Droid, Here I Come

Which smartphone do you use? Which do you recommend and why?

I’ve been the owner of a BlackBerry Curve for the past couple of years. I really resisted getting a smartphone but am so glad I made the switch. Being able to send and receive emails without having to lug around the laptop everywhere is a nice convenience.

Lately, I’ve been considering getting a new smartphone. When I mention this to friends, several suggest the iPhone. No, for three reasons:

1. I’ve heard many, not so glowing anecdotes. To sum it up: “Love the i. Hate the phone.” For me, the primary reason to have a smartphone is still more about the phone part.
2. My BB has a full QWERTY keyboard–not a touch screen keyboard. I really like the real keyboard. I’ve tried the iPhone and BlackBerry Storm touchscreens and don’t like them.
3. I’m on Verizon and have absolutely zero desire to swith to AT&T. Our home phone service is AT&T (yes, we still have a home phone) and have had terrible experiences with their “customer service”. Plus, I really like Verizon (but hate all the damned Verizon and AT&T commercials).

With these reasons, I’m able to narrow down the list to 4 options:

• Keep the BlackBerry I have. It works fine. (Strange that I consider a new phone but will drive a car til the wheels fall off)
• Get the HTC Droid Eris. I’m a huge user of Google applications. Using a phone with the Android OS would be very convenient.  However, the Eris has a touchscreen.
• Ge the Motorola Droid. Again, Android OS. Droid also has a touchscreen as well as a real full keyboard.
• Get the Google Nexus One. An actual Google phone but with a touchscreen. Also, very expensive considering I’m a Verizon user.

Here is a link to an article listing features and benefits of the iPhone, Motorola Droid, and Google Nexus One. I like a particular part of this article:

“You’re reading VentureBeat, so you’re very likely an entrepreneur, VC or bizdev professional. Get the [Motorola] Droid. You have work to do. Droid’s physical keyboard lets you type much faster than the touchscreens on the iPhone and Nexus One.”

I also recently read that Chris Brogan recently switched to the Droid. He recommends the Droid for current BlackBerry users.

I guess my choice is obvious (maybe the title gave it away). While I use Google applications on my BB, having a phone that integrates seamlessly with Google apps will be nice.

I’ll likely make the move to the Motorola Droid within the next month, unless you have compelling reasons otherwise. If you have a Droid, I’d love to hear your list of pros and cons.