Verizon is set to release its latest smartphone, the Motorola Droid, on November 6th. I was lucky enough to get a two-day preview of the Droid a week early. Many have been calling the Droid the "iPhone killer," especially after a series of iPhone attack ads launched by the Droid went viral on the web. Though I wouldn't go that far, I would definitely say it's going to give the iPhone some competition. Motorola hasn't had any hits since the RAZR craze, but I believe the Droid will put them back into the game as a major player.

I picked up the Droid yesterday morning, and returned it later this afternoon. I was very impressed from what I saw during the time I tested it out. The Droid is the world's first smartphone that runs the Android 2.0 operating system.
The first thing I noticed about the Droid is that it doesn't seem cheap or flimsy- though it is a little on the heavy side. The device has some gold accents-which I wasn't too fond of. There is a power on/off button on the top, right-hand corner of the phone. On the opposite side is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Along the right edge there is volume rocker-which got in my way a lot. There is also a camera button on the opposite end. On the left edge is a MicroUSB port. When you turn the phone on its back there is a 5-megapixel camera along with a flash. A gold, stiched plate hides the Droid's speaker. On the front of the screen are 4-keys: back, menu, home, and search. The phone also comes with a 16GB SD card.

The basic structure of the phone is made of two pieces: a touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The screen is amazing- it's 3.7 inches of touchscreen bliss. It has excellent resolution, a full glass display with a bright and crisp 480x854 resolution. The screen is customizable and visually appealing with bright icons. The keys on the QWERTY keyboard are flat, and, like most keyboards, take some getting used to. The touchscreen also offers a keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard has an individual "@" key, perfect for Twitter. Next to the keyboard is a gold navigation button.

The battery life seemed long, and I only had to re-charge it once after using it it for a pretty long time. The Droid comes equipped with a 1400mAH removable battery. A big complaint of the iPhone- no removable battery.
The Droid allows you to run multiple applications at once- so you can toggle back and forth. However, though Android 2.0 allows for multi-touch, that functionality isn't implemented here.
The phone already comes equipped with Facebook, YouTube, and G-mail preloaded. Users can visit the Android Marketplace for countless apps as well as widgets. The phone also comes with Google Maps Navigation and acts as a GPS. You can also download the latest tracks from the Amazon MP3 store.

The Droid offers Verizon Wireless Visual Voicemail, a cool feature that allows you to reply and forward voicemail messages without having to listen to prior messages or instructions.

The Motorola Droid starts at $199 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. Users will need to purchase a voice plan starting at $39 a month as well as a web and e-mail plan starting at $29 a month. I was surprised with the cost, and actually thought it would be more for the device.

There are so many good things about the Droid. It has high-speed web browsing, a customizable and sharp touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, a 5MP camera with a flash, and access to thousands of Android applications and widgets. The icing on the cake, in my opinion, it's offered by the best 3G mobile network in the country.

Final Thought: The Motorola Droid is heaven-sent if you are a Verizon user like me looking for an upgrade. However, I don't recommend canceling service with another provider and incurring tons of fees just to get it.

For more information: Check out KDKA-TV's Jim Lokay's preview of the Motorola Droid and whether or not Pittsburghers think it will give the iPhone competition.

To view my slideshow of Droid photos, click here.

If you received a "Password Reset Confirmation E-mail" from Facebook DO NOT open the e-mail unless, in fact, you did request a password change- and be wary even then.

The social media blog Mashable is reporting the e-mail contains a malicious trojan horse, a virus, known as "Bredolab." Bredolab masks itself as the Facebook e-mail and downloads files from the web that will infect your computer. The e-mail contains an attachment that claims to contain your new password.

To avoid getting the virus, do not open a "Password Reset Confirmation E-mail" if you didn't request a password from Facebook. Also, Mashable points out that if you did in fact change your password, Facebook would not send a "Password Reset Confirmation E-mail" that contains an attachment. If you are still not sure if it's safe to open, Mashable suggests to "look at the full details of the e-mail- if the mails server [doesn't] belong to Facebook" don't open the e-mail.

Facebook began a roll out this weekend of a modified version of its homepage that allows users to jump between two different versions of the feed: the Live Feed and the News Feed. Users will be able to view a summary feed of the most interesting activity that has happened in the last day as well as a real-time feed that displays what is happening right now. The changes were announced in Facebook's blog.

A new CNN.com redesign was expected to be unveiled Monday, but the new site design was launched today. Besides the obvious homepage cosmetic redesign, the site promises to integrate more video and personalized content.

What is most interesting about the new site design is that users will be able to personalize content, meaning you’ll be able to organize stories by correspondent, subject, or keyword in your own unique profile.


Though CNN has put effort into adding more video and photography, it has also partnered with a few new contributors. The site will feature content from Oprah.com, TED, People, and EW Magazine. The site will also have a brand new CNN Opinion section.

It is apparent that CNN, which is already one of the most trafficked sites on the web, recognizes the importance of incorporating social media. For example, the site will feature interactive Oprah’s Book Club events using Facebook Connect to chat. We can expect to see better integrated content from CNN iReport. Also, the site will feature regular commentary from Pete Cashmore, the founder of Mashable, one of the largest blogs on the internet.

Clearly, CNN is focused on increasing their dominance on the web with the launch of their newly designed site and its features.

CNN has released a video overview of the new site that can be viewed here.

What do you think about the new CNN.com?

MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta made several announcements today at the Web 2.0 Summit in hopes of re-energizing MySpace and turning the social network into a media and music monster.

Verizon has launched an ad campaign for the new Motorola Droid phone that takes a direct shot at the iPhone and its shortfalls. The campaign, known as "Droid Does," directly addresses the problems with the iPhone's camera, lack of keyboard and replaceable battery, and its inability to run simultaneous apps.

The ad, which has been going viral on the web, begins with a series of "iDon't" statements in a font similar to that from the iPhone commercials. It ends with the phrase "Everything iDon't" then flashes to a "Droid Does" logo.

The campaign's website features a counter that points to a release date of October 30th, according to The Boy Genius Report. This release date could post some competition for the iPhone this holiday season and could even be a possible iPhone killer.

The Motorola Droid will more than likely feature a 5-megapixel camera with a flash, run Google Android 2.0, support multi-tasking, and include both a physical keyboard and touch screen.

I had a wonderful time at PodCamp 4! It was the first social media conference I ever attended, and I can't wait to go back next year. All the presentations were so interesting and everyone did such a good job! It was great to meet so many people who love social media! P.S. I have been wearing my PodCamp Rockstar shirt around the 'burgh!

I wanted to thank everyone who came to my session and I really appreciate it. I enjoyed the discussion and I hope you all did as well. It was so nice meeting all of you! Also, Pop City wrote a wrap up piece about PodCamp and all the great presentations. They even wrote a little something about mine! Thanks, Pop City!

You can read the article here.