by Charles Fawkes

Created on: November 18, 2009   Last Updated: November 27, 2009

Will the Motorola DROID be an iPhone killer?

There has been talk of a device being able to overtake the iPhone in popularity for at least two years now. Ever since Apple's incredibly popular iPhone started selling like hotcakes, people have been looking for a comparable alternative.

Some say the first devices using Google's Android OS can take on the iPhone. However, sales and reviews beg to differ. Android devices such as the HTC Magic (myTouch 3G) and the HTC Dream (T-Mobile's G1) are selling well, but have not come close to overtaking the iPhone. And some reviewers say these two phones are sluggish compared to the iPhone.

However, followers of the industry still think Android might be the card up the sleeve for the battle to beat the iPhone. Motorola and Verizon Wireless are definitely agreeing with this view. The two companies have teamed up to release a new Android powered device known as the Motorola DROID.

The Motoroal DROID is a touchscreen smartphone with a slideout physical keyboard. Here is a screenshot of the Motorola DROID's full specifications: Motorola DROID specs. It will be running Android 2.0 as its operating system when it is released. This is the next iteration of the Android system (currently Android devices are running 1.6) and is said to improve upon the previous version. It will come with a 5 MP camera including flash. Perhaps the most important feature is the fact that it comes with Android. If you don't already know, Android is an impressive OS with an app store (Android Marketplace) and multi-tasking abilities.

And Android is what Motorola and Verizon Wireless are promoting wildly with their latest advertisements. Just check out this ad: The iDon't Commercial. The spot hits the iPhone hard and shows everything the Motorola DROID will do that it cannot. If there hasn't been an iPhone killer yet, there is a quite a few people that think the day has come with the Motorola DROID. On November 6th, we just might find out.

Personally, I think the Motorola DROID will be great competition for Apple's iPhone. It will fit the needs of users that find the iPhone lacking. However, the iPhone will also fit the needs of some people that will find DROID lacking. It's a case of different devices for different people. I don't think the end user needs to worry about "killing iPhones". That's more of a topic for the head of Motorola's smartphone division.

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