Is this a winner for Microsoft?  At this point, who knows?  WP7 phones won't be available until late 2010.  I believe it is not too late for Microsoft to be a viable player in the smartphone market.  Apple has yet to monopolize the market in the way that Microsoft did with desktop Windows, and it appears that Apple's competitors are finally getting organized (Android, Open Handset Alliance, Palm webOS, Flash 10.1, etc.).  With that said, I've seen this scenario before: a company demos some brilliant technology only to epically fail to market the product.

A lot can happen between now and the 2010 holiday season.  If Microsoft can execute what was demonstrated today, and Apple doesn't re-revolutionize the iPhone between then and now, Microsoft might have a chance to get back into the game.

I guess the lesson learned here is: you have to advertise your products!  Apple and Motorola/Verizon inundated television with commercials for their phones.  Google’s marketing plan so far is to have text and image ads all over the web via Google AdWords/AdSense.  Combine the lack of television advertising with the fact that you can only purchase the Nexus One through Google.com, and you have a recipe for disaster.  You can go to any Apple or AT&T store and hold an iPhone in your hands, or you can visit the Verizon store for a demo of the Droid.  Being able to actually use an expensive product before purchase means a lot.  Not to mention that stores and salespeople have a vested interest in making you buy their phone.  When Verizon or AT&T gets you in their store, they can do the hard sell, and they can up-sell you service plans and accessories.  When you go to google.com/phone, you will see an awesome demo of the Nexus One, but all you have to do is close your browser when you've had enough.

Selling consumer electronics is not like launching Google Maps.  The Nexus One can’t be in ‘beta’ for 3 years.  If Google search goes down, so what?  Users will switch over to Yahoo! or Bing.  If a user’s Nexus One locks up, they are going to want immediate customer service.  When you shell out a couple hundred bucks for a phone and it doesn’t work, you’re not going to be too pleased with searching a support forum for answers.

Unless Google finds a partner to help them sell and service the Nexus One (T-Mobile is the Nexus One network, but they don’t provide customer sales or support), the Motorola Droid will continue to be the Android top dog (until the next big think comes along in about 10 minutes ).

Kaypro Portable Computer

I used to think that nostalgia was something old people felt when they heard a replay of Amos & Andy radio plays, but my generation, which is not so young anymore, can get misty-eyed about 8-bit Nintendo and the IBM PS/2 Model 25.  Case in point, The DigiBarn Computer Museum contains some of the coolest old computers, and I can spend hours reminiscing on that site.  "A Kaypro portable!  NO WAY!"   Remember the original Cray supercomputer?  I have more computing power in my digital digital watch than the original Cray!

This is a wonderful time for technology.  Competition is driving innovation up and keeping prices down, and we're finally seeing some Star Trek tech come to life.  My Garmin sweetly guides me home, speaking to me in dulcet tones, "In 300 feet, stay left on State Road 417..."  My Droid listens to music and identifies the song.  It tracks my progress while I walk the dog and maps it on Google maps.  I can virtually fly over New York City and zoom in on my old apartment building in 3D using Bing maps, or I can just view the streets from eye level using Google Street View.  I can set my phaser on maximum and vaporize my enemies with just a push of a button!  Well, maybe some day.  For now, I'll have to settle for using the Droid to scan bar-codes, translate my spoken words into foreign languages, and doing visual searches on the web with the camera.  Still, vaporizing my enemies...***sigh ***

I have noticed that some people never negatively criticize something they have purchased, a sports team they follow, or anything on which they have spent money, time, or energy.  I assume that they subconsciously feel that their choice of purchase reflects on them to a very large degree.  Not me.  I'll tell you straight up that I purchased a Chrysler PT Cruiser in 2002, and it was the biggest piece of crap that I've ever owned, but others would never admit it.  They would defend the Cruiser and tell you how great it is despite their deep hatred for the car.    This mentality is completely foreign to me.  What's the use of being alive if you can't complain about living?!

If you are a regular reader of BackingIn, you know that I'm a Microsoft enthusiast, but don't get me started on how much I hate Microsoft Outlook.  I live for the New York Mets, but I could do a thesis on why they suck out loud.  I bought a 2009Volkswagen Rabbit, and it is a great car, but it gets horrendous gas mileage and the fit and finish are sub-par.   I own a Motorola Droid, and it is way cool, but rest assured, I will give you a true assessment of it below.

A Quick Motorola Droid Review

The Motorola Droid is an Android-based smartphone sold by Verizon Wireless.  The Droid has many features not found on the Apple iPhone, its main competitor.

• Physical keyboard
• User-replaceable battery
• SD Memory card
• Multitasking
• LED Flash for Camera
• Open application development
• Widgets
• Verizon Wireless
• Support for Adobe Flash 10.1 (to be released Q1 2010)

It is because of the above features that I chose the Droid.  Well, that and the girl who sold me the phone at the Verizon kiosk was super-cute.  After almost two months of ownership, I still love my Droid.  The phone sound quality is excellent.  I have experienced no dropped calls, and the 3G coverage is  omnipresent.  Web browsing is fast and seamless.  The onscreen keyboard is as easy to use as a touchscreen keyboard can be.  I especially like the predictive text feature.  The hardware feels solid and well built.  Battery life has been excellent so far.  There are over 20,000 apps available for the Android operating system that runs the Droid, and you can find almost everything that you want in the Android Market application store.  Almost everything.  And that brings me to the fun part.  The negatives:

• Applications.  Unlike a Windows Mobile phone, where Mobile Office is included, the Droid does not come with an application that can create or edit Office documents.  There are applications that you can purchase from the Market that will give you edit capability, but the phone should come with Office compatibility.  Also, unlike a Windows phone, the Droid does not make it easy to sync with Outlook.   You can't even access Google Docs from the Droid or any Android phone.  Google made Android!  What's up with that?
• Applications, part II.  There are thousands of Android apps for the Droid, and the fact that the iPhone has over 100 thousand apps is no big deal.  The number of apps is way less important than the availability of the apps that you want.  Most companies are not going to develop separate apps for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre, etc.  They are going to produce an iPhone app and maybe a Blackberry version.  Hopefully this will change with Android and other smartphone operating systems pledging Flash support.
• Touchscreen feel.  The Droid has a very good touchscreen, but there is a slight delay from when you touch and drag your finger across the screen to when the interface begins to move.  It is not as smooth as the iPhone (or the Nexus One, so I'm told).
• Camera.  The camera takes way to long to focus and snap a picture.  The wait time between photos is long as well.  Photo quality is good for a cell phone, but flash photo quality if very low.
• Stability.  I have had to pull the battery out of the Droid about 4 times to fix problems.  Three times the phone was locked up, and recently, it lost all data connectivity.  Pulling the battery fixed the issues, but the lack of OS stability is troubling.  The Android 2.1 update is due for the Droid, but no date has been given.

All in all, I recommend the Motorola Droid.  Despite its shortcomings, many of which will hopefully be fixed by future software updates, it is the best smartphone on the market.  The Google Nexus One has a better screen and faster processor, but it remains to be seen if Google can service a consumer electronics product effectively.  The iPhone has the apps and the accessories, but it lacks many important features and is tied to iTunes and Apple censorship.  The Palm Pre has received glowing reviews, but will Palm survive 2010?  To paraphrase the great Obi Wan, "These are the Droids you're looking for."

Google will really blow the wind out of Motorola’s sales with the Nexus One.  The Nexus One is thinner, faster, and has a better screen than the Droid (and the iPhone!).  Nexus also has specific hardware and software features like 3D and voice to text for all input fields.  Not to mention, that when people think about the iPhone’s biggest competition from now on, it will be the Nexus One.

This always happens to me.  I purchased a 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit (AKA Golf). I really wanted a Mazda3, but Mazda was going to release a new generation Mazda3 in 2010, and I didn’t what to have an ‘old’ car after just a year.  I read on car blogs that Volkswagen takes a long time between introducing new models, and the next Rabbit wasn’t due for at least a couple of years.  I even asked the dealer (after I bought the car), and he said we wouldn’t see the next generation Rabbit for a few years.  Eight months after I purchased the Rabbit, VW introduced the next generation 2010 Golf (they  dropped the Rabbit name and went back to Golf).  It isn’t so bad.  The new version looks pretty much like mine, but it gets better mileage, and the interior noise has been reduced.

I’m not buying a new car, but maybe I can upgrade somehow to the Verizon version of the Nexus One that’s due in the Spring.  I could just learn to live with it and enjoy what I have…naaaaah!  That’s not going to happen.

I upgraded to first class for my trip from a windy Newark Liberty International airport.  It only cost me $60!  With the delays caused by the high winds and the extra volume of holiday travelers, I was so glad to be able to get on (and off) the plane first, enjoy a wide seat, and get (as it turns out) really good food and drinks.  As I settled into my 3rd row seat, the flight attendant asked me if I would trade seats with a woman in the first row bulkhead.  There are no seats in front of the seats in the bulkhead row, so the woman in question had to put her case in the overhead.  She had special medical issues, and she needed to be able to access her carry-on during the flight.  Being the good sport that I am, I agreed and traded with her.  I think the whole 'special medical needs' was just a ruse to get away from that guy.

Trying to get situated in the cramped confines of the too small Boeing 737, I had to pass by that guy a number of times on my way to and from my window seat.  I had to put my bag in the overhead, then I forgot something and had to pull it out, etc.  Each time I passed by, that guy shot me the evil eye and took his sweet time moving his penny loafers out of my way.  Don't get me wrong, I hate to be disturbed on a flight as much as anybody, but I was moving so the 'gravely ill' passenger could get her precious under seat storage.  Get over it, dude!

OK, so we're getting ready to take off after about an hour and half delay.  "Turn off your electronic devices...", demanded the flight crew.  I switched off my phone and my mp3 player.  I even shut off my noise canceling headphones.  That guy, who had been texting throughout the boarding process, continued to text away what I'm sure was very important messages to very important people.  Now my blood is boiling.  I guess the rules don't apply to you, I thought.  You're special because you have an un-tucked Polo shirt, designer jeans, and brown loafers with no socks.  Perhaps your special privileges come from the power in your neatly trimmed, pencil thin, facial hair?  Nah, it's probably you're 'my s**t don't stink expression' on your face that makes it OK for you to do whatever you want.

The whole 'no electrics during takeoff and landing' is ridiculous, in my opinion.  In "Episode 49: Cellphones on Planes and Helium Raft," the Discovery Channel show, Mythbusters,  tested the dangers of using cell phones and other electronics on board an aircraft and found no danger using them on modern airliners  To be on the safe side, the FAA still enforces the ban on electronics.  These rules are to be followed by all.  Even if you watch the Golf Channel on the first class LCD for the entire flight and drink Vodka and Diet Sprites all flight long, you still need to follow the rules like the rest of us slobs.  Cellphone, texting, iPod Touching...this guy did it all.  Maybe I should have confronted him or ratted him out to the flight attendants, but I just don't think it causes any real harm.  In retrospect, I should have said something.  It just ticks me off when people feel they are entitled to live above the rules that the rest of us have to obey.  As we exited the plane, that guy was back on his phone texting, completely oblivious to those around him trying to pass.  A more immature man would have intentionally given him a shoulder bump on the way out towards the terminal, but I am much more sophisticated to ever do something like that.

Now home in Florida, it was time to unpack, tidy up, and return to reality.  I collected up some trash and walked over to the compactor.  I opened the door to the trash compactor and was confronted by a masked bandit stealing our garbage.  I thought New York City rats were brazen, but this raccoon didn't move an inch.  I, on the other hand, jumped back and yelped like a little girl.   I'm glad the animal didn't lunge for my throat because the man standing 20 yards from me speaking on his cellphone didn't seem to notice that a small woodland creature had setup home in our garbage, and that a grown man was jumping up and down with a bag of trash in his hand.  I couldn't persuade the little rascal away from his meal of piazza crusts and what appeared to be some sort of bean dip, so I left the bag of trash by the curb, closed the door and went home.  I still would have preferred to sit next to the raccoon on the flight instead of that guy.

Can't believe somebody threw that away...delicious!