How much can I expect to be allowed to play at the Verizon Store?

[cyberranger]

I'm heading to my Verizon store tomorrow to check out the Droid before deciding if I'll dump my Storm. I'd like realistic expectations about what they'll let me do in the store.

Here's what I'd like to do:

1. load a few web pages
2. setup my gmail account to see how it looks on the phone
3. login to FaceBook and check out the view and features
4. setup a VPN connection and test it.

Are those items I can try in the store?

 

[BSmith]

Depends on your store really. I was in mine for an hour yesterday and not a single person touched the display model. I wasn't in there an hour because they were slow either.

 

[mcbtrain929]

i had similar concerns, and i was there earlier tonight. i'm sure it differs from location to location/how busy the store is at that time. i got there at 640pm, and left around 715pm. at first, the lady gave me her basic schpeel between the droid and eris, then let me be. i played with both pretty extensively, she asked one more time later if i had any questions, i said i was fine. i didn't feel pressured at all.

i asked her a few questions before I left, and of course thought of a ton more on the way home. i think i'll hit up a different verizon store tomorrow after work to ask the other questions and give the phones a round 2. at first, just from online reviews/info, I was leaning toward the Eris. but after tonight, its advantage moto droid for me.

i also found out that the company i work for is one where i get a discount on my monthly bill (to my surprise). i came home to see if i could find more info on it. i went on the verizon website and it said it's NOT a partner for a discount. so, either my company (CPS = chicago public schools) isn't in their online database, or the verizon employee thought I said UPS or something. i hope the store employee was right and the online site database is wrong/not up to date......

 

[icstars989]

You're there, they want your money, the world is your oyster my man.

 

[cyberranger]

Sounds goods! So the phones are fully functional with Internet access, right?

 

[icstars989]

absolutely!

 

[iamkewl]

Sounds goods! So the phones are fully functional with Internet access, right?

Yup!

 

[vincentp]

Sounds goods! So the phones are fully functional with Internet access, right?

Yes, but you actually have to put in a gmail account to initially set up the phone (I believe), so I don't think you are going to be able to configure your own on there. You should still be able to check out the mail app, but I doubt you can do it on the display unit with your own information.

 

[cyberranger]

Do gmail accounts show your labels as folders or are all the messages just listed in the inbox?

 

[icstars989]

default is messages in the inbox, but you can hit menu and view your labels there.

 

[cyberranger]

default is messages in the inbox, but you can hit menu and view your labels there.

Thanks, that's awesome! On the Storm you can't view the labels. You can assign a message to a label but not filter based on labels. so stupid.

 

[cyberranger]

I sort of take that back. You can filter on labels (on the Storm) but still clunky.

 

[Legacystar]

One of the big things for me when looking at the droid in store was would it handle my corp exchange email. They let me set it up on the displayh unit just adviced I delete it when done which I did. I also wanted to test the music player out and one of the sales guys handed me his personal one to play with. Try and go to the least busy store so they aren't all being played with already.

 

[spectrrr]

go at a time when they won't be busy, you should be able to do any of those things that you want. I'd sure as hell delete the crap out of those accounts when I was done however! Really, you have a 30 day worry free return policy, so ultimately, I
d say play a little in the store then bring it home and do the serious testing at home. Don't like it? take it back! (but you wont want to)

 

[Legacystar]

go at a time when they won't be busy, you should be able to do any of those things that you want. I'd sure as hell delete the crap out of those accounts when I was done however! Really, you have a 30 day worry free return policy, so ultimately, I
d say play a little in the store then bring it home and do the serious testing at home. Don't like it? take it back! (but you wont want to)

just make sure you don't send in the mailin rebate till you decide to keep it. once you mail tha tin you are stuck. but hey it's not like you'll be stuck with a fat kid that smells like tapioca, you'll be stuck with DROID!!!