It is not hard to see why the Android community welcomed the Droid with so much affection; the Droid, running on Verizon Wireless' network, became a reality after a summer (2009's) full of rumours and speculation about a new device from Motorola, codenamed Motorola Sholes and/or Tao, which would run on Android 2.0. It all turned out to be true; on 27th October Google launched the Android 2.0 SDK to developers showcasing Android's new features on a device with a massive screen we had not seen before, and the next day, Motorola officially unveiled the Droid, and together with Verizon, started breathing new life into Android.
Verizon Wireless, though being US' largest 3G network provider, has not been able to stand up to AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in the smartphone department, always lacking a compelling flagship device, a smartphone which would call consumers into its network and into eventually signing for its high data and voice plans. From the first half of October, Verizon started a massive advertising campaign, which is still going on today. The first ad was actually shocking to many tv viewers, as it looked like an iPhone ad, only that this one clearly wasn't because it was only showing off all of the iPhone's faults, and in the end, teased with the catchphrase "DroidDoes". Eventually, the Motorola Droid was announced as the first of a line of smartphones in Verizon's network which would run Android, the second one being a modified version of the HTC Hero rechristened as the Droid Eris by HTC. (Aforementioned ad below)
In fact, Google, Motorola and Verizon had to fight to use the Droid name, which is trademarked by LucasFilm Ltd. and its Star Wars franchise; that's why the Droid ships as the Milestone outside of the US, because the agreement is only for North America. This was only one of Verizon's many moves to build up momentum for the Droid, but there's a lot more than that; when the Droid launched, Verizon launched a direct attack on AT&T and the Apple iPhone; one of Apple's most cited catchphrases in their ads has been "there's an app for that", and Verizon turned it around on its favor, and launched a series of ads in which a map of AT&T's 3G network coverage stood against Verizon's, in which, as in reality, the latter one wins by a wide margin, with the catchphrase "There's a map for that." AT&T did not have to think twice before filing a suit against Verizon, and tried to counteract the attack with another ad which did not stand up to the ocassion. Apple answered back attacking Verizon's network, which does not allow data and voice at the same time, and showed the iPhone using internet apps within a call, adding "Can your phone and your network do that?" in the end. Of course, Verizon did not stop, and attacked Sprint too, a move we, like many other tech sites, do not understand; Verizon needed to build itself an image against the iPhone on AT&T, and used brilliantly the Droid for the ocassion and a nice flick of Apple's own words, a move that for many of us, will be remembered for all eternity, but attacking Sprint? It was clearly an unnecessary move, and what's more, this time Verizon's claims, being the most reliable network, where (and still are) not true. (Two commercials below, first Verizon and then Apple)
But let's be honest, all of this is more important for us than just Verizon's image. With Verizon's move, Android got what it really needed: a symbol. Verizon's relentless ad campaign on TV for the Droid has not stopped, and we can't blame them, the Droid, by itself, is an exquisite piece of engineering. The Droid boasts an amazing 3.7" display, with a resolution of 480x854 pixels, meaning the screen has a 16:9 pixel ratio, allowing you to watch clips in a widescreen format without the "letter box"; it packs an ARM Cortex A8 CPU, specifically Texas Instruments' OMAP 3430, exactly the same chip under the Pre, albeit underclocked, it runs Android 2.0.1 and will soon receive (or se we hope) OTA Nexus' Android 2.1, it has an incredible industrial design, it's built like a tank, and we can't stop thanking Motorola for making it come true.
The Droid, thanks to Verizon's campaign, has completely refreshed Android in the mainstream consumer's eyes. Like Apple with the iPod, Verizon has pushed the Droid into consumer's minds with a multi-million dollar ad campaign as the best smartphone in the market; the website (Verizon's) is pretty impressive by itself, calling to the Droid's signature: the "Drrroooooooiiiiiiiiid!!!" sound it makes at startup, showing Verizon's commitment with the device and trying to build a cult around it. Many have joined the Android cause due to the Droid's call, and for the first time, we Android fans had something to be really proud of; the G1, the MyTouch 3G, the Hero, the Galaxy, the Moment (which launched the same day as the Droid) are all good devices, but none of them made us fell in love like the Droid did, except perhaps the G1 for being the first Android device. Because of this, we can attribute the Droid's magnetism to the fact it is the first of the second "wave" of Android smartphones, all with state-of-the-art hardware platforms and running Android 2.0, but we believe the Droid is somewhat special, because it stood up to the iPhone like no other device has.
The Droid is also Motorola's return; since the RAZR's sucess, Moto had lost itself in a maze of phones not worthy of baring the brand's name, and the Cliq, though important for Motorola and its corporate image since it runs the company's implementation of Android (MotoBLUR), stands like the phone Moto built before building its ultimate Android Experience. Don't get us wrong, we think the Cliq is pretty good, but not for today's era in which all we want is updated hardware and Android 2.0, and though we get the Cliq's existence, we don't understand why Moto has to build the Backflip and the Calgary, even though we like the Backflip's touchpad and Moto's attempt to open its use for devs. All in all, we're extremely happy for Motorola and how they've come back into the business, and we really hope to see more devices like the Droid and the upcoming Motoroi from them.
As for Verizon, we really hope they continue this new trend of supporting good Android devices like this. There should be new devices coming to Verizon throughout this year, including the Nexus One, and we hope Android will keep on gaining strength in the US market, though we also know Verizon is vital in Palm's needs to extend webOS, and we hope Verizon does good to Palm and webOS, too.
To wrap up, seriously, we owe a lot to the Droid. How else can we explain Android's recent 27% share of the smartphone market in the US? The Droid was, until the arrival of the Nexus One, the first and only symbol Android had under it's sleeve, the first device we could look at, and see a meaning beyond its hardware and software capabilities, a meaning which inspired us after a long time, and we can only love a device, this much.
References:
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-US-EN.alt
http://phones.verizonwireless.com/motorola/droid/#/guided_tour
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_Droid
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/30/motorola-droid-review/
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/11/droid-review.html
http://gizmodo.com/5396168/motorola-droid-review
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/24/verizon-goes-after-sprints-most-dependable-3g-network-ad-clai/
http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/android-os-gains-7percent-market-share.html
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