The Sinister Moose

 Greetings fellow technogurugadgetheads.

I have been the proud owner of a Verizon droid x for a couple of months now. Let's look at a few key points of why I'm so much happier with the dx versus the iPhone.

I'm a big guy, so the size of the droid x scores big points here, the iPhone 4 feels small even though it feels solid. The call quality difference between the droid x and the iPhone is a close competition, however the droid x edges out the iPhone based on how loud the droid x is compared to the iPhone. As for connection quality, I have only my local region to use as a baseline comparison and for connection quality Verizon is stomping AT&T into the dirt locally. I have 3G on the droid x through Verizon, where the iPhone is still only 2G in this area. The limited number of towers for AT&T locally made for many dropped calls, a lot of time searching for enough signal to make a call, and EDGE network data speeds which are pathetic.

Due to the size of the screen, the droid x is easier to dial, find contacts, and multitask while on calls. The iPhone just seems limited and again, I have fairly large fingers, so the smaller screen on the iPhone is a problem for me.

As a tool:

Sorry, the iPhone isn't a tool. It's a neat toy, and I think having it enlarged into something the size of an iPad would make it a better toy, but still just a toy. The Anroid 2.2 operating system on the droid x is designed to better handle tech tools. There are so many incredibly helpful applications on the droid, the iPhone is no comparison as far as usefulness.

I do have to add here that the syncronization between Apple's OS X operating system and the droid x is miserable. There is an application out there that is supposed to sync the contacts etc., however it only works with OS X versions before 10.6 so this raises an interesting question in my mind. If this droid x from Verizon/Motorola/Google (I now call VerMoGoo) is aimed directly at the iPhone, one would expect they would make damn sure that the iPhone killer would sync with Apple.

As a camera still & video:

With it's dual LED flash, 8megapixel widescreen HD camera with physical zoom buttons and a physical shutter release, the droid x is better. The video capture is HD 720p quality and looks great. The only place here where the iPhone 4 can compete is with the front facing camera which the droid x lacks.

I get a giggle out of the iPhone commercials showing the happy customers using the iPhone 4 to video conference. Around here the only way to do that with AT&T's miserable network is to use your existing WiFi hispeed internet connection at home. Two-way video chat ain't gonna work on the EDGE network.

As a guide:

The iPhone uses assisted GPS, and can get you where you're going, but don't trust it in any location that isn't a major metropolis. Similar is true for the Google Maps GPS in the droid x, however the droid x does offer the advantage of spitting out synthesized voice directions, which get annoying but it does mean you don't have to take your eyes off the road. The built in compass, and apps like layar on the droid x are really handy. There is also the Google Sky app, which is neat for amature astronomers.

As a web device:

Well, it is a simple fact that the iPhone devices don't have enough processing power to handle flash and a web browser at the same time. I know that Flash is a resource hog, but at least the 1GHz processor in the droid x makes it possible to run flash in a web browser. The multitouch screen and virtual keyboard is bigger and easier to use on the droid x, and the spell checker is less annoying on the droid in comparison to the iPhone.

Award goes to the droid x in this category.

As a gadget:

There are many pros and cons in this category for both devices. I think the accelerometers in the iPhone are more accurate and faster than in the droid x, from what I've seen at least. The iPhone is a slick fashionable device with a very high resolution screen even though the screen is smaller. The sheer size of the droid x screen trounces the iPhone regardless of resolution. The multitouch interface on the iPhone is slicker and a little faster than the droid x, but in the real world how often are we using the multitouch? I like the idea of being able to replace the battery in my droid x without fear of voiding my warranty. I also like the ability to upgrade my storage capacity on my droid x when ever I damn well please. I can keep a box full of 32gb micro sd cards at the ready and change them in a few seconds, without having to delete things to make space in the phone.

I can't help but mention the droid x and the wireless hotspot capability. The iPhone will never officially do this, and even if it could, here locally, why would you want to share an EDGE network connection.

Yes, the iPhone is an excellent gadget, but it's limitations are it's downfall, advantage droid x.

The verdict:

The iPhone is pretty, it's slick, it has plenty of "I'm special" appeal. I have handed my droid x to several iPhone owners and they are all instantly impressed. So, I have to say I'm happy with my choice and I haven't looked back.

Now if only VerMoGoo would work out that Mac Sync issue.

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