Is the Motorola Droid ugly?

Humans are essentially post-rationalizers.

We go off into the world and do things and then work out reasons why we've done them in order to create some sense of, well, order in the mess that we continually create. We claim that the reasons we have for doing as we do are good. But how good are they really?

Which is why I wonder what will happen when people come face to face with Verizon's new Motorola Droid.

I have been staring at CNET's pictures of the smartphone. I have scoured the Web for pieces of footage. To the point at which I have even watched the only tech reporter in Indiana, yes, Indiana, to have successfully wrapped his fingers around it describe in some detail what advantages it might have over the iPhone. (I have embedded this lovely piece of film.)

The gentleman talks about power and megapixels. He talks about memory and search and operating systems. But there is one thing he fails to mention, something I fear may be vitally important. He doesn't say that it's pretty.

Perhaps it's my sense that we humans are, in the depths of our being, not merely post-rationalizers but terribly superficial. However, I'm concerned that the Droid isn't cute.

I know you'll tell me phones aren't supposed to be cute. They're supposed to be fabulously functional devices that liberate you from your daily grind.

And I will tell you that if the iPhone wasn't such a fabulously pretty little thing, they wouldn't even sell a tenth of the number they have.

I will also whisper that the Droid talked revolution in its initial ad--the one in which it tossed a little snake juice at the iPhone.

Yet it doesn't look revolutionary. Just as Che and Fidel had to have beards in order to lead revolts, shouldn't a revolutionary phone look a little less like, well, other phones?

These are merely fears. Images often lie. Perhaps, when one espies this new device and takes it into one's palms, they will sweat uncontrollably as it radiates a charm that has not yet been exposed by lenses.

Yet right now the Droid feels utilitarian rather than breakthrough. It seems to have all the sex appeal of a middle manager.

It's not necessarily right that the world should be this way. But humans are who we are--ridiculously susceptible to the surface pleasure.

And satisfying that pleasure can, ironically, often be the hardest trick of all.

[nonicks]

When you a Apple Fanboy... you don't have the ability to see the goodness in anything other than what apple dumped on you..

So it's not your fault Chris..

take it easy..

To the most liberated masses... Droid looks a very elegant finished product.



enJoY
....

[bctexas]

When you are an "anything but apple" fanboy that for some reason despises apple and everything they make for some misguided rebellious reason, then you will think that anything that anyone makes is "elegant and finished", even when it is obvious that it may be chock full of goodies, but not as user friendly and, .....as you say, elegant as something as complete as the iPhone.

enJoY ;)

[slickuser]

Motorola is not a Chinese company to copy iPhone exactly. They had to tweak it little bit but it didn't
comeout nicely... How many more iPhone alike designs are we going to see?

[nonicks]

When you are a Apple Fanboy... you don't have the ability to see the goodness in anything other than what apple dumped on you..

So it's not your fault Chris..

take it easy..

To the most liberated masses... Droid looks a very elegant finished product.



enJoY
....

[cvaldes1831]

You're right. Motorola Droid scores very low on the chick appeal meter. This is a sausagephone.

[odubtaig]

I thought it looked more like a Pop Tart.

[karpenterskids]

I agree. Pop Tart looks about right.

[PhaseDMA]

Since when is a phone a fashion statement? Well I suppose they are, but they become fashion statements because of their functionality - Not their looks.

[Deodato253]

So it has a full keyboard. Part the selling point for me was that it didn't unfold and looked like an HTC phone. That and iTunes, Apps and amazing multimedia. That's Google, Palm, RIM, and Motorola. It's 4-0 in Apple's favor. Anyone else?

[dougbugl]

so it's ugly, isn't that a unique feature in it's own right? So it's got a big flat front screen and a slide out keyboard so all you have is the back, sides and corners to make 'pretty'. If they rounded it off a little more on the corners and sides then it'd feel and look like the iPhone with a keyboard and labeled a copy-cat. If the rounded it even more then it would be called a Pre with they keyboard sliding lengthwise instead on end and once again a copy-cat.

so what you might call ugly is in fact unique and does not look like every other phone and who cares anyways if it did? It is what it does inside and on that big flat screen and keyboard which is what matters. Well, unless one has an agenda to dis the product because they have a connection with one of the existing products. maybe that's it?

Give me ugly and massively functional any day of the week and sell the beautifying sleeves to those who want a pretty outside cover. I see most iPhones in protective covers anyways.

[Renderman2009]

A mobile phone is a lifestyle object - you carry it everywhere with you. Style-conscious individuals will no doubt be embarrass using an ugly phone. I think the name Droid is ugly enough, what was Google thinking naming the OS Android? Are they only trying to target teenage male demographics?

[odubtaig]

They should have called it Numanoid. Much more stylish.

[Devo2011]

But you do agree it's ugly. The point is given to the author. A quick analogy if I may; I don't care how much someone wants to do for me, if there is no attraction a relationship is out of the question.

[AppleSuxLeo]

The screen is what people notice , and with it`s bigger screen with TWICE THE PIXELS , it makes the iPhone blush.

[Perry_Clease]

"Yet right now the Droid feels utilitarian rather than breakthrough. It seems to have all the sex appeal of a middle manager."

Designed by geeks for geeks perhaps? Doesn't mean that it is a bad phone. Hell right out of the box it can take any MP3 and turn it into a ringtone, a deal maker if there ever was one. :)

[shane--2008]

yeah, that is a real selling point. if you are a tween american idol fan and you want your bff to play some crappy remake of once great music when she calls to tell you about the totally hot guy in math.

i pray you are being sarcastic, because if not that is the single most pathetic post i have ever read....

[Perry_Clease]

"i pray you are being sarcastic,"

Yes, it was a snark on applesuxleo who made the Droid ringtone statement in a recent story about the iPhone

I am serious that being utilitarian looking does not make for the Droid a bad phone.

[docster87]

With Garage Band (OSX only app) and iTunes I can take any mp3 and make my own ring tone for my iPhone...

[Magicland]

The Tmobile Dash that I've had since long before there WAS an iphone can USE any mp3 as a ringtone, no app necessary. It "just works".

[AppleSuxLeo]

Android lets you make an mp3 ring tone right on the phone. Why do you need to use a computer ???

[dennisheadley]

I am a Samsung Omnia on Verizon and I have to say that yes it is ugly. I was looking forward to it to get away from a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone to something with Android but I am going to have to hope that something better comes out or go with the other Android phone the Eris which looks better to me.

[Super2online]

Samsung will release WinMo 6.5 upgrades for the Omnia II i800, OmniaPRO B7320, and OmniaPRO B7610 later this year if this happens to be one of the phones you own.

[yours_truly_michael]

I agree, the iPhone lacks so mmany of the features the DROID has. Especially with the hardware comparison, the iPhone is way behind, DROID needs nothing more to sell itself, but there are reviews comparing the DROID to a Mercedes, I'm not kidding, google it.

[Prince2k3]

You exaggerate the Droids hardware specs its nearly identical to iphones 3gs specs. Plus if other Andriod phones couldn't knock the iphone what makes you think this will? Andriod 2.0 still doesn't use multi touch so it will never match the iphone until they do.

[blackspyder1]

ehem. It has multitouch. Currently only the keyboard is using it due to 2.0 just coming out. Other apps have yet to catch up.

[Spartan_458]

I actually think it's quite nice-looking. Sure, it isn't a shiny fingerprint magnet like the iPhone is, but I think it has appeal. It's still a simple design. And isn't the iPhone rather utilitarian in design? It isn't anything special, besides being shiny and having rounded corners. Really, who cares?

[jlopezcnet]

I am not saying this because I own a couple of macs and an iPhone. I say this objectively: The droid is not sexy, CDMA is not sexy, and Verizon's pricetag for a phone that for all intents and purposes has an OS with "incomplete features" is not sexy. Android really is not sexy with it's widgets all over the place. It feels like linux with way too much customization to the point where you spend half your time customizing it to look like and work like another OS.... (usually windows or mac)

[blackspyder1]

too much customization? And that is a problem? Then don't customize if you don't want to. Don't use widgets. have your simple phone......but it is NOT an issue.

[MrReason]

Very possible. It's a dog in looks and that will certainly affect its sales for many people. In my opinion, where most companies are failing to compete with the iPhone is in form factor (not as thin), slide-out key pads that contribute to that thickness, lack of multi-touch screens. Microsoft failed miserably by not taking just those points into account and Android may be following suit. Most people want slick (thin) devices. I would love to leave Apple because of its cockiness and heavy handedness in just about everything it does, but that other perfect product that might actually attract me away from my iPhone looks like it is still years away.

[Spartan_458]

If you're worried about having something that's slim, the Droid is nearly the same thickness as the iPhone. There goes the majority of your argument.

[blackspyder1]

Also supports multitouch. Only the keyboard for now, but other apps will catch up.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha !!!!!!! lol
Cnet is clearly apple biased.

[jlopezcnet]

CNET is *NOT* apple biased. If anything they are Microsoft biased. This guy in particular. I think he writes good articles as does Ina Fried but they are pretty typical of what you would expect to see coming from CNET.

Have you really looked at the droid? It's not polished and it lacks many apps that the iPhone has. People make the comment that the apps are mostly crap - well why is it I have over 80+ apps on my phone? We are not just talking the ones that are functional like ordering pizza on my phone or reading books on my phone. What about ordering from Target? What about ordering a chipotle burrito and picking it up when you arrive? Can you do that on the Android?

How about the games? I have a whole page just devoted to games and they are always running specials. I've gotten some good RPGs like Zenonia for $2.99. Bejeweled, Star Wars, Spore, WoW wiki, Wikipedia, Joost, TV.Com, Comcast tv listings.

I actually USE these apps and I can tell you my friends with the droid don't have anything close to these types of apps. Do you honestly think Verizon is going to let people buy apps outside of their own Verizon store? History has shown that Verizon would rather lock you into buying apps in their Verizon online store (Motorola Q) than buying from third party. Sure you can install them anyway but good luck getting them to support you if something goes wrong. When my Moto Q died they blamed the Agile Mobile App. To think I had to actually PAY for something basic like an instant message program.

[cvaldes1831]

Cnet is not Microsoft, nor Google, nor Yahoo, nor Apple, nor Facebook, nor Twitter biased.

They worship the Almighty Pageview.

Okay, maybe they are a little Twitter biased.

[kewell82]

jlopezcnet, I am confused. You say your friends have a droid and yet it is not released until Nov. 6 2009, which is in a week. So how the freak can you compare apps with the droid if it is not released yet. Well now your comment is void.

[Magicland]

cnet is exceptionally apple biased. Aside from that, jlopezcnet, you ARE aware that there are apps available for other systems than the iphone, right? Other systems had them first, and have MORE apps than the iphone, AND you don't have to buy them from crapple either...

[Agrainofsalt]

@ jlopezcnet

"What about ordering a chipotle burrito and picking it up when you arrive? Can you do that on the Android?"

There's an app for that. It's called "telephone." This app allows you to dial a number and speak to a person on the other end. Assuming Chipotle Burrito has that "app" I'm sure you can "phone" them and put in an order. I may be wrong.

BTW, I agree with Chris's comments. Apple's key to success with all its products is to combine usability with beauty. Other companies are just waking up to this; except Motorola.

[No Man]

THANK YOU! My first thought seeing the the Droid was, "There is no way that ugly monstrosity is an iPhone killer." The thing looks like five year old technology straight out of the box. Sure it's got great hardware and features. But the iPhone gained its marketshare from college students and young professionals looking over each other's shoulders and saying to themselves, "That is the slickest little gadget I have ever seen. I MUST own it." No one is going to say that about a Droid. It's going to sit on the shelf next to a vast array of boring, slideout keypad phones and be completely ignored by the stylish masses with disposable income and an insatiable thirst for chic gadgets.

[dennisheadley]

Exactly my thoughts on it. We talked about this in the office yesterday and not one person out of the 23 people there thought that this phone was attractive or considered it a got to have it device. We all have Windows Mobile phones on Verizon as our work phones and most of us have smartphones as our personal phones also so we were kind looking forward to the great Droid announcement. We came away actually thinking the Eris was the better phone of the two, or the LG Android slider that was announced yesterday too. More of us were interested in that coming to Verizon than in this phone.

[shane--2008]

and and and..... um.... the droid has a full keyboard! yeah! that is important! andandand.... a flash!

look, i am sure it will sell, and i am sure the iPhone will out sell it, and i am sure there will be people who hate the iPhone just because it is made by Apple and i am sure there are people who will hate the droid because it isn't.

but the fact is, a flash and a bigger camera rez are nothing to be impressed by. if you like the droid, you should be glad Apple made a phone that is making the other handset makers get their $hit together. and if you like the iPhone you better pray someone makes competition for it soon to keep Apple advancing the ball, 'cause right now there is none. I hope this phone proves to do that job, but it looks like a typical handset maker POS from this video.

[bctexas]

Everything in your comment is basically spot on. I would love a higher resolution camera in my iPhone, but it's not a necessity for me. If I want to take high res pics, then I'll use this other device I own called a,.........wait for it,.......DIGITAL CAMERA. A camera in a phone is simply for taking what I'd like to call "pics of opportunity". Like if you see some girl with a great a$$ and you want to show a friend, or a pic of your daughter doing something cute, or if you see some insanely huge fat woman with no shoes walking around the Texas state fair like I did a couple of weeks ago and you want to post it on your facebook,...... THAT IS WHAT A CELLPHONE CAMERA IS FOR.

With that being said, a flash would be nice in the iPhone, but I'm sure apple will get around to it some day, I'm in no big hurry for it.

[davidmcelroy_dotmac]

It's funny to me that so many people who don't "get" good design scoff and talk about how it's all about whether something is "cute" or not. Great design isn't about being cute (although that sometimes comes along for the ride, in SOME designs). Great design is hard to explain, just like great art is hard to define. But for anyone with a strong esthetic bent, the iPhone looks as though it was design by an excellent industrial designer. The Droid looks as though it was designed by a committee, each of which had a different concern. There are some people for whom that's not an issue, and they'll enjoy the phone just fine. For many others of us, though, we prefer something with great design instead of something that's a series of compromises. I honestly don't care which people choose. But it does get old when people who truly don't understand esthetics disparage art that they obviously don't understand.

[shane--2008]

well said.

[disneybob]

Yes, well said. My wife and I are torn between the Android (because we already have Verizon) and the iPhone. I've always considered myself to be a practical guy, with functionality trumping design. But I just can't shake the fact that, to me, the iPhone looks so much nicer than the Droid.

[jpoirier587]

here let me help you, i know exactly how to describe whether something has bad or good design. take one hundred people show them a picture of the droid and ask them if they like the design. if most of them say no (and they will because this thing is ugly as sin) you know its bad design and vice versa. simple. your welcome.

by the way i find your elitist attitude that people don't "get" good design obnoxious. good design is what is pleasing to the eye, so everyone who isn't blind understands design whether they know it or not. they may not be able to create it but they certainly know good from bad.

[vipeezy]

What makes the iPhone a better looking phone than the droid? I personally think the Droid is very good looking phone. The quality of the phone is leaps above an iPhone. It may not have the mass appeal of an iPhone, but I think that will all change in time. The Droid is going be a big phone for Verizon and Android. I personally have an HTC Hero and love it. Came from having an iPhone for the last 2.5 years. I can happily say that I am over the iPhone.

[tektaktyks]

Are you?

[vipeezy]

Most definitely!!!

[danlips]

To me this thing looks slick well almost I'm not digging the gold but hey I'll be getting one anyway. Oh and am I the only one who thinks the iPhone is ugly? The 3gs is horrid it looks like and older model of a car. The iPhone needs more threats so that they will actually upgrade the device. The 3gs isn't much of an upgrade and hopefully the droid will cause apple to do something better with the device next year.

[vipeezy]

I am with you on your comment! hopefully Apple makes some major changes for next June!

[MrReason]

You clearly are one of the few who thinks the iPhone is ugly. I never hear that. I agree that the 3GS is only a marginal upgrade from the 3G. I also agree that competition is good and that will make Apple work harder on the next version of the phone and hopefully on its hardware which frankly is only mid-level. It needs a much better camera, extended battery life, mini-sd card slot, higher resolution LED screen, etc. etc., but as of now (and I haven't seen the droid) it still has by far the best and slickest OS, internet browser and built in email client. It's not just about a sexy exterior, it has by far the best OS and software. Just like I wouldn't buy an ugly phone, I wouldn't buy a great looking phone whose OS and software wasn't on a par with the iPhone.

[Devo2011]

You could call it simple, but to call the iPhone ugly is just weird. It's just a square, a beautfiul square that makes me happy. Sometimes less is more, but I do look forward to seeing how they change it eventually. Apple should change soon, but I feel they may wait for the exclusivity to expire before a remodel. Cross those fingers.

[chrisx1]

DROID is DROID. That's the way it is.
Sexier-looking Android 2.0 phone hardware will be available on upcomng models.

[jlambeth1]

I agree with the one post I read yesterday. The post said something like how often do you sit around and stare at your phone? I, personally, never sit around looking at my phone admiring its looks. I want a phone that does everything I ask of it and how the phone looks doesn't really matter to me. I just want it to be a good size and be comfortable to hold and use.

[kewell82]

Amen.

[tekwiz4u]

The DROID looks like a modded out phone, AND THAT IS WHAT I LIKE!!!

Give me speed, power, and a REPLACEABLE battery!!

Looks always give a false image. The iPhone is pretty... but I'm going to bet top dollar substance counts, and that's what the DROID brings to the table.

[davidmcelroy_dotmac]

This is why competitors keep underestimating the iPhone. They think (as you seem to) that design is mostly about being "pretty." It's not. It's the complete package of good usability decisions. In many cases, good design requires you to make a choice -- and commit to that choice, one way or the other. In a mobile device, the keyboard is an excellent example. You can make a total decision to base your device around a physical keyboard and build a good device. OR you can make a total decision to base the device around a virtual keyboard (and forego the physical keyboard) and build a good device. Either choice is defensible. What is NOT defensible is trying to be all things to all people -- trying to have a touchscreen because that's the hot thing AND having a physical keyboard because that's what SOME people demand. Apple is good at taking a stand on such questions. Their choices aren't right for ALL PEOPLE, but they have the guts to make a decision and stick to it -- instead of trying to be all things to all people, which is what is hurting RIM since they were stupid enough to build the Storm in order to chase a different market segment. Android's usability will be hurt (with normal, typical users) by the geeky "modded out" aspects that you (and some other geeks) want. For a certain market segment, that will prove popular. For a HUGE segment of the population, it's like buying a complicated Swiss army knife to cut butter with. The iPhone is a brilliant design success mostly because of the things that Apple has the guts to leave out -- mostly stuff that geeks and reviewers beg them to add. A good designer lives and dies by the courage of his convictions. So far, the iPhone is doing very, very well because of the choices the Jobs, Ive, and Co. have made. And I think it will continue to do well. But it's nice that the people who want a phone to be more like something out of Transformers have the choice of the Droid.

[tekwiz4u]

@david

Your arguement proves the difference between people who choose asthetics then sensability. As i stated bluntly, the iPhone is not my choice for a cell phone. Although its a fact that Apple brought forth to all of us about how a phone SHOULD work, it doesn't mean its the ONLY way it can work. Apple has its own philosophical caveats on why it change its design and function. But after 3 years since the iPhone debut, there are iPhone users that STILL have things on their 'wish list' for it. Maybe in the long run, their voices will be heard....if Apple chooses to. The DROID just brings those forward in a different style, and in the now.