Considering Droid

[whiskeyguy]

I didn't even know what Swype was. Just checked it out on You Tube, and if it works that's pretty cool. I'm definitely heading in to the store in a few hours to check out that. I might be a Droid owner later today.

 

[Garemlin]

whiskeyguy: don't be so quick to say you need the physical board. My first multimedia phone was a Samsung Eternity on AT&T. Full touch and I hated the keyboard. Traded for a Samsung Impression with a real keyboard and swore I would never do without a physical keyboard again. Well when we were looking to move to Verizon the Droid was my first choice. Played with it and hated the pull out. Was a deal breaker are the time. So I got the Eris and could not get used to the virtual. Already hooked on Android I decided to give the Droid a real world try. And like I already said I can't really use the pull out but love the virtual on the bigger screen. Coupled with the auto suggest, auto capitalization and correct it is a dream. Even better with swype. Try it out with both keyboards. You may find the need for a real keyboard has passed.

 

[Erron]

I love the keyboard and use it constantly.

 

[640k]

OP - the physical keyboard is great. i came from WinMo phones with on screen keyboards and i absolutely refuse to use another on screen keyboard.

 

[CatsvsDogs]

I didn't even know what Swype was. Just checked it out on You Tube, and if it works that's pretty cool. I'm definitely heading in to the store in a few hours to check out that. I might be a Droid owner later today.

When I first got this phone I was only using qwerty keyboard and I was able to peck my way through. Then was introduced to swype on this forum and have maybe opened up keyboard several times. Swype Rocks!

 

[tu3218]

Yeah I think the physical keyboard is just fine. Yeah its not the most easy one to use but I think if you give it a day or too with good use, you can easily get use to it. I have no problem using my physical keyboard now and I can even text on it without looking at it.

 

[Speeding Wheels]

Swype works fantastically once you learn the little tricks.. I love it.

The phys keyboard for me was very uncomfortable at first.. I basically put it away and forgot about it until I read an interesting post about somebody who like me had a totally flat keyboard when they got the phone.. but after some use the keys seems to "dome" themselves.

I was like.. not possible.. that dosent happen magically!!!
But I decided to use every key on the phys board fairly hard for a short period of time and to my surprise, they are in fact slightly domed now and it's actually a LOT nicer to use.. seems like those of us with the flat keyboards just need to break them in a bit.


BTW.. I love the Droid.. greatest gadget I've ever purchsed by far.

 

[C3-PO]

My first smart phone was a Palm 650. I got it mostly for the physical keyboard. (I was tired of texting on a flip phone number pad) After that, I swore I would never get a phone without a physical keyboard again. My next phone was a WinMo phone (Mogul). Again, had to have the keyboard. That was my reason for getting the Droid. The keyboard to me was about on par with the Mogul.

However, now that I've had it for 2 months, I'm surprised to say, I don't even pull the physical keyboard out anymore. AT ALL. (except to play my Nintendo and Super Nintedo emulators - Nesoid & Snesoid) I was a die-hard physical keyboard user and found that the virtual one was so easy to use that it's the only one I use now. Give it a try. Either way, you won't be disappointed with this phone. Especially if you had a WinMo phone, this is definitely a step up.

 

[whiskeyguy]

Thanks for the advice! That's a ton of feedback and I appreciate it. I am definitely going in to check out a Droid as soon as they open. It sounds like this phone is a home run even if the physical keyboard isn't the best. I just can't imagine having a phone that supports thousands of Apps and WiFi.

 

[DHood]

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section, but it seemed like the best place to post this. I currently have the EnV Touch, which is an alright phone, and as far as ease of use I love it. However, I really want a phone with Apps, and the EnV has maybe 12 available and most are not free. I understand the added cost to my monthly plan associated with the Droid, and that's not an issue. Basically I am trying to decide if people are satisfied with the Droid, and if I should buy one now or wait until more phones are available.

First of all, I will probably never buy a phone without a physical qwerty keyboard. I simply love the option, and do most of my texting this way. Now the EnV Touch has a great one, the keys have good spacing and the button placement is awesome. How is the physical qwerty keyboard on the Droid? I've heard it is a little difficult to use.

And secondly, are there any major issues that would justify waiting until perhaps an updated model comes out? Thanks for your input.

The keyboard on the EnV Touch is better in my opinion, then again I'm coming from an LG Scoop (now I have droid, and have since Dec 15) so the keyboards are just more similar on those two phones than the droid. I think if your only concern about the droid is the keyboard, get it. Although, if you have doubts about the droid, as it's quite the commitment, I'd check out all the Android phones and just pick the one you like the best. There's more being developed also, I'm mostly guessing here but I don't see why not, so if you can't find one you're 100% happy with the hardware of (the hardware is the most important part in my opinion because the software can be tweaked and is updated) then just wait for the next one and see if you like it.

I'm 100% happy with my Droid and will be 110% happy once 2.1 comes out for us officially.

EDIT: Sometimes, people completely don't notice that this has a 3rd keyboard (the qwerty, the small virtual, and the bigger virtual when you put it on it's side being the third), I honestly almost always use the 3rd one, it's just great.

 

[bigthinker]

Coming over from a BB Tour is not the same as the EnV....But I will say....The physical keyboard is one that I use daily. At first it was a little bulky or hard to type....But after you use it for a bit, it becomes easy.....Droid Rules!!! Get Yours Today Whiskey!!! :motdroidhoriz:

 

[wuyanks]

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong section, but it seemed like the best place to post this. I currently have the EnV Touch, which is an alright phone, and as far as ease of use I love it. However, I really want a phone with Apps, and the EnV has maybe 12 available and most are not free. I understand the added cost to my monthly plan associated with the Droid, and that's not an issue. Basically I am trying to decide if people are satisfied with the Droid, and if I should buy one now or wait until more phones are available.

the stock Droid w/ 2.0.1 works flawlessly, and overall i highly recommend it. however if you don't use, or if you hate physical keyboards, i'd wait for the HTC passion, which will be out soon...

 

[johfiner]

I'm another physical keyboard lover. I use the virtual one for quick searches or texts but the physical one is perfect for anything more than just a few characters. And I have relatively large hands...

 

[pc747]

I use the physical keyboard alot and have no problem with it. But get what you going to use. If you are not sold on the droid yet, if you have some time left just hold off until around march/april when they will release some more phones. Give you some time to play with each phone in the store to see what fits you best.
I personally am satisfied with the droid and am not looking to get another phone for another 2. But how I (or the people on this forum) feel about the phone my be different from how you feel.

 

[whiskeyguy]

Alright, I just got back from Verizon and I'm pretty much sold. The keyboard is definitely not as good as the EnV Touch's, but everything else is so much better that I'll make do. The only question I have now is a few people have mentioned the "Swype" application for texting, and I could not find it in the Android Marketplace to download and try out. Has this been released yet, and if so where can you find it? I've seen You Tube videos of people using it on the Droid, so I assume it is available.