Droid smart phone to land Friday
What may prove to be a major competitor to the iPhone, BlackBerry and Pre is about to hit local stores.
Motorola’s Droid smart phone, powered by Google’s Android 2.0 operating system and benefiting from a partnership with Verizon Wireless, will begin rolling off retail shelves on Friday.
Verizon’s 12 local stores — nine free-standing and three mall-based — will be offering the phone, which sells for $199.99 and requires a voice calling plan starting at $39.99 monthly and a data plan beginning at $29.99 per month.
Verizon outlets not in a mall will open at 8 a.m. Friday, an hour earlier than usual, to accommodate what is expected to be significant traffic.
Verizon spokesman John O’Malley said Wednesday that other local retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy, will offer the item once the launch occurs. “We’ve stocked our stores with inventory and believe we’re prepared,” O’Malley said.
The Motorola phone is the first to offer the Android 2.0 operating system, which features high-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, high-resolution graphics and access to a wide range of Google applications, including maps and news. It has both a touch screen and a keyboard.
“… The Droid by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our groundbreaking strategic partnership with Google,” John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless, said in a statement. “Droid by Motorola gives use of the best 3G network in the country.”
The Motorola-Google-Verizon partnership represents a major challenge to the iPhone’s marketing deal with AT&T. Verizon Wireless is the dominant cell phone company in this region, with a market share of about 60 percent.
“We went with this product because it’s just a good device with a super-fast processor,” O’Malley said.
