'Droid Does': Going after iPhone
Does the ad for Verizon's Motorola Droid phone signal a real challenge for Apple's dominant smart phone?
Look out iPhone, said Sascha Segan in PC Magazine. Verizon Wireless "attacks Apple's iPhone in direct language that's rarely been seen before," in a website and video ad touting the Oct. 30 arrival of the new Android 2.0-powered Motorola Droid phone (watch the Droid Does ad). The ad says the Droid phone has what "iDon't," including a 5 megapixel camera, a real QWERTY keyboard, and, more importantly, "open development."
Many carriers and phone makers "have claimed to have iPhone-killers," said Jason Perlow in ZDNet. So we'll have to wait to see whether Verizon's Droid phone can succeed where others failed. But "I’m really looking forward to seeing what the Droid will offer"—this is where Google's Android OS is "put to the test to see if it is now ready for prime time."
Verizon's Droid Does ad says a lot about what to expect, said The Boy Genius Report. But Motorola Droid phone pictures say even more. "It’s thin. Just slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS and the thinnest QWERTY-slider we’ve ever seen." And it's "easily the best screen we've ever seen on an Android handset." It looks like this is the best Android-powered handset in the cell phone wars so far.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
7 cocktails for a comforting autumn
The Week Recommends Vodka, rum, brandy, mezcal: The gang's all here
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Texas court allows execution in shaken baby syndrome case
Under the radar The state could be the first to carry out the death penalty for someone convicted due to the diagnosis, despite its controversial applicability
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How do presidential elections affect the stock market?
The explainer If you are worried, take heart: Market changes in response to what is happening politically are likely to be short-term
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published