Introduction

The phone also has pre-loaded applications like NFL Mobile, Need for Speed Shift, Skype Mobile, Blockbuster On Demand, a Kindle feature and a handful of integrated Google services.

The Droid 2 has a little bit of the Droid X in its storage capacity, which can grow to a massive 40-gigabytes, and its ability to act as a 3G mobile hotspot for up to five other devices. It has a bit of the first Droid in it, too, in that it still has a 5.0-megapixel camera, something a few newer Droids have moved past.

The device has room for a lot of features and already comes with some nifty tricks up its sleeve. But consumers will have to decide if those features are worth taking on the phone's bulky design or worth shunning the better camera on the Droid X and Droid Incredible.

Design

Those afraid of typing important texts or emails one finger poke at a time on a touch screen will be relieved to see the Droid 2 is a slider model with a full keyboard. Because the QWERTY keyboard slides out of the left side of the phone, there's more room for keys than is available on keypad/touch screen combination phones like the Palm Pre and new BlackBerry Torch.

The keys aren't raised much, though, and the top row of keys is close to the side of the phone, which means thumbs bump against the side of the phone often when using the top row of keys.

The Droid 2 also has touch screen options, including a virtual keypad, and the same Swype predictive-text technology available on the Droid X. Users can also tap the screen to make selections, zoom in or out, and flip between seven screen panels. A thin bar of menu, home, back and search keys is located below the 3.7-inch screen, which is trimmed with black and framed in silver.

The back of the phone has the flash and lens for the 5.0-megapixel camera, and a 3.5 mm headset jack and power button are located atop the phone. The left side has a micro-USB port and the right side has volume keys and a camera key.

The Droid 2 is just as bulky as the Droid X without the advantage of the Droid X's 4.3-inch screen. It's also thicker and heavier than the Droid X, as well as the iPhone 4, which is to be expected because of the keypad.

It's a big phone -- there's no way around it. It's going to take up a lot of room in your pocket. There are lighter and thinner phone with bigger screens. But if the physical keypad is important to a person that really wants the power of a Droid, the weight may be worth it.

Out of the box, the Motorola Droid 2 comes with a battery, a pre-installed 8-gigabyte microSD memory card, a wall/USB charger, quick reference guide, and product safety and warrant brochure.

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