I bought a new cell phone the other day. The Motorola Droid (from Verizon). I picked it up Friday - actually, I've had it for a little over 48 hours. So, this is my "48 Hour Review." (cue theme music) So far... I Love It!

I've had a Motorola MotoQ (Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0) for a couple years, and it was time for a new phone. And, since that model is over 3 years old, my choices were the iPhone, a Blackberry, or the Samsung Jack (another WinMo phone). I didn't want an iPhone because everyone has one. Plus, I just don't have the thumbs for onscreen keyboards. I didn't want a Crackberry just because. And, Microsoft just isn't doing anything with WinMo. I've been a fan of Google since 1998, so the Motorola Droid with Google's Android OS, seemed like the right choice. Not to mention, it uses a MicroUSB connection for charging and data transfer, and I have plenty of chargers and USB cables from my Q.

PROS:

1. The home screen is totally customizable. You can add whatever shortcuts or widgets you want, and then move them into (almost) any position you want. Plus, there are 3 panels/pages to the home screen, so you can load it up with shortcuts and widgets.

2. When there's a notification, a green LED will flash until you've acknowledged the notification. A tiny little feature, but I really miss that from other phones I've had in the past.

3. The keyboard is huge. Your right hand is in an awkward position with the scroll pad on the right side of the keyboard, and the top row of keys is a little hindered by the slider. Plus, sometimes my fat thumb will brush the capacitive "Back" button. Overall, it will take a little getting used to.

4. Google Maps and The Weather Channel came pre-installed. And, they're both "location-aware" - they use the built-in GPS.

5. GMail was also pre-installed. And, with MailService running, the GMail app automatically sync's with the GMail server.

6. There's even a Calendar app that sync's with your Google Calendar. Google also has an application you install on your desktop and it will sync your Outlook Calendar events with your Google Calendar.

7. I thought I was going to have to buy another app for Task - I use Outlook Tasks for my shopping lists - but I can get to the Tasks built into GMail and Google Calendar on the phone's browser.


Cons:

1. So far, the biggest "con" is that Landware hasn't come out with an Android version of Pocket Quicken. (This is actually the only real con I have about this phone - the other 2 are only "sorta" cons) But, they haven't come out with a version for the iPhone either.

2. One of the selling features of the phone and the Google Android OS is the ability to run multiple apps at the same time. Granted, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 can do the same thing, except it also has a Task Manager where you can kill applications that you're no longer using. Although, most of the apps for WinMo have a "Close" or "Exit" option. Android doesn't have a Task Manager, but "There's an app for that."

3. Putting the phone on "silent" only silences the ringer. You also have to silence alerts and other notifications. With my last phone (the Motorola MotoQ), putting the phone on silent, silences everything. But, this isn't the first phone I've had like that.