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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
Moderate | Flag for review

That sucks pretty hard. When I'm working with a piece of electronics that would make me sad if it got broken, I open it right over a flat surface or on the couch. I'm perpetually afraid stuff like this will happen.

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bloggerX
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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Hey, does anybody here have the Droid? If so, how is it?

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10 replies
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Distahs
December 2, 2009 10:58 AM
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I have one and use it a lot. You can do just about anything you can do on an iphone. yes even multi-touch but it is currently limited to specific applications. (I Had an iphone for years but service in southern Idaho was only so-so)

gone Droid. will NEVER go back.
(no really I'm under contract :P)

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WeAre138
November 24, 2009 1:08 AM
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I've got a few friends who have it. One likes it, one went back to his iPhone. I played with it and I like it. But I like my iPhone a little more because I am hooked on multi-touch.

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YouDidWhatNow?
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@bloggerX:

I *really* wanted one. Very nearly just ordered one on line.


However, somehow I managed to act prudently and went to a store to fondle it first. 2 deal breakers for me:


1. Verizon does not support tethering

2. The keyboard is useless to me...unlike other phones that have wonderful keyboards, like the LG Env line, the Droid keyboard is flat all the way across...buttons are not raised at all...and the buttons are perfectly square and right up against each other. I can't type on it.


My bubble burst and I left without a Droid. Hopefully someone will fix these issues in a soon-to-come phone.

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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@YouDidWhatNow?: The keyboard issue is what kept me from springing on it. I have an enV2 and I love the keyboard. I mentioned to the kiosk employee that that was a major reason why I wouldn't buy the Droid. I'm waiting for the second generation so any early adopter bugs can get worked out and they hopefully fix the keys.

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Tabe
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes:
Ditto - I had the exact same reaction to the keyboard.

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ned4spd8874
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@YouDidWhatNow?:
I heard that tethering is coming very soon.

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bloggerX
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@YouDidWhatNow?: I was thinking about getting the N900...but a bunch of factors prevented me from getting one:


1. Nokia said they're coming out with an improved model next year


2. The 3G bands only operate on T-Mobile


3. $649 (Amazon wants $589 I think) is too big of an early adopter tax for me.


I've heard nice things about the Hero, but I like keyboards!

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halothane
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@bloggerX: Have it. Love it. The only thing that bugs me about it is that the toggle to adjust the ringer volume is really close to the button to re-activate the screen, so I end up making my ringer super loud on accident from time to time. But it's absolutely awesome otherwise. AT&T coverage sucks around here, so the iPhone wasn't ever really an option, but 15 minutes of playing with my friend's Droid was enough to convince me to get one, whereas playing with tons of iPhones didn't wow me.

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bloggerX
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@aloria: Thanks for letting me know. I'm not a fan of the iPhone either. The only thing holding me back is the monthly bill. I'm on Sprint's SERO service, 30 bucks for unlimited talk/data and text rulez!!!

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qwickone
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@bloggerX: The HTC Hero with Google is pretty awesome on Sprint.

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DAK
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@bloggerX: Great phone. Wife says the sound quality on the receiving end isn't too good, but no one else has complained. 2 weeks in, and the novelty still hasn't worn off.

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ftk
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@bloggerX: It is sweet. Coming from Blackberry I am missing notification profiles, however there are several free apps that fill that gap (Ear being the one that works best/crashes least). Phone is very fast and i am not limited to just program icons on the screen which is my bigges peeve about the iPhone. Slide out keyboard is a kind of a pain to use, onscreen works great though. Just use the slideout to edit emails and when doing fullscreen ssh or vnc sessions. Synching contacts between multiple services (Gmail, google apps for domain, and corporate exchange) works great and all contact info for identical contacts are merged into a single view when viewing contacts, but are split into accounts when editing. Camera could be faster to focus but is rumoured to be fixed in next software update. Google maps navigator is awesome. No wonder garming and co tanked!

All in all a very cool phone, I dig it.

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theblackdog
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@ftk: Question about the Google maps navigator, does it provide traffic info?

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ned4spd8874
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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Wo-hoo! This is my story!!!

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4 replies
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JennQPublic
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@ned4spd8874: You bought a Droid? Sucker! I make my own smartphones at home. :-p

Seriously, I hope the cell phone gods smile on you and you always get great reception. Congrats on getting a story on Consumerist!

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Darklighter
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@JennQPublic: I'm not sure getting a story on Consumerist is something to be congratulated on (at least, most of the time). It should probably earn sympathies instead.

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diesel54
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@ned4spd8874: We found him! Quick, everyone blame the OP!

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ned4spd8874
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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Here is a link to a post on droidforums.net about this that I started.

[www.droidforums.net]

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liljimmynorton
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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The package for the Moto Cliq is exactly the same, when my store got them in I almost sent one to the floor.

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msbask
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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I had the exact opposite experience with my Samsung Instinct. That thing was packaged like it was Rolex. I still have the box because I was so impressed with it.


(Needless to say: This post has nothing to do with the OP's actual problem.)

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2 replies
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brokebackwallet
December 19, 2009 11:41 AM
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Ever tried removing Sennheiser earplugs from packaging? Now there is an example of how it should be done. Nearly impossible without having a crowbar, hacksaw and some sacrificed chickens around.

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PLAAND88
November 28, 2009 5:06 AM
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The Palm Pre has awesome packaging too. Even though I knew what was going on it made me feel good about the purchase.

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SacraBos
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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There's a video of someone getting an iPhone the first day, and he walks out of the store to show the camera, opens the box, and the phone falls to the ground.

Looks more likely to happen with the Droid, though.

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1 replies
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pecan 3.14159265
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@SacraBos: I could believe that the packaging for the original iPhone was a little flimsy. I have the 3G, and we were surprised at how hard it was to get that little phone out of the box. It's pretty much locked into that egg-carton material casing. You have to wedge your fingers under it and pull. There's no way the 3G and 3GS is falling out unless someone shook the box and dislodged it from the interior packaging.

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GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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Well, since Verizon doesn't give you a sealed box, but rather gives you the phone after everything is migrated, it is the responsibility of the tech in the store to re-secure the phone in the box before they hand it to you. AmIRite?

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4 replies
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Darklighter
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag: Can't you buy it online and have it shipped to you?

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ned4spd8874
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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Not sure why my reply didn't go under They actually sent me the phone via FedEx and I activated it myself.@GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag: They actually sent me the phone via FedEx and I activated it myself.

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Anne Boleyn
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag: Unless you order it online, have it shipped to you, and activate it yourself like I did with my last phone :) Thank the gods that the enV3 (shaddup) has an awesomely-designed box.

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The Cynical Librarian
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag: I was wondering about this; as I've never had someone give me my phone, after getting the activation taken care of, in the box. It's always been \"Here's your phone, here's your box\".
I think we have to entertain the possibility of a vast conspiracy.

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Brazell
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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for the record, so far, there have been zero reports of dropping the box on the floor.

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1 replies
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ned4spd8874
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag: They actually sent me the phone via FedEx and I activated it myself.

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Gruppa
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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/this is not the Droid box you are looking for..

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bunnymare
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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I would be really bothered if I bought a brand new phone and it dented that easily (regardless of packaging). I use Blackberry's only (provided by work), and they've bounced on my driveway without denting.

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VidaBlueBalls
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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This is a whole new meaning of 'dropped calls.'

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dopplerd
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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I bought mine online and when I opened the shipping box found that jostling had caused the Droid box to slide apart and the Droid was just hanging out without a box.

Nothing happened to the phone and I really love it. Not quite as polished as an iPhone but very functional. Much more so than the Blackberry it replaced.

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halothane
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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I also opened my Droid box upside down, but was sitting on the couch so it just fell into my lap. Verizon has to take the phone out of the box before the handover anyway, right? Replace the existing phones that got dinged, then just slap a bit of cellophane tape over new phones going out.

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thaJack
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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You do (within the first fifteen days, I believe) have the option of adding the \"insurance.\"

Once added, the only thing you have to do is make a call on your phone so that they can verify it works.

Once you've added the insurance, and made your phone call, go and swap it off for a new one.

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1 replies
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ned4spd8874
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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@thaJack:
I have insurance, but to even do that I would have to pay a deductible. I will not pay a dime for this fail on Verizon and Motorola's part.

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bohemian
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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This is quite the money making scam. Sell someone a very expensive phone that breaks right out of the box (literally) with no hope of refund and a 2 year contract!

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thenamcam
November 23, 2009 5:32 PM
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gee an iphone imitator, but they could not imitate the packaging?

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allstarecho
November 24, 2009 1:03 AM
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I soooo want this phone.. but won't touch it as long as it's with Verizon.

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Telekinesis123
November 24, 2009 2:29 AM
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There really is no way to tell which way is 'up' from the outside of the package, I guess for a newcomer either way looks good.

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Paul in SF
November 24, 2009 9:44 AM
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That happened to me too. As soon as I picked the box up my new Droid slid out the other end onto the concrete floor at work. Luckily no damage that I have noticed so far, but whoever designed that packaging should have their head examined.

As far as the commenter who said \"Well, since Verizon doesn't give you a sealed box, but rather gives you the phone after everything is migrated, it is the responsibility of the tech in the store to re-secure the phone in the box before they hand it to you. AmIRite?\" Not all of go to/went to a brick and mortar store to get our new phone. Mine was shipped to me from the Verizon website.

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kittyt
November 24, 2009 12:54 PM
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I actually like the packaging, it's a lot smaller than the older cell phones I got. What's funny my older phones are a lot smaller than my Droid. I made sure to sit down on the couch to open mine because I've opened stuff has fallen out of the box. I've dropped my phone a few times but on carpet. So far it still works.

As for the Droid, it's pretty awesome. My boss has an iphone and really likes the Droid. I'd be pretty content with either phone. You also have to like Google if you want the Droid.

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thistowniswrong
November 24, 2009 2:39 PM
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@YouDidWhatNow?

Verizon supports tethering, at least on the Blackberry. I was offered the option (For, I think, about $10/month) when I signed up. I passed.

My friend is returning her Droid today. The battery doesn't even last a day.

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