The Droid VS The iPhone: The Battle of the Smart Phones
By: Rob Kerbstat
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of google images.
Motorola launched its Google Android phone, the Droid, on Nov. 6. Since then there have been many advertisements by both Verizon and Motorola targeting the iPhone’s shortcomings. Just by looking around the subway or the quad one can see that the iPhone is arguably the most popular smart phone on the market today. However the real question is, how do these two really compare?
The Network
Being on the right network is essential to having a smart phone. All the bells and whistles smart phones offer are crippled without 3rd Generation (3G) connection. Verizon uses CDMA cell technology, which provides a greater network range and Verizon also has less smart phones on its network. Too many smart phones on a network can slow 3G speeds to a crawl. This is very common in big cities such as New York City.
AT&T on the other hand uses GSM technology, which is more popular internationally, so an iPhone will work better worldwide (at the cost of roaming charges). Unlike Verizon, AT&T’s GSM 3G network allows users to access data and talk on the phone at the same time, but if there is no 3G signal than, like Verizon, it is one or the other.
Both phones take advantage of WiFi for quicker speeds when a WiFi hotspot is available. When using WiFi, both the iPhone and the Droid can use voice and data at the same time.
The Hardware
The Droid is made of two parts. It has a screen and a physical slide out keyboard. The Droid is boxy unlike the iPhone, which has very round edges. It has a 3.7 inch touch screen, 550 MHz processor, micro USB slot, removable 16gb micro SDHC storage (expandable up to 32gb), a removable battery rated at six and a half hours of talk time, a 5 megapixel camera with 4x zoom, dual-LED Flash and auto focus. The Droid has 256mbs of storage for fun applications (most applications are under 1mb). The 16gb micro SDHC card cannot be used to store applications.
The iPhone is one piece and is a lot sleeker than the Droid. The iPhone has a 3.5 inch screen, 600 MHz processor, 16gb or 32gb non-removable internal storage, a non removable battery with 5 hours of talk time, and a 3 megapixel camera.
While the Droid seems to come out ahead, the limited application storage can hurt. 256mbs may not seem like a lot but with most applications less than 1mb there is a lot of room for storage. However, the iPhone has more room with its16gb or 32gb storage.
The Software
The Droid runs Google’s Android operating system. Android is completely open source, meaning anyone can make an application and run it on the phone without any approval process. The Droid has two virtual keyboards like the iPhone, but also has a physical keyboard. The android application store currently has around 20,000 applications, but other non-application store approved applications can be downloaded from other web sources. If you happen to have a Gmail account it will sync all your contacts, calendar and mail from your account. The Droid also has an easy to navigate music application which comes with the phone. Moving music to the Droid is a simple click and drag.
The iPhone runs Apple’s proprietary iPhone software. The iPhone store has around 100,000 applications, but non approved applications cannot be installed without some questionable practices which are against your End User Agreement. Apple has cloud syncing much like Google but you will need to pay $99 per year for a mobile-me account to do this. The iPhone of course also has its music software, which is much nicer than the Droid’s. The iPhone also syncs with iTunes and the Droid cannot.
Conclusion
Overall both phones stack up well against each other. If your Verizon contract is coming to an end and you are in the market for a smart phone, I would suggest you stick with Verizon and purchase the Droid. It may be a good time to purchase an Android phone or the Droid if you want to be fully synced with everything Google has to offer. (Gmail, Google maps, Google voice, YouTube, etc).
If you travel to foreign countries a lot, you may want to stick with the iPhone. The iTunes/iPhone system is very easy and requires little intervention to move songs and applications from your computer to your iPhone.
I would not say that the Droid means the death of the iPhone, but it will surely take a bite or two out of Apple’s dominance.
