The Droid 2, as the name suggests, is the second iteration of the incredibly successful Motorola Droid. Since the first Droid, Google’s Android operating system has been a smash success. It propelled Google’s Android-OS smartphones onto center stage and arguably stole the spotlight away from Apple’s iPhone.
In my review of the first Droid, I loved it. It was very functional and new and open and (for the first time) was the first smartphone I’d want before getting an iPhone.
Since we’re not starting from scratch here, the Droid 2 has a job to perform. It has to keep the Droid legacy proud while still bringing something new to the table. Does it?
Yes.
The Droid legacy is still firmly in place. The Droid 2 is a definite improvement on the original Droid.
Droid 2 improvements over the original Droid
Keyboard: Regarding the Droid 1’s physical keyboard, I originally said “the buttons could be raised higher to give a better tactile feel”. They have been. The keyboard is much more ergonomic and feels easier to use. In addition, the bronze 8-way “D-pad” button was removed for the Droid 2, giving the user more room for the keyboard keys (including the addition of 4 arrow key buttons). These are all great changes for the keyboard and phone real estate.
Durability: The first Droid was a solid hunk of technology. The Droid 2 feels the same, only it looks a little better with a shiny dark-aluminum-looking frame covering the same black matte case. The keyboard slide is solid and there is no wobbling or play. Like the original, this is an expensive-feeling phone with a durable design.
Memory: The Droid 2 comes with 16GB of memory, and is expandable to 40GB
Adobe Flash: The Droid 2 has Flash capability and (to stay completely non-technical) this gives programmers more ability to make cool things for the Droid users.
Other improvements are summarized by this portion of the Droid 2 press release:
“With the new DROID 2, we’ve taken a big leap forward from the original DROID,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. “We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power [at 1GHz], Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before.”
Things that didn’t change from Droid 1 to Droid 2 include battery capacity at 1390 mAh. The 5MP camera with double-LED flash and image stabilizer also appears the same.
Conclusion
The Droid 2 is a worthy successor to the Droid 1. Particularly with the removal of the directional “D-pad”, users will appreciate better ergonomics. And after almost a year between Droid 1 and 2, we get faster performance and technological refinements we expect and want.
Would I use the Droid 2? Absolutely. Happily. In today’s game of high-tech leapfrog, the Droid 2 is in the front of the line.
The Droid will be available on August 12, 2010 from Verizon Wireless. The price is $200 with a new two-year customer agreement.