The Droid sits heavy in your palm compared to the iPhone. Instead of a sleek rounded bevel, the Droid has angled contours and visible seams. It is clear the two devices are very different from each other. But which is better?

The Droid is Verizon Wireless' first Motorola smart phone to use Google's Android mobile operating system. While other phones have Google software, it is the only device running the newest 2.0 version.

In October, Verizon launched the battle between Droid and iPhone with a media blitz targeting AT&T and Apple. First, Verizon took shots at AT&T's limited 3G network with the slogan "There's a map for that" referencing Apple's "there's an app for that" commercials. Next, as the Droid's launch date approached, a series of "iDon't" advertisements hit airwaves, billboards, and print, showcasing the features that, , claims Verizon, the iPhone lacks. Since the phone launched November 6, however, the Droid has not shattered the smart phone marketplace as it might have claimed. But the Droid, and Google's Android software, may be contenders for the iPhone's seat at the top. Apple has even responded to the hype with new ads showing functionality it has over the Droid.

Both mobile devices are $199 with a 2-year commitment, $120 average monthly costs, and sixteen gigabyte capacities. Both devices are capable stand-alone phones, but every user is different. Generally, the smart-phone shopper is looking for a combination of an internet tool, a media player, a social networking device, and a gaming or productivity platform.
The Hardware

Both phones are about the same size and have touch screens. The Droid has a wider screen with higher resolution and a flip-out keyboard / directional pad. An on-screen keypad, however, offers identical functionality. Other highlights of the Droid for the tech savvy are a more powerful Central Processing Unit, or CPU, a standard micro-USB port, a removable battery, and a removable micro-SD card.
Internet

Both phones run on 3G networks. While Verizon's network has broader coverage, AT&T's is faster. The Droid scrolls web pages smoother, but lacks the iPhone's "pinch-to-zoom" feature.
Media and Camera

With the wide-use of iTunes, the iPhone has an advantage over the Droid. Launched almost a decade ago with the first iPod, iTunes is a refined, user-friendly experience. Google has built a similar player, but synching a music library is not as straightforward.

Some users, like Amit Tamhankar, a banking consultant at Bank of America, finds this freeing. Even though he enjoys using an iPod Touch, he likes the Droid more because he prefers exploring other music players. "I don't like being constricted to iTunes," he says.

The camera is much more powerful than on the Droid, with five mega-pixels compared to the iPhone's three3, a flash, and a menu of photo effects. Unfortunately, the performance of the camera is much slower than the iPhone, with a ten second delay between shots, compared to the iPhone's three-second delay. The Droid beats the iPhone with video taking DVD-quality, 720 x 480 video, versus the iPhone's much-grainier 640 x 480.
Staying connected

Both phones have specialized Facebook and mail server support, but the Droid consolidates contacts and communication into a single interface. When properly configured, the Droid's contact list is very powerful. Pulling information from e-mail accounts, Microsoft Exchange, and Facebook directly, the contacts screen displays online status, profile photos, and allows you to call, e-mail, text, or chat on the fly, without launching a specific app. The iPhone periodically fetches updates and displays notifications for each application individually, but the Droid streams news and messages are updated in real time to a centralized, low-profile notification drop-down.
Apps and entertainment

The Apple Application Store is pushing 100,000 applications, and the Google Marketplace is somewhere in the 15,000 range. While Google is working to close this gap, the numbers are not the whole story. Apple has a lot of high-profile developers with several years of experience with the phone. The selection of major apps and games is poor, and whether developers cross over to the Droid remains to be seen.

So how will you choose a phone? If you are tech-savvy and need to be constantly connected with friends and colleagues, you may reach for the Droid. But, if you like listening to music and playing games casually, you may be happier with the iPhone.

"I am a Verizon loyalist," says Tamhankar, to which he admits was the deciding factor; He joined in 1998. "But I was tempted by AT&T."[X]