Gadgets Blog

It’s an accepted fact by now that iPhone killers come and go, but so far none have quite managed to dethrone the crowned prince. But Droid managed to set the press on fire yesterday as news and reviews poured in for this Motorola-Verizon-Google Smartphone. Many gadget lovers believe that this might just be the one tenacious contender to finish the job that others failed to accomplish!

Let’s start with the basics. Said to be the slimmest phone on the market with a full, slide-out QWERTY keypad , it is poised for release on Nov. 6th for $199 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. It makes it at 4.6 by 2.4 by 0.5 inches, a negligible few hundredths of an inch thicker than the iPhone. If you are looking for a lightweight phone, you might be disappointed that it is on the heavier side at six ounces. But there are going to be some pay-offs for the physical keyboard and the big display which is lacking in the iPhone and sought after by many.

Droid’s 3.7-inch touch screen is about two-tenths of an inch bigger than the iPhone’s display and provides an advantage while web browsing. What’s got everyone’s curiosity piqued is the fact that it is the first phone to run on latest version 2.0 of Android, Google’s open source operating system. That comes with a few extra perks such as full-on push support for Microsoft Exchange and Google Gmail. If you are a Facebook addict, the phone will draw contact information from your Facebook pals into your address book via a widget. A click gets you right into their profiles and you never need to miss on any of their status updates when you are on the go. Other preloaded widgets include YouTube, a corporate calendar, and “Power Control” where you can turn on/off your wireless connections, adjust brightness etc. (The iphone does not support widgets.) A You Tube app lets you comment on clips, favorite them, or share videos via e-mail and Facebook.

Google Maps with new GPS-aided turn-by-turn navigation makes it’s debut with Android 2.0 and Droid. The navigation system provides free, voice-activated service with satellite view, traffic, ATMs, and restaurants, Google latitude, turn-by-turn directions etc. Thanks to Android’s voice-recognition technology, you can say where you want to be directed to if you find typing cumbersome.

The Droid’s 5-megapixel camera comes with a dual LED flash and auto-focus/image stabilization capabilities and the consensus is that the DVD-quality video recording is comparable to that of iPhone’s. You can then upload your shots directly to Facebook and Picasa with geotags. The iPhone is still king when it comes to cooler and more numerous apps for download, not to mention the popular access to movie rentals and iTunes store. (Droid does let you download songs via the Amazon MP3 store). But it is only a matter of time before Droid’s open android platform, more malleable to customization to get the development community going for a more creative apps palette.

Other features include Wi-Fi; USB mass storage; Bluetooth 2.0; a 3.5mm headphone jack; 440×854 pixels resolution, a vibrate mode, text ;multimedia messaging, a calculator, and an alarm clock .

Now the million dollar question is if Droid will manage to knock Apple off its pedestal. Judging by past record of wannabes, I wouldn’t hold my breadth on that one. But judging from all the excitement in the media, Droid promises a stiff fight ahead.

With most of the iPhone apps being free or about $1 (with some being a surprising $5.99… I’m looking at you, Myst!), it’s hard not to load up on as many bits of entertainment as your pocket will allow.  Just like the commercial says, there’s an app for just about everything I can think of…except on-the-spot background checking and print scanning, but I’m sure they’re working on it as we speak.  Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Air Hockey:  Classic gaming entertainment and competition at the tip of your finger.  Some of these matches can get just as heated as the real thing.  Be careful though, if you get too excited the app is easily pause “by accident” and has trouble keeping up with your fingertip, or at least those were the excuses I kept hearing from my opponent.

2. Stay In Tune Chromatic Tuner:  More accurate than my ear, which isn’t saying much, but very useful in a bind.  There are some free tuners available but for the price, this one’s a decent tuner.  Says it works on a variety of other instruments but I haven’t yet had the need to tune a banjo or violin.  I suppose I could someday.

3. Arctic Shuffle:  Reminds me of Lemmings… aw, remember when?  Lots of levels and, hello, exploding penguins.  It’s a strategy arcade style game where the player aims their penguin at the target while avoiding and navigating obstacles.  Some of these angles can get pretty daunting but it’s a good time.  Also available in a “Lite” version.

4. Facebook:  Because we have to keep up with each of life’s moment’s play-by-play even when we’re on the go.   This shortcut brings your account right up and instantly connects you to your virtual social network.  Chat, upload and view photos, and above all, update your status. Ahhh…

5. Tweetie:  Again, keeping yourself in the loop is vital.  Manage your Twitter profile; post new, repost, and reply to tweets; view your timeline, replies, and direct messages; follow/un-follow, block/unblock users, and of course upload pictures and update your Twitter location.

6. iPolitics:  For people who want to follow U.S. politics, especially in this history making year of promise and change, this app pulls headlines from reputable TV stations, newspapers, blogs, magazines, etc.  It lends balance to the dozens of other dirty joke and pick-up line apps you’ve downloaded.  Now you can show there’s some substance to your character as well.

7. Big Quotes:  Over 1,200 quotes from over 600 authors like Hemingway, Einstein, Aristotle, Newton, Confucius, Kennedy and Edison, easily accessible by author, category or keyword.  Once you’ve found the perfect phrase to borrow, save your faves with the favorites feature for quick reference later.

8. iWalk:  For all of us who like instantaneous visual self-approval, this app keeps count of your steps, how long you walked, how far you walked and calculates calorie burn.  It’s strangely comforting to know that the number of steps from the couch to the fridge is 12 and if I do that a few more times I’d work off the caloric equivalent of one potato chip.

9. Evernote:  Yeah, those mental “note to self: buy blah-blah” or “remember to blah-blah” never work for me.  What can I say?  I forget.  This lets you photograph, write or speak your note and records it for safe keeping and later review.  Helps you remember things from the mundane grocery list to that awesome idea for an award-winning screenplay.  You can even take note of your parking spot, level and row for easy reference.   I still remember the fruitless 30-minute search for my friend’s car on the third level, only to find he was on the fourth. *wah-wah*  Saves yourself some time and trouble.

10. Pandora Radio:  Just like the computer version, enter your favorite band’s name and Pandora streams them and auto-suggests others like them.   Uses the web account you’ve already created and plays your stations.  This one’s vital for any music lover.

We could easily go on…

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