HexxWorld Blog

I performed an early phone upgrade on my Verizon account and purchased the Droid Eris. I have owned PDA/Smartphones since 2006 or so. They have all been Windows Mobile except for this one. The reason I made the switch from Windows Mobile to Android is because I use mostly Google apps and services and the Android OS was more convenient, relating to features. The other reason I made the switch is because I am a strong user of LINUX and love the Open Source community.

My Thoughts on the OS

The Android OS has come a long way from only a few years ago. I would say the success of the Android OS comes from the community contributions and open development. It definitely proved scalable. A few years ago I was able to build the Android OS from source on my EEEPC, before they even had a true netbook release. Of course, it was still a little limited on the EEEPC but the point was it could be done. Even though the Droid Eris only has Android 1.5 as opposed to the Android 2.0 on the Motorola Droid, it’s stable and  functions comparable to Windows Mobile. While I am playing with my Droid Eris, it does not lack any features that I used on the Windows Mobile. I can sync my Google Mail, Docs, Calendar over the air.  I can also open and edit .sxls and .doc files. My can connect my Android to my Ubuntu Linux desktop via USB with no hassel. It connects as a storage device enabling drap & drop to my SD Card. I installed the Android SDK on my desktop and was able to connect to the phone root filesystem via USB (unable to edit root system without “rooting” the device). On my Windows 7 I was able to view my Windows Mobile desktop using MyMobiler. I can do the same with my Android using this software called AndroidScreencast.

This is a screenshot of my Droid Eris using AndroidScreenshot on Ubuntu Karmic.

I can confidently say that the Android OS has evolved and works just as well as other Smartphone mobile platforms. If you are an advocate for Open Source software and enjoy customizing and developing for your mobile gadgets, I would suggest giving the Android OS a try.

My Thoughts on the Droid Eris phone

I enjoy the fact that this phone is light weight, thin and does not have a bulky, unnecessary, external QWERTY keyboard. After calibrating the keyboard, the response and sensitivity is great. My last phone was an HTC Vogue (Verizon xv6900) and I was happy with it. HTC makes a great user experience regarding functionality and usability of the touchscreen display. The Droid Eris has a trackball, which may seem like a small insignificant feature but it works wonders when you are scrolling throughout the device and on webpages. I read many consumer comments regarding the battery life being poor. I have had my phone unplugged all day from about 7am to present 4pm and I still have at least a 75% charge. I believe that smartphones are so popular now and people who previously owned standard mobile devices are starting to purchase them. When you are dealing with a device that is used basically for apps which are straight multimedia, it goes without saying that those apps will impact battery life. You can improve your battery life by performing a few non-challenging tasks, which apply to any pda/smartphone.

• Reduce the brightness on my display
• Turn off GPS,Bluetooth,Wifi until you need it
• Install a Task Manager application to ensure closed applications are completely exited
• Adjust your display timeout

Those are just a few from the top of my head but there are many others..Google is your friend. My conclusion is that I believe that I made an excellent choice in purchasing the Droid Eris and I that I am almost Windows-Independant : )  (I still need Windows for Netflix Instant Watching)