Is it foolish to buy a Droid now?

[PSUlion01]

Apologies if this has been discussed recently, but I'm planning on getting my first Android phone soon and have been debating the Droid, DX or DInc. Very frustrated with the supply issues right now (I find it ridiculous that I need to wait a month for these phones). That being said, I'm really interested in something that:

1) Functions well as a phone (gave up on iPhone4 because of the antenna issues and more so because of the coverup job Apple pulled).
2) Will allow free wifi tethering for my computer of iPad if I get one in the future
3) Has a decent battery life (this is where I began losing interest in the Inc)

So... Given the current lineup and the D2 on the way, is it a bad move to get a D1 now (for $100 with my upgrade), root it and have something with good build quality and tons of customization options, or should I just suck it up and wait the month for the Inc to come in? I think the DX is out...too big and I don't like the fact that it's really locked down, unless that has no impact on running the free Wifi tether.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[IxI Dan IxI]

Anything but the Droid Inc.

I just don't like HTC and I don't know if i trust their quality.....

based on no evidence and just something I can't get over, its probably just me.

Need a phone today, the original droid.

Need a phone in a month or two, I would get the DX... maybe the price will come down and maybe bugs might be addressed..... (thats the way it is for all phones it seams like IMO)

 

[jfe]

Well the Droid is about to go extinct, the Droid 2 is coming out, but who knows if they are going to use the efuse on it just like the X. They been able to root the X, but I don't know if they have been able to do the bootloader yet

If free tethering is your need, doesn't Palm give it for free on their products?

I think the Droid is great, but it's already behind the curve, as new Android phones seem to come out every week

The Samsung Galaxy is also coming out, what I've heard that it's not going to be locked, so all the ROM developers may go that route.

 

[ZZMitch]

Well the next version is coming out very soon (The Droid 2)

So, yes.

 

[mobrienjr]

a buddy at mine got the galaxy S. The AT&T version and loves it. He got root access already, but no custom ROM's yet. It also has the new super amoled screen, which looks awesome. I still perfer my original droid due to the custom factor. I honestly believe that it will be the last "vanilla" android device. The droid X is not that big once it is held, but I still love my physical keyboard

 

[PSUlion01]

Well I guess the real question is what am I gaining with the custom ROMs and such that have been tried and tested with the Droid? Seems like Rooting allows for some of the apps that I'm interested in, so I don't know if the ROMs are really a big deal for me. This is all new to me, thus my confusion.

There's also a lot of discussion on the processors and stuff, but I really just want a phone that I can use to browse the internet, watch movies that I've ripped/encoded, text my wife and family, etc. I don't need the thing performing like some kind of handheld gaming rig, so I don't know how much concern I should have over all of the specs.

This would all be a non-issue if VZ just had the phones in stock. Want the instant gratification rather than needing to order something.

Thanks again!

 

[dnoonan]

I was in the Verizon store Friday to check out the Droid X...the staff there had the attitude that the Droid was already antiquated...in fact, one staffer there said the Droid wouldn't be getting 2.2 because it couldn't handle it. Said it might get a "modified version"...whatever. Point is, you're not going to get a lot of support for D1 at this point, at least, that's the way I see it.

 

[gwlaw99]

I would get the X or thd Samsung. At the very least wait for the D2. All will bs rooted for wifi tether even if you cant load custom roms.

 

[kratos]

If you care about custom ROM's at all, I would go with the MotoDroid. Just keep in mind that Asurion is claiming that they don't have any MotoDroid's in stock and they will only give an Eris as replacement (unless you know your stuff about the diff in specs and push really hard to get an Incredible or X).

Otherwise, I would go with either the X or The Droid 2. I'm sure someone will figure out a way to install custom ROM's that can fool the bootloader into thinking that they are "official". However, that may take some time.

Kratos

 

[sorceror]

...in fact, one staffer there said the Droid wouldn't be getting 2.2 because it couldn't handle it. Said it might get a "modified version"...whatever. Point is, you're not going to get a lot of support for D1 at this point, at least, that's the way I see it.

The first part of that is wrong - there's some chance the Droid won't get an official 3.0, but 2.2 is coming for the Droid.

As to the latter... you may well not get so much official Verizon support for the original Droid. But with the developer community it's accumulated, I'm not terribly worried. Of course, I'm a Linux guy from way back, so I'm comfortable with that sort of thing.

 

[OMJ]

I wouldnt buy a D1 right now. Get a Dinc or a DX or wait and get a D2. If you are really worried about being able to load custom roms then get a Dinc.

The D1 is now 8 months old and the hardware is outdated in comparison with the newer phones. Ram is the biggest thing that the D1 lacks because overclocking and software tweaks cant make up for a lack of ram.

 

[twistedlim]

The droid is a great phone. Solid proven, and will meet your needs well. Besides that they are flat out cheap (although the purchase price of a phone seems to be a small factor when you consider the access fees).
I would not worry about verizon support with the phone. Verizon support is pretty bad regardless of the product.

If you want to tether you will have to go with something else unless you root. The delivery date on the web site for the Incredible and the X is now Aug 3 so the wait is not too long. My wife has the Incredible and it is a really nice phone as is the X but it is just so big in the pocket....

 

[shadowdude777]

All will bs rooted for wifi tether even if you cant load custom roms.

Wireless Tether For Root Users requires a custom kernel. Are Droid X users able to load those?

If they can't then all Moto devices except the Droid 1 are probably out of the question. They're implementing their new lockdown on the Droid 2 like they did on the X.

Out of all these 4 devices, to tell the truth, I would STILL stick with my original Droid because of the unofficial development community. It's just massive. If the Droid X bootloader got cracked open and we could load custom ROMs onto it, though, I might reconsider my stance.

 

[OMJ]

Wireless Tether For Root Users requires a custom kernel. Are Droid X users able to load those?

If they can't then all Moto devices except the Droid 1 are probably out of the question. They're implementing their new lockdown on the Droid 2 like they did on the X.

Out of all these 4 devices, to tell the truth, I would STILL stick with my original Droid because of the unofficial development community. It's just massive. If the Droid X bootloader got cracked open and we could load custom ROMs onto it, though, I might reconsider my stance.

They can use wifi tether. The stock kernel must support it.

 

[Turdbogls]

i was actually in the same boat as you were. i went to Best Buy and bought my original droid right on the spot. coming from a dumbphone, i gotta say, the phone is amazing and exceeds my expectations.
but what you are looking for.
1) its verizon...there are no 'antenne issues" that i know of and i get 3G and reception everywhere i have gone so far, call quality is VERY good.

2) not sure one this but i tought a 2.2 install or bugless beast would give you tethering..could be wrong. not really something i am that interested in so havn't looked into it.

3) battery seems to be on par with current smartphone (maybe even better) but again i havn't been able to really test it out much on a typical day to day routine since i have only had it for a couple days (both days were without cable/internet at home) where i was using it for music/movies/internet and games pretty much the entire time.

the droid is still a great phone, it is the perfect size, and the only one worth buying that has a full keyboard. the screen is still VERY good and doesn't have the fallbacks of AMOLED screens. the internet is still pretty quick, apps open quickly, everything is jsut smooth. i knew i was buying this phone with the intention that i was going to have it for another 2 years...and i am OK with that. the droid x and DINC will be "outdated" when 2011 hits. as long as i can mod my droid, i will always be happy with it.

 

[gnath9]

I think the Droid is still the way to go ... I mean you can get one cheap and bring it home and root, load Froyo, over clock and have all these great benifits for a reasonable price. But if you need the latest and greatest to be happy then I say the newer hardware is the way to go. Since Moto may be locking down thier hardware I may have to switch manufacturers although I dont want to .... all my phones have been Moto's ever since the StarTac