By Are you ready to soak all this in? Verizon Wireless has just published their press release officially announcing the Motorola Droid. It will be $199 with a 2-year agreement and $100 rebate starting Friday, November 6th. And oh yeah… were we right or were we right about the launch date and Google Maps Navigation?
HELLO HUMANS: DROID BY MOTOROLA ARRIVES NEXT WEEK
Verizon Wireless DROID By Motorola: World’s First Smartphone with Android™ 2.0
LAUREL, MD – High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and the best 3G mobile network in the country: DROID by Motorola arrives on Nov. 6.
Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest wireless 3G broadband network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID by Motorola, the first smartphone powered by Android™ 2.0. DROID by Motorola features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short.
“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google™ on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”
“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”
DROID by Motorola has a solid exterior, intelligent interior and is one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones available. It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine – and it is available just in time for holiday wish lists.
With DROID by Motorola, you can:
· Zip through the Web: Access the Internet at 3G speeds via the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network or from any Wi-Fi hotspot. The multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor delivers the Web the way you expect.
· See it all in cinema-style: View the Web, e-mail, Google Maps™, videos and more in widescreen on a brilliant 3.7” high-resolution screen. Boasting a width of 854 pixels to reduce the need for side-to-side panning and more than 400,000 pixels total, DROID has more than twice that of the leading competitor.
· Run multiple applications at once: Customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets available on Android Market™. Toggle back and forth between up to six applications at a time to juggle the universe and your apps.
· Perform Google Search™ at the speed of sound: Simply tell DROID what you’re looking for using voice-activated search, and it will serve up Google search results based on your location. If you want more, simply type what you’re looking for into the search bar on the home screen and DROID will also search content on your phone, such as apps and contacts, and the Web.
· Capture moments: Snap digital camera-quality photos with a 5 megapixel camera loaded with the works, such as a dual-LED flash, AutoFocus and image stabilization, or capture your friend’s antics in 16 million colors with DVD-quality video capture and playback. Store it all on the included 16 GB memory card, so you always have it on hand.
· Multi-task like a master: Keep tabs on all your messages with integrated Gmail™ and Exchange e-mail pushed directly to you, but don’t let them get in your way. With the handy Android notification panel, go straight to the message or simply ignore it, and get back to the task at hand. And, a smart dictionary learns as you type and automatically includes your contacts.
· Get where you need to go with Google Maps Navigation (Beta): DROID is the first device with Google Maps Navigation, providing turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps. It’s powered by Google and connected to the Internet. Use voice shortcuts and simply say “Navigate to [your destination],” and you’ll be on your way. See live traffic, use Street View or satellite imagery to view your route, and get access to the most recent maps and business information from Google Maps without ever needing to update your device.
Pre-loaded Applications and Enhancements to Google Mobile Services:
· Google Maps: With layers in Google Maps, view geographic information, such as My Maps, Wikipedia, and transit lines, right on the map.
· Gmail: Multiple accounts support and undo for common operations.
· YouTube™: One-touch recording and playback from homescreen widget or app, one-touch sharing with friends, and the ability to view your own uploaded videos and high-resolution videos.
· Google Talk™: Easily switch between chats, search your chat history, and preview pictures and videos sent by links.
· Android Market: Browse and download applications created by third-party developers.
· Calendar: Ability to see who has R.S.V.P.’d to your meeting invitations.
· Facebook: Syncs Facebook contacts to your address book, and a live widget gives the ability to update status and view latest updates from friends.
· Amazon MP3 Store: Download the latest tracks over the air.
· Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail: Delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions.
Pricing and Availability:
· DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday, Nov. 6, for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.
· Experience the all-new DROID by Motorola at www.droiddoes.com.
· To get the most from DROID by Motorola smartphone, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide voice plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide voice plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access for 450 minutes and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan is $29.99 for monthly access.
The new era of Droid at Verizon Wireless has begun…
$100 mail in rebate? that kinda sucks.. oh well.. maybe I wont be getting the droid :(
Hmm…Wonder what the upgrade price is going to be, if it’s $200 with new 2-year contract…
@iHEART… Get it online and they’ll instantly take off the $100, so no MIR.
YES! FINALLY! Next Friday can’t come soon enough.
@ROB. YOU GOT ME TO EXCITED WITH A TYPO. $199 WITH REBATE. NOT $199 AND REBATE. :(
@Christopher If you’re eligible to upgrade, it will be $200. If you’re eligible for New Every Two upgrade, it’ll be $200 minus whatever discount you’re eligible for ($30-$100 depending on your plan and when you last upgraded). Best way to find out is to attempt to upgrade online and see how your price compares to the basic 2 year price.
thanks big red.. maybe I might have to do that.. I always forget to mail in rebates. I told my husband it had a $100 mail in rebate and he told me no.. I couldnt get it then :( Looks like I will be shopping online! I hope it will get to me fast if I purchase it online
Well I’m an employee and therefore I HAVE to get mine online, but they ship overnight so it’s typically pretty fast.
But if you get the new phone online, along with the upgrade or new phone credit, are you able to keep the same phone number or does that have to be done in the store?
@BIG RED -yeah but I know where I live my mail lady comes late in the day and so does the damn ups guy.. !1 what can I do instead to make sure its not 4 o’clock in the after noon b4 I get mine
FYI the droid does site is not loading.. people are saying it is up but I is stuck on the damn refresh icon for like 15 mins
@Jean Yeah you can definitely keep the same phone number. You simply need to log in to your My Verizon account online (or register if you haven’t done so), then go to My Services, then click Upgrade Now with your number selected.
@iHEART We ship FedEx, but you could have it shipped to a business (either your work or maybe see if a business near you will be kind enough to accept it) and it will be there by 3pm at the latest. FedEx guarantees that for business addresses.
@Big Red Thanks for the info, its is much appreciated.
@iHEART_android I cant get onto the site either :(
GAH… droiddoes.com is broken for me at work in IE7. I have to wait ’till I’M HOME?!! :(
I think droidoes.com is broken down for everyone. I’m trying Google Chrome, Firefox, and IE without success. Maybe that bodes well for excitement around the phone. :-D
@ big red.. I am a stay at home wife :) so no business for me but I think to avoid the rebate I will have to order online.. why is the droid does site down? technical problems.. please fix I want to see the droid. Oh and why does the droid only have 3 home screens? (saw it in a video on verizon’s site http://phandroid.com/2009/10/28/motorola-droid-press-release-199-on-november-6th/
Can I make it have more home screens? thanks for info
Between this an the Atlas 1-X launch in ~15 minutes, it’s been an exciting morning. :)
@JEAN
If you upgrade online you keep your phone number. Just log into the VZW website and select the upgrade phone link (assuming the you are eligible for an upgrade). I did it last time and it was pretty easy.
hmm… so we actually pay $299 and then get a $100 debit card in a month or two?
I hate it when they have that hidden stuff like that so it looks like straight-up $199 at first glance.
But, alas, every phone company does it.
@iHeart_android I’m having the same problem with the droid websitre…I can’t wait for it to load!!!
Thats good advice Big Red, I just checked out my New Every Two and found out I’llbe gettign another $50 off!
http://www.motorola.com/Consumers/US-EN/Consumer-Product-and-Services/Mobile-Phones/Motorola-DROID-US-EN#
I like it. I hope that crazy eye with all the details around it is the default screen backround, or at least on the phone as a choice.
I was trying to price out the plans with the Droid. Does anyone know if the 39.99 voice + 29.99 data includes text messaging? If you go to “individual” and look at the “connect plans” it appears that 69.99 would get you 450 minutes with unlimited text and web, but i dont know if that is the right data plan for a “smartphone”. The smart phone plans right now start at 99.99… i’m wondering if that means that a new category of plans will show up soon on verizons website? Thoughts?
Are you guys seeing this on your new every two upgrade page online? I don’t see the droid phone listed there.
turn-by-turn directions? And it looks like 16gb of memory is onboard with room to expand to 32gb – based on the DroidDoes Verizon website. If you click the text around the phone it gives you all kinds of details. Very cool. Bye-bye iPhone.
@Brad It won’t be listed until it’s released.
This IS NOT A MAIL IN REBATE.
They give you a debit card for $100. Go to the ATM, and withdraw the $100 bucks for peete sake.
Also, Verizon stores are NOT taking preorders.
I was really hoping/expecting that they’d be taking pre-orders on-line today, to be shipped out on 11/6 (or maybe on 11/5 for 11/6 delivery). I’m disappointed. I didn’t need a countdown to an announcement. I need to have a f*@!ing phone. My Blackberry is completely busted, barely functional, and I’ve been holding out for this stupid phone and I’m TIRED OF THE HYPE AND JUST WANT A PHONE. Enough marketing hype already.
Okay… another date on the calendar. But if I am unable to actually place an order on 11/6 (i.e. I better not get some “we’re out of stock” crap), I’m going to shoot someone.
@Big Red Thanks! Any way to preorder so we could get it ASAP?
@Brad I wish, but no. I’m not sure why they aren’t accepting pre-orders. Maybe they’ll give a way for people to do so, but I haven’t heard anything about that yet.
@quixand It’s still a mail in rebate, they just send the debit card instead of a check, unless you DO IT ONLINE and it’s taken off instantly.
@ quixand- where are you getting this info from? No mail in rebate? It would make me happy not to have a mail in rebate but verizon employees are sayin it will have mail in rebate!
I feel about as patient as a 2 year old starting at a chocolate chip cookie needing to finish my beans before I get my desert.
I WANT. NOW.
If Verizon have licensed the “Droid” name, what is this beast likely to be called when it (eventually) makes it to the UK?
I nailed it :)
I 2nd what powderhound said.. next Friday is not going to come soon enough.. I really hope they will have on-line pre order.. I have $200 set aside for the droid but I will not have enough money to buy it for $299 when it comes out.. Why must you do mail in rebates.. It shady and most people dont remember.. I know all carriers do it but it is FUCKING stealing from your customers and should be illegal! (sorry for rant but I will be so damn mad if there is no pre order and I cant get it the day of launch!!)
So it’s $199 with a plan and mail in rebate. What are my options if I just barely got on a new plan a couple of months ago, but really want to get this phone?
Do you think Verizon will allow you to have this phone with their 25Mb for $9.99 data plan instead of the $29.99 data plan? It says this in the article:
To get the most from DROID by Motorola smartphone, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide voice plan and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide voice plans begin at $39.99 for monthly access for 450 minutes and an Email and Web for Smartphone plan is $29.99 for monthly access.
But how much is it going to cost without an upgrade/ new every 2 bull crap.
they should give any verizon pre-existing customer this deal.
I find it kind of Ironic that they don’t ever give their loyal customers a discount, they only reward new users coming in.
would suck to be tmobile, your motorola android, the cliq, is half the phone at the same price. Way to go tmobile, you screwed it up again.
The phone will require a Nationwide plan of at least 39.99 + the data plan (29.99). The 10MB/25MB plans will not work for this phone as it is a full smartphone.
@Bradley You can change your plan whenever you want without penalty or contract extension.
@iHEART I’m totally with you there, but that’s why Verizon provides the online option. I know it requires waiting (which sucks) but unfortunately it’s the way things are right now. My understanding is that it’s required by the manufacturers, but I don’t know if that’s true or not.
@jon Phones are subsidized big time in an exchange for a contract. We treat our customers much better than the majority of other carriers letting many customers upgrade once a year (at best) or every 20 months (at worst). You were rewarded with a cheaper price when you got whatever phone it is you have now and for VZW to keep doing business, they have to limit when you can upgrade again. If you’re that desperate, open a family share and add a line for 9.99/month.
@Bradley
I’m not a Verizon pro but if you just joined a 2 year contract and want to cancel it for the droid, you would need to pay like a $200 fee to terminate the contract you have now then restart another 1-2 year contract with the droid. OR, you could buy the droid straight up for I’m guessing like $600 and just swap phones online or in a Verizon store. Please correct me if I’m wrong :)
Are you folks reading the posts above you before posting your own?
NO MAIL-IN REBATE if you order online! It’s in instant rebate. Big_red is an employee so I’m sure he knows what he is talking about.
So all of you complaining about how “shady” the deal is, the only reason you have to go through any hassle is if you must purchase it in the store.
I don’t really understand the complaints about the mail-in rebate. How hard is it to remember to mail in, especially with the $100 motivation? So you have to wait 6-8 weeks for your rebate. If that $100 is going to break the bank, maybe you shouldn’t be buying a $300 phone, you know?
Anyway, like half-a-dozen people have already said — order online = instant rebate.
@iHEART_android
really, stealing from their customers? they dont have to give you the mail in rebate at all. if this was released on any of the other carriers it would be more expensive. Verizon pays more than $299.99 for the phone and recoup the money over the course of the contract and $299.99 for this hardware is a great deal. the reason they do mail in rebates is because people forget. you may think it’s shady but it’s smart business, because no matter how much you complain people are still going to buy this phone. if you are too lazy to fill out and send in the MIR or forget then it’s your fault not Verizon’s. if you dont want the MIR then order it online and wait a few days.
@Big Red Thank you for the response… are you with Verizon?
Basically my issue is the fact that if it does cost 600$ for me to outright buy…i could cancel my line for $X.xx and then rejoin and buy it for 200 with a new 2 year contract. And this would be cheaper for me than to outright buy it.
Now i bet this costs Verizon more money after man hours and paperwork is done. Along with a dissatisfied customer and I would have to waste of lot of my time as well.
OOOORRR Verizon could just give it to me(us!!!) at the 200$ price and I sign an additional 2 year contract, making my contract 3 years at this point. This would cost them and me less, and they would get an extra guaranteed year out of me.
I dont’ know, just seems to make more sense to me to help people rather than impede their ability to grow with the technology.
~Jon
Will the new phone upgrade to 4G next year when that becomes available????
BigRed, I have a question for you. I left VZW a few months back and got a $100-50 coupon off ANY new phone (depending on what plan I select). Now it says to get this deal I need to order over the phone, when ordering over the phone is the rebate going to be instant like it is online?
@jon
if you were to cancel your line early and then resign how would they be losing money? you would pay an ETF, and resign for 2 years on a new contract plus you would lose your number. before you ask “well if i pay the ETF can’t i keep my number?” the answer is no. if you reactivate your number it reinstates your contract where it was and if you already paid your ETF they will credit it back.
they wont allow you to extend on top of and existing. it would cost them more money to start allowing people to do this. they would have to completely rewrite the contract and ETF policy to reflect it. plus next year when something better comes out you would be crying about not being able to “grow with the technology” again.
@CrPercodani I believe that ordering it through telesales (over the phone) means the rebate is still required, but I’m honestly not sure.
hey big red, if my new every 2 is not until march 2010, is there anyway to get this phone for the $199 and just forgo the NE2 in march?
I sure hope they dont botch this one like they did when the introduced the storm last year @ 10 phones per store what a joke. it took me 6 weeks to get one.
So when they say to get the most from DROID… customers will need to subscribe to the Email and Web for Smartphone plan, does that mean you can get the phone without the $29.99 monthly access plan, and use wifi when available (like an iPod Touch, that’s also a phone)?
@harold
all smart phones on Verizon require a minimum $29.99 data plan. there is no way around it, as soon as you activate the phone on your line it gets automatically added. unless they changed that policy per Google’s request but i doubt it since they would have to allow any smartphone with wifi the same benefit.
I have the same question as AFI206 – My NE2 isnt up until next year (Jan 2010). Is there an annual upgrade or another discount to get the DROID for $200 or at least $299?
My 2-yr plan is fairly new and I want the Droid. How can I get a good price? If I pay full retail can I then sell the old phone? If I lose mine can I get a 1 yr plan cost for a droid? I have 4 lines and one is due for a new phone, can I use that to get the best price? I’d love a comment that is more than just speculation…
I got the enV touch back in June. I like it, but its speaker isn’t loud enough.
The other line on our plan has a crappy phone, fairly new, but is always dropping calls, and having bad quality. I read that you can get it at a disounted price if you get the e-mail plan. Does that mean even though it hasn’t been a year since I upgraded, if I get a e-mail plan, can I upgrade for a discount?