Droid topping 250,000 users in one week?
updated 05:35 pm EST, Fri November 13, 2009
Moto Droid sales may have accelerated
A new set of extrapolated data from location network developer uLocate suggests that active users of the Droid may have more than doubled in the first week of sales. Third-party estimates indicated that Verizon may have only sold 100,000 launch units, but uLocate says it will have detected about 25,000 new Droids on its network by Saturday. As uLocate's information usually represents about 10 percent of the actual user base of a phone when it's new, the figure would translate to about 250,000 total Droid users.
A related map also shows the regional bias for the phone. Obvious major city centers are the largest adoptees, with 12 percent of Droids located in New York; 6 percent are in Los Angeles while Washington, DC has 5 percent.
The data is likely to vary significantly from actual numbers but hints at a positive trend for Motorola's phone. Both Motorola and Verizon are depending heavily on the Android hardware to carry their holiday season and have large marketing campaigns tied into the device. Droid numbers are just a fraction of iPhone numbers but, if reflected in the uLocate numbers, are faring significantly better than the reception to the Palm Pre, whose numbers declined shortly after it began shipping in June.
Would not be a shock
11/13, 06:12pm reply
The phone is getting good reviews so far. I know a few people who are looking to get one.
DeezNutts
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2008
Main issue
11/13, 06:24pm (1 reply) reply
There is one thing that can be a potential disappointment (compared to the iPhone) for many folks out there, and it is very tangible. That is the ability to talk on the phone and check e-mail, web, maps, or anything web-related. Since CDMA/EVDO cannot handle data and voice at the same time, user has to hang up. This is a wrinkle that will be heavily reported as a disappointment from early adopters. Hopefully, Apple and AT&T will pounce on it as well.
vasic
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
Droid Hands on
11/13, 06:35pm reply
I had a chance to play with the Droid today and it is quite a nice phone. There are a few things here and there but they are so minor that the really don't matter.
The screen is nice, the camera is very good and it comes loaded with a few nice apps.
As it has been said here it will not dethrone iPhone but it is definitely an option.
jdsonice@gmail.com
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2009
A good Plan B phone
11/13, 06:58pm reply
Andy Ihnatko (America's Most Beloved Technology Pundit(tm)) has said the Droid is as good as the iPhone, and a fine choice if you're unable / out of service area / religiously opposed to supporting the Death Star. I've been hearing nothing but good things about it. It's about time Apple got some real competition.
Zaren
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Muscle Might
11/13, 11:37pm reply
The Droid is amazing now will it be available on Boost?
Muscle Might
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=2167423
jacicaalban
Banned
Joined: Nov 2009
CDMA cannot do voice and data at same time
11/15, 10:41pm reply
pastusza, CDMA EVDO cannot function at the same time as the voice channel so all the multi-tasking in the world will not let you browse the web at the same time as being on a call unless that website is cached in the browser already.
The iPhone does multitask built in services like the iPod, the Phone, Mail and contacts. It restriction on third-party apps is there to protect degradation of the battery life and other performance issues. While the new iPhones do have enough memory to support more multi-tasking, Apple wants to maintain a uniform platform across all iPhones/iPod Touches as much as possible.
aristotles
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Flimsy....
11/16, 06:32am reply
Droid is a flimsy piece of junk.
- A
Fast iBook
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2003
Multitasking
11/16, 01:20pm (1 reply) reply
The iPhone does multitask built in services like the iPod, the Phone, Mail and contacts. It restriction on third-party apps is there to protect degradation of the battery life and other performance issues.
It has nothing to do with battery life. They just want to make sure their apps are the most user friendly and responsive.
Being that Apple has told IM developers they should use their push technologies, and background apps aren't required, I would think Mail should do the same thing. There is NO reason contacts needs to run in the background.
And Safari definitely shouldn't be let to run in the background, but it does (as was shown due to user complaints over short battery life when leaving Safari on a page with a web cam hook up).
But, no, since it is their device, they get to play by different rules. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's the making up stories that they expect people to believe that is just insulting (you know, like the "Oh, we need to approve apps, otherwise the entire cellular network, if not the entire internet and life as we know it, could all come crashing down!".)
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001