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10/29/09
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10/28/09
Also, as far as their old phones sucking, that really depends on your definition of crappy. If your looking for a iPhone/Blackberry like handset, no Moto was not the way to go. However, I always bought low-end Moto dumbphones because: 1) good battery life 2) good reception/antenna 3) very robust 4) mini-usb charger connection 4) for low-end phones they were reasonably priced.
10/29/09
Its true that they weren't just hurting because they didn't have a smart phone. They were hurting because they didn't have direction.
Thats why they were bleeding money and thats how android "saved" them. Thats where the focus is now. They scrapped or severely cut back on everything else.
Now they have both. A sexy handset and a series of pretty well received android phones. It will be awhile before they'll be profitable, and like I said the rumor still persists that they never will be because all the android stuff is just a "sweetening of the pot" so they can sell the handset division off, but they're a lot closer to either option when they're not turning out handset after handset that people don't love (though all your points about "liking" them are perfectly valid). #droid
10/29/09
On most accounts I agree. However
"but they're a lot closer to either option when they're not turning out handset after handset that people don't love"
That's what I'm arguing though; i.e. there is a profitable market in making cheap commodity phones. I didn't buy cheap low-end phones from any manufacturer because I "loved" them. I bought 'em because they were cheap and got the job done. Motorola didn't seem to be cutting the cheese, but the market is certainly there.
(In the near future I will be no longer a student and avoiding cheap phones like the plague but that's not the point.)
Also apparently I can't count past 4...
10/29/09
And jumping on the Android bandwagon will benefit them for sure, their software was crap #droid
10/29/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
That's a double standard if I've ever seen one.
To be honest, the Droid seems like a step in the right direction, but the Pre and the iPhone still best it in ease-of-use. The Android UI still looks clunky at times and the hardware - personally speaking - just isn't doing it for me.
10/28/09
A lot of difference seems to be in the execution. The pre didn't get great reviews. I've yet to see a bad one for the droid. #droid
10/28/09
Regardless of the final outcome, more competition in the marketplace can only be a good thing. #droid
10/28/09
10/28/09
I'm with tande04. The execution was very different. Successful marketing has played a huge part as well. By the time the Pre launched, most of the buzz was gone. Don't get me wrong, I have a Pre and I love it, but I am suffering from a bit of DROID envy at the moment. #droid
10/29/09
The lesson being don't do that. #droid
10/29/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
A. I love the fact that you're using "droid". All of these commenters were complaining about how stupid it was to try and have a droid line but you're one of many people I've seen using it and I think it shows what a smart move it was on VZW's part.
B. Yes there is another moto droid phone coming out shortly after this one. This one is still going to be the gem though. The next one isn't near as nice. #droid
10/28/09
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10/28/09
I live in Libertyville, it just felt weird to read that in the article. #droid
10/28/09
10/28/09
+1
Moto has a cell phone design outfit in Libertyville, Ill. I assume the NYT reporter went there to interview Mr. Jha. #droid
10/28/09
Actually, why is Android any good? My only experience of smartphones are Blackberries and iPhones.
Blackberries have the whole Email thing, and iPhones have the whole massive amount of apps thing. I have never even seen an Android phone.
So what does this do that a dumbphone doesn't? #droid
10/28/09
What explanation do you want? Its a smartphone that does all the normal smartphone things (as opposed to a dumb phone that calls and texts). In the past the experience has been somewhat lacking but each subsequent release of android has pushed it closer to a real contender. #droid
10/28/09
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10/29/09
Thats been the problem with the app store lately there is a shit load of crap to wade through to get to the gems. Number is not always a good thing. I've yet to not find the equivalent of anything I want in the android store thats in the the app store.
I don't think there is any question that the android store will eventually over take the apple store. Seriously I don't. The app store is having lots of behind the scene type problems and android is hitting more and more handsets.
Don't know what you're getting at with the multiple versions thing. #droid
10/28/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
Its hard to make anything. Why wouldn't it be? Yeah you can make the dream phone that everyone here seems to think is so easy but its going to be the size of a brick and cost $1,500. Cost of materials, cost of development, cost of running the business around all of that takes a lot of money and its a huge barrier to making anything. #droid
10/28/09
10/28/09
On some level there may have been some of Steve's "I know what people want more than they do" ego (it was rumored that he didn't want a camera at all because he thought it was pointless) but a lot of its still that those component parts take up space and cost money. Especially cell phone camera tech which has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 2 years. That was obviously part of the concern. Apple doesn't have as many of those concerns as other manufacturers do either because of how their supply chain works. Something that they may make work is going to be a lot more for another company like moto. All of that is taken into account at some point in the process. We all say we want that stuff but at the time if apple had crammed that in it would have been a lot more, a lot bigger, and may not have been as popular because of it. #droid
10/28/09
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