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Want to know why Verizon is pushing the Motorola Droid so hard while it lets the HTC Droid Eris, which could launch between November 6th and 10th, linger in the middle of no man’s land? Because specs on the Droid blow away the Droid Eris.
According to a BGR whisper the rumored HTC Droid Eris will have Android 1.5 atop a 528 MHz processor. While the folks at Engadget think that means it will become instantly obsolete I strongly disagree – different strokes for different folks. The specs mirror that of the current HTC Hero on the market which, in case I have to remind anyone, is selling so well that HTC is having trouble keeping up with demand.
Some people will want a phone that is smaller than the Droid. Some people will want a device that is touchscreen only. Some people will want a phone that is more affordable. For Android enthusiasts who fit into all three of those categories, the Droid Eris will be a much better phone for them than the Motorola Droid.
Sure, most of you reading this would prefer the Motorola Droid because of the specs boost. But there are undoubtedly those that would prefer the Droid Eris. It isn’t instantly obsolete, its simply for people with different preferences and needs. Not to mention, an OTA update could easily bring the Droid Eris up to speed with Android 1.5 and I’m hoping that happens because if it doesn’t… yeah, kind of annoying.
If this is true, MOTO here I come.
It would seem Engadget has their heads pretty far up their asses when it comes to Android phones. All they seem to want is an iPhone in Android’s guise. Sure, everyone would love the platform to get there, but it’s not yet so suck it up and wait or just go away. I’d put $10 on Engadget finding many ‘flaws’ in the Droid, which will lead them to dislike that phone as well.
Boooooooo I don’t really care if it’s 1.5 or 2.0 but the fact that it is the 528mhz processor is lame. At this point in the game HTC and Verizon for that matter should be aware that the 528 just doesn’t cut it anymore, especially that Sprint has the moment at 800mHz and there are a few 1Ghz phones out or coming out.
Moto Droid has a 550 Mghz and HTC Eris has a 528 Mghz….is it going to be that big of a deal?
If everyone thought that a phone was obsolete because something better is just around the corner no one would ever buy a phone. We all know that something better is just around the corner from Droid but I don’t feel the need to wait for it. BTW, is anyone staying up until midnight hoping that some information is released when that clock finishes the countdown? (No, not me. I’ll be sleeping.)
Sorry JR. My comment was not directed at you. I was actually composing it as you were posting.
I thought you can upgrade from 1.5 to 2.0? And also upgrade to future android OS’s? NO? Does this depend on hardware? Anyone?
I’m waiting for a rotary cell phone.
I think this is a smart move. Big Red’s first entries with Android you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. More than one flavor of Droid for Verizon should be a good push.
I do think that Verizon would be wise to release the other android (Droid) before the Sony Infinity comes out. They could lose customers just as AT&T is losing customers to the Droid.
I am here to tell you as one who have played with both for 4 yours with over 20 people, the majority of the class prefered the Eris over the Droid. (including every female). Android is about different strokes for different folks.
the droid has 2 processors thats why its fast so, dont get hung up on the 550 anyone, also, if your up to it, you can do what needs to be done to any lacking droid phone so, get whatever phone floats your boat and do the root magic dance!
makes perfect sense to me honestly. this phone is supposed to be running htc’s sense user interface which automatically determines that it will running the 1.5 release of android. this is because there is no 1.6 or 2.0 sense on a public release to date. also, with the fact that the sense user interface runs quite smoothly on the hero which bolsters these same specs, why mess with a good thing? this processor is fine for what this phone is aiming to do. on top of all this, all i am hearing is “processor, processor, processor!”…what we need to be hearing is “battery!”…cant run the faster processor for very long if you dont have the battery life to back it up. this should be a no brainer. show me a phone with a decent battery and a powerful processor and then i’ll buy and promote all the hype you want. until then, android, as much as i love it, will have to wait.
nice attempt but im still leaving verizon for the iphone. ive been here too long and have seen no good phones. they make numerous phones that do the same thing. verizon sucks ass. Iphone here i come
@JR
Really? The Droid’s processor blows the 528 out of the water. That’s coming to Verizon. The HTC Passion (HTC, btw) is sporting a snapdragon (better number crunching, a trade-off for graphics) rumored to be heading to Verizon.
So, what’s your point? Sammy’s 800MHz processor is the same as the 528, just a tiny bit faster at the cost of battery life. Clockspeed isn’t everything, my friend, and you’ve got a lot of catching up to do before you voice your opinion on processors again.
@juzbeast
i don’t have a real keyboard
i don’t take night shots
i don’t customize
i don’t run widgets
etc…
It comes down to some simple things?
Are you a hardcore user/would you really notice the difference in processor? What’s your price range? Do you want a keyboard?
It’s not a matter of, “Aw, shucks. This processor is slower.” I want this because it’s running sense, it’s small, fast, and it doesn’t have a physical keyboard. And I’m sticking to the Eris until I know for a fact that Passion is coming this quarter with the snapdragon processor AND Sense UI.
They’ll all be good phones when all is said and done, it’s all about finding which one is you.
@juzbeast
I WAS going from Sprint to Verizon for the iPhone until I saw the Droid. Now I’m going to Verizon.
I meant to AT&T for the iPhone.
@ John
And it’s not like “til death do you part”. It’s a two year commitment if that. When the two years are up, much bigger and better will be there.
Some people would like…?
All that would be true IF it had the newer chip….. for what 50-100 bucks? Why dumb down a SMART phone? That is like a 13th payment in a year. They blew it. Verizon already has the same spec phone. Granted a different OS. Now I have to wait for a touch only Droid…. Sigh. I have yet to find a “perfect” smart phone. AT&T is Sooo lousy in my area (outside Pittsburgh) I could not not get an iphone anyway even if I wanted one. The DROID would be perfect, but I don’t like sliders.. They are too thick..
Time keeps on ticking… and I keep waiting with my old dumb phone.
Btw.. can the Eris be upgraded to 2.0 in the future?
… an OTA update could easily bring the Droid Eris up to speed with Android 1.5 and I’m hoping that happens …
@Rob: Don’t you mean “1.6” in that sentence?
@jon: There IS a Donut release sporting Sense. The HTC Tattoo was recently released and it has Donut.
i mean it was obvious what the specs would be since the droid eris is nothing but the verizon version of the hero. why is everyone acting like this is a big surprise,
WHEN WILL THERE BE AN ANDROID PHONE FOR AT&T??!?? >=(
@WhyKillRobots:
The Droid has a separate dedicated 430mhz GPU which means all graphics and video is done on that processor while the main CPU handles only applications and other functions. The Droid also uses an ARM Cortex A8 based processor which is roughly 1.5-2x as fast as the ARM11 cores of previous Android handsets.
So yeah, it is a BIG deal.. The Droid is a whole different animal.
I would still like to know what the deal is with the two obviously different versions of the Eris being used interchangeably. One or the other is the Eris, not both. One is either not the Eris, but rather a different model altogether, or they are two versions, and one was scrapped in development. I dunno, I just hate it when facts are staring us in the face, and everybody ignores them. Oh well, only a week and a half (or less) before we know for sure what the deal is. Hopefully there’s more word on the Passion by then as well.
@martin thank you for that correction. 1.6 with htc sense has yet to be optimized and released for a phone outside of the tattoo. don’t get me wrong, i’m totally not dissing android. i love it. i used to own and iphone and i left AT&T because even a jailbroken iphone can not begin to compare to android. i’m just saying that i will wait for a phone with a decent battery and processor in one package before i jump on with an android powered device. i use my phones heavily and what may be a full day for some to use their phone generally won’t be enough for me. just saying that i’ll wait.
Thanx Mrwirez
@ Jon I feel ya on the usage bro. I have a mytouch and my 7 hour workday with Pandora running and texting destroys my battery. Although I could get a knockoff backup battery for a pretty fair price. But the iphones battery life is way worse.
@A man
What are you talking about? This is the Eris article not the Droid. Processor is important, more so that Sense UI will be running on top of Donut. Now the Droid is different where is has a separate GPU for graphic,so without that for the Eris it will be much slower and the CPU will have to take up those duties as well. The 528 has been around in phones for three years now and we shouldn’t have to pay these prices for new phones for the 528. Battery life is important and a faster CPU would eat more battery life but do you want to be frustrated trying to navigate on a sluggish phone? Didn’t think so.
I can state my opinion if I want so I don’t appreciate you comments toward me, seems there are a few things you need to learn my friend.
The Eris pictured has virtual keys for home, menu, back and search, and according to the Android 2.0 SDK:
“Android 2.0 is designed to run on devices that use virtual keys for HOME, MENU, BACK, and SEARCH, rather than physical keys.”
Ooh, and it makes you wonder.
@Mrwirez The DROID is about as thick as the iphone, unless you mean wider with the slide open.
I hear people saying that the Droid has two separate processors: a main CPU and a GPU for all graphics. However, when I viewed the video for the Droid, the graphics appeared laggy and delayed.
I’m referring to the video in this post, btw: http://phandroid.com/2009/10/28/motorola-droid-gets-video-gsm-style/
I read somewhere that the HTC Droid Eris was maybe going to have a snapdragon processor. Maybe it was another HTC android phone…
My main concern, I had the Sprint Hero and there are ALOT of bugs… headphone noise… battery drain bug..etc…
I dont want to go through that with Eris!
http://community.sprint.com/baw/community/buzzaboutwireless/phones-and-devices/android_phones/hero
Got an Eris on Friday and so far love it. My only complaint is the short battery life! I would never want that brick they call the Moto Droid no matter how fast it is, it’s almost the size of my laptop!
If all you think about is processing let me pull out my 2000 Mac Powerbook laptop with a 400mghz processor which will still to this day blow out all cell phones out the water!! 9 years Old!! Not just because it is a laptop computer (which cell or smart phones are computers don’t forget) but because of the software or OS. That is what makes the difference. The Android is released to company’s with there free will to do what they like with the Android software. And some company’s, as HTC has done better than others with what they are given. It is not all about the hardware the software makes the complete package. I currently own the HTC ERIS simply becuase it was a better phone than the Droid, the touch screen was better and faster the phone responded better. Also the Eris has a flash player which HTC developed and pinch zoom or multi-touch, which is what the iPhone has. With all the updates that 2.0 has my Eris pretty much has, without the useless slide keyboard and over sized screen that does nothing more than have video be smaller than the size of the screen, and with screen that is still under 4inches the resolution wont make difference that the human eye. The Google navigation is missing, but good news is that the only reason why HTC does not use 2.0 is because of there UI, which is too good, meaning they have to make Android 2.0 work with there UI. An update will be within the next month. BTW HTC ERIS and the HERO are the same phone.
I finally got a chance to check out the two droid phones. I was dissapointed with the motorolla droid. It was too bulky and had sharp corners. It looks like another Storm Flop. The HTC Droid however was a very good looking phone. I think the HTC should have been the big push by Verizon and not the Motorola. They need to put the dual processors and other fancy features the motorola phone has into the HTC if they want to be a tech leader and give the I-Phone a run for thier money. Come on Verizon, don’t think your going to get anywhere doing it half ass.
i think thi
Loving my htc eris… sure, it doesn’t have a dedicated GPU but what is the GPU used for? 3D games, that’s it. I have a GTX275 that satisfies that desire. And the GPU in the Droid and iPhone only supports OpenGL ES 1.1 which doesn’t support programmable shaders (think DX7). Now if there was a phone with the Tegra chipset, I might be jealous.
Sorry to disappoint anyone, but the contract btw mac and AT&T with the Iphone is coming to a close and so far the plan is not to renue. Verizon may be taking over this contract. Smart move by Verizon considering this phone is still quite popular. Those with At&T Iphones are still safe, but from the point that contract is signed anyone who wants an Iphone will have to sign with Verizon if they haven’t already.
HTC Android phones are a new love of mine including the T-mobile MyTouch 3G. I work for a company where I get to work with all models from every carrier and manufacturer. The different HTC android models are so far much better than Blackberries and I say this as a previous BB owner.
I just got a droid eriis yesterday they come free withthe motorola droid its so cool it has google and msn and youtube and it looks alot like the iphone
Now that all these phones have been released at this date in time that have been mentioned in this forum, I must ask you all; which phone is better? Especially those who had no belief or faith in the Motorola Droid. You get a combination of all the phones mentioned with more and better wrapped into Motorola’s Droid. It is not bulkier in thickness than iPhone unless 1 cm equals 1 mile to you, the screen is bigger and videos you watch on it uses the full screen, along with a staggering amount more of resolution than the iPhone which gives you brighter colors and more colors and no blocky images with a bright screen. And yes you want the virtual keyboard along with the physical one, you get the best of both worlds since some apps work better with physical keyboard, and plus as a human wouldn’t you want everything you could have at your fingertips; its called being prepared. The sharp corners of the body do not bother me and I am one who loves and prefers style second to qaulity and convenience. I can look up to the stars with my phone and it will tell me the name of the stars, constellations, planets, or any other heavenly bodies that is in the area that I point my phone into the sky with Google Sky Map app in real time. I get free turn by turn navigation using Google Maps that I can speak the name of address or name of the business without even knowing the address or phone number and get that info along with reviews and website of that company I wanted turn by turn directions to. I can find anything or file on my phone using my voice. I can call your phone with my Motorola Droid and make you think your mom, boyfriend, sister, friend, or whoever I wanted you to think it was as long as I
knew your number and the person’s number I wanted you to think it was is calling. Their name, picture, and ringtone will show up when I call you, and I can change my voice to male or female when I do all this. I can copy and paste, I can surf the web and talk on the phone at the same time and my 3g network reaches far more places than AT&T; unlike what AT&T says on their commercials; they should be sued for false advertising, there are laws on that. I can download full length songs for free faster than most PCs and use full song as a ringtone or I can cut out the part of song I want to use as ringtone. When I’m typing words I don’t have to finish them because the Droid does it for me. That’s just a few things to mention. I get very little sleep since I have owned this phone since it does so much. Oh yea, I typed this whole thing with Motorola Droid while having multiple internet windows open, I’ve been going from here to My Space IM this whole time, and it all runs smoothly with no freezes, stalls, or problems you would get with some home PCs, why would Verizon not push this model the most, and why would would they not have the Eris. Its because they can make more money from more planes, its called smart marketing. I am the Envy of the iPhone. I target iPhone here because it is The second best phone mentioned in this forum. I can do anything Google can and more with owning this phone at an unbeatable price. And battery life last forever and I multitask with this phwone. Sorry if I offended anyone, I just had to set things straight, don’t you think its been long enough for Verizon to come up with an iPhone KILLER!
ok i got the eris a few weeks ago and its amazing not always really fast it can be slow at times but it is likely to get updates. the hero is going to android 2.1 in Q1 and since the eris is technically the same as the hero it probably will. and the eris’s virtual keyboard is amazing its auto correct and everything and the droid is too big it doesn’t even fit in pockets
oh and youtube videos dont always play so if anyone knows about that lemme know [email protected]
Hey Macen, I am having real problems finding a flash player to play videos on my Droid Eris. How do I find one on the phone itself or do I need to use the internet on my home computer? Where do I look and how do I install it?
i had a Droid for a month and traded it in for an Eris. The things i didn’t like about the Droid are:
1- battery cover comes off about 1 out of every 3 times i took it out of my pocket.
2- Its too big
3- it’s so SQUARE.
4- I liked the on screen keyboard over the real keyboard of the Droid. don’t need that feature.
otherwise the Droid was awesome.
just got the Eris today. so far so good.
I just purchased the droid Eris and love it. cant stand MOTOROLA. HTC is much better after 4 days with the phone I will never go the the MOTO Droid
I own both phones the droid is better. Sorry guys if u like soft edges no droid for u. If u like preformance go with the droid. No mamby pamby fo me lol. Oh and the htc droid is smooher operating because it is less a phone. My old nokia 2900 was fast as heck lol. Only had a few colors tho lol. Peace guys and remember dosent matter u have a fricken droid.
The eris is better. The Droid is not only ugly, but anyone using common sense knows smartphones eat up battery life quickly as it is. That’s increased if it’s a faster processor. The advantage of a 550 vs 528 mhz processor is not worth the ugliness of the Droid. For a hundred bucks more you could just buy a netbook. The part of the Droid that is better is Android 2.0, not the phone itself. The eris is supposedly getting 2.0 q1 2010 (this month), so the Droid has nothing on the eris.