Comments on: HTC Droid Eris Officially $99, November 6th!

By: Sasquatch

Sasquatch — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:43:28 +0000

@DBX….Droid w/o keyboard + faster processor + Sense UI (likely) = Passion/Dragon

By: DBX

DBX — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:43:47 +0000

I tried both the Droid and the Eris at my local Verizon store last night. The Eris wins hands down on styling and also has the better control layout for use as a phone (the Droid forces you to use software keys for beginning and ending a call, while the Eris has hardware keys for that purpose), but the Eris is also quite simply too small for me to type accurately on. You can go into landscape mode for texting and web browsing — but NOT for updating your contacts and so on. Also the accelerometer is slow and insensitive.

That said, for someone with small hands, who is already used to a touch screen, and who prefers portrait over landscape, the Eris will be a great device. It feels high quality and it’s rare that you can say that these days about electronics.

What I’d really like is a Droid without a physical keyboard, but I’ll take one with the keyboard over the Eris.

By: craven

craven — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:38:56 +0000

@David: Moto runs on 2.0, which integrates turn-by-turn nav., while Eris runs on 1.6 (no turn-by-turn). It’s likely the Eris will be upgraded next year to 2.0, but who knows when. Right now, the Droid meets your navigational needs.

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:20:59 +0000

I know I will be buying the Eris as opposed to the DROID. The DROID is an amazing phone, but an extra $100 sounds great, so the thinner Eris (which in my opinion is more aesthetically pleasing)will certainly be grabbing my dollar.

By: Jaime

Jaime — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:51:23 +0000

Just remember the camera has been confirmed to be a software issue on the droid by a google employee. (Don’t ask who) as for the UI, I guess that is use preference. I for one will not be getting Sense knowing it uses an opera browser (opera is horrible on pc’s and has horrible standardization when it comes to displaying a website, I see no reason mobile will be different). everything else about sense though is great, if only we could get the sense source code :-D

By: matt

matt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:48:07 +0000

the droid might be a little heavier and a little more expensive. Its got me sold on the HUGE screen and google nav right out of the box. The physical keyboard looks to be a little “flat” but I’m sure ill get used to it in a couple of days.

By: David

David — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:35:25 +0000

I have the Droid preordered at Best Buy, but am now really torn between it and the Eris. Price is not an issue (seeing that 2 years of service can cost over $2,000, a $100 difference is nothing). But if the Eris has a better UI and camera (I hear the Droid camera is crap), it may be worth getting, especially if it will be upgraded to 2.0 soon (with Google Nav). The biggest reason I was excited about the droid, however, was the real keyboard (I am a long time Blackberry user). However, I hear that is crap as well.

Does anyone know which device has the better GPS hardware? I am always getting lost, so good GPS accuracy (and getting a quick fix on the satellites) is important.

By: Marco

Marco — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:18:59 +0000

@David: because 0.51 inch is so much thinner than 0.5 inch?

I like the looks of this device. The US is quite lucky the last few weeks, with all these Android phones. I hope they cross the pond soon.

By: Brad

Brad — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:17:17 +0000

@Bas
Wow, nice find! In case people haven’t picked up on this yet, this device is $80 cheaper than the Sprint Hero, and despite that they’re throwing in an 8GB micro-SD card in the box. Definitely a nice touch. Unfortunately, the battery is reduced from 1500Ah to 1300mAh, as compared to the Sprint Hero. However, I have my doubts that that will impact real-world usage much, if at all. Oh, also, this device is not longer/taller than the Sprint Hero either. The Hero is (LxWxT) 4.5″ x 2.22″ x .54″, and the Eris is 4.45” (L) x 2.19” (W) x .51” (T). Those are taken directly from HTC’s website. The Verizon version is ever so slightly shorter, narrower, and thinner than Sprint’s version. And the Hero weighs in at 4.5 ounces, with the Eris at 4.23, probably the difference of the battery size, mostly.

By: David

David — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:07:36 +0000

For those discussing dimensions and the thinness of the Eris, can this be right?

DROID:
2.4 (x) x 4.6 (y) x 0.5 (z) inches

ERIS:
4.45” (L) x 2.19” (W) x .51” (T)

It seems the Eris is quite a bit thinnner?

By: Milind

Milind — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:54:15 +0000

For me, no keyboard. No sale.

By: s2944

s2944 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:51:32 +0000

I was sold on the Droid, but I just came back from my local Verizon store, they swore up and down that the browser speeds were pretty much equal between the two. Eris is slimmer and lighter so not being a big texter nor gamer, I am thinking tomorrow at 0600 its the Eris. :-)

By: midwestfx

midwestfx — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:49:48 +0000

Bas, thanks for the url guessing, it’s a great find!

By: alejovh1

alejovh1 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:37:27 +0000

crap, this phone looks really thin! or is it just the angle?
droid or eris?…….

By: BackInAction

BackInAction — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:13:35 +0000

Now if VZW would offer some sort of inexpensive data plan as well (2GB limit? rather than the 5GB?). Otherwise it doesn’t make much sense (ha!) to “save money” and buy the $99 phone, when the $199 phone does so much more. Especially if the Passion rumors are true.

What sort of “practical” data limits could be placed on SmartPhone? Euro users, I know your carriers offer various data plans, what can you get by with per month?