Verizon Droid

OTA update for the HTC DROID Eris is being pushed to handsets at about midnight this evening. The ROM is 1.16.605.1 and the radio version is 2.32.40.11.09 . Just as Motorola’s OTA update worked, the DROID Eris will as well — slowly to a small group of people, then expanding over the coming days. Here’s a brief list of some of the fixes and you can always check the documentation on Verizon’s site.

• While on a call and the device is in screensaver mode, pressing the
• End key now takes the device out of screensaver mode, and a second press will end the call.
• On-call mute and speakerphone icon functionality is enhanced.
• Upgraded functionality after activation eliminates the delay users were experiencing in receiving their first call.
• Device now switches effectively from 1x mode to 3G.
• Device no longer requires users to reselect a default email after power-cycling.
• SMS and MMS messaging delivery is improved.
• Eighty-character MMS/SMS message subject lines are now allowed
• Improved picture messaging functionality allows messages from LG phones to be opened.

Source: BGR

Wait – before you rush to the store to pick up the Motorola Droid from Verizon, you should really, seriously consider the HTC Droid Eris. The Motorola Droid has been getting all the glory as of late, thanks to it’s cathartic bashing of the iPhone via its “iDon’t but Droid does” commercials, but the Eris might actually be the Droid you’re looking for. Check out the reasons why from Cell Phone Plans:

1. Form Factor
2. HTC Sense – Eris Has It, Motorola Never Will
3. Coming Soon to HTC Droid Eris: Android 2.0
4. Still Packs a Punch
5. Price

Verizon Wireless announced on Tuesday that the HTC Droid Eris will get much needed OS update in the first quarter of 2010. The HTC Droid Eris is currently stuck with Android 1.5 when compared to Motorola Droid which comes with Android 2.0.

Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney said, “The Droid Eris currently using Android 1.5, can and will be upgraded to newer a Android operating system software in first quarter 2010.

The Android OS update will bring Google Maps Navigation to HTC Droid Eris along with other benefits of Android 2.1. The combination of Sense UI and Android 2.1 will make Eris a highly capable device.

The HTC Droid Eris uses a 3.2-inch screen and a trackball, as well as a 5-megapixel camera, GPS and Wi-Fi.

[Source: Area cellphone]

Google may be launching Android 2.1 just a month after 2.0, a combination of rumors suggests. Along with an update to Android’s terms of service, info obtained by AndroidAndMe suggests the firmware will be available the same day. It also follows a makeover of the Android.com website that usually precedes wider availability of a new Android release.
The 2.1 update will be less dramatic an upgrade to Android 2.0 but should still address some of the problems that have hurt Android development versus the relatively streamlined iPhone App Store experience. If accurate, customers would see a redesigned Android Market with the option billing directly through their carrier instead of the more problematic Google Checkout. Handset owners could also shop from the web on a computer instead of having to download apps from third-party sites or a smartphone’s native store portal.

The revision would ship for “select devices” sometime after December 11th and could come to the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris in an over-the-air update. The HTC Hero may also skip directly to 2.1 from its older Android 1.5 revision

[Source: Electronista ]

eWeek has a review of the HTC Droid Eris, here are some highlights:
The other high-profile Google Android phone, the HTC Droid Eris, takes a different approach. Unlike the Motorola Droid, which slides apart to reveal a physical QWERTY keyboard, the Droid Eris is a single-piece touch-screen device reminiscent of the iPhone. At 4.23 ounces (and no physical keyboard), it is substantially lighter and sleeker than the Motorola Droid, which feels like a miniature brick in your pocket.
However, the HTC Droid Eris comes with a trackball for navigation, which I feel was a substantial mistake; Research In Motion has been eliminating trackballs in favor of trackpads for a reason. Besides clogging with grime after weeks or months of use, the trackball made certain functions of the HTC Droid Eris—such as snapping photos—into mildly annoying chores.

Verdict
At the risk of instigating a flame-war, I feel that the Verizon Droid is the closest that an Apple rival has come to creating a true iPhone killer. Subsequent versions of Google Android will iron out the few kinks, and the Android Marketplace will expand its apps offerings—maybe not enough to challenge Apple’s App Store, but certainly enough to make it a more robust challenger.
The one drawback to the Verizon Droid is its form-factor. I did appreciate the physical keyboard, but I felt it also came at the cost of a weightier-than-necessary device and blocky form-factor (the Palm Pre had a sliding physical keyboard, too, and yet its designers managed to keep it fairly light). This may be a benefit to people who prefer to carry a physically substantial phone. I am not one of them.
The HTC Droid Eris shares many of the same benefits of the Verizon Droid. It is also lighter, and I didn’t mind relying only on a virtual keyboard—although that could be an insurmountable problem for some users. The one major drawback to the Droid Eris was that trackball, which was annoying and made some functions decidedly un-user-friendly; but future editions of the device may take a page from RIM and adopt a trackpad. At $99 after rebate, as opposed to $199.99 for the Droid, the Droid Eris may present a better price proposition for some users, depending on their data-plan.
In my own opinion, I declare a three-way draw between the Verizon Droid, HTC Droid Eris and the iPhone—but the next generation of the latter two devices could very well overrun Apple, unless Steve Jobs has something particularly innovative up his turtleneck’s sleeve.

We’ve seen the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris from Verizon Wireless so far, but apparently there is a third Verizon Android handset waiting in the wings, if rumors are to be believed.
Rumors are that it will be the HTC Passion, which is supposedly powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset (the Passion might also be called the Dragon). The rumor mill (from Boy Genius, Phone Arena, and elsewhere) claims that the HTC Passion will feature a 5-megapixel camera, a large WVGA-resolution screen with multitouch, a 3.5mm headset jack, 256MB RAM, and it’s said to run Android 2.0 with the HTC Sense overlay.

[source: Cnet]

Venture Beat compares between the two Droid phones. Here are some parts of their review:

With so much hype going to the Motorola Droid, it’s almost easy to overlook the second Droid phone, HTC’s Droid Eris, which also launched this week. It’s like a younger sibling standing in the shadow, but with the price tag of only $99.99 (after $100 mail-in rebate), it’s bound to catch the attention of many price-conscious buyers. Using Android 1.5, the Droid Eris might not have the same oomph as its older sibling (Motorola operates on Android 2.0). However, it’s still packed with many solid Android features.

HTC headlines the Eris’ customizable features and touts it as the “perfect weekend, travel or pure play phone.” Since I was taking a weekend roadtrip, I decided to put my phone to the test. What I found is that Eris does offer a lot of customizable fun. For example, the seven screens that you can easily scroll through are easily modified to your liking. I was able to organize my social networks, favorite people, and favorite apps all in groupings on different screens.
Listening to and organizing music on Eris is also easy. I browsed music through the Amazon mp3 app and since I already had an Amazon account, purchasing was just a one step process. Once on your phone you can take a song and crop it however you like and make it your main (or specific contact) ringtone.
Another thing I might mention, for those who like to mix business with pleasure, Eris comes preinstalled with Quickoffice, a PDF viewer, the ability to sync with POP3 email accounts, and it will let you keep current with corporate mail and such with Microsoft Exchange Active Sync.
Despite the Droid Eris’ many playful features and business tools, there are a few minor idiosyncrasies that might have me returning my purchase and shelling out the extra money for the sexy sibling (who I’m supposed to be ignoring right now).
The first obvious frustration for me is the lack of a physical keyboard. My previous phone, the LG enV Touch, spoiled me with its keyboard, making texting something I could almost do with my eyes closed. The Droid Eris offers a touch screen with a virtual keyboard. Though I’ve never been accused of having pudgy fingers, the sensitive and cramped keys make me feel like my fingers have been retaining water.
It could also be said that dialing on the Eris is a little too easy. Just ask my boyfriend who received four accidental phone calls in a row while he was in a meeting! Since it only requires one touch to set a phone call into motion, a steady hand and small fingers would be needed to select and dial the correct person on the first try.
Another disappointment is the lack of Google Maps Navigation, which only runs on Android 2.0. True, I was able to find a cheap GPS app for my Droid Eris, but it is primitive in comparison to Google’s app. In order to install an app almost comparable to Google’s, I would have been required to spend between $30 and $85, and doing that would have rendered my original frugality pointless.
In the end, because of the simultaneous launch date, it is impossible not to compare the two phones. During the purchase process of my phone the salesperson indicated that the Eris would be upgradeable to 2.0, but he couldn’t say when. If this proves to be the case, then perhaps at some future date the upgrade might close the gap of difference between the phones. Until then, those who expect the Eris to be a Mini-me of the Motorola Droid are going to be disappointed. However, those who keep in mind that these phones are brothers from another mother or sisters from a different mister, will understand that they’ve inherited different traits.

4/5 starts for the HTC Droid Eris at Cnet:
THE GOOD: The HTC Droid Eris offers a slim design, plentiful features, and satisfying performance. It also has pinch and zoom multitouch.

THE BAD: The HTC Droid Eris has mixed multimedia quality. It comes only with the Android 1.5 OS, there’s no file manager, and internal performance was occasionally sluggish.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Though performance wasn’t completely top-notch and we would prefer a more recent Android OS version, the HTC Droid Eris is a satisfying Android device that offers a nice contrast to the Motorola Droid. And you can’t beat the price.

If the Motorola Droid is too much and too expensive an Android phone for you, Verizon now offers an entry level Android phone, the HTC Droid Eris, for half the price ($99 with contract and post-rebate). Even though oddly named for the Greek god of strife, Eris provides anything but. Essentially a slightly spruced-up version of the HTC Hero from Sprint, Eris is a quick powerhouse packed with a 5 MP camera, WiFi and visual voicemail, and offers seven home screens, four more than the more expensive Droid.

Verizon took its sweet time jumping into the Android marketplace, but the carrier has quickly jumped into the fore of Andoid phone suppliers. Eris is an excellent and inexpensive Introduction to Android for its subscribers looking for an iPhone alternative. While its short battery life is annoying, Eris is an outstanding phone in every other way.

read the full review at Digital Trends]

Essentially a rebranded version of Sprint’s HTC Hero, the Eris (see it in action in the above video) goes on sale today, but for $99 ($100 less than Motorola Droid handset).

The Eris runs Android 1.5, features a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, and a 528-MHz Qualcomm processor (less powerful than the Motorola’s ARM Cortex-A8)