DROID

I love owning the Motorola Droid!  I have never owned a smart phone before and I'm so excited at all the little things it does.  Having never used a device like this before, I have no way to compare it to others, but for me, this is awesome.

First of all, using the large touchscreen is fun!  It does the job it is supposed to do and is a whole new level of interaction for me.  Using arrow keys and pushing ok doesn't make sense to me anymore.   Trying to line up a button below a list of on-screen options, like an ATM, is so yesterday.  I want to touch the screen and interact with it.

Typing on the virtual keyboard that appears on the touchscreen when needed takes some getting used to.  At first I didn't like it.  I was slow and not very accurate.  That's ok, because the Droid has a full keyboard that slides out from its hiding space below the screen.  Like the virtual keys, I was a bit slow during the first few days on the slide out keyboard.   After owning the phone for two weeks, I am getting much more comfortable on the virtual keys and tons faster on the slide out keyboard.  Depending on what I am doing, I have found myself using both methods to type.  For longer messages, I usually slide out the keyboard because I'm more accurate and quicker with it.

I also am really enjoying getting my email sent to my phone as the author hits the send button.  You should see my eyes light up when I hear that notification sound.  I used to be so curious after work to get on the computer and see if I had a comment on my blog or a rare email that wasn't a forwarded joke.  Now I don't have a reason to randomly log in and check my email.  If I didn't get a notification on the Droid, I didn't get a new email.

The applications that can be downloaded add so many new functions to the phone.  It seems like new items are being added every time I look in the market place.  All the apps I have downloaded so far have been free and have worked great.   Some of the apps I have been using are Pandora internet radio, a task list app that sends me comments if I don't finish on time ("Get this done, I'm sick of it." or "You can do it!").  The little comments have actually helped motivate me to getting things done.  I've also downloaded an app for Geocaching, stock market quotes, a great notepad, a podcast player that manages subscriptions and auto downloads episodes, and a photo program that adds effects to your shots.

I also use my phone a lot for text messaging.  This is the first phone that I have used that manages my texts like this.  It keeps all the messages between a friend and me in a running thread allowing me to easily scroll through and follow the conversation back.  Adding a photo or video is easy too!

Last week, I wanted to listen to a podcast of This American Life.  I used the headphone jack with my headphones swiped off of my MP3 player, started up the program, and quickly realized that my MP3 player won't be getting used as much anymore.

Well, I didn't want this to be a review of the Motorola Droid.  There are plenty of professionals out there doing that.  The phone does so much more than the few things I have pointed out here.  I just wanted to let you know a few of the things that have got me excited about this device.  In fact I have only begun to scratch the surface on telling you all the things I love about DROID.  If you have any questions about the Droid, leave a comment and I'll get an answer posted as quickly as possible.