Like many of you, I am torn between getting one of these 2 new touchscreen smartphones:
1) the Motorola Droid which runs on Google's new Android 2.0 operating system
2) the Blackberry Storm 2 which runs on Research in Motion's new OS 5.0 (although new, I wouldn't say its drastically different than previous Blackberry OS')
I have poured through tons of online reviews and briefly played with store dummy units and hope to provide my readers (you guys) with my insight (limited as it may be). First here are a number of useful online reviews which can help you form your own opinion.
Moto Droid:
Engadget Moto Droid
BoyGenius Moto Droid Review
CNET Droid Review
Droid Video Review
Blackberry Storm2 (9550/9520)
CNET Storm 2 Review
Engadget Storm2 Review
Crackberry Storm 2 Review
Storm 2 Video Review
Droid vs. Storm 2 Video
The bottomline (for those that don't have the patience to read my whole post) is that both are able and capable phones, either of which you are likely to be overly happy with if a touchscreen smartphone is what you are looking for. In addition to the iPhone 3GS, I would say these are probably the premier smartphones currently on the market, both in terms of hardware quality, aesthetics (good looks!), and software (OS).
The Motorola Droid is the only current smartphone to run Android 2.0, Google's opensource OS. The benefits/advantages I found for this phone are:
- Bigger screen with higher resolution than the Storm 2. Reviews I have seen have called this screen the best screen on any smartphone due to its size, brightness, resolution and colors. Personally I think this is the Droid's major selling point.
- Google's Android OS. Although this is a matter of preference, Android 2.0 has been touted as a pretty good OS. Compared to the blackberry OS, the UI is "prettier on the eyes", has widgets, and you have 3 desktop like screens that you can scroll thru and customize.
- Slideout keyboard- The physical keyboard can be a positive or a negative for the Droid. The keyboard has been torn apart by many reviewers, but some people seem to like it. I played with a dummy unit and the keyboard did not seem very good. The keys are very flat, pretty close together, and there is very little downward motion when you press a key. I would think it would be hard to type on, but some reviewers have noted that you get better over time. In any case there is also an onscreen touch keyboard in case you don't like the physical keyboard. I would say the keyboard and the camera are the 2 weakpoints for the Droid.
- Blazing fast web browsing- web browsing on the Droid has been compared to speeds obtained on the iPhone, which currently sports the fastest browser. The Storm 2 isn't terrible when it comes to web browsing, but in all the videos I've watched, the Storm 2 is slower. Even Crackberry addicts admit that the Blackberry's web browser is its major shortcoming (in addition to its older OS). Although you could use Opera Mini or Bolt, it seems like the Droid is the right choice for those who do a lot of web browsing on their phone.
The Blackberry Storm 2 is RIM's second generation touchscreen smartphone, and the Storm 2 seems to fix nearly all of the problems/issues found on the original Storm. Here are some of the benefits of the Storm2
- Sure-press screen. The screen is not only a touch screen, but also presses in to register a key/button press. The original Storm did this as well, but the Storm 2 has reportedly greatly improved on this. Instead of there being one button to push down, the screen is on 4 piezo-electric sensors. Although there is no physical keyboard, many reviewers like the Storm 2's sure-press technology compared to the physical keyboard of the Droid.
- Looks- of course this is subjective but I think the Storm 2 looks better than the Droid. It just looks more professional and polished.
- Email- Although the Droid does push email and has advanced compared to many other devices, Blackberry is still #1 when it comes to email.
- Security- Again, Blackberry is #1 when it comes to securing your info/network using BES.
- OS- although the new OS is nothing revolutionary, 5.0 has updated several features. And although Android is flashier and considered the sexier OS, many people like the simpler UI of blackberry. So like many other things, your opinion on who wins the OS wars will depend on what you value more.
So what phone will I choose? I don't even know yet! I would love to hear your opinion on it. But overall I would say if web browsing, a slick UI, and lots of nifty apps are your priorities, I'd go with the Droid. If your a seasoned Blackberry veteran, or if email and security is your main concern, the Storm 2 is your best bet. But either way I don't think you can really go wrong since both can do nearly the same things, just in different ways.