Google-fueled Droid may be a contender against iPhone

Those are the first words people seem to utter when they heft a Droid smart phone. And the answer is, yeah, it is — maybe because so much is packed into it.

Start with the ambitions of Google Inc., whose Android 2.0 operating system powers it, and Verizon Wireless, which is backing it in the U.S. with a huge marketing campaign. And don't forget the prayers of Motorola Inc., the humbled former wireless-phone king, which is betting its future on Android.

Well, they can relax. Weight notwithstanding, the Droid may be the best smart phone not made by Apple Inc. And if it doesn't convert legions of iPhone addicts, it still provides a terrific alternative for Verizon customers, as well as for non-U.S. users when it appears later this month as the Motorola Milestone.

The Droid was the standout among three new phones I've been trying out. The others, both BlackBerrys from Research In Motion Ltd., will find devotees among RIM's faithful customer base and those who must carry a BlackBerry for business reasons. But it's hard to see them winning many new fans.

This is a golden era for smart phones, which are really pocket computers that can surf the Web, retrieve e-mail, run programs and play video and games. The iPhone, with its ease of use and 100,000 applications, sets the bar. But there are some things it doesn't allow that Droid does: running programs simultaneously, replacing the battery, correctly displaying Web sites that use Adobe Systems Inc.'s Flash multimedia technology. And U.S. iPhone users are locked into AT&T Inc.'s network, which is inferior to Verizon's in much of the country.

Chunkier Than iPhone

The Droid will cost US$199.99, after a US$100 rebate, on a two- year contract; it shouldn't be confused with a cheaper phone made by HTC Corp. that Verizon confirmed today it is launching as the “Droid Eris.” Compared with the iPhone, the Droid is longer, thicker, narrower and, at 6 ounces, 25 percent heavier. (Six ounces may not seem like much, but you definitely feel the difference.) The touch screen, which provides the sensation of physically pushing a button, is particularly dazzling, offering noticeably sharper resolution.

Your first look at the Droid's slide-out keyboard might not be encouraging: The keys are flat and undifferentiated. But typing proves surprisingly easy; they are large enough so you can use your fingertip, rather than the fingernail that I had to resort to on, say, Palm Inc.'s Pre.

Too Much Navigating

Less useful is the five-way navigation pad, which requires too much pressure and constant monitoring of the screen to see what it is highlighting. I found myself using my finger on the screen for scrolling, highlighting and selecting, even if I was using the physical keyboard for typing.

Also problematic is the camera. On paper, it looks great, boasting 5 megapixels and flash. But a lag between pressing the shutter and taking the picture meant that even slow-moving subjects yielded unsatisfying results.

The Droid features a Google Maps app that includes turn-by- turn navigation, and it is the first phone to make use of “E'clair,” Google's name for version 2.0 of its open-source Android operating system. Previous encounters with Android on devices such as the myTouch 3G from Deutsche Telekom AG's T- Mobile unit left me lukewarm. E'clair, though, has a more finished feel.

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