Droid vs Iphone

The iPhone has been the number one smartphone on the market for some time now, but other competitors have sprung up as of late. The Blackberry Storm and the Palme Pre are two of the most notable in the race to supplant Apple's baby, with limited success. Recently, Motorola has thrown its hat into the ring with the release of the DROID, in an attempt to gain some control over the market. There's been a lot of hype over this device, but does it hold up to the expectations some are placing on it? For this week's Tech Talk, UWeekly looks at the DROID to see if it stacks up.

Pros:
The DROID, unlike the iPhone, has a pull-out keyboard - a feature which many Apple users have requested in the past.

The DROID has a 5-megapixel camera, a full 2 megapixels more than the iPhone

The DROID uses the Verizon Wireless network, which has a larger coverage area than the AT&T network used by the iPhone

The DROID has a removable battery, as opposed to the iPhone's fixed battery.

The DROID has the ability to run multiple applications at once, a feature which Apple has refused to integrate into its own operating platform.

The DROID uses a removable SD card for its hard drive, rather than a fixed drive, like the one in the iPhone.

The DROID uses the open-source Android software, developed by Google

The DROID has a turn-by-turn navigation app, which comes built in.

The DROID has better phone voice quality

Cons:
The DROID lacks the multi-touch feature the iPhone possesses

The DROID doesn't have nearly as many apps for sale as the iPhone

The DROID lacks some necessary components that make it business-ready, largely surrounding its ability to access e-mail

The DROID has a less user-friendly user interface with regards to its ability to surf the Web

The DROID has fewer security features to protect its software

The DROID has many moving parts that can break

The DROID has major design flaws in its user interface that makes it more difficult to use than the iPhone. Not a surprise, as the software is newer.

Conclusion:
The DROID has a lot of potential, but potential does not a superior product make. The iPhone is much more useful for business applications, as well as entertainment. Until Motorola releases a multi-touch screen, surfing the Web is far more convenient on the iPhone, too. It's a step in the right direction, but many more steps are required before this device can be considered a serious contender in the smartphone market.