Pays for itself IMMEDIATELY

I'm about to step on the toes of what I'm sure are the lurking forms of all the iPhone users out there when I say the following (but keep in mind that I say it with complete sincerity, and no animosity):

The iPhone is better than the DROID in the same way that a calculator is better than a desktop computer system.

You can hand an iPhone (calculator) to just about anyone, and they'll be able to figure its intuitive functionality in no time at all. This was proven to me when a friend's daughter took hold of my iPhone and proceeded to show me how she'd mastered it in only ten minutes. Likewise, however, if you give that same six year old a computer, she MAY be able to find the calculator application if she's lucky. Maybe.

That being said, the DROID is a fantastic device, created with powerusers in mind. It may lack a lot of the shiny smooth corners that the iPhone touts, as well as its inherent ease of use, but it more than makes up for these... "shortcomings" with raw power. Compared to the things that the DROID can do (which are only AMPLIFIED by the level of synergy with Google), the iPhone is... well, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Getting to the title of this review, the DROID absolutely does pay for itself almost immediately. Taking advantage of Verizon's New Every Two deal, I was able to get my DROID at the discounted cost, and enjoy all the features it had to offer.

Included in those, of course, was the navigation service (beta), absolutely free.

Already, I've paid for this device. No longer do I have to go and spend $100.00 to $200.00 on a GPS, and then $70.00 or so each year after that to maintain an updated set of maps. Now, I've got a GPS that gets updated whenever Google Maps does. And on that note, I'm stoked to mention that I mentioned my apartment was missing to the Google Maps staff, and within a month, the entire complex was mapped out. Compared with waiting for a YEAR for my complex to MAYBE be added in the next GPS revision, this was absolutely magical.

And that's only ONE SERVICE.

The DROID brings so many more to the table. As does the iPhone, I'll grant you that.

Ultimately, it comes down to taste. Apple boasts something to the effect of over 100,000 apps on the App Store. Compared to whatever number that the Android Marketplace has, I'm sure that Apple has the iPhone beat.

Numerically.

But what does the app count matter when the apps you have don't matter to me, the consumer? Who cares if you have 99 law apps, when I'm not a law student? Who cares if you have 101 dalmations, when I'm a Husky man at heart?

I'm sure you get the picture.

The DROID is an incredible device, very stable, and very elegant. Again, it DOES lack the curves of the iPhone, but it's most definitely not lacking its own inherent sense of beauty and elegance. There was definitely a lot of thought put into the design of the DROID, and the only part of the phone that really brings me a cause for pause is the "chin". I don't really get that, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

Back to the stability issue: I owned an iPhone for four months. In those four months, my iPhone was constantly crashing, taking upwards of five minutes to start up, and I'd constantly have to reload my apps. With the DROID, I've loaded each app once, and they've remained intact the entire time I've had the phone.

Integration with other services. Major plus here.

In addition to pulling contacts from my Gmail account, the DROID goes and takes it a step further: it siphons contacts from my Facebook account. I was more than just a little amused when I had one of my friends text me outta the blue (first time ever).

Person: Hey, Terrance, it's me, Person.
Me: I know.
Person: How do you know, are you stalking me or something?
Me: No, but apparently my phone is.

...Maybe you just had to have been there, but it was incredible to actually have their face from their Facebook account displayed next to their name in the MMS, when I'd never texted or talked with them via phone prior to that.

They even let you replace the generic home app with another app of your choice to replace how your DROID experience is, well... experienced. Everything on the phone can be replaced with another app of your choice. The only limit is the developers' imaginations.

The only real problem that I've encountered with the DROID is with connectivity. I'll switch on Wi-Fi, and it'll show that it's connected, but I won't be able to browse the web or download apps or anything else involving any sort of connection. Disabling Wi-Fi and then re-enabling it will solve this every time, but it's a problem they should address with some haste, I think.

In the end, the DROID is, again, a solid device. A beautiful device. An elegant device that blurs the line between... well, just about everything. If you've got a contract with any non-Verizon carrier, wait it out, then jump ship. If you're with Verizon, you know what you have to do.