Verizon Goes on Offensive Against iPhone Again With 'Droid Does' Teasers

[KaneBaker]

Every Motorola manufactured phone that I ever had the pleasure of owning was a piece of crap. I gave up on their products years ago.

Hmm I partially agree with you.

I found that motorla phones generally had the best hardware on the market along with nokia.

But, they also have some of the worst software and human interface design. I could not stand a lot of things about it. Not being able to change certain system sounds (low battery being a big one).

 

[zbasarab]

there's a lot of butthurt mac fanboys here. how can you judge this new phone without even knowing anything about it?

competition and bad publicity is a good thing. it will push apple innovation in an attempt to out maneuver their competitors.

 

[sam10685]

Hoping this means t-mobile comes on-board. We have the myTouch but I think I'd rather have the iphone. I already know that OS.

 

[bruinsrme]

But the "iPhone Killer" is still the Jailbroken iPhone, which solves many of these issues and more.

I can't agree more.

Leave jailbreak alone and that will keep me coming back at least until next june.

 

[Povilas]

Hum... Kettle, meet Pot. Apple licenses iPhone off of Cisco. So much for that puny attack on the Motorola Droid.

It's funny seeing all the fanboys rushing to the iPhone's defense and just outright bashing a device they obviously know nothing about.

Motorola + Android. Is there anything else to know?

 

[Number 41]

Every Motorola manufactured phone that I ever had the pleasure of owning was a piece of crap. I gave up on their products years ago.

Back in the day, I owned a Q for about a week before taking it back to get a Treo. A total piece of crap (which was, at one time, billed as the "RAZRBerry" which would take down RIM) that had to be recharged middays unless you always were in full signal strength, left the phone on standby, and never pushed mail.

Hopefully they do a better job with this.

 

[cababah]

there's a lot of butthurt mac fanboys here. how can you judge this new phone without even knowing anything about it?

competition and bad publicity is a good thing. it will push apple innovation in an attempt to out maneuver their competitors.

I agree but I doubt Apple will even see this thing as a competition. There are a dime-a-dozen Android phones and I think a lot of people see Android as the OS that was hyped to top the iPhone's and came up short.

Why would Apple start a campaign against a phone that nobody knows about, blends in with all the other Android junk, and isn't even out yet to prove itself as a worthy competitor?

The only counter-attack I see is AT&T trying to say that their 3G network is faster (theoretically) than Verizon's blah blah blah.

There is still no real competition for the iPhone in terms of a device. Just some junk being churned out everyday by crappy HTC phones and Motorola trying to redeem themselves as a company that actually makes phones that spend more time being used than sitting in a shipping box waiting to be returned XX number of times for a new piece of junk.

 

[bruinsrme]

Can't Motorola and Verizon keep their logo feces off the front of the thing? The lack of logos helps give both the iPhone and Pre their sleek looks.

Would you suggest putting the logos on the back of the device or would that too take away from the sleek look?

 

[Gleemen]

I'm sorry but if you need to bring up the iphone in your phone ad you have already lost.

 

[cababah]

I'm sorry but if you need to bring up the iphone in your phone ad you have already lost.

Haha yeah, it is letting everyone know you see something else as a threat and have to defend yourself. This is the exact reason why I don't think Apple should have started directly targeting Microsoft so much and making childish remarks about Windows 7. Let the product speak for itself and sell on it's own without having to bash another company.

 

[savar]

Thats quite a good advert, makes want to visit the website and it will hopefully make Apple stand up and take note.

I had the opposite reaction. It's soooo misguided. Their attempt to play off the Apple aesthetic really backfires, because we all hear the light music and the bright ad and then think "Apple". Then they show a weird, dark, distorted graphic that represents (visually) the sharp distinction between iPhone and Droid. I'm left with the impression that Droid is some dark knight of the cell phone world. I guess that's cool if you're a member of Gwar, but as a normal person I just want a light, nice phone that is easy to use.

But the worst of all of this is that there's no details about what Droid is. I realize its a "teaser", but to my mind this is the single biggest misfire. They're trashing the iphone with vaporware.

If they want to beat Apple at Apple's game, they need to send pre-production units out to tech writers and collection some buzzy, quote-worthy commentary. Who cares about bullet points on a spec? Apple's success has been based on the end-to-end experience, which includes syncing with itunes, the amazing SDK, etc.

Also, as cool as the phone may be (and I have much respect for Google and open source software) -- if Verizon locks it down like they do with everything else, then its already a disaster. If Verizon didn't employ such anti-competitive practices, they would already have the iPhone and everything would be right in the world.

Anyway, I would never go back to verizon anyway. Good network or not, I had a terrible time with their customer service.

 

[jholzner]

Hum... Kettle, meet Pot. Apple licenses iPhone off of Cisco. So much for that puny attack on the Motorola Droid.

It's funny seeing all the fanboys rushing to the iPhone's defense and just outright bashing a device they obviously know nothing about.

They settled out of court and Apple is not paying them anything for the use of the term iPhone.

It's funny seeing someone who likes to bash "fanboys" use fake stories to make his point.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/21/apple-and-cisco-settle/

 

[LagunaSol]

They settled out of court and Apple is not paying them anything for the use of the term iPhone.

And it's too bad, really. iPhone is probably Apple's worst brand name ever. It sounds like something Microsoft would have come up with.

Love the product, hate the name.

 

[Sellihca]

Seriously??? My 5 year old razor looks better than Droid..... So sad, So Sad Verizon.....

oh, by the way Verizon, kind of hating yourself for turning apple down......right about now.....right??

 

[barkmonster]

...of that (otherwise effective ad) is the line:

"iDon't run widgets."

OK, sure, maybe they aren't called "widgets." But there are 45743594389578934578934 apps in the App Store, with more coming every day.

The App Store is arguably the iPhone's greatest strength. It's certainly not a weakness.

iKnow where your coming from there

Calling an "app" a widget so they don't get sued by apple for copyright infringement then trying to imply it's a missing feature is like Microsoft saying OS X doesn't have a recycle bin/recoverable delete function because Microsoft couldn't call it the Trash, or Recycler or they're stealing of interface ideas from both Apple AND NeXT would be so apparent, Apple might have won that suit years ago!

I don't want this to drift off topic by the way, the Microsoft thing it's just an example. My nokia finally ended up with a fault I can't live with anymore and I'm hoping to be the owner of a 16Gb iPhone this coming Friday lunchtime!

 

[FearNo1]

But most of those apps are crap. Besides adroid supports apps as well. It is less restrictive than iphone...

...of that (otherwise effective ad) is the line:

"iDon't run widgets."

OK, sure, maybe they aren't called "widgets." But there are 45743594389578934578934 apps in the App Store, with more coming every day.

The App Store is arguably the iPhone's greatest strength. It's certainly not a weakness.

 

[cababah]

But most of those apps are crap. Besides adroid supports apps as well. It is less restrictive than iphone...

It is all relative. Sure, the App store has thousands of apps (most of which are crap) but there are still really good ones out there, and a lot of them.

Not like all Android apps coming out are all 5-star award winning apps...

It is like the video game industry. There are TONS of games but the majority of them are not good. You have to churn out a lot of junk to get the gems.

 

[xhambonex]

I'm sorry but if you need to bring up the iphone in your phone ad you have already lost.

Because pointing out weaknesses in your competition in order to promote the strengths of your product is just crazy talk....

iKnow where your coming from there

Calling an "app" a widget so they don't get sued by apple for copyright infringement then trying to imply it's a missing feature is like Microsoft saying OS X doesn't have a recycle bin/recoverable delete function because Microsoft couldn't call it the Trash, or Recycler or they're stealing of interface ideas from both Apple AND NeXT would be so apparent, Apple might have won that suit years ago!

I don't want this to drift off topic by the way, the Microsoft thing it's just an example. My nokia finally ended up with a fault I can't live with anymore and I'm hoping to be the owner of a 16Gb iPhone this coming Friday lunchtime!

Apps and widgets aren't the same thing...a widget runs in the background, just like the ones on your computer. They have constant updates, unlike apps where you have to launch them to get the info (growl excluded). Example...to check the weather on my iPod touch I have to launch the weather app, let it load and sync. Android device, unlock the screen it has the weather right there upfront done.

Its not a deal breaker, but theres no real reason I should have to launch an app to check the weather or send a twitter/fb updtae. Little things like that.

Android also has a marketplace that sells applications.

 

[kdarling]

The best word in that commercial was 'customize'.
Since when can you do any sort of customization on a Verizon cell phone? (and i mean that in comparison to the iPhone)

You must be new to reading these discussions.

Verizon smartphones are very customizable. Far more so than a stock iPhone.

You can download and use any app from anywhere, use any theme, any ringtone, any video... you name it. And it doesn't void your warranty.

 

[Xtremehkr]

Motorola make ugly phones, but Google is very likely a threat to Apple in terms of quality and customer satisfaction.

Competition is good though.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

Motorola make ugly phones

God, they sure do make ugly machines. But if the thing can make clear and reliable phone calls, it has a serious advantage over iPhone/AT&T in my area!

 

[cumanzor]

this comment irritates me quite a lot. Where was the freaking competition when Apple created the iPhone? There was none.

Apple created the iPhone with the intent of having something that is good, worth having as your own device. I have heard Steve Jobs say that if you do something, it better be the best that you do because very seldom you have a second chance in this life.

The competition is there because Apple is there, not the other way around. Can you see this?

Therefore, the comment that 'apple will never innovate further' is utter rubbish. When the competition gets to a certain level, Apple will simple create a new thing that no-one has even envisioned (think ipod -> ipod touch), therefore going ahead of every one else by a couple of years if not more, all the while 'not innovating' as you so eloquently suggest they do not do unless there is 'competition'.

Apple is not driven by the 'competition'. Rather, competition is driven by what apple does.

Not entirely true, and this is a highly dangerous line of thought. Without competition, companies never innovate, it happened to Intel during the NetBurst years, it happens in every single market. Competition is actually good in a capitalist market.

Oh wait, unless you are Apple of course. In that case, everything you do is like magic.

 

[jettredmont]

The commercial was actually very good. Can't knock 'em on that. The phone on the other hand.....*yawn*. If you really want a lot of the features they mentioned, Jailbreaking phones is brain-dead easy and opens up a world of customization options, tethering etc.

I'm pretty sure no-extra-fee tethering is NOT being offered on Verizon's Droid.

I don't have an iPhone, but from what I've seen from friends' iPhones, it's just as customizable as my Blackberry. Exactly how "customizable" does Verizon believe a phone should be? I should also note that my Verizon-linked Blackberry is far less customizable than RIM would like, so tht Verizon can force extra-cost "features" on its customers. Example: turn-by-turn directions are only available if I pay Verizon another $15 per month (pshaw!) even though the hardware and software is right there and ready to go (IMHO, I'd rather listen to my Garmin with its more reliable mapping and directions, given what I've seen from Blackberry's mapping app).

Overall, though, I agree. If that list of "iDon'ts" is compelling to you, more power to ya.

IMHO, the far more compelling argument goes back to the network: Verizon's network is flawless where I live, while AT&T and Sprint have really crappy coverage. I see this ad as nothing more than trying to hide the shame of Verizon really just not (ever) having good or desirable phones. They're like an old Soviet-bloc country trying to keep people happy with their Fiats and Volgas while the rest of the world scoots around in Porsches and Benz's. It's about diminishing the draw of the competition more than drawing people in to your offerings.

 

[polaris20]

this comment irritates me quite a lot.

You'll get over it though.

Where was the freaking competition when Apple created the iPhone? There was none.

Apple created the iPhone with the intent of having something that is good, worth having as your own device. I have heard Steve Jobs say that if you do something, it better be the best that you do because very seldom you have a second chance in this life.

The competition is there because Apple is there, not the other way around. Can you see this?

Therefore, the comment that 'apple will never innovate further' is utter rubbish. When the competition gets to a certain level, Apple will simple create a new thing that no-one has even envisioned (think ipod -> ipod touch), therefore going ahead of every one else by a couple of years if not more, all the while 'not innovating' as you so eloquently suggest they do not do unless there is 'competition'.

Apple is not driven by the 'competition'. Rather, competition is driven by what apple does.

Oh yeah, I forgot; the iPhone was the first smart phone.

Apple's not driven by competition? Really? Why did they lower the prices on the 13" unibody laptops and introduced a cheaper 15" then? Out of the goodness of their hearts?

 

[KnightWRX]

They settled out of court and Apple is not paying them anything for the use of the term iPhone.

It's funny seeing someone who likes to bash "fanboys" use fake stories to make his point.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/21/apple-and-cisco-settle/

Settled out of court with undisclosed agreement, and you assume Apple pays nothing for the trademark ? Yeah, good luck with that.

The attack was as silly against the Droid, I just put that out to show the original poster that his comment was unjustified.