicer looking in person than in pictures
- There’s a 4 GB micro-SD card installed
- The battery capacity is 1400 mAh
- The screen appears to be OLED (same size/resolution as the Motorola Droid)
- 3G works on T-Mobile USA :)
- I can confirm that there’s no 3G on AT&T (EGDE only)
- It’s definitely unlocked
- It’s super snappy! Faster than the Droid…
- There’s no multitouch support in the browser or in Google Maps
- There’s no dedicated camera key, but it’s the same camera interface as the Droid
- The trackball can be used to focus (like on other HTC devices)
- Low-light performance is decent, but the flash is weak
- Calls are routed the normal way, not using data (VoIP), and sound fine
- The home screen is divided into 5 panes (like the custom interface on the HTC HeroMotorola CLIQ)
- It’s using a micro-USB connector for data/power
- There are some gold contacts at the bottom edge, for a dock perhaps?
- Did I mention it’s fast?
Sorry, I was not allowed to take pictures (the one above is from the intertubes). That’s it for now :)
Posted by tnkgrl 
