scattered technology news

Comparison Chart: iPhone vs. Droid 2

After my insanely in-depth Droid Review, everyone still kept asking the same question: “How does it compare to the iPhone?” Although reading my Skatter Tech review would answer that and even share a few thoughts about what this means for the smartphone industry, I thought a visual comparison wouldn’t hurt. So after some Bill Shrink inspiration, I came up with a Comparison Chart that covers a bit more about the technical differences between the two phones. And here it is, enjoy: Read More

Motorola Droid – Verizon (Review) 21

Last week we unboxed the upcoming Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless and now it is my privilege to give you a full review. I am too fascinated by new technology to ignore the new wave of smart phones – it’s just that I’ve regretted going in that direction in the past. Even the ever-popular Apple iPhone, the king of the smart phone, has failed to meet my expectations in the past. My first generation iPhone lacked basic features like MMS, a removable battery, and video recording. The recent stream of so-called “iPhone-Killers” created by competitors such as HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung have tried to improve on Apple’s shortcomings. Unfortunately, they have failed produce a superior product and experience Apple’s success.

If there is anything you should take from that last paragraph, it should be that I am hypercritical when it comes to reviewing smart phones because I have yet to experience the recipe for a so-called “iPhone-Killer”. So when I say that the Motorola Droid is my new favorite phone, you can take me seriously. Yes, yes, all of the smart phones in this generation do just about everything short of cooking for you. But the Droid just does it better with Motorola’s feature-packed hardware, Android’s new open source operating system, and Verizon’s high quality network. I’ll explain.

The Hardware
This phone is built like a tank. It weighs about an ounce more than the iPhone, but the extra weight just makes the Droid feel like it’s expensive and has a lot to offer rather than just a heavy burden. I was initially concerned about the sliding mechanism for the keyboard, which is often the first to break on phones with a similar form factor. However, this isn’t the case. The Droid is far from flimsy. Although the phone doesn’t sit flush on a flat surface; the shape of the back elevates the phone just enough so that it doesn’t vibrate off of a table or let the camera get scratched. The lip below the screen didn’t seem to serve any purpose, but I soon realized that it houses the microphone and helps the user to tell the speaker from the microphone.

I only have a few small complaints. My first complaint is with the external buttons. Don’t get me wrong, all three power, volume, and camera keys work fine, but they sit loosely in the frame, which feels as though it takes away from the quality of the build. My second complaint is with the battery compartment cover. It slides off rather easily. It even came off once when I pulled it out of a tight pocket in my backpack. I suppose that’s better than not being able to take it off at all, but it’s something to keep in mind if you like your jeans extra tight.
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Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch (Review) 1

As someone who has become accustomed to the touchpad on the Macbook Pro, I was a little nervous going back to a tablet. The only one I’ve ever used before had an enormous body and a small work area, while the lag was just too much to be useful. I soon realized the times had changed when I first un-boxed the Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch.

Tablet
The tablet itself is incredibly thin – about the size of a number two pencil at its thickest, with beveled edges for a more comfortable wrist-rest. The four side-buttons are large, accessible, and as I later found after installing drivers, configurable to a certain extent. An LED indicator located between the buttons lights up white when the device is on and changes to a warm orange color when the stylus is within range. I found the small red tag on the side of the device to be a little obnoxious, but it’s supposed to store your pen after use. It can easily tucked away under the device if it’s too annoying.

The drawing area is very generous with an area about 3.5 times that of my Macbook’s touchpad. The Bamboo’s matte texture that feels paper and though I was nervous to test the amount of pen pressure it could handle, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it could handle quite a bit. Read More