Which droid is best for business?

[A.Nonymous]

Have you asked about the Droid Pro? If you're wanting to stick with VZW and can wait a few weeks it does actually have a BB style keyboard on it.

 

[Kabob]

Droid 2 due to the physical keyboard. No brainer.

Guess that depends on if he wants a keyboard or not. Not everyone likes 'em. Neither myself nor my wife like them, but my sister and brother in law can't use Swype and love the physical keyboard.

I suppose the only thing to do is go to the store and play with them for a bit.

Bingo! In the end it's all personal preference, and since no one can tell you what you'll like, we can only give you an idea based off of our own experience.

I was told that the samsung fascinate is also an option. I am going to stop at my local verizon store after work today and check them all out. I may regret asking, but does anyone have an opinion on the fascinate?

Between the four you're able to choose from, personally it'd be between the Droid X and the Fascinate for me. I do not like physical keyboards, if you do throw the Droid 2 into the mix. Last month I was in the market for a phone and it came down between the two I mentioned, here was my breakdown of each:

With the X you get:
+More screen real estate
+8MP Camera w/dual LED flash
+Froyo
+All 512MB of RAM to use
+More internal memory
+HDMI out
+A few VERY nice Motorola extras (zoom/fine place cursor, etc)
/Dedicated camera button
/Physical buttons instead of capacitive touch
/A truer "Android" look for the app drawer
/LED screen that has truer colors but is duller
-The camera hump
-A physically bigger/heavier phone
-Processor can't keep up w/Hummingbird

With the Fascinate you get:
+Smaller/Lighter phone
+SAMOLED screen
+Hummingbird processor
+Lots of 3D power
+Built in Task Manager
/"iPhone-esque" app drawer
/Touch-sensitive home buttons
-Buggy GPS (for the moment)
-Android 2.1
-Smaller screen
-3 fewer MP's on the camera (although the pics are excellent)
-"Less True" colors
-Few 3D apps available (Hummingbird loses it's advantage)
-512MB RAM, 325MB that you can use (ATM)

Note, the Fascinate is getting Froyo very soon (hopefully in the next few weeks) so several of those issues should be fixed.

I don't know as much about the D2, I assume hardware-wise it's very similar to the Droid X but with a smaller screen and, of course, the physical keyboard.

Good luck!!

 

[A.Nonymous]

I'd disagree on the Droid X just because I don't like the bigger screen. It just feels too big in my hand. (That's what she said.) I've not played with the Fascinate so I have no opinion on it. I'd recommend the DInc myself, but I'm biased.

 

[Kabob]

I agree about the X being too big (for me), but I keep the phone in my pocket so that extra size/hump killed it for me as well.

As for the Incredible, different strokes for different folkes. My other bro in law has the Inc and while I did like it, it just didn't seem quite as "slick," as the X or Fascinate. Sense was nice but I didn't like the track ball, the lack of Swype (although I suppose you can pay a few bucks to get it), and overall it just didn't feel quite as good in my hand. When it was relased it was by far the best Android phone out, but Verizon has so many excellent phones now it makes it hard to choose!

 

[UBRocked]

Okay...so with the keyboard argument being beat to death...I'm going to join in

Here is the thing to remember about having vs. not having a hardware keyboard...If you don't have one on the phone you choose, you never will. With the Droid2 you have a hardware keyboard, Android software keyboard, and Swype.

If you buy a phone without a hardware keyboard option...and then figure out that you HATE the software keyboards completely you are out of options. I use the software keyboards for texting or short responses (there are many options out there so between Android, Swype, Better Keyboard, SlideIt, Big Buttons, etc...you are bound to find a favorite). Many times in emails or when on webpages, I find myself using the hardware keyboard because when you use the software keyboard you can't see which field you are typing into...making forms online hard to fill out with your phone. The hardware keyboard makes things like that much easier cause you still see 100% of the screen. It's NOT just about text entry and which one is easier or more comfortable. Often times it is about function over form. Selecting text to copy & paste is made easier by having the physical keyboard and the up, down, left, right navigation capabilities. None of the phones you mentioned even have a trackball...the keyboard may come in very handy for navigating.

Now, I am not dead set on having a hardware keyboard on my next device but I will entertain all phones that are out when I make that decision. I am fluent with Android now...I know the benefits and limitations of both hardware and software keyboards.

If you don't know if a virtual keyboard alone will DEFINITELY work for you, get a phone with the hardware and virtual keyboard...especially for your first touch screen device. If you don't like the physical keyboard...the downside is that you have a little heavier device (but hey, at least you have all the virtual keyboard options). If you don't buy one with a physical keyboard, you could find yourself frustrated and not wanting to use the phone at all for email, texting, etc. Not saying this will happen...but you have to consider it.

Just a different perspective for you to consider. Having multiple keyboard options was why I chose the original Droid. I use the software and hardware keyboards about equally. I could migrate and adapt to a phone without a hardware keyboard but it would be a bit of a change for me.

And if all else fails...use voice recognition

 

[greygoose1]

Well I went to the verizon store at lunch and discovered a few things.

1 I don't like the physical keyboard on the droid 2. It seems like the keys are smaller than on my BB.

2 Swype is awesome! I played around with it on the fascinate and I really liked it.

3 the screen on the fascinate is by far the nicest of all the phones I looked at.

4 The HTC incredible is ALMOST too small. I found myself making the most mistakes when typing and selecting icons.

So, I think I have narrowed it down to the fascinate and the droid x. I may take one more look at the incredible, but the droid 2 is out.

For the fascinate, can it be upgraded to android 2.2 when it becomes available? And what is froyo?

 

[greygoose1]

Okay...so with the keyboard argument being beat to death...I'm going to join in



If you buy a phone without a hardware keyboard option...and then figure out that you HATE the software keyboards completely you are out of options. I use the software keyboards for texting or short responses (there are many options out there so between Android, Swype, Better Keyboard, SlideIt, Big Buttons, etc...you are bound to find a favorite). Many times in emails or when on webpages, I find myself using the hardware keyboard because when you use the software keyboard you can't see which field you are typing into...making forms online hard to fill out with your phone. The hardware keyboard makes things like that much easier cause you still see 100% of the screen. It's NOT just about text entry and which one is easier or more comfortable. Often times it is about function over form. Selecting text to copy & paste is made easier by having the physical keyboard and the up, down, left, right navigation capabilities. None of the phones you mentioned even have a trackball...the keyboard may come in very handy for navigating.


And if all else fails...use voice recognition

This is a really good point that I did not think about....

 

[UBRocked]

This is a really good point that I did not think about....

That ugly, misplaced directional pad on the original Droid's keyboard has been very valuable. You can see the whole screen, you can easily move your cursor, etc.

I wish that more phones without virtual keyboards put a optical trackpad or something there. The Droid Iincredible is a very smart design for that reason and I'd like to see more phones adapt those when they ditch the hardware keyboard. Just makes life easier at times.

Good luck, I hope you like whatever phone you decide to get. Welcome to the forums!

 

[greygoose1]

That ugly, misplaced directional pad on the original Droid's keyboard has been very valuable. You can see the whole screen, you can easily move your cursor, etc.

I wish that more phones without virtual keyboards put a optical trackpad or something there. The Droid Iincredible is a very smart design for that reason and I'd like to see more phones adapt those when they ditch the hardware keyboard. Just makes life easier at times.

Good luck, I hope you like whatever phone you decide to get. Welcome to the forums!

Unfortunately the droid 2 does not have that optical pad you are talking about. I didn't realize the incredible did either? The track pad on my BB is probably one thing I will miss the most.

 

[UBRocked]

Unfortunately the droid 2 does not have that optical pad you are talking about. I didn't realize the incredible did either? The track pad on my BB is probably one thing I will miss the most.

Yeah, the Incredible does have the optical pad. With Android, the OS is VERY touch friendly. You would not use the optical pad on the Incredible like you do on your BB...I guarantee it! BUT, it will come in handy at times. The Droid2 has up, down, left, right navigation buttons on the keyboard and those would work as well for the times when you would need it the most.

You know how you see a spelling error after typing a few sentences on your BB? Imagine having to take your finger (fat finger in my case) and pressing on the screen to get your cursor to the EXACT spot where you want it to be to make your edits. It can be aggravating! It is at times like that when if I'm not already using the hardware keyboard, I slide it out so I can navigate around more easily.

Selecting text...same problem. If using the touch screen you may not highlight EVERY word or letter that you are trying to. Trackpads and navigational direction pads help!

 

[UBRocked]

I have a work phone and a personal phone. If I needed to upgrade today this is what I would choose based on my preferences.

Work phone - Droid2
Personal phone - DroidX

You use the phones differently depending on what you are using it for A 4.3" screen would be worth giving up the physical keyboard for my personal phone...but not for my work phone.

Just trying to throw stuff out there to you. You will probably be "stuck" with your choice for 1-2 years...hopefully you can look back and say you made the best choice. My choices shouldn't be your choices...but everyone in this thread is trying to share their personal preferences so you can judge what's important.

Can you use the 30 days to play with the phone you think you want to see if it will work for you?

 

[Kabob]

Well I went to the verizon store at lunch and discovered a few things.

1 I don't like the physical keyboard on the droid 2. It seems like the keys are smaller than on my BB.

2 Swype is awesome! I played around with it on the fascinate and I really liked it.

3 the screen on the fascinate is by far the nicest of all the phones I looked at.

4 The HTC incredible is ALMOST too small. I found myself making the most mistakes when typing and selecting icons.

So, I think I have narrowed it down to the fascinate and the droid x. I may take one more look at the incredible, but the droid 2 is out.

For the fascinate, can it be upgraded to android 2.2 when it becomes available? And what is froyo?

Froyo = Android 2.2. Every itineration of Android is named after a dessert (Eclair, FROzenYOgurt, Cupcake, etc). And yes, as soon as it's available on the Fascinate you'll be able to download it. They've already released it in Europe so expect it to be here in the next week or two (hopefully!).

I looked at the Droid 2 but I'm right with you, I didn't like the keyboard at all. Swype is really where it's at for me. I've got buddies who are monsters at typing with their thumbs, I'm just not one of 'em. The simplicity/speed of Swype is by far my best text entry option.

This is a really good point that I did not think about....

Unless I'm reading his post wrong (which is possible), I don't think I have the same issues as he does. When typing in forms and such, the screen on my Fascinate moves to where I'm typing. Oh every once in a while it gets iffy but a quick swipe of the finger will get me centered again. I don't think it's a big issue. But I will agree, there's no harm in having the physical keyboard, but personally I know I'd never use it.

You know how you see a spelling error after typing a few sentences on your BB? Imagine having to take your finger (fat finger in my case) and pressing on the screen to get your cursor to the EXACT spot where you want it to be to make your edits. It can be aggravating! It is at times like that when if I'm not already using the hardware keyboard, I slide it out so I can navigate around more easily.

Selecting text...same problem. If using the touch screen you may not highlight EVERY word or letter that you are trying to. Trackpads and navigational direction pads help!

URBlocked mentioned the d-pad on his old Droid, Motorola had one of the better ideas (IMHO) with their fine placement zoom too. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to place a cursor in a very specific position (usually after noticing a mis-Swyped word). On my phone it's trial and error until you get it just right (which can take a while), with the Droid X and Droid 2 you just click on a word in the text entry field and then scroll around. It zooms in and lets you place the cursor with great accuracy. "Supposedly" the Fascinate will get something similar with Froyo (I've heard of people using it in the hacked versions of Froyo) but don't quote me on that.

Dunno how/if it works with selecting text, I've never tried (only played around with the phones in-store).

 

[greygoose1]

I have a work phone and a personal phone. If I needed to upgrade today this is what I would choose based on my preferences.

Work phone - Droid2
Personal phone - DroidX

You use the phones differently depending on what you are using it for A 4.3" screen would be worth giving up the physical keyboard for my personal phone...but not for my work phone.

Just trying to throw stuff out there to you. You will probably be "stuck" with your choice for 1-2 years...hopefully you can look back and say you made the best choice. My choices shouldn't be your choices...but everyone in this thread is trying to share their personal preferences so you can judge what's important.

Can you use the 30 days to play with the phone you think you want to see if it will work for you?

I had the option of a company phone and a personal phone, but I got really tired of carrying both all the time. So the company offered to reimburse me monthly for using my personal phone. That's why I'm having such a hard time making a decision, because it has to be good for.....everything....lol

The 30 day trial is a great idea, I might just pull the trigger and play for a few weeks on each one.

 

[Martimus]

I had the option of a company phone and a personal phone, but I got really tired of carrying both all the time. So the company offered to reimburse me monthly for using my personal phone. That's why I'm having such a hard time making a decision, because it has to be good for.....everything....lol

The 30 day trial is a great idea, I might just pull the trigger and play for a few weeks on each one.

Keep one thing in mind regarding the 30 day trial, Verizon charges a restocking fee when you return a phone. When you go to return a phone, try to talk to the store manager. They can usually override the restocking fee...

 

[Frisco]

I suppose the only thing to do is go to the store and play with them for a bit.

No matter what is said in here, do that.

Your choice will make itself.

 

[UBRocked]

Unless I'm reading his post wrong (which is possible), I don't think I have the same issues as he does. When typing in forms and such, the screen on my Fascinate moves to where I'm typing. Oh every once in a while it gets iffy but a quick swipe of the finger will get me centered again. I don't think it's a big issue. But I will agree, there's no harm in having the physical keyboard, but personally I know I'd never use it.

Yeah I don't know that I clearly explained it. When you are filling out a form online especially is where I am glad to have a hardware keyboard.

Say you are registering for a website on your phone. You have the First Name, Last Name, Address, etc. fields to fill out. With a hardware keyboard you can see the whole form and navigate to the different fields by pressing on the field you want to jump to next. When using virtual keyboards, you have to hit "next" but then I don't remember what field I'm in...so I have to drop the keyboard and then jump to the next field which brings my virtual keyboard back up. I'm not saying it's a big deal...but by the end of the form I'm a little tired with screwing with it.

URBlocked mentioned the d-pad on his old Droid, Motorola had one of the better ideas (IMHO) with their fine placement zoom too. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to place a cursor in a very specific position (usually after noticing a mis-Swyped word). On my phone it's trial and error until you get it just right (which can take a while), with the Droid X and Droid 2 you just click on a word in the text entry field and then scroll around. It zooms in and lets you place the cursor with great accuracy. "Supposedly" the Fascinate will get something similar with Froyo (I've heard of people using it in the hacked versions of Froyo) but don't quote me on that.

Dunno how/if it works with selecting text, I've never tried (only played around with the phones in-store).

I can't speak for some of the ways the new phones have addressed these issues cause I haven't spent much time with them hands-on. What you are saying sounds like a better system than what is in place. I wish the virtual keyboards had some sort of navigation built into them (arrow keys) if the phone doesn't have a trackpad of some sort. Maybe some of them do (My HTC TP2 does).

I had the option of a company phone and a personal phone, but I got really tired of carrying both all the time. So the company offered to reimburse me monthly for using my personal phone. That's why I'm having such a hard time making a decision, because it has to be good for.....everything....lol

The 30 day trial is a great idea, I might just pull the trigger and play for a few weeks on each one.

Having a phone do well for everything goes back to you and how you are going to use the phone, what's important to you (large screen, hardware keyboard, etc.). I can say that if my Droid were my only phone I'd be fine. If my HTC TP2 were my only phone, I'd be screwed. That's because while my WinMo phone does all the exchange tasks very well, it is awful when it comes to multimedia or entertainment. I think every one of the phones you have mentioned will do the entertainment stuff very well, so the question for you is...which one will work best for my business tasks.

 

[snapper.fishes]

One little thing that might just make a difference. With a virtual keyboard, part of the screen end up being used for the keyboard itself, so less screen space is available for viewing what you wrote. With a physical keyboard this doesn't happen. If you are writing a very long email, this ends up being quite an important factor.

 

[UBRocked]

Keep one thing in mind regarding the 30 day trial, Verizon charges a restocking fee when you return a phone. When you go to return a phone, try to talk to the store manager. They can usually override the restocking fee...

For users under a corporate contract, this usually isn't a problem. I manage my company's cell phone contracts and I have noticed that Verizon's customer service is better for businesses than it is for personal plans. Not to say they are bad when it comes to individuals...just not as good.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Damn. No one likes my "try the Droid Pro" suggestion for the migrating BB user. **runs off an cries**

 

[Kabob]

Say you are registering for a website on your phone. You have the First Name, Last Name, Address, etc. fields to fill out. With a hardware keyboard you can see the whole form and navigate to the different fields by pressing on the field you want to jump to next. When using virtual keyboards, you have to hit "next" but then I don't remember what field I'm in...so I have to drop the keyboard and then jump to the next field which brings my virtual keyboard back up. I'm not saying it's a big deal...but by the end of the form I'm a little tired with screwing with it.

I suppose I just navigate said forms differently. I choose each field by clicking in it. When I see the cursor, I know I'm in the right place. I suppose having a tab button would be pretty handy though.

I can't speak for some of the ways the new phones have addressed these issues cause I haven't spent much time with them hands-on. What you are saying sounds like a better system than what is in place. I wish the virtual keyboards had some sort of navigation built into them (arrow keys) if the phone doesn't have a trackpad of some sort. Maybe some of them do (My HTC TP2 does).

The Incredible has the "joystick," that's about the only track pad I can think of (and it's not on-screen). That little bit extra would be a great idea for a phone.

One little thing that might just make a difference. With a virtual keyboard, part of the screen end up being used for the keyboard itself, so less screen space is available for viewing what you wrote. With a physical keyboard this doesn't happen. If you are writing a very long email, this ends up being quite an important factor.

Agreed, I'll admit that it can be a hassle navigating around a really long message with only the touch screen. Then again, I wouldn't want to type a really long message on my phone (whether with a virtual or real keyboard).

 

[Kabob]

Damn. No one likes my "try the Droid Pro" suggestion for the migrating BB user. **runs off an cries**

It isn't one of his options. He could ask if they'll allow it when it's released I suppose.

 

[Martimus]

For users under a corporate contract, this usually isn't a problem. I manage my company's cell phone contracts and I have noticed that Verizon's customer service is better for businesses than it is for personal plans. Not to say they are bad when it comes to individuals...just not as good.

I'll take your word on that! The last corporate telephone contract I managed was under Nextel! Oy what a mess that was...

 

[UBRocked]

I suppose I just navigate said forms differently. I choose each field by clicking in it. When I see the cursor, I know I'm in the right place. I suppose having a tab button would be pretty handy though.

Doesn't your on screen keyboard take up all of the screen so you can't see what the next field is? You have to drop the keyboard, click on the next field you want to enter, and then the keyboard pops up right? What I'm saying is that with a hardware keyboard, the screen doesn't change when you are entering text. This is one of those things that would be easier to "show" than describe

 

[Kabob]

Doesn't your on screen keyboard take up all of the screen so you can't see what the next field is? You have to drop the keyboard, click on the next field you want to enter, and then the keyboard pops up right? What I'm saying is that with a hardware keyboard, the screen doesn't change when you are entering text. This is one of those things that would be easier to "show" than describe

Nope, held portrait (how I usually Swype) or landscape it only takes up 1/2 the screen. I can even maneuver around the text box/screen with it up.

 

[UBRocked]

I'll take your word on that! The last corporate telephone contract I managed was under Nextel! Oy what a mess that was...

Yeah, I can only imagine Nextel's customer service back then! Yuck!

I wasn't a big fan of Sprint for the longest time cause when I was in the military that company just screwed many of the young kids coming to their first duty assignment. Sprint's coverage was very suspect but wouldn't refund people's money when they found that they couldn't make phone calls from many locations on the Air Base. Of course their coverage map was much more impressive than the actual results.

Verizon may cost more...but I've been happy with them for both business and personal accounts.