Motorola Droid (2009)

Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid, launched on Verizon Wireless in November 2009, was the "must-have" device that single-handedly catapulted the Android operating system into the mainstream. Marketed with the aggressive "iDon’t" campaign to directly challenge the iPhone, the Droid (model A855) was a mechanical powerhouse featuring a distinctive side-sliding full QWERTY keyboard and a sharp 3.7-inch "pixel-dense" display. It was the flagship vessel for Android 2.0 (Eclair), introducing the world to free turn-by-turn Google Maps Navigation and a high-resolution 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash. Its industrial, "brutalist" design—complete with an angular metal chassis and a gold-accented directional pad—gave it a rugged, "stealth bomber" aesthetic that contrasted sharply with the rounded plastic competitors of the era. By the time it won Time magazine's "Gadget of the Year," the Droid had proven that a truly open-source platform could match the polished hardware of the industry giants, effectively starting the modern "smartphone wars."

Donated by: John Babina III