Firegeezer notes: This posting is a review done by one of our readers, Rodney Gentry who is with the Salem, Virginia, Fire-EMS Department. He researches digital/technical devices and how they can best be adapted by first responders, and his department particularly. He is currently evaluating the new Droid cellphone that Verizon has recently introduced and tells us what he has found so far. After you read his fine review, feel free to either Comment or write directly to him with any questions or experiences of your own that you would like to see included in his follow-up report.
I have been keeping up with some of the news releases of the Motorola Droid and its arrival, but it wasn’t until I got my hands on one that I thought I would finally give it a try. My “new every two” at Verizon Wireless was up and was in the mood to try something different. I was coming from several models of the Windows Mobile platform, and really enjoyed what I could do in regards to applications and software that were already on the market. Going to the Android-based OS was going to be a huge leap of faith for me, but the fact it was an open source program helped quell any fears I may have had. My intention with this article is for it to be open as well. It’s only by asking questions that we will all learn from it, myself included. What I am writing now is what I have learned thus far, both good and bad.
Straight out of the box, this phone has a different feel to it than some of the others that I have recently had. Its construction seems much sturdier and there are fewer buttons all around, mainly consisting of the camera application button, volume control, and on/off button on top. The other 4 buttons on the front are virtual buttons, as well as the touch screen for the remainder of the interface. There is a 3.5mm audio jack as well, which is notable, since most all phones utilize a 2.5mm jack for various headsets. The 3.5 will work with a lot of the stereo minijacks that are on the market, but to use existing headsets you may have, you will have to get a 3.5mm to 2.5mm converter. The QWERTY keyboard slides from the side to the left, and the screen automatically adjusts from portrait to landscape mode to use the keyboard. It has a full QWERTY keyboard, as well as a D-Pad to the right.
The first 2 things that should be done is add a case of sorts. Even with the heavier construction, I still wouldn’t trust a $500+ phone to a test drop, much less a real drop. I added the Body Glove case to mine, until Seidio comes out with an innocase for it. A screen protector as well is an absolute must for it. Get a hard plastic type, and not some of the cheaper film ones available. The phone comes with a USB to 5 pin miniUSB cord (most portable HDDs utilize a 4 pin connection for example), that serves as both the charger, as well as a data cable to connect to the computer, which will charge it as well. There is a wall outlet with USB connection for direct charging. I would recommend a 2nd USB cable, for use for data transfer on a computer, so you aren’t always having to cart the one that it comes with back and forth. There is a vehicle mount, as well as a docking station available for it.
Upon firing it up, I found it to be very responsive, and fast. GPS, using Google Maps, connects faster than any of my other phones I have had. It should be noted, that you do not have to have a separate paid service, such as the VZ Navigator. The GPS works straight out of the box. It utilizes both standard GPS, and AGPS, which works in conjunction with the transmission towers to further pinpoint your location, especially helpful if making 911 calls. The first minor issue I ran into was syncing it with Microsoft Outlook to transfer all of my contacts. I will save the details for that for further discussion, as it takes a few minutes, and an external program, but it can be done. It just takes a little patience. Once I got my contacts transferred, it was smooth sailing from there. If you use Facebook, it will sync with it, and sync your contacts with Facebook as well, making that feature very nice, and quite useful. The marketplace feature has thousands of applications that can be downloaded onto the phone. I have found not all apps will work, or use all the features of the Droid just yet. Being that it is open platform though, you will see apps added everyday. The reception is decent, with a few moments of my wife saying I sounded as though I was speaking into a barrel, but for the most part, its not bad at all. Volume, both earpiece and speaker, are almost too loud at times, as well as the ringers. You will use the volume control with this phone! I found that the overall user interface is much like an iPhone, and geared towards finger control, as a stylus will not work on it. Its not my intention to cover all the features that are on the phone in this article, especially the information on ones that are readily available via the web. These are the features I found that are usually notable with about any phone, though.
What I figure will be of importance to us (IE first responders), is the applications that are out there that are useful to us. Here are the ones I have downloaded, or used thus far:
WebWISER: WISER Hazmat isn’t available for the Droid just yet. I have spoken with the folks there, and expressed the interest in developing the WISER program for the Droid. They are very receptive to the idea, and are looking for more feedback. If you have a Droid, or are looking to get one, please drop them a note and let them know you want it. If you havent used it before, its available for Windows, Windows Mobile, and Palm OS. It is an excellent tool for Hazmat identification of all types. It can be found at http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/.
BLS Drug Profiles: This is a very simple, yet useful programs that covers BLS protocol drugs. Included are Activated Charcoal, ASA, Epi Pen, Albuterol, Nitro and Oral Glucose. Not to replace individual field protocols, you should check your specific region to ensure that these are used, and furthermore, check your individual protocols to make sure they match what is listed. Consider this reference material only.
Metronome: First, why? Its just as it sounds. A tool to help keep a beat when doing CPR compressions, especially in those first few moments before an AED or monitor is applied to the patient. I timed it, and from release of holster to the first beats, is roughly 7 seconds to get it running.
ERG: There isn’t an ERG book developed just yet for the Droid, so I am using the online version at the moment. Useful in its own right, it will run on the Droid in its online version just as though you are using it on your computer.
Weatherbug / Weatherchannel: I installed both just to see which would be better served, and ended up liking, and using, both. Either can be set up for weather alerts, though Weatherbug will “follow” you, and read according to your GPS location, and update the weather for your specific location.
So far, these are the specific applications added. There will be more to come in the near future!
If you have any questions, or comments for further discussion, please add them to the discussion, or contact me directly if need be at VFN151(at)aol(dot)com. I’ll be updating these findings, so please send along your experiences with the Droid.
Rodney Gentry
Senior Firefighter/EMT
Salem Fire-EMS
City of Salem, VA
