Verizon’s Motorola Droid Pro is a phone released to entice Blackberry users to switch over to the new Android platform.
Motorola created the Droid Pro with a keyboard so users could have the convenience of fast typing or large amounts of typing on a keyboard that is very familiar to Blackberry users.
The keyboard itself sits underneath a 3.1″ touch screen that gives Android users the full functionality of touch screen apps!
Design: The design of the phone is meant to appeal to business users or users who do not want a flashy piece of technology.? Let’s just say that Motorola hit that one dead on as the phone really does not give off that ‘stunning new phone’ feel…
It’s a plain 3 inch touch screen with a very dull Blackberry keyboard beneath it.? The overall design is fair with the a simple silver design around the edge and an interesting plastic finish on the back.? The phone measures in around 4.69 inches tall by 2.36 inches wide by 0.46 inch wide and weighs about 4.73 ounces.? I do like the slim design as it felt comfortable in a pocket despite its longer nature and I thought it was a great phone to slide in a back pocket to keep the front pockets free.? Overall, this is not an Android phone you need to worry about feeling in your pocket due to a bulky design or heavy design.
It boasts a 5MP camera with dual LED flash which did a fine job taking pictures, but once again, if you’re looking for a phone that’s really into pictures and editing…find a flashier one or one that has an 8MP camera on it.
The front of the phone has that 3.1″ HVGA (320×480 pixels) resolution touch screen that never gets to bright nor too sharp.? In all honesty, I was a bit unimpressed by that feature as I thought the consumer would really appreciate sharp text when reading a business document or viewing charts on the screen.? I was fairly turned off by the lackluster screen, but it was a fine screen to take around even outside including bright sunlight or on a dark night.
The simplicity of the overall scheme around the phone was perfect; volume rocker and task button on the side with a charging port.? The hidden micro SD slot was a nice change (bundled with a 2 GB card) and the phone really was a KISS type of device.
Keyboard: The one feature about this phone that users might find appealing is the Blackberry style keyboard.? Any RIM user would transition quite nicely onto a phone like the Droid Pro as this thing felt exactly like my Blackberry Tour (minus breaking in the keys).? I like the dedicated ‘@’ button as well as some of the symbols put on the keypad.? There is some change when it comes to the ALT + key functions, but nothing a day or two of getting use to would not take.
Compared to a phone like the Droid Incredible *full touch screen* I think this phone is for people who will be emailing all day.? Texters can function on touch screen phones- I almost prefer that in fact due to the auto corrections…
Features/Software: The Droid has the Motoblur interface which I’m not a huge fan of.? With Android 2.2 on the phone, I liked the fact that it had some other stock options and support for DLNA which HTC still has yet to grasp on their phones (a HUGE plus for Motorola phones).
The battery life is above average without having to charge it during the day, but one again I think that may be due to not utilizing a ton of games on a phone like this or apps that suck too much power.
Once again, this thing will not blow you out of the water with the features it offers, but it does preform well on the tasks it has to without any hiccup or lack of power.
Overall: I think the Droid Pro is a fine business user phone for consumers who do not need all the bells and whistles and would like a nice transition over from their Blackberry devices.? This phone is not designed for teenagers or the flashy techy geeks in your family as it does not come close to the current mobile leaders that are out there today.
A decent business phone with a nice keyboard…but I think I would hold off waiting for a phone that has a bit more ‘umph’ or sharper quality.
