If Android and RIM got together and had a love child, I believe it would be the Droid Pro. I’ve had the pleasure of using one for the last two weeks and being a previous Blackberry user, I can honestly say it is one of the best Android devices for business users to date. If you haven’t had a chance to get your hands on one of these I would recommend going down to your local Verizon Wireless stores and taking a look. From build quality, to the UI (even though it’s Blur) it’s an all around great device.
Overview:
Here’s a brief overview of the specs for Verizon’s Droid Pro:
- Android 2.2
- 1GHz TI OMAP processor
- 3.1-inch LCD Capacitive Touch Screen
- 3G Mobile Hotspot capability
- 512 MB RAM / 2048 MB ROM
- 1GB storage
- 5 MP camera/camcorder with auto focus and dual LED flash
- 480p video recording
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 2.1
- Expandable memory: 8 GB micro SD card included, 32 GB supported
Hardware:
Android devices today are getting bigger screens and that’s usually seen as a good thing, but in the case of the Pro, the 3.1” screen feels right at home. You shouldn’t expect any intensive gaming to be done on this device, but that’s not the point of the phone. The housing of the phone is solid black with a little design on the back that adds character, and has a silver band on the side going all the way around the phone breaking only for the lighted charge port. One thing previous Blackberry owners will appreciate is the side button which is customizable under the quick launch option in the settings menu. You can change it to launch any application you have installed on your phone or even set it for the camera button if you miss having a dedicated camera key. The full-QWERTY keyboard is one of the most interesting hardware aspects of the device. The keys, although very close together, are raised just enough so you could feel each one individually. Speaking of the small keyboard it’s almost no different than using the keyboard on a bold, and after some time getting used to it, one handed and two handed typing feels like second nature.
Hardware Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 4/5
Camera:
The phone features a 5 megapixel camera with dual LED flash which takes some pretty decent pictures. Switching over to video mode allows you to record in 480p on the fly. You won’t be able to record any short films on it and expect to win any awards, but it will do in a pinch or for mobile videos you need to email to clients or upload to Facebook.
Camera Rating: 3 out of 5 stars 3/5
Battery:
The 1420mAh battery is expected to give you about 7.2 hours of talk time or a little over 13 days standby and I’ve had no issues getting the battery to last a day, almost two after adjusting my Battery Manager settings we’ll talk about in a bit. The large battery is a blessing on such a small phone that Motorola is marketing towards business users who will be sending and receiving emails all day. The processor is a TI OMAP 1GHz chip seen in all of the recent Motorola high end DROID devices and helps provide a snappy experience when switching between home screens and applications.
Battery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 4/5
Global:
Let’s not forget the device is also a dual band phone that comes with a preinstalled SIM card for travel overseas. Unfortunately, I was not able to travel with the device so I’m not able to comment on it’s global capabilities.
Software:
Launched with Android 2.2, any Droid X or Droid 2 user will be familiar with the Blur UI overlay, love it or hate it there are a few features built in that help add a little to the user experience. The battery manager mentioned earlier will allow you to choose a predefined setting or set custom settings to have data shut off automatically once the screen turns off, saving a little bit more battery life. You can set up three home screen profiles from the launcher, named Home, Work, and Weekend or rename them to whatever you’d like. The profiles allow you to have custom home screen settings depending on the environment you are in. During the week I may want to have the work profile set so I can have my calendar and email widget on the screen for easy access. On the weekend or at home I may want my social networking widgets to show up so I can keep in touch with my AndroidSPIN friends and all their shenanigans.
I won’t spend too much time talking about software since it’s the same software we are familiar with on the Droid X and Droid 2, but I will tell you exchange support is included and works great. I can have my emails pushed to me, synced only over wifi, or pulled via a user set time. I can easily see all my folders set up in outlook and receive emails in a timely manner when push notifications are turned on. I haven’t noticed any lag on the device even with the preinstalled apps that I can’t remove like Skype Mobile, VZ Navigator, & Quick Office. It’s a very snappy device and screen transitions behave exactly as I would expect on a phone of this caliber.
Software Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 4/5
Call Quality:
I didn’t experience any major issues with call quality while using the handset. Calls were clear and loud enough, even when in a noisy environment. The one complaint I had about call quality was with the speakerphone. It didn’t seem loud enough for my tastes, especially in the car where it would be used most. Another issue I noticed was if I rested my phone on my shoulder, people on the other end were complaining about my call quality.
Call Quality Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 3.5/5
The Good:
- Responsive touch screen
- 1GHz processor for snappy transitions
- 1420 mAh battery that lasts all day
- Build quality.
The Bad:
- Camera quality was nothing special
- Motorola BLUR.
- The keyboard sometimes felt cramped.
Conclusion:
From a business user prospective, the Droid Pro is a great choice, especially for a user looking to switch from Blackberry to Android. It’s a peppy device with a decent camera that will allow you to travel anywhere in the world, with roaming charges of course. The build quality is on par with high end devices, and after some use, the keyboard will become second nature. My only major complaint aside from preinstalled carrier specific apps I will never use, is the lack of any type of directional key. A trackpad or a trackball would be a welcome addition and only enhance to user experience.Have you had a chance to get some hands on time with this device or purchased on for yourself? Sound off in the comments your own thoughts and let us know how you like it.
If you’re looking to pick one up be sure to stop by the AndroidSPIN phone store to pick it up for a special low price.
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