By Extended Hours, In-Store Demos, Unique Times Sq. Billboard, Other Events Planned For Nationwide Debut at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores
BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Many of Verizon Wireless’ more than 2,000 Communications Stores will open early Friday (Nov. 6) to give customers the earliest opportunity to purchase the DROID by Motorola on its first day of sale. Some stores will open at 7 a.m. and others at 8 a.m. Customers should check local stores for their opening hours. (Mall stores will not open early.)
Customers visiting Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on or after Friday, Nov. 6, will not only be able to purchase the world’s first smartphone with Android™ 2.0, they can also learn about its variety of advanced features and functions. Verizon Wireless will host demonstrations at select locations to help customers get the most from their new DROID by Motorola devices.
Also on Friday, Verizon Wireless will create a first-of-its-kind interactive experience in New York City called, “DROID Does Times Square.” This experience will let callers control two of Times Square’s largest digital billboards – the NASDAQ and Reuters signs – using only voice commands.
The digital billboards will instruct passersby to call a toll-free number (1-888-376-4336) to search locations in the Times Square area. Participants can search for practically anything (e.g. their favorite cuisines, plays, movies, stores), and the search results will be displayed on the digital billboards using Google Maps. This activity takes place from Nov. 6 through Nov. 20, daily from 12:30 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. and from 6:00 a.m. on Nov. 27 through 2:00 a.m. on Nov. 28. Beginning Nov. 6, Internet fans worldwide can also view the experience in real-time by visiting www.droiddoes.com/timessquare.
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.
The DROID by Motorola features high-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, a customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets, and the largest 3G mobile network in the country. To learn more, visit http://news.vzw.com/news/2009/10/pr2009-10-27.html. Experience the all-new DROID by Motorola at www.droiddoes.com.
For a list of Verizon Wireless Communications Store locations, visit www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/storelocator/index.jsp.
[Via VZW]
Eris too? Or will Eris be a “quiet launch” so as not to step on Moto’s toes.
exciting!!!
I just got to play with the Droid a few minutes ago and it’s AWESOME! Everything I hoped it would be… my G1 is starting to look very very old now. :(
“DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday…”
What about my Best Buy presale..?
“DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday…”
What about my Best Buy presale?
I’m also starting to get the feeling that this could be the time Android hits big time. I have noticed more and more people coming to this site and the forums lately (I’ve been here since day one… so I can tell the difference). And I hear people in my office here talking about the phone… most of these people are Blackberry users and I-Phone lovers. There’s a buzz going on for the Droid that never kicked in about the G1. People are asking questions.. they are looking at pictures online.. they might not even know what “Android” means but they know “Droid” and they know “Google”. A storm is brewing… (and it’s not that crappy Blackberry device :) )
Will they have the same demo at Dallas like Times Square has. Could we see “DROID does Dallas”?
Sorry. To easy. :)
$100 mail-in rebate or rebate on debit card upon receipt?
@techlys
i was told when i preordered mine the only units best buy is getting (and selling for that matter) are the units that are preordered.
I don’t think the eris will launch on Nov. 6th.
can’t wait for friday. my local verizon store is holding a droid back for me. time to put my old razr to rest :)
@teclys: Carrier-wise.
@droidphan: mail in rebate, it comes in the form of a debit card.
@doug: I think it will :) But who knows. VZW is being SO QUIET on Eris.
hey rob j. wat happend with the motodroid review
@Gert
A friend of my works for verizon, they already have the phones in store. The eris WILL be sold on Friday!
@Stef
They’re holding a Droid for me too. I’m waiting in line anyway. I’m not entirely sure they’ll keep one for me if they sell out and I just can’t wait. I’ve been plodding along with my horrible LG Venus too long.
I think Verizon is setting themselves up to look like idiots here. I will own a droid… but people will not be waiting in line for this like iPhone. It’s not a mainstream device. It’s a geek’s device. I guarantee Saturday blog posts will be showing no lines in front of Verizon stores.
I love the Droid and plan to get one, but does anyone think it’s kinda weird their entire ad campaign is taking on a “geek targeted” approach? I’m sure the geek/techies like us are already sold on this thing. They made a mistake opening up the “better than iPhone” can of worms if they were going to follow it up with a geek-focused campaign. I work in advertising and I’m just wondering why they didn’t go more with a more mass-market approach to get wider adoption. Fighter jets? robot eyes? astoroids? Even when compared to the MyTouch commercials, Verizon’s TV spots are a total fail if they want to take the lead (or even) dent the penetration Apple has made in the “average” consumer market. I mean, even soccer mom’s are using iPhones. Apple did a better job at going after a wider variety of users in my opinion.
And what the heck is up with not showing the phone at this point??? Dont you think that would lead to more people knowing what the heck the ad is about. Every tech blog has reviewed it already. Again, strictly from a product launch standpoint, gotta give it to Apple. Not one person saw the iPhone until Apple wanted them to.
This is not an apple vs android comment. I’m just commenting on it from an ad strategy/product launch standpoint. I think it was completely botched from the beginning.