Skip/hold on the next generation of Droid

Note: I’ve updated this post to incorporate news from the Droid X event on 6/23/10.

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Every once in awhile there’s a lull in the tech world where nothing is making me grind my teeth or shoot steam out of my ears Popeye style. During these extraordinarily brief periods, I kill time by offering up some advice to my tech brethren. While it’s not nearly as fun as berating companies, it keeps me writing and interacting with you all. So with that in mind, I’ve had some thoughts about the next generation of Android devices coming out.

Two new Android phones from Motorola will be released in the next month or two. They are the Droid Xtreme and the imaginatively named Droid 2. The Droid X was announced yesterday and will be available on July 15th. The Droid 2 remains unofficial and rumored for an end of July release.

Here’s info on the Droid X and some early impressions of the Droid 2)

I find myself, along with the rest of the internet, SALIVATING over the specs of the Droid Xtreme. I mean just look at that thing. I’d probably crawl through a tunnel of broken glass just to get my hands on it. There’s a problem though. If you bought the first Droid at launch on a two-year contract (like I did), your upgrade eligibility is not going to look pretty. Here are the options…

1) Go broke buying the DX at full retail. ($550 or so)
2) Be a loser with your 7 month old phone.

While spending the cash is the OBVIOUS move, I’ve decided to hold off from doing so. If you’re mid-contract, I suggest you do the same.

Here’s why…

My first bone of contention is that both devices lack a front facing camera. Now I know this isn’t the most important feature in the world, but I prefer to be at the same level of the other bleeding edge phones de jour. Besides, app developers are going to go crazy with a front cam, and I want in on the fun. Having one should also extend the lifespan a little, because you won’t be jonesing for the new phone that DOES have one a month later.

The second issue is they’re both rocking Android 2.1 out of the box (now confirmed for the DX, still speculated for the D2). Froyo 2.2 had some massive behind the scene optimizations put into it, but since it was just released, it’s going to be awhile until it gets to handsets. We don’t know about the Droid 2, but we DO know that the X is rocking a new version of motoblur. I was initially concerned that this might add additional delay to a 2.2 update, but Moto assured consumers that won’t be a problem. That’s nice and all, but we STILL get a vague “later summer” answer for when we can expect the 2.2 update. I experienced the Droid’s 2.0 to 2.1 debacle firsthand, so forgive me if I don’t hold my breath. The point? It may be some time until Froyo is added to either device. Even better (or worse), is that the next version of Android, Gingerbread, is getting a massive interface update. That version is scheduled to be available at the end of the year.

And finally…

I think these devices are about to get leapfrogged fairly quickly (i.e. Nexus one released 2 months after the Droid style). I’ve been doing some sleuthing around, and the word is there’s another Moto phone on the horizon called the Droid Pro (I’ve also seen it referred to as the the Droid WE (World Edition)). The word is that this will be the baddest device of the bunch. Moto is basically throwing the kitchen sink at this thing, 2Ghz processor (crazy but possible), gyroscope, front cam, the works. The information is weak at the moment, but the same trusted Moto guys that leaked info on the X and D2 are saying this thing is the real deal. It will supposedly be available around the end of the year, just in time for us Droid 1 owners to get the discount.

As always, it’s up to you

If you’re eligible for an upgrade and these devices make you feel warm and fuzzy, go for it. If you’re a gen 1 Droid owner like me, I’m not sure they’re worth breaking the bank for, especially when “the next level” might be following up right behind. A few months of patience will save you money NOW, and put a far better device in your hand only a few months later.