Ever since the announcement of the Android mobile operating system, I have pined for an Android phone. I am a strong supporter of open source, and I have not been crazy about the various smart phone platforms available.
Roughly 1.5 years ago, I upgraded my phone from a personal plain phone to a smart phone funded by my employer. To sign up for this program, I had to pick a Windows-based smart phone per employer standards. This was indeed an upgrade, as I now had email, contacts, and calendaring synced from my work accounts. The phone did what I needed for work, but the platform itself was limiting. It was clear Windows Mobile 6.1 was designed by translating desktop elements to a mobile device, and that translation did not work. The concepts of "apps" for a mobile device was new (and arguably is still new for MS), and the phone was underpowered.
Meanwhile, Android started gaining an immense amount of momentum. Google released their own phone. Verizon, Google, and Motorola partnered to release the Droid 1 (along with much marketing). Many handset makers started releasing Android phones on multiple carriers. The app market grew from a few hundred to nearly 80,000 apps, and many mainstream app developers now release Android versions as well as iPhone.
Finally in the summer of 2010, two critical efforts pushed me over the edge. First, HTC and Google both added two key components to their Android versions: the ability for an Exchange admin to require a PIN such that the phone is locked, and the ability to send a "remote wipe" signal to the phone to delete all data. These features are both required by my employer, and this enabled me to seriously start considering an Android phone. Google also added these features in their 2.2 version.
Secondly, my company-provided phone started having technical issues. It could not reliably send MMS (picture texts) messages. The stars aligned, and I was able to upgrade to a Droid X.
The Droid X is an amazing piece of technology. Co-workers have joked that its more powerful than the first laptops we were issued roughly 13 years ago, and that it is like a super computer in my pocket. Admittedly I had very high expectations after watching the industry and platform for so long, and this phone meets most of them!
The combination of Motorola hardware, Android 2.2, and Verizon's excellent wireless service is very impressive. Motorola's wireless division has "bet the farm" on Android, and it appears to be paying off and resulting in some great products. While I won't be giving up a laptop anytime soon, this phone is truly an excellent mobile device. The typical smart phone functions (email, calendar, phone) work great, are fast, and are easy to read on the large screen. The library of applications is truly impressive for both work and personal use. I thought the size might be a bit unwieldy. It is only a tad larger than my previous phone, is nice and thin, and fits great in my pocket and on my ear for calls.
I'm still in the "honeymoon" gadget period, and I think this honeymoon will last a while.
Now admittedly Android is not the best phone for everyone. While I have some philosophical issues with Apple, they do make some amazing hardware and products. If you just want your phone to work, are not into "gadgets," don't mind Apple's walled garden, and want a smart phone, the iPhone may be a good choice. But if you want to see the future of smart phones, like to experiment/tweak/play with gadgets a bit, and don't want some CEO telling you what you can and cannot load on your mini-computer, get a Droid X.
Of course, Android phones are moving along at an amazing pace. I will be interested to see what comes out this holiday season. There is some talk about multi-core CPU's soon, HDMI out will likely be a typical feature, and Verizon's LTE network is coming soon. It is a very interesting time for this market.
