Features of the New Motorola Droid 2

The Motorola Droid 2 is an upgrade that was based from the ground-breaking Android powered Droid. If you expected to see a huge list of additions to this new deivce then think again. In fact, many phone enthusiasts consider the release of the Droid 2 as an attempt by Motorola to stabilize its price. This is not to say that the phone is a bad one- however, Motorola let the opportunity of upgrading the Droid's slide-out keyboard pass.

Although they look very similar in style, the Droid 2 does have a slightly different look to it. Because of the chrome frame around the top of the Droid 2, consumers can easilly differentiate the two. Operationally, the slide-out keyboard has been incorporated with individual directional buttons unlike the square toggle that was in the first Droid. The four navigation buttons have been rearranged to Menu, Home, Back, Search from Back, Menu, Home and Search and there are minor differences in the implementation of the Android 2.2.

The impressive Droid camera has been improved in the Droid 2 to a widescreen 5MP mode that accommodates more images in the frame. Compared to other high MP cell cameras, shots taken indoors, with or without the flash, stay surprisingly in focus. Pictures taken outside come out very crisp and vibrant. However, indoor shots tend to come out grainier while outdoor photo colors are not true as they tend to bias towards the blue end of the spectrum. Rather than high-def video recording, the most surprising shortcoming of the Droid 2 is the WVGA. Video details are fuzzy especially when they are viewed on a standard PC.

Users who prefer a physical QWERTY keyboard may be falsely attracted by the Droid 2. Motorola improved the slide-out QWERTY keyboard from the flat, flush keys in the original to humped ones. However, you will still need to press hard for action as they still have little feedback or spring. Moreover, you are bound to spend more time editing as the thumbs will fly over the widescreen QWERTY. If you are looking for speed, the keyboard delivers it. However, if you are looking for accuracy, you will not love this keyboard.

Just like the original, the Droid 2, also has a very vivid and colorful display. It also has a Blockbuster app but lacks any of the video offerings from MobiTV or Verizon. The phone's widescreen makes viewing side-loaded movies great. However, the Droid X with its 4.3-inch screen, will be a better choice if you are looking for a Droid as a PMP. The original Droid problem of not resuming the last music you left of when switching between multimedia apps has been solved in the Droid 2. While conversations are loud and clear in the Droid 2, listeners on the other end may hear some form of muddiness coming through. Since the long, thin speaker is mounted at the back of the phone, the sound may not be best for speakerphone or multimedia listening.

The Motorola Droid 2 battery is of the same size like the first Droid but does more; it has nearly 10 hours of talk time. This long lasting battery exceeds expectations as it can last up to 2 days with most of its features running. However, connecting to 3G hot spots will drain the battery faster. With accessories, you can customize the phone to your specification. You can replace the 8GB memory cards with higher capacity ones, replace your chargers and adapters, get different cases among others. The 2 holster has a reasonably solid spring clip. However, the phone has a flaw that causes the battery cover to easily slip off.