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I know, I know, I promised more on Paintball tips, but I’ve got to vent about this.

It seems like all carriers are mandating full data-plans on all their smart-phones now, so I upgraded to a Droid.  I’ve got to say I’m not a fan.  It’s a very competent device with a lot of power and potential.  It’s got a really nice display and the touchscreen works well.  It has a lot of great features on it, like the navigator, Internet browser, and the Facebook integration.  But I have to wonder how varied their product testers were.  I imagine the interface must be somewhat similar to an iPhone or even Blackberry, neither of which I’ve had much experience with, but it’s quite frustrating for someone coming from Palm OS & Windows Mobile, like me.

I won’t spend too much time on the good because you can go to CNet and many other sites where the reviewers absolutely gush about it.  The Droid certainly looks pretty and has a great display for anything: browsing the web, flipping through pictures, watching YouTube on the included app, etc.  Seriously, it really looks sharp and the full HTML browser on the phone, I imagine it’s a slightly modified version of Chrome, makes it simple to hit your favorite websites.  The browser has a great interface that tracks your finger taps quite well, even on small text links, without too many errors.  Some sites still see it as a mobile browser and you’ll get some simplified site versions.  While my old Samsung i760 with Internet Explorer Mobile was good enough for my needs, it had problems with some of my paintball forums.  I could view and read them fine, but leaving posts on some of them was impossible.  That’s no longer the case with the Droid.  The one strange exception is that I can’t log in to WordPress here.

The phone comes with some great apps and integration between them.  It has Google maps and Google navigator included, and with the GPS it makes searching and finding things pretty easy.  It also has a decent voice search function which will scour the web without you typing a thing.  The Droid also connects flawlessly with your Gmail and Google Apps accounts to import your contacts and calendar appointments.  Finally it includes YouTube and has a nifty Facebook integration that can update your contacts with Facebook profile pictures, status, etc.  The phone has lots of memory and processing power to do just about anything, and with the app market and included 16 GB micro SD card that’s a lot of “anything.”  The phone charges and connects to a PC through a micro USB port.  I would have preferred a mini USB since I already have a couple of those cables, but at least it’s a standard jack.  Also, the Droid has a 3.5 mm headphone jack meaning you can use normal headphone and earbuds with it.

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