After a long series of leaks and rumors, US mobile carrier Verizon has finally announced what many users in the US were expecting to hear, the release of the Motorola Droid 2. Following the very popular and highly advertised Droid X, the Droid 2 is amongst the first to ship with Android 2.2 out of the box. It also offers its users Flash Player 10.1, optional 3G Mobile HotSpot (extra $20 a month) and an enhanced QWERTY keyboard with raised keys which is said to be considerably more comfortable to type on.
The specifications of the Droid 2 won’t surprise anyone at this point. The phone comes with a 3.7 inch multitouch display, 5 megapixel camera, 8BG of onboard memory as well as a 8GB microSD memory card included in the pack. For more storage users can get themselves a larger memory card. The phone supports a maximum of 32GB. Verizon’s Droid 2 also comes with Swype pre-installed, for easier text-input.
“When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network,” said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. “The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network.”
Throughout the last period Verizon has been focusing a lot on promoting Motorola‘s Droid phones. With the release of the Droid 2 the mobile carrier has a new potential rival for the iPhone 4. Verizon has also confirmed the rumored R2-D2 edition of the droid which will have a special look inspired by the small and extremely loveable droid in Star Wars. The R2-D2 limited edition of the Droid 2 will only be available online in September. Aside from its exterior which is said to include hardware designed to look like R2-D2, the handset will also provide Star Wars content. The price of the R2-D2 Droid 2 hasn’t been revealed so far, but it’ less than important as these handsets will most likely be sold out as soon as you can say ‘R2-D2’.
As for the regular version of the Droid 2, Verizon has announced that it will offer the phone for pre-sale online starting tomorrow with a price tag of $199.99on a two-year contract. The phone will also be hitting Verizon’s stores on Thursday. While new Verizon customers have every reason to leap for joy, existing customers of the US carrier shouldn’t be sad either as the company has announced that users with contracts ending by December 31, 2010 can upgrade to any smartphone, yes, including the Droid 2, without penalty.
As more Android powered mobile phones reach US mobile carriers one can’t help but notice that the US market will soon be invaded by Google’s popular operating system as the iPhone slowly looses ground.
