HTC DROID Eris Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Great functionality and sleek interface. November 10, 2009

Reviewer:  J. Hartlove "Infinity"  (Maryland) -

Well here we have it. The HTC Droid Eris from Verizon Wireless. This phone was openly criticized on electronic review sites such as [...] because it's going to be released with the Motorola Droid when the Motorola Droid offers Android OS 2.0 and this HTC model only offers 1.5. After owning both the phones for about a week and switching back and forth (yes, Verizon hates me), I'm overly satisfied with the HTC Droid Eris too. The phone does everything you could ever want with a very large app store and overall beautiful interface. The only 2 negative notes on the HTC Droid Eris would be that it could have a slightly faster processor and the battery life isn't exactly the best. When it comes to the comparison between the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris, the operating system shouldn't be a major concern because HTC does plan to offer a free upgrade to Android 2.0. The major differences are the processor speed, the amount of RAM, and the battery life. All of those categories the Motorola Droid slightly edges the HTC Droid Eris. They're both very good options, but if you're looking for something simpler and you're not going to be using your phone constantly throughout the day the HTC Droid Eris is for you!

My highly opinionated review for a nearly flawless phone. November 24, 2009

Reviewer:  D. Fawson "music and game junkie"  (Lehi, UT USA) -

I had been watching the Droid for a while, and so when I received an Email notifying me of it's release, I headed on over to the Verizon Store on launch day. All of the employees were wearing shirts that said, "Droid does," and there was a small, but significant crowd in the corner right beside the entrance. There I saw a stand where some redneck was eying this blocky, shiny black phone. Abandoned, on the same display set-up, there was a lonely, small, much sleeker, touch screen phone I did not recognize. Still eager to take my turn with the Droid, I decided to play with this other one to pass the time.

It was not long at all before I realized that the unadvertised, un-hyped Droid Eris was vastly superior.

Let me start by comparing it to the Motorola Droid (MD) ([[ASIN:B002UUTCKC Motorola Droid A855 Phone (Verizon Wireless)]]). The MD Has hard edges, corners, and an unfriendly box shape. It has a thin slide-out keyboard, the keys of which have very little tactile feedback, and the rows aren't offset like a real keyboard. Also, on this slide-out panel, is a d-pad, which is almost completely unnecessary given the touch screen. The entire phone has a shiny smooth finish, making it really susceptible to scratches and fingerprints. The tech specs are a little better, with a faster cpu and a beautiful high resolution screen. Also the camera has a flash.

The Droid Eris (DE) on the other hand, is quite smaller, and has rounded edges (much like the iPhone.) It uses only the on-screen keyboard, which is not the best of all input methods, but most problems are averted by its handy correction feature. Also, like the iPhone, you can turn it on its side to enlarge the keyboard, making the problem of hitting the wrong key nearly disappear. The DE has a trackball, much like the Blackberry Pearl ([[ASIN:B001FWZAV6 BlackBerry Pearl 8130 Phone, Pink (Verizon Wireless)]],) and while this almost never comes into play, it's much nicer and has less of a primitive feel than the MDs d-pad. You can also have it light up for notifications. The phone has a silky smooth rubber coating on the back. That combined with the rounded edges makes it much easier to hold. The tech specs aren't on the mark with the MD, but thus far, I have yet to encounter any serious problems with speed. And, while it would be nice to have the higher resolution screen, this one does the job just fine.

They both run on Verizon's network, which, from what I've heard, is the best. Both use Google's Android OS, which is fantastic and wonderfully customizable. Although the MD uses a newer version, the DE is going to be supporting it soon.

These are the only problems I have run into with the Eris.

>The battery life isn't so great, especially if you are constantly browsing the internet and stuff, like I did the first couple of days. It's never gone out on me though, even once when I didn't charge for two days. But I recommend charging every night.
>The cracks around the edge of the screen seem to attract little bits of dirt, crumbs etc. which can take away the beauty of the phone, and it's hard to get them out.
>The music system isn't the best. Especially considering the battery life. Keep your iPod.

These are the things I LOVE about the phone:

>Accelerometers detect the orientation of the screen.
>Browse the internet anytime. Also, browser supports pinch zoom.
>Electrostatic (finger electricity detecting) touch screen much better than the pressure sensitive ones seen on cheap touch screen phones.
>Move icons on main screen anywhere. Put exactly what you want on main and sub screens and nothing else.
>High quality camera. With the highest settings, the picture is too high quality to send in a mms message. No flash, but hey. I didn't get this phone for the camera.
>Hundreds of free apps in the store (that can be made freely by anybody) to keep me entertained forever.
>My screen still has no scratches, despite being dropped into and pulled out of my pocket countless times since I got it release day.
>Although the port looks different, a standard Mini-USB will fit it. This means it is easy to find a usable cord for it, if you lose the provided one.

There's probably more, but why don't you find out for yourself? Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

Excellent phone for the money November 15, 2009

Reviewer:  Chad Adams  (Chicago, Illinois) -

I got 2 of these phones, one for me and my wife. I am extremely impressed with the ease of use with this phone, being able to use widget's to display information is an excellent tool to have. I can check my email, remotely control my desktop, or use the phone as a free modem. All using apps within the Android Market, and all for free.

I am the tech savvy one, but my wife doesn't have any issues using this phone. She is able to check her Facebook account regularly, take pictures and upload them with the touch of a button.

The Android OS combined with the Verizon Network just cant be beat.

I would strongly suggest getting a case & a screen protector. Screen protectors are easy to apply and do wonders to protect your screen.

Battery life is a little weak, but as long as you are not using applications for several hours a day you will be fine. As long as you charge your phone every night, you should have no problems.

Some of the programs are not compatible with the OS of this phone. Same with the DROID. When downloading applications at the market, be sure to read the reviews of the software. Most of them tell you compatibility issues.

NO TURN BY TURN GPS :( - The current OS of this phone does not support turn by turn GPS. This is being addressed in a patch, to be released before the end of the year.

Pros:
Ease of use
Functionality
Replaces every other gadget

Cons:
NO Turn by Turn GPS (being addressed soon)
Battery Life is a little weak

Just about 1 month of ownership. Synopsis: Going very well December 14, 2009

Reviewer:  J. J. Marino "Geekasaurus Rex"  (Rochester, New York) -

Replaced iPhone:
I got this phone just as it came out. It has been a very amazing phone to say the least. I replaced my iPhone with this. Mostly because ever since AT&T bought Cingular the service has been absolutely horrible. It could be my area but I do live in a semi-large city.

New friend:
The Droid Eris seemed unremarkable on the surface. The screen is a bit smaller and it looked like it would not be all that impressive with regards to the apps. Within the first week I saw it had serious battery issues sprouting up. I will list some tips to circumvent these issues until we get Android 2.0 on the Eris (see below).

Since owning it a while I have completely fallen in love with this phone! It is very light, the OS is super intuitive, and there are several fora out on the web where you can find help and tips for the phone. Being it is an open source operating system and the apps are able to be developed with little or no restriction, I see this phone/OS as a real contender to the iPhone. Dont get me wrong Apple is sure to come out with a new killer phone that will blow us all away, for now it is getting a bit long in the tooth and it is great that there are other options out there for we consumers to go to. I would have stayed with the iPhone if it wasn't for the horrible AT&T service.

For the pro's I am going to mention things that are included with unlimited data package. When you get the unlimited data, select the cheaper one unless you need to connect to your companies email. The 2 data plans do not mention that both are unlimited but they both are, and if your just using the phone for everything but corporate email, choose the cheaper one. Then call Verizon to verify that you have the unlimited. Good thing I did right after I got the phone because the kind person on the other end changed my plan for me and saved me nearly $200 a year.

Pros:
>> The apps are really great. Surfing these on the phone is particularly easy.
>> Google voice search is amazing. I even tried using a silly accent and it still searched google 100% correctly.
>> Pandora - Its like having a personal satellite radio for your car that you pick the music for. Get Pandora free.
>> Good call quality
>> Small thin- form factor
>> Easily customizable
>> Google maps on the fly
>> Standard mini-usb for power, so anything that connects to power via mini USB can be used on this phone. Example my GPS came with a car charger mini-USB so I didnt need to get another cable to charge this in my car. At home I connect it to my laptop via my mini-usb external HD cable. I have yet to plug this into the wall charger.

Cons:
<< As of today (Dec 14) the battery drain issue has not been 100% resolved. This is because the phone does not fully go to sleep (see tips below).
<< Blank screen 5 seconds into call can cause you to hang up by getting the screen back (example when dialing codes).

Tips for ownership:
Until the battery issue is resolved here is how you can save your battery life.
Most battery life:
1) turn on and swipe down to unlock * Hold hang-up button down a few seconds and release * In Phone Options turn Mobile Network off. (this turns off internet and gps connectivity) Your phone is now just a phone but the battery lasts for days instead of hours.
Small battery life boost:
2) when at home use your wireless network to connect via WiFi. Gives a good boost to battery life.
3) Turn screen brightness down to 25%

Overall this phone being so new has some minor issues. If you go out every day and when you come home plug the phone in to charge you will not see any major issues. Its if you forget it overnight then you may see a dead battery in the morning. Verizon and HTC have hinted that sometime mid January Eris will get Android 2.0 which will include turn by turn gps/google maps for free. Right now you can purchase a couple of large and expensive GPS apps for this phone, hold off until next month or so and you should see this built in.

Thank you for reading my review.

Droid Eris Freezing Issues Makes This Phone Useless December 18, 2009

Reviewer:  J. Merrion 

My wife and I bought new phones from Verizon. The Android operating system was the clincher. Its ability to rival many of the features of the iPhone, its open nature and good usability made it an easy choice for us. I bought the Motorola Droid, and my wife bought the HTC Droid Eris. I felt this was a better choice for her less technical inclinations, as HTC has customized the Droid interface to make it more user friendly than Motorola, which used Google's designed interface as-is. The Eris has some nice features, is relatively easy to use and has that iPhone look and feel. It is really thin, and I liked the touchball lighting up for notifications. Once you peel back the HTC customizations, I will say the 1.5 Android OS that came with her phone is not as user friendly as the 2.0 OS that came with my Motorola Droid, and the lack of support currently for GPS voice turn-by-turn directions is a bit of a bummer.

The reason this phone gets two stars is that it currently is deeply flawed. My wife replaced her Eris 3 times at Verizon, and now owns a Motorola Droid. Why? Well, it freezes constantly and you need to pull the battery out and reset it. The battery cover is not as easy to remove as the Droid's either...not necessarily a bad thing as I have had some issues with the Motorola's battery cover coming off when being pulled out of my pocket, but it isn't designed to be pulled out every day. She would have the Eris freeze while on calls or texting, and would have to reset the phone constantly. She returned the phone twice and got a replacement, and by the next day would experience the problem again. Verizon's forums have a good catalog of people recording this issue.

In conclusion, it would be nice to recommend this phone. There is a lot to like, but overall, I can not give it a good rating if it doesn't fulfill the basic need of working.