As many surely know, Verizon has taken direct aim at AT&T and the iPhone with their new “Droid” line of handsets running Google’s Android operating system. Technically, the newly released HTC Incredible is the successor to the original Droid which has sold extremely well in the United States since its launch in November. My wireless contract just ended, so I bought the Incredible on the day of its release, and luckily too, as my BlackBerry abruptly decided to stop turning on the very next day. My quick thoughts on the phone are as follows:
The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up the device is the screen – and that’s because the screen is the phone. The 3.7 inch AMOLED screen is pretty amazing, but not as striking as all the published online reviews would lead you to believe. It’s nice, but I’m not sure I could tell the different between it an the WVGA screen of the original Droid. I have yet to see them side by side, so maybe I could. But as of now, the screen is brilliant but not a gamechanger.
The second thing you’ll notice is the phone is thin – super thin. I’ve been using a BlackBerry Curve 8330 for the past 2 years and the HTC Increidble literally feels like half a phone. At first I didn’t like it because it made the handset feel fragile, but over time I’ve gotten used to it. It’s really amazing how thin these devices are getting and I can’t even imagine the form factor of the device I’ll buy 2 years from now.
Then there’s the much ballyhooed 1GHz “Snapdragon” processor inside which allows the phone to flat-out fly. There’s no such thing as lag on this device. App downloads literally take less than 10 seconds over Verizon’s 3G network and web pages load at an alarming speed. I haven’t had too much experience with it over WiFi, but I suspect that when I do, I will be equally impressed.
The raised back cover is not the eyesore I expected, but rather it provides a nice soft-feel grip when holding the phone. A real plus and not worth all the negative speculation it got in the run-up to its release.
Signing in with your Google account and having the deep integration with all the Google services you use is the biggest advantage over the iPhone in my book. Gmail, Contacts, Google Voice, Youtube, Google Docs, and many more that I have yet to use on the phone are all there and readily available and usable on Android. Amazing.
Also, moving from a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard (BlackBerry) to this couldn’t have been less painful. Typing is easy as can be and the new voice-to-text input option is friggin’ awesome. Until getting this device I was leery of using a touchscreen only phone for fear that typing and data input would be a hassle. It isn’t. I can definitively say touchscreen’s are the future (I do miss my big keyboard juuuust a little, though).
As for the negative, there’s really only one thing: battery life. A full day of heavy use is impossible with the current battery. A full day of moderate use is still hard to achieve. I’m toying with the idea of buying a larger battery, but I really don’t want to. You shouldn’t have to blow an extra $50 just so you can use your phone for a single full day. Turn off the WiFi and GPS when you’re not using it and use a Task Killer to keep power consumption down. Other than that, there’s little you can do to save battery. It’s really disappointing.
In all, I’m thoroughly impressed with the phone and extremely happy I bought it. It’s a huge step up from anything BlackBerry has to offer and really rivals (and in many aspects, surpasses) the iPhone. Android is an amazingly power OS and the HTC Sense UI (that I thought I wouldn’t like, by the way) really pretties it up and makes it more user friendly. I’m eager to see what the next iPhone has to offer aside from the OS 4.0 updates that were rolled out a few weeks ago. But in all, the HTC Incredible is truly a fantastic device and will be very hard to top.
Even though Google is getting a little bad pub these days, the company is still rolling out world-class services at an amazing pace. Even though it is a little scary that Google is making its way into so many aspects of so many people’s lives, the fact of the matter is that Google does a lot of things about a billion times better than anyone else – and that’s hard to ignore.
For me, one of the Google services that just blows everything else out of the water is Google Voice. Even though Google Voice has been around for awhile, I’ve only recently realized how amazing it is. I’ve had an account for a long time and use it as my primary voicemail portal on my cell phone. There are so many things you can do so easily through this service that there’s really no reason you shouldn’t have it on your phone.
While it would be really fun to sit here and explain what exactly Google Voice does, I don’t have to. Google has recently uploaded a series of short YouTube videos detailing all of the different aspects of their service. Take a look at them and, should you feel so inclined, shoot on over to your Google Account (or create one as the case may be) and sign up for Google Voice. It really is amazing.
The introductory video is below. For the rest of the videos, check out the Google Voice Channel on YouTube.
Google just came out with their self-proclaimed “superphone,” the Nexus One (pictured right) earlier this month and the Internet is abuzz with – well, a lot of buzz. Reviews have been generally positive, but there are a number of nagging hang-ups that many people have with the device. As many know, the Nexus One is available through the Google website only, and is sold unlocked for a billion dollars or with a two year contract from T-Mobile for $180.
I love cell phones. As soon as I buy one, the first thing I do is try to get out from under my current contract so I can buy a newer, sexier model. A eagerly await the date on which I can use my upgrade and generally pine for a new device every second of every day. With that being said, I’m always seemingly getting punked by my wireless carrier: Verizon. They turned down the iPhone when it first came out because they wanted it to be compatible with the Verizon music store instead of iTunes. They shut out wireless compatibility and free GPS connections on their handsets for the longest time (until they just recently started to rethink their position). They have yet to release a BlackBerry with WiFi (CORRECTION: The Storm2 has WiFi – but still, not an actual BlackBerry) and they reportedly passed on being Nexus One’s launch carrier.
For me, these turn of events would normally give way to extreme depression. But when the Nexus One was finally announced, it was revealed that it would be available for Verizon in the Spring 2010. So, unless the iPhone comes to Verizon before then (which it won’t), my decision on my next phone is super easy. But, if I’m going to drop $200 on a new phone, I want something in return. The following are my requests for the Nexus One when it is released for Verizon:
Give people the option of buying the device in a Verizon store. Or, at the very least, have a handset in the store for people to play with. As much as I’ve bought into the new Google Phone, I want to at least touch it before I buy it. Call me old-fashioned.
Enable multi-touch. For me, this isn’t a big deal, but it is to a lot of people. Apparently gaming isn’t worth anything until you get mult-touch; also, for whatever reason, people really like to pinch when they zoom web page. Look, if I’m not going to buy an iPhone, I want to buy the phone that kills it. If multi-touch makes the Nexus One a better competitor, they best put it in there – and stat.
Allow upgrading for family plans and don’t force a set plan on people. The T-Mobile version forces people to get a one-size-fits-all calling plan with data and a set number of minutes for $79.99. Google also doesn’t allow people on family plans to get the upgrade pricing for the Nexus One. So, the only way you can get it the phone for $180 is to be on a cell plan with only yourself and be willing to swallow the plan they give you. This is stupid. You’re Google, you’re supposed to be about being open and honest. This wreaks of a decision Apple would make. And yet, they didn’t do any of this with the iPhone. Lame Google. Super Lame.
Improve the casing. The gray casing is kind of bland and I think the engraving feature on the back of the phone is really stupid and is a half-baked attempt at personalization and making something on the phone seem unique and iconic. I want a phone that is as nondescript as possible. The more it looks like a shiny black brick when it’s powered down, the more I want it. Also, fix the camera lens size - it looks ridiculous. Having the phone say “Google” on the back is all the branding and iconography you need. Traditional or otherwise. Plus, John C. Dvorak says its as slippery as a “wet bar of soap.” Though, he did also say that that mouse was a stupid idea when it was first released…
Solve the service issues. As with any high profile device launch there are going to be horror stories about people who spend their entire life-savings only to get a device that doesn’t work and a company that doesn’t want to help them. I don’t know what the issue is with the sporadic 3G connections, but fix it. You’re Google, you don’t make mistakes like this. Palm can. RIM can. Not you Google. Especially when you haven’t built up the goodwill like the aforementioned companies in the cell phone industry. Your first impression is a little shaky. Also, it’d be in your best interest to get a call center together to support the device (the only way to get a service question answered from Google is via e-mail – WTF?). Either that, or allow people in the Verizon infrastructure to service and troubleshoot the device. A product with no support is one that everyone hates.
At the end of the day, I’m hoping the T-Mobile version is treated more like a soft-launch for the big Verizon party that’s coming in the spring. Don’t get me wrong, I’m probably buying this phone either way the second I can. But Google would be smart to take some of these complaints to heart – the iPhone 4G is right around the corner.
As many surely know, Verizon has taken direct aim at AT&T and the iPhone with their new “Droid” line of handsets running Google’s Android operating system. Technically, the newly released HTC Incredible is the successor to the original Droid which has sold extremely well in the United States since its launch in November. My wireless contract just ended, so I bought the Incredible on the day of its release, and luckily too, as my BlackBerry abruptly decided to stop turning on the very next day. My quick thoughts on the phone are as follows:
