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"Droid Does"--Will Droid do it for Motorola?

Nov 1, 2009 09:08

I remember my very first mobile phone. It was a Motorola, a bulky CDMA mobile phone with a rubber duck anthena and a one-line digital screen. During those times, we didnt' put our phones in our pockets because you just couldn't, owing to the size of it. We simply hand carried it or clipped it to our belt.

Motorola mobile phones evolved from that bulky form factor to become more stylish and fashionable. But with competition releasing newer and more affordable cell phones, the US company somehow lost its leadership and glamor.

Motorola did release a couple of new designs (Motorola Razr) that brought it back to the limelight, but that wasn't enough to get the company back to where it used to be. 

Now, Motorola will be releasing its latest smartphpone, the Motorola Droid, which has Android for its operating system. Droid will offer high-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, a customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications, and hundreds of widgets. Will Droid be the answer to Motorola's problems?

Here's what the Droid has to offer:

• 3.7-inch screen with 854 × 480 (16:9 widescreen) capacitive touchscreen


• 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor


• Wi-Fi, EV-DO


• 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash and video recording


• QWERTY slider, 13.7mm thick


• 3.5mm headphone jack


• 16GB onboard storage with microSD expansion slot


• Android 2.0 "Eclair"

In a press release given by Motorola, the company provides the following functions for the Droid:

• Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information such as My Maps, Wikipedia and transit lines are offered right on the map.


• Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.


• YouTube: One-touch recording and playback from the homescreen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.


• Google Talk: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.


• Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.


• Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.'d to your meeting invitations.


• Facebook: Syncs Facebook contacts to your address book, and a live widget gives the ability to update status and view latest updates from friends.


• Amazon MP3 store: Download the latest tracks over the air.

To answer the question, will Droid save Motorola? From the looks of it, Motorola seems to be heading in the right direction. The phone delivers what both the corporate user and ordinary consumer need. Stability will be key. The development and maturity of Android will be a big factor for Motorola. The more features it offers, the better for the phone company. 

Here's the Motorola ad campaign titled "Droid Does". It says: "iDon't have a real keyboard, iDon't run simultaneous apps, iDon't take 5-megapixel pictures, iDon't customize, iDon't run widgets, iDon't allow open development, iDon't take pictures in the dark", and more. The ad campaign seems to directly attack iPhone's vulnerabilities. 

Motorola Droid Ad Campaign

Motorola should remember that it is not only competing with the iPhone, but will also have to pit itself against other Android handsets and smartphones in the market today. Good luck to Motorola. 

God bless us all!

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