Verizon and Motorola hope the Droid's physical keyboard and higher-rated network can make up for the iPhone's head start and giant app collection. For SMBs, though, it's all about choice and competition.
After growing tired of hearing about the sheer fabulousness of the iPhone, Verizon and Motorola have teamed up to deliver a Google Android handset that they hope will challenge the Apple device's popularity. The Motorola Droid supports voice-activated input, includes connectivity to popular business applications, and runs over Verizon's 3G wireless network.
Verizon and Motorola plan to roll out the Droid smartphone, which uses the Android 2.0 operating system, this Friday, November 6. The device costs $199.99 and requires a voice calling plan starting at $39.99 and a data plan beginning at $29.99.
What Makes A Droid Different?
The Droid offers standard smartphone features, such as Wi-Fi, Verizon's 3G EV-DO cellular, and Bluetooth connectivity. The product includes a 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and video-recording capabilities, a 16GB memory, and a 3.7-inch, 480x854 pixel, diagonal display.
The system features a few potential product differentiators. Unlike the iPhone, for example, the Droid comes with both a virtual and a physical keyboard. However, some observers note compromises in the Motorola smartphone's design. In particular, the touchscreen can be slow and not as functional as the iPhone's screen, and the hardware keyboard can be clunky.
The Droid has both a physical keyboard and a virtual one.
Smartphones Are Business Phones
While smartphones have been designed mainly to please consumers, they have garnered significant acceptance among small and midsize business users. In fact, a growing number of executives rely on them daily. The Motorola handset comes with built-in support for Microsoft Exchange, and a unified Inbox enables the user to manage multiple Exchange, Google Gmail, or and other e-mail accounts from a single interface.
Road warriors may also appreciate that the Google Maps Navigator service is bundled in the system. The application provides audible, turn-by-turn directions; real-time traffic information; and the ability to search for nearby locations using voice commands.
Multitasking A Potential Benefit
Both Verizon and Motorola are stressing Droid's multi-tasking ability, something that Apple restricts on the iPhone. However, multi-tasking is significant only if developers can exploit it. Using it on mobile devices has proven difficult because active applications may interfere with one another and running different functions can increase the drain on the battery.
The new phone has other limitations. Over time, Apple has upgraded the iPhone with robust security features -- a function desired by many small and midsize businesses. In case a device is lost, it will wipe out its data after 10 unsuccessful attempts to enter the User ID and password. In addition, the Apple smartphone's policy profiles can be encrypted and changed only by an IT administrator. The Droid is not as sophisticated: it does not yet support encrypted e-mails.
Add-on applications have become a key battleground for smartphone suppliers. Apple's App Store now boasts more than 100,000 native iPhone applications, about ten times as many as the Android Market offers. Android supporters will note that its framework lets software developers exploit the core engine more easily and is less restrictive than the iPhone, but the Google marketplace is also a newer application development environment and therefore one may find more bugs than in the iPhone development arena.
You Don't Need To Kill The iPhone
The Droid may not be an iPhone killer, but it has the potential to enhance Verizon's and Motorola's market positions. The wireless carrier has lost some customers who have been enamored with the iPhone's user interface and some of its applications. Now, the carrier has a very competitive offering. Motorola had been rapidly losing market and mind share during the past few years -- remember how cool the Razr once was? Finally, the vendor once again has a new product that is generating significant buzz.
Continued competition in the smartphone handset market should help small and medium businesses. With a lot at stake, vendors have been feverishly trying to outdo one another. As a result, a growing variety of highly functional smartphones have emerged, and they can help SMB employees complete their work more efficiently.
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See more columns by Paul Korzeniowski.
Paul Korzeniowski is a Sudbury, Mass.-based freelance writer who has been writing about networking issues for two decades. His work has appeared in Business 2.0, Entrepreneur, Investor's Business Daily, Newsweek, and InformationWeek.
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