Motorola DROID PRO

Available now
6th October 2010

Two of the best features of the new Motorola DROID 2 are the display and keyboard, so when Motorola announce a handset called the Motorola DROID PRO, it comes as a surprise to see that these two desirable features have been downgraded.

Gone is the glorious 3.7" 480 x 854 pixel panel on the DROID, replaced with a 3.1" 320 x 480 pixel display instead. Although both the DROID 2 and DROID PRO have a QWERTY keyboard, the PRO comes with a considerably more cramped BlackBerry style arrangement. Although underneath the DROID PRO is a very powerful device, these changes seem confusing when compared with Motorola's other DROID offerings.

So what is going on? Well, the answer is probably something to do with the fact that Motorola don't control the DROID brand.. Verizon do. So, Verizon simply name their Android handsets (not all of which are from Motorola) as whatever fits in with Verizon's range, rather than the manufacturer's. But the "PRO" tag might not be so silly when you look more deeply.

If you can live with the display and keyboard, then the DROID PRO is a powerful device underneath. Sporting a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of integrated Flash memory and the Android 2.2 operating system, it is pretty clear that the DROID PRO is a very speedy Android device that is highly competitive.

Most Verizon phones only run on the CDMA network. What makes the DROID PRO different, and what probably gives it the "PRO" moniker, is that this smartphone supports both Verizon's CDMA networks and GSM/UMTS networks found in the rest of the world. One weakness that Verizon has with its handset range is that CDMA phones work in very few places outside the US, but the DROID PRO is capable of going pretty much anywhere with quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS 850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz support.

On the back is a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash, inside is a 1420 mAh battery as standard giving around 7 hours talktime and 13 days standby time on whichever network you are using. An 1860 mAh extended cell is available too, presumably giving 30% more battery life.

Android 2.2 is pretty familiar these days, basically the DROID PRO can do anything that any other Android phone can do, and that includes integration with corporate email and VPN systems, plus compatibility with Microsoft Office documents. Unusually for recent Motorola handset, the DROID PRO does not support MOTOBLUR, but it does come with some Verizon tools for managing data and contacts instead.

The DROID PRO also comes with WiFi, GPS and Google Maps Navigation. Frequent travellers may want to download a standalone satellite navigation package if they roam abroad a lot, as Google's offering can be very expensive if you are not on your home network.

Verizon and Motorola say that the DROID PRO should be available this quarter, although no guidance was given on pricing at the time of going to press.