Verizon Has Launched the Droid and Droid Eris

Ed Hardy · 11-06-2009, 06:01 AM

The wait is over: Verizon Wireless is now offering the Motorola Droid, the new flagship of the Android OS. It also just put the HTC Droid Eris on sale, a less expensive model running the same operating system.

Verizon's first two devices running Google's mobile operating system have very different designs.

The Motorola Droid is a slider, with a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard. It has a 3.7-inch, 854-by-480-pixel (WVGA ) capacitive touchscreen with haptic feedback, and uses Google's default user interface.

The HTC Droid Eris, on the other hand, has an 3.2-inch HVGA screen and an on-screen keyboard rather than a physical one. It uses HTC's proprietary Sense user interface.

Still they have much in common, including support for Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A mobile broadband service, Wi-Fi, microSD card slots, and 5 megapixel cameras.

Android Inside
As mentioned earlier, both these smartphones run Google's OS, with the Droid sporting Android 2.0. The Droid Eris, on the other hand, is debuting with Android 1.6 -- HTC is still porting its Sense UI to the latest OS version. An OS upgrade will be released at some point in the future.

Both come with a suite of applications that can wirelessly synchronize with Google's services, including Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Maps. They also include video and audio software.

In addition to consumer e-mail services, these devices offer Exchange ActiveSync, allowing users to access their work e-mail.

Pricing & Availability
The Motorola Droid costs $200 with a two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate. Verizon is

The Droid Eris is selling for half that, $99 with a two-year service contract and MIR. That's less than Verizon's rivals are asking for any of their Android-powered models.

Both these models are now available in many Verizon stores, which opened early today for the launch.

Source: Verizon Wireless

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Ed Hardy · 11-06-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

As mentioned earlier, both these smartphones run Google's OS, with the Droid sporting Android 2.0. The Droid Eris, on the other hand, is debuting with Android 1.6 -- HTC is still porting its Sense UI to the latest OS version. An OS upgrade will be released at some point in the future.

Here we see the chief disadvantages of custom user interfaces.

Companies that put custom UIs on devices get to differentiate their products from their competitors. If they create one that better than the standard one, it can become a real selling point.

But the situation with the Droid Eris (AKA HTC Hero) shows the flip side: it takes time for companies to update their custom UIs when new versions of the operating system come out, delaying the release of OS upgrades for devices with them. Those with the default UI can get devices and upgrades out more quickly.
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ro_bro · 11-10-2009, 05:23 PM

But I sure do love my Hero with the Sense UI. Without it, Android looks a bit unattractive and not as functional. Stock Android looks rather immature, and leans toward those who know how to find the right applications to fit the gaps in usability for them. That's what Sense essentially does.

I took a look at the myTouch before, and compared to the Hero - it's pretty ugly.