Sliding the screen back to reveal the keyboard, it is easy to call the Motorola Droid 2 an impressive phone, but  it has its flaws.

The Android smart phone is of an industrious construction. The top half that holds the touch screen is shiny chrome, while the housing for the full keyboard, camera and speaker is a matte blue. It feels a little bit like Nerf foam.

The hardware on the Droid 2 is pretty sturdy.

During my trial with the phone, I was not worried about breaking any specific part of it.

I’m not saying throw the phone across the room, but I did not worry about having it in my pocket with other objects, like my wallet.

One of the most impressive features of the phone is the speaker on the back.

It is a thin strip that runs most of the width of the phone, which is about two inches. Using the little device to play music videos, or anything requiring great audio capabilities, is much better than one would expect from a smart phone.

After playing around with the touch screen, I struggled to figure out why the phone needs a keyboard.

Maybe I have been spoiled by the touch screen aspect of this phone and others, but regular typing has become a mundane task. In fact, the keyboard hurt the tips of my fingers.

However, texting with the touch screen’s stock program is relatively intuitive.

Almost like a Google instant search, as you type out a text, a selection of words the phone thinks you are spelling appears.

Its touch screen interface is slick.

Slide your index finger left or right to navigate from panel to panel.

One panel is strictly devoted to adding social media accounts and other services—keep in mind a lot of what the Droid 2 does is linked with a Gmail account.

The user can add quick contacts to another panel in order to circumvent looking through the full phonebook.

Each panel has space for whatever applications the user downloads.

Supplementing all of these features is the Android application market where many apps can be downloaded for free or at least cheap.

I did not see many expensive applications, but do not be surprised to see apps for $3 or $5.

One application I thoroughly enjoy is the Google Sky Map.

It is a free application that shows which stars and planets are viewable from wherever you are standing. As I turned the phone and pointed it towards the sky, constellations and planets were mapped out. Prepare to have your mind blown.

The Droid 2 does all that and makes phone calls.

Sitting with the bulky phone up to my ear, I was not thrilled with the clarity of the phone service. The reception was not the best quality.

But save the service issues, it does the job of a typical smart phone, and it does it well.

On top of that, it is a little bit more sturdy than a typical Motorola brand phone, even if it does look a little tacky.

The Droid 2 is paired with Verizon, so give the phone a test run at a Verizon store to get a hands-on experience; it might be worth your time. I, however, was not impressed enough to switch from my Samsung Vibrant.