I like Apple; they innovate and build some products that I like to use because they work well and help me get important things done in easy and intuitive ways. I hope they keep creating great products and I totally respect their efforts to protect their intellectual property. I don’t buy everything that Apple sells. I understand, but don’t like Apple’s walled garden approach; I don’t like that they gate keep their application store.

I used an iPhone a little over two year ago for about one year and I mostly liked it; I did not like AT&T’s network, many calls were dropped and I didn’t have service in places that I needed service. I’ve been using a Verizon Blackberry for the past two years; the network service has been outstanding and the phone has been rock solid. I didn’t like the browser or the application support.

I’m a huge fan of competition and free markets – I believe everyone wins in this environment. I’m thrilled by the great progress and promise of Android. I really wanted to get a Google’s Nexus One, but I need Verizon not T-Mobile. Last week, I bought a Verizon Droid phone and I love everything about it. I like it more than the iPhone because it runs multiple applications, it has a QWERTY keyboard as well as the virtual touch keyboard and it integrates beautifully with many of the Google products that I often use.

But my real excitement isn’t so much about the many cool Droid features or endless open application market place – I’m jazzed that this is the real deal, real competition. Android is going to push great companies like Apple to go further to win – the consumer is going to get great stuff out of this competition. I know that Apple is cranking up their patent suit machine, I get that they have to do that. But I don’t believe they’re DNA is about fighting battles in courts, they’ll fight in the market place and we’re going to see the pace of progress rocket.

Now we just need the carriers to open up.