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Considering a Droid
rocketshipready
Registered User
Registered User
I have the opportunity to get a Droid on our family plan right now, but a smartphone isn't really necessary in my current life situation. It'd be nice, of course, but I definitely wouldn't use it to its full capability. However, I'll most likely be moving to New York for the 2010 fall semester, and I'll be spending quite a bit of time in NYC where I'll be sure to use it quite a bit. The Droid looks like a nice piece of technology, but I'd hate to get it right now and have it outdated before I really get a chance to use it. Are the 2010 smartphones looking substantially better than the current Droid stats, or will the Droid remain great for the next couple of years? The Android updates make me believe that it'll be fine, but I guess I just want to be sure, since it'll mostly just be a nice toy at this point, rather than a legitimately useful tool. Thanks!
rocketshipready on
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That said, my main issues with the phone was likely down to the hardware: It had poor task management, meaning that processes were being kept open that no longer needed to be, which was annoying when you had limited memory and processing power as it slowed up the phone. Other than that, the operating system was sound and I'm willing to bet that the app store has vastly improved since then.
Also, don't bother with phones with physical keyboards: I thought that it would bother me to have a touchscreen keyboard, after my past experiences with Windows Mobile based phones, but touchscreen technology and UIs have come on a long time since then, and I found myself very rarely using the G1's physical keyboard.
In summary, Android phones are generally good, but don't fucking bother with the G1.
See if you can play with one in a store, your mileage may vary.
And no matter what, any phone you buy will be outdated by the time the cash leaves your wallet.
And people say having a little bulk to your gadgets is bad...
Re: Future proofing: I don't mind being an early adopter, but it's just the fact that a Droid in Kansas is a little less helpful than a Droid in NYC, so I'm just figuring if I won't use it to its full potential, there's a reason to wait. I'll probably just jump on it since the software updates will seem to keep the phone relevant in the coming years.
There will be a new droid in 2010, just like there will be a new iPhone, and the nexus by google. Always moving.
The lesson to learn is to pick something and just be happy.
Likely the same reason it's less useful here in Vermont than in New York... lack of 3G/tower coverage.
That's just technology.
If it's not something you NEED right this second, I'd say hold off until a month or so before you go - by that point, there will be more phones out... and if you still want the moto droid at that point, it may cost less than it currently does.