Eric Stewart: Running Off At The Mouth

A Couple of Days With The Droid2

by Eric Stewart on Jan.02, 2011, under Cell Phones & Providers, Technology

So I still don’t have a desk phone at my new job yet – no biggie, they’ve given me a cell phone and I make all my calls with that.

If you’ve been to my site before, you are probably aware that I own and am a big fan of the Sprint Samsung Epic 4G.  It is with this in mind that one should be a bit wary of my opinions of the Verizon Motorola Droid2.

Without further ado, here’s my list of impressions:

  • The Droid2’s screen is smaller, and the phone is a tad smaller all around.
  • In spite of that, the Droid2 feels heavier than the Epic 4G.
  • The Epic 4G’s screen is more vibrant – the colors all seem washed out on the Droid2 by comparison.
  • They both feel fairly solid – initially, I was thinking that the Epic felt sturdier.  However –
  • The slide out keyboard action on the Droid2 is certainly … smoother, I guess.  Everything feels locked in place with it in, out, and everywhere in between.  In that sense, overall, it’s a tad sturdier than the Epic 4G.
  • That said, the Droid2 keyboard itself sucks by comparison.  On the Epic 4G, the keys are easier to use when not looking directly at the keyboard, and the Epic 4G has a full five rows.  The Droid2’s keyboard has a nice texture to it, but that’s about it.
  • The Epic 4G comes with Swype built in for its virtual keyboard.  I signed up for the Swype Beta just so I could get it on the Droid2; without it, text entry was a total pain in the butt.
  • It does seem like the Droid2’s battery lasts a lot longer – however, be aware that I don’t use the Droid2 nearly as much as I use the Epic 4G.  No games on the work device!

Another item to note (as it’s not so much an impression, just an observation) is that the Droid2 has Android 2.2 (Froyo) whereas the Epic 4G (officially, anyway) is still on Android 2.1 (Eclair – BTW Samsung/Sprint – you broke your promise of Froyo before 2011).

Smaller devices aren’t necessarily bad – with the smoother keyboard action and slimmer size, I easily keep my Droid2 in a pocket, whereas I might be concerned with damaging the Epic 4G if I did that.

I guess that’s pretty much it for now.

:, , , ,

Hi! Did you get all the way down here and not find an answer to your question? The two preferred options for contacting me are:
  • Twitter: Just start your Twitter message with @BotFodder and I'll respond to it when I see it.
  • Reply to the post: Register (if you haven't already) on the site, submit your question as a comment to the blog post, and I'll reply as a comment.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.