When the original Motorola Droid charged into the smartphone world, it shook things up.
The Droid's arrival was notable not because it was an extraordinarily kickass phone, but because it was the first serious Android-powered challenger able to stand up against the market-dominating iPhone. Plus, the fact it worked on Verizon gave it better network performance and better call reception than all those iPhones stranded on AT&T, and the physical keyboard made it the more appealing choice for thumb-jockeys eager to ditch their BlackBerries.
The Droid 2 improved on the platform, with a better keyboard and faster guts.
But in its latest incarnation, the Droid 3, Motorola's marquee smartphone really shines. The handset, which runs Android Gingerbread, is equally suited for work or play, with a larger screen, an even better keyboard and enough brawn to give you a satisfying experience across a variety of apps and games, including those using Flash. It only runs on Verizon's 3G network – no 4G LTE for this guy – but can manage most streaming services.
The Droid 3 sticks with the line's signature squared-off silhouette, but it's bigger: a luxuriously large capacitive qHD touchscreen – four inches this time around, and covered in Gorilla Glass – tops off the moderately bulky 0.5-inch-thick case. It looks slicker than the older Droids. The chrome ledge at the bottom is less-prominent compared to past models.
Of course, the Droid 3 has the slide-out QWERTY keyboard with the familiar, slightly raised keys of the Droid 2. This time, there's the added convenience of a row of numerical keys along the top. The sliding mechanism feels solid, finishing with a satisfying click upon opening or closing, but it's not as snappy as those of other handsets. There's a notable, but not problematic, resistance to the action.