First Android 2.0 phone breaks cover with $199.99 price point.
The worst-kept secret in the mobile industry is out: Verizon Wireless and Motorola have officially unveiled the latter's new Droid handset.
It'll be the first phone to run Google's Android 2.0 software, and goes on sale on 6th November in the US, with a $199.99 price point, albeit after a $100 mail-in rebate.
Customers will need to sign up to two-year contracts with the operator, paying at least $39.99 for a monthly voice plan, and $29.99 for an email and web data plan.
As expected (given last week's leak), the Droid offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 3.7-inch touchscreen plus slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a five-megapixel camera.
It will be preloaded with Google apps including Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Talk and Android Market, as well as Amazon's MP3 Store and Verizon's Visual Voice Mail service.
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Being an Android 2.0 phone means Droid will also be the first to get the new Google Maps Navigation - in beta form - offering free turn-by-turn navigation.
It's already the most hyped Android handset yet, but come next week, US consumers will be able to find out whether it matches expectations. And the rest of us? No European carrier deals have yet been announced for Droid.
We have high hopes that one or more operators will snap it up on this side of the Atlantic pre-Christmas, though.
In related news, the press release for Droid has upped the official number of apps available on Android Market to more than 12,000, from the previously quoted figure of 10,000. More momentum...
