Posted 11/06/09 at 08:26:38 AM by Paul Lilly

Not digging Droid's price tag but are still intrigued by the device? Maybe Droid's little sibling -- the Droid Eris -- is more of what you're looking for.

For starters. Verizon is selling the Droid Eris for a single C-note (after $100 mail-in-rebate) when you sign up for a two-year commitment on a voice plan with an email feature or email plan. Throwing down a Benjamin on the Droid Eris nets you a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and trackball interface, a 5MP auto focus camera, 8GB of memory (via an included microSD card) expandable to 16GB, Bluetooth, WiFi, integrated GPS, full HTML browser with Flash Lite capabilities, and of course Google's Android OS along with a 7-panel home screen.

But the real question is, how does Eris stack up to its bigger brother? It comes clocked at 528MHz, compared to Droid's 550MHz processor, and it ships with Android 1.5 (Donut) instead of 2.0 (Eclair). You'll also sacrifice a physical QWERTY keyboard by stepping down to the Eris.

So what do you think, are the trade offs worth the lower price tag, or is it Droid or bust? Hit the jump and sound off!

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Posted 11/02/09 at 01:55:00 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

Happy Halloween! Wait, that was last week. But then again, that's also when we recorded this episode of the podcast. Topics discussed this week: how the announcement of Android 2.0 and new Android hardware changes the smart phone market, the many controversies surrounding Activision's Modern Warfare 2, and whether the Left 4 Dead 2 demo assuages boycotters' concerns. We also answer a bunch of listener questions to round out the show. And best of all, we'll be releasing another podcast episode later this week!

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

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Posted 10/29/09 at 11:45:59 AM by Paul Lilly

We suspect there's going to be a lot of interest in Motorola's upcoming Droid smartphone, which is set to launch on November 6. And if you're itching to get your hands on one, Best Buy is already taking preorders for the handset, and the best part is they'll remove the hassle of dealing with the $100 mail-in-rebate and issue the kickback as an instant savings instead.

"We're excited to feature this new device for our consumers, as it represents the latest and greatest in mobile technology," said Best Buy Mobile President Shawn Score. "Bringing the Droid to Best Buy Mobile expands our already unmatched assortment of smartphones allowing customers to compare high-end devices like the iPhone 3GS, HTC Hero, and Droid all under one roof. The fact that customers can purchase the phone first at Best Buy through the pre-sell is an added bonus."

This is similar to what Best Buy did with the Palm Pre, and we imagine an even better turn out this time around. Motorola's Droid is poised to become the first Android 2.0-based smartphone, and has the best chance of all Android handsets to date at challenging Apple's iPhone.

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Posted 10/28/09 at 12:20:07 PM by Paul Lilly

If we're to believe the hype (and it's awfully convincing), Motorola's upcoming Droid smartphone could be the first handset to truly challenge Apple's iPhone. We'll find out soon enough, as Verizon today confirmed Droid will arrive next Friday, November 6, for $199 with a 2-year contract and $100 mail-in-rebate.

"This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the Droid by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google," said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "Droid by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country."

 Built around the all new Android 2.0 (Eclair) platform, the slim (0.5 inches thick) smartphone has a lot going for it, including a 3.7-inch, 854x480 capacitive touchscreen, a built-in 5MP camera, DVD-quality video recording, a TI OMAP 3430 processor based on ARM's Cortex-A8 architecture and capable of racing along at up to 600MHz, Microsoft Exchange support, HTML5 support, and a bunch more, all of which will be heavily marketed.

"The marketing campaign that will support the launch of the Droid will be the largest in our history. We're going to put significant energy behind this product," said John Stratton, Verizon's chief marketing officer.

If Droid lives up the hype, the marketing may take care of itself.

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Posted 10/27/09 at 11:00:54 AM by Paul Lilly

Make no mistake - just because Verizon's new Droid handset takes aim at competing against Apple's iPhone, Verizon would rather have the two smartphones fighting the mobile market side by side, not face to face.

"We obviously would be interested at any point in the future that they would be interested in having us as a partner," said Ivan Seidenbert, Verizon's chief executive. "This is a decision that is exclusively in Apple's court."

Obviously nailing down an iPhone contract would be a huge win for Verizon, but even more so when you consider the upcoming Motorola Droid is built on Google's Android platform. And in Verizon's favor, the wireless telco added 1.2 million wireless subscribers during the quarter, which is less than the 2 million AT&T added, but more than analysts were expecting.

Whether or not Apple opens up to Verizon remains to be seen. In the meantime, Verizon has gone on the offensive with an ad campaign targeting AT&T's comparatively sparse network coverage.

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