Will the new Droid prevent you from waiting for the Palm Pre on Verizon?
Daniel Rodriguez
So as more specs are leaked by Boy Genius Report the Droid is beginning to look even more appealing than maybe we expected. After the Motorola CliQ was released and reviewed, we kind of felt like the Pre wouldn't be affected. The phone is nice but it won't have a huge impact because its not a whole lot different than the rest of the Android phones out there. Now we have the Droid which has a ton of hype, it is on the biggest network in North America, and it will be running Android 2.0 which BGR says is a big improvement over 1.5 and 1.6.
More after the break...
The Droid announcement will be on October 28th and should give us all the juicy details about the phone. The already leaked specs on this beast are pretty impressive. It is running the TI OMAP 3, (same processor as the Palm Pre and the iPhone 3GS) 256 MB of RAM, a 5 Megapixel low light auto focus camera with dual LED flash, a capacitive glass touchscreen, WiFi, GPS, a magnetometer, accelerometer, slide out qwerty keyboard with directional pad, virtual keyboard, and a MicroSD slot expandable up to 32GB. This again is on top of Android's new 2.0 software which we haven't seen a whole lot of but, seems like it will be a big improvement over 1.6. Especially because it is coming with a new browser that, according to Boy Genious, is much faster than Androids current browser.
The question is this, will the Droid sway potential Pre buyers who were waiting for the Palm Pre to come to Verizon or do Verizon costomers have their heart set on the Pre? Maybe it is time for the rumor mill to start giving us some leaked shots of the Pre 2. WebOS is amazing and has a ton of potential and we will have to wait and see how the Droid reviews turn out as well as if we get the rumored November WebOS 1.3 to find out.
Reader Comments (24)
Well quite simply I believe the answer to this will be yes. The Droid is coming in at a prime time right before the holidays and is obviously going to see an aggressive marketing campaign from Verizon. Not to mention whether or not Moto or Goog will assist with advertising. The Pre, unfortunately, seems to be scheduled for January... which to me is a grea month since its my bday but for most is the end of the holiday buying season and back to reality. Not to mention whether or not Verizon will put forth any advertising for the device on their network to the mass public. The best bet would be for Palm or VZW to buy some commercial airtime during the Super Bowl to promote the Pre / Pixi on VZW's and Sprint's networks.
But back to the topic, the Moto Droid device seems to come with quite a lot and if matched up with great software will be a nice contender. If some people are due for upgrades now or shortly, they may just pass on a device that 'has been coming' for months (the Pre) and opt for a nice (exclusive) device that is here now or will be quite shortly. I'm sure in time for the holidays.
[sorry if there are spelling errors, I typed this from my pre.]
quite easily....the droid IS a better phone.....its newer hipper and does more. tons of apps, better hardware...i dunno...webOS is exicting...it's just NOT moving along quickly in terms of features or hardware....voicemail...camera...apps...speed...video...all lacking and all not making fast moves compared to droid
Palm needs to get off their butts and become more aggressive with updating the OS, adding video, video editing, more solid devices and BIGGER SCREEN.
As an ex-owner of an Android phone, I can tell you the OS is not ready for prime time. It's really unpleasant to use and lacks basic features. I took my Samsung Galaxy back and bought a Palm Pre.
The Droid's biggest advantage is the faster processor, perhaps Android won't feel so clunky and cheap now it's running on decent hardware. I'd definitely take a serious look at both handsets before deciding. The Pre's great for business though and new apps are being added everyday now.
Simply put - I will wait for the palm pre. why? the droid is UGLY! I hate horizontal sliding keyboards and the phone seems too big to hold comfortably.
I agree that Palm is taking WAY too long to get the Pre on Verizon. I already own a Pre, but listening to the specs on the Droid made me take a look. And I'm only slightly impressed. The specs are awesome, but I'm not really that impressed with the OS. Google is saturating the market with Android devices, which is smart. But I haven't found one yet that has me considering abandoning me Pre. I think Google is aiming at Apple, not Palm. And I'm sure the Pre's next iteration is around the corner ....
Admittedly, this has put me on the fence. One feature I really like is the dock. I can't tell you how much that one small feature, making it a practical alarm clock makes it jump at me. I gotta say though I like Samsungs keyboard layout better.
We at Verizon Palm Pre are holding out for the Pre. As you said, we are hoping for a Pre V2 that will be an amazing device.
Hmmm... I like the Pre's form factor better but I think the Droid has better hardware hands down. Having said that I think WebOS is much more pleasant to use and looks prettier and hasmore potential. I am waiting to see what comes in 1.3 and 1.4 to see if the Pre will be a competitor. And when the catalog is out of beta. Android has nice apps but most are crappy. So I don't think Androids apps are a driving factor yet.
The hype around Droid is to be expected - easy to get excited about something you can't (yet) get your hands on. But as an owner of an Android phone already, I don't expect the Droid hype to match the reality. The Palm Pre's WebOS is likely to remain much more polished and promising for the near future. They can keep it that way with more active development and updates. As for hardware and style, the Droid already looks out of date and it hasn't even been released. I have had my fill of big slab-phones.
Android devices are coming out fast and furious. I'm going to just stick with the Pre for a year or so, while Android continues to get better very quickly. My heart's always been with Android, but at this point it would be a mistake to commit to one Android device, IMO.
The Droid's cool and all, but at this rate, a year from now every Android phone will have most or all of its features.
I'm very biased and I actually hope it does well... but the Droid is F-ugly. :( ... Just my humble opinion. Can't wait to see what it can do, though.
P.S. The Pre CAN operate as a weather station, alarm clock, desk clock, video player... all of the above when docked on its Touchstone. Hats off to Motorola for taking the idea and running with it.
@vara411
I know it can, but it is at a more more relaxed position than this one is, which, when looking at it aligned in the store, I would have a hard time seeing, as my nightstand sits above my head level. A more flat approach or face-on would do me better. Also, if you have seen the video demo'ing it, there is a night mode, which seems easy on the eyes.
Admittedly, I have already begun programming stuff for the WebOS (just trying it out) and really like it. I have no desire to learn Java. But I'm torn on that as well. Learn to program for a phone OS, or learn to program for a wider audience. I just grabbed Adobe Flex Builder and have enjoyed using that as well, and since it will end up making Flash apps, it'll cover both the Pre and Android platforms in a few months when flash arrives on them.
And yes, I do have an issue with the Pre's keyboard size, even using it for the day I tried one out. But that's why I do not have my own cell atm (job issued) is I want the right phone. Dunno if I want the right-now phone that does all I need, or the hopeful that has the potential to do what I need, even if I possibly have to write the app for it. I do a TON of calendaring, so that is my biggest thing I check when choosing a new phone (funny, it's not the actual PHONE part).
I'm actually on Sprint (out of contract waiting for the right phone) right now, so the fact that the Droid is on Verizon is actually a minus. I've been eying the Pre for a while now, but...no video, no compass, no autofocus, no microSD slot, app catalog still tiny. I do think the Pre -- hardware and software -- looks much better than the Droid. 10,000 apps and a native SDK are a pretty strong point in favor of the Droid though.
And yes, I've thought a lot about an iPhone -- that app advantage is getting ever harder to ignore -- but for as long as Apple wants to lock it down hard, it's not for me. I don't feel like playing the crack your phone game -- if Apple doesn't want my money, I won't give it to them.
I think the Droid is one of the ugliest phones i have ever seen. Goes to show how much Verizon has really learned since this a joint effort. the phone looks like a brick with a slide out keyboard and some kind of joystick thingy. Android OS is a good idea that i think will fall short. when you consider that is a clear map and road to follow to success. you start to wonder what why these people dont get it!
I have a feeling the Droid will go the way of the Kindle... a good idea, but it won't really catch on
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having got the droid first. and having experienced the buggyness. example. alarm fails to ring, completely unacceptable to me. GPS stops working and only a reboot will fix it. i had no idea the pre was coming to verizon later, and when i saw how well it worked and how you could flick between apps and have multiple web browsers open at once. i decided to try it out at the store. and once i tried it i decided i would get the pre instead of the droid. i have the pre now. webos is better than android. havent had a single issue with the palm pre. i did have to disable some things to help the battery life out. i got some of the touchstones. alarms work great. web browser works great. hey it has better games than the droid already. droid may have more apps but alot of them are crappy. a couple of missing apps that i noticed on webos. no shazam yet. no iheartradio. and no waze.
the only thing that scares me about the pre is that the screen is plastic. but i guess you couldn't make the device so smooth without plastic.
The New Motorola Droid is presented in the side slider form component. It is fitted out with a QWERTY keyboard, 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution 480×854 pixel, 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, dual LED flash and image stabilizer, a slot for microSD memory cards of up to 32GB (include 16GB), Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, 3.5mm jack for headphones, GPS receiver, and triaxial accelerometer.
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