Droid Droid Release Date

Thanks Chris for starting a Droid sub-forum. There are now three threads over @ HoFo titled "Pre-Release", the first two having been closed, but with almost 6,000 posts between the three and the third one starting to get ugly, I anticipate it to be closed soon as well.

Anyways, as for a release date, specualtion is running pretty rampant; Oct 28 or 30 for presales, Nov 2009, Nov 06, 2009, or Nov 09, 2009 for store release, but it almost looks like internet/telesales release might be Oct 28, since that is when the encrypted countdown at http://www.droiddoes.com is said to end. Another rumored event to happen is that those who register at the above named/linked site might actually get an e-mail a couple of days prior with full phone specs/info/ordering info. I'll let this thread know as I am a VZW customer and entered my e-mail addy over there.

In closing, as I am obviously caught up in this phone, it will be all I can do from not ordering ASAP and find I get one of the first units that almost always wind up being buggy (from what I've read about other phones) and waiting out the first couple of weeks after release.

Here's a hands on review of the Droid. They note that it is not the final version of the phone, but very, very close to it.

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/10/19/motorola-droid-hands-on/

I am trying hard not become a smart phone junkie and have succeeded so far but it's getting rough. I have had the 3g iPhone for almost a year, and love it after coming over from the Treo 650. I want a Pre when it comes out in GSM but the Droid appears it may be very tempting. :dft010:big_smile

I've been using Windows Mobile (Pocket Windows) devices since 2002. I'm currently using a Vzw Omnia running WM 6.5.1, and the Droid is the first non-Windows phone that I think I'm going to jump to. Google already runs my online life, I might as well succumb completely to our future overlords.

Plus I hate Macintrash (no offense) so I think the Droid is going to tempt me away from WinMo. Next I'll probably jump from Windows 7 to Linux.

Macintrash, lol. I had to quote that because that is how I refer to the rest of my family's computers. They're Macs, and I'm a PC. But, hey, if they want to pay the extra $$$ for their hardware and software, so be it.

Anyways, it looks like this phone is very hard to find @ Moto, unless you go here:
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/U...ces/Mobile-Phones/ci.Motorola-DROID-US-EN.alt
but if you click any of the links there, you'll get a 404 error. As for the proc speed being 550mHz instead of the anticipated 600mHz, the thought is to underclock it to save on battery usage. After all, whats 50mHz? But the spec there also say it will ship with a 16gig TF card, and there is other info that with Android 2.0 (Eclair) you will be able to install/run apps from your card.

As for this phone being at BestBuy on Oct 24, this is speculation. The firm fact is that there will be some sort of announcement on Oct 28, starting at 11:00 am EDT as the flyer posted by Neutrino said. I just wanted to post the actual time zone.

Finally, BGR is supposed to be posting a full review of this phone tomorrow.

Woot!

actually if it is the cpu BGR mentioned in the hands on article. it's a 600 mhz cpu plus a 430 mhz gpu. So it would in fact be closer to a 1 ghz cpu.

Well, actually to say that it's close to a 1gHz cpu is a tiny bit misleading, but the real ins-and-outs of how this chipset really works are really above my head. It would be better if CellZealot (kb) were here to elaborate. I think it's more like there are several different 'cores' to the chipset on this phone, therefore there is plenty of computing power to handle several tasks at once.

it's not misleading at all. there are two separate processors. one handles the graphics exclusively. so the other processor handles everything else. where as a 1 ghz processor would handle everything at once. so the archicture of the two processors allows for almost double the speed. i'm just going by the schematics on the texas instruments website.

Well, Chris, I think it's safe to say that the latest this phone will roll out is November 6, 2009 as per this post:

http://www.everythingandroid.org/forum/341313-post5.html

We can only hope that we can pre-order this next Wednesday, Oct 28, when the press conference is supposed to be held in NYC. Another has posted in the massive HoFo thread that it will be available online after 6am Thursday, Oct 29. But many of those folks have been bugging VZW CS to death lately. I called VZW CS tonite about something else and at the end of the call, when they ask if there's anything else, I just asked if they could "sell me a Motorola A855". The answer was no, but she said she's been getting a lot of that lately.

hehehehe, it was worth a try . . . .

Thanks, but it wasn't that creative at all. If you only knew how many people from the HoFo thread(s) have called VZW and how many times. The only thing I might have done different is that they've supposedly all been asking for the Droid, and I used the model #.

The 11-09 mailer definitely means November 2009, not 9th of November. I understand the dates are Oct 28 for online pre-order, Nov 6 for retail rollout. My NE2 is here, and I am so getting this one.

The CPU is the same Cortex8 design that powers iPhone 3GS and the Pre, but apparently underclocked to 550. I hear even a slight underclock can really boost battery life. If it doesn't affect the phone's responsiveness, and everything is fast and snappy, it might actually be a good tradeoff. Also, given that "iDon't customize" item in the ad, I suspect those interested will be able to bump the clock right back up to 600 - maybe even more - at the expense of the battery, of course.
If what I hear is correct, it's 256RAM/512MB internal + microSD slot already taken by a preinstalled 16GB card. A lot of people been knocking this one, I think it's fine. Coming from a 64/64 Q9C with a 2GB card, Droid will be downright spacious.

The iPhone-knocking ad, I think, was a good move - it definitely hooked the iPhone crowd right into the hype machine. Controversy has been stirred up, and a lot of folks who would probably have just glossed over a 'how good Droid is' ad are now actually checking it out.
And BGR is right - those who alredy have an iPhone and love it, especially if they are vested in apps, will only get more entrenched. Those folks are likely in areas with decent AT&T coverage as well. Those who were looking for something new and been considering the iPhone, will be taking a real good look at the Droid.

@ scorrpio, sounds like you're almost as bad as me. I have an OCD about this new phone, and I am of the same opinion as you. I am going to throw caution to the wind, damn the torpedoes and be checking my e-mail and/or the VZW site first thing Wednesday morning and order this phone ASAP. I have been warned by another that it's not a good idea to get the first ones off the line as (my source) says it can be an endless 'return and reship until you get the good one' cycle.

But, like I said, I am OCD about this, I'm following it here, HoFo, and the other new forum site just for the driod.

p.s. I am with you about the underclocking and other things as well.