18 Apr 10 New Tool or Toy?

Back in 2002 I got my first Smartphone. It was made by HTC, and labeled as the Orange SPV  (Orange is a French telco).

It had a media player, a full size SD card slot (not SDHC compatible though – no such thing back then!). It also had WAP internet, Bluetooth, and MSN Messenger built in.

I thought it was pretty darn cool at the time.

It was a tri-band GSM phone, so in theory it would also work in the US. It did, but in very few places, as most of the US was then still very much analog.  (I have never actually owned an analog only phone, as the way the cellular networks were set up in the UK, you either had an analog phone or a digital one, there were never, to my knowledge any hybrids).

Now  late 2003 and I ended up with a very basic CMDA based Nokia on the Alltel network. I muttered about it, as I missed all the bells and whistles of the SPV, but Alltel gave me the very best coverage I’ve ever had anywhere – with no discernible holes anywhere that I went (or still go).

Move on a few years and a couple of upgrades, and I’m holding a Blackberry Curve 8330 in my paws. I had all my bells and whistles back at last, and more. I wasn’t at all interested in the iPhone, as it was quite lacking compared to my curve – no cut and paste, no video, and perhaps not so important but good on the go – no Stereo bluetooth. Main things against it were no multitasking, no keyboard, and I’d have to go to AT&T, who have, in my experience, too many service holes around here.

Until yesterday,  the Blackberry, has been one of my mobile tools, more than a toy really, because at the end of the day, I didn’t use it a lot to  play music, or watch videos. I didn’t use it as a phone a huge amount either, more for data communications, such as email and Twitter. I also like to make use of Geo-based tools such as maps, and GPS.

A camera and a video recorder is, at times, helpful, but not that essential. I usually carry my DSLR around with me in any case. It’s useful to have when you want to grab that funny moment in a bar perhaps, or a one off video clip. The 2MP cam didn’t do a bad job at all in decent light, or even indoors at close range.

So why did I change?

The contract was up for renewal, and as the technology moves so fast, and as the cellular companies don’t start the next two -year contract until you actually upgrade the phone, I did the research, and felt that much as I liked the Blackberry, it was time to try something else.

What does the Droid have that the Blackberry doesn’t?

• Bigger, brighter, higher resolution screen
• 5MP camera
• Wifi
• Better integration with Google
• Integrated GPS

That’s for starters.

I’ve had wi-fi at home for some years, and it’s good to have a phone that can take advantage of that, with much faster browsing if I’m laying in bed, or doing a little mobile surfing on the sofa.

I use Google for my mail needs. I also use Google’s Calender, Maps, Docs, and much of the other stuff they throw out. I’m not a Google fanboi – it just works for me.

The thing that did annoy me with the Blackberry was the GPS. When it was running it was very good, and accurate enough, but I had to switch on the Telenav app each time to get it to kick in, or else it was simply cellphone triangulation accuracy.

Right now, after almost 24 hours, I’ve got pretty much all the apps installed on the Droid that I think I need (most of the same ones I had on the Blackberry – or with similar functionality).  I do miss some – now, I have to say that I preferred Ubertwitter to Twidroid, but I’ll give it time, as a lot of this could simply be me, getting used to new ways to boil the eggs, so as to speak.

All in all, I am pleased with the Droid, but ultimately I want it to be more of a tool than a toy, and only time will tell if I will truly find it so.

Tags: alltel, analog phone, bells and whistles, blackberry curve, cellular networks, cmda, cut and paste, data communications, droid, dslr, htc, hybrids, mobile tools, motorola, orange spv, sd card slot, teleco, tri band, video recorder