Since its debut in 2007, millions of people have gravitated toward Apple's iPhone, wooed by its sleek hardware, simple user interface and abundance of applications. Other smart phone makers have been trying since then to dispel the notion that the iPhone is the be-all and end-all of mobile gadgets. The latest push comes from Verizon Wireless and Motorola, whose Droid is a good alternative for those seeking a feature-packed smart phone with a full keyboard and strong wireless service. The Droid stands out from the crowd of iPhone wannabes with a slim but weighty body, noticeably angular look and large touch screen. Its 3.7-inch screen is bigger than the iPhone's 3.5-inch one, and the extra real estate really makes it easier to navigate Web pages and play with applications. It also offers plenty of space on the home screen (and two side screens that you swipe to see) for software “widgets” that give a quick look at such things as your friends' Facebook status updates or the song you're playing on the built-in music player. The Droid runs the latest version of Google Inc.'s operating system, Android 2.0, which includes some enhancements such as the ability to zoom in on Web pages and photos by double-tapping on the screen. With one tap on a photo in your contacts list, you can also quickly see the ways in which you can contact your friends. When it comes out Friday the Droid will also be the first phone to include a cool, free mapping application from Google that can announce turn-by-turn directions. Google Maps Navigation is easy to use and helped me out on a late-night ice cream run — I put the Droid in my pocket, turned up the volume and followed its female-robot-voice instructions while riding my motorcycle across town. I was glad to see that the application quickly recalculates your route if you're prone to making wrong turns as I am. Unlike many other phones with standard, “QWERTY” keyboards, the Droid has keys that are pretty much flat, which often made it hard to type accurately. This wasn't helped by the fact that, aside from the space bar, the keys are all the same size. Two blank key-sized spaces on the bottom of the keyboard — one on the left, one on the right — made me wonder why Motorola didn't try to at least enlarge the often-used “return” key. As I was listening to music, I tried to take a photo to send in a text message to a friend. Elvis Costello started to stutter as I pressed the shutter button. Another time, I tried to make a call while the Maps Navigation application was running and had to endure very loud instructions about where to turn while the phone was ringing. I did like the Droid's five-megapixel camera, which matches the resolution of another new Motorola phone that runs Android, the Cliq, and can take sharper shots than contemporaries like the iPhone, whose camera hovers around 3 megapixels. There's also a very bright flash — another thing the iPhone and Cliq lack — so you can take photos in low light. The Droid's big screen makes for a nice viewfinder, and a small menu of camera settings slides out from the left side of the screen so you can adjust the white balance and use different color effects. You'll have plenty of space to store the photos you take, too, because the Droid includes a 16 gigabyte microSD memory card. Motorola has been struggling to come up with a phone that comes close to matching the popularity of 2005's Razr, and the Droid is the latest indication that Motorola is really trying to figure out what consumers want.
