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Verizon makes Droid 2 official, $199 on August 12th

Taylor Wimberly — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:46:03 +0000

Like most Motorola phones the Droid 2 was leaked heavily, but Verizon actually provided some new details on the phone’s pending release. The Motorola Droid 2 will go on pre-sale tomorrow and launch August 12th for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

As expected the Droid 2 will launch with Android 2.2 and Motorola’s custom Android skin (InvisiBlur). The device will also have Adobe’s Flash 10.1 pre-installed, a first for any Android phone. Powering the Droid 2 will be the same 1 GHz processor found in the Droid X (TI OMAP3630). Other notable specs include the 3.7 inch display, 5 megapixel camera with duel LED flash, newly designed QWERTY keyboard, and 8 GB of internal storage paired with an 8GB microSD card.

The Droid 2 also features Verizon’s 3G Mobile HotSpot service. Customers who opt for the $20 per month service can share their 3G internet connection with up to five devices. Other packaged software includes Skype Mobile, Blockbuster on Demand, My Verizon with Backup Assistant, and the virtual keyboard Swype.

Star Wars fans will want to keep an eye on September, when Verizon releases a special edition R2-D2 version of the Droid 2. The device will feature exclusive Star Wars content and it will look like the Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.

Finally, Verizon is extending their special offer to existing customers to allow them to upgrade early. Current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty.

Overall I think the Droid 2 is a solid Android phone and another excellent release from Motorola. The outside design is nearly identical to the existing Droid, which may disappoint some, but if you loved it the first time around then you will appreciate the new 1 GHz CPU and updated keyboard.

Let us know if the Droid 2 lives up to your expectations. Do you plan pre-order the device tomorrow or wait for the end of the year to catch Motorola’s next big release?

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See What DROID Does Next: DROID 2 By Motorola Pre-Sale Starts August 11 At VerizonWireless.com

Built on Android 2.2 with Adobe Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 Comes Equipped with More Power, More Speed and an Improved QWERTY Keyboard

BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and LIBERTYVILLE, IL — Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today announced that DROID™ 2 by Motorola will be available for pre-sale on August 11. Hitting all the right keys, DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2.

“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.”

“With the new DROID 2, we’ve taken a big leap forward from the original DROID,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. “We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before.”

DROID 2’s super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure.

DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices.

Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market, which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup Assistant.

“It’s great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. “With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go.”

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more.

R2-D2 DROID 2
In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.

Pricing and Availability
DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. 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. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty.

For more information on DROID 2 by Motorola, go to www.droiddoes.com. For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to mobile and wireline digital communication devices that provide compelling experiences, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $22 billion in 2009. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.

STAR WARS, DROID and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. Used under license. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

Android, Android Market are trademarks of Google Inc. Adobe Flash is a trademark of Adobe Systems Inc.

Video: Droid X “Tomorrow” teaser

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:32:47 +0000

Whether you like Motorola and Verizon, you have to admit they have one of the best marketing teams when it comes to promoting Android devices. Most of our friends still do not know what Android is, but if you ask them what DROID is (in a robotic voice) they instantly recognize the brand. Verizon is back at it again with a new teaser video for tomorrow’s Droid X launch. Check out the video after the jump and let us know what you think about the latest ad.

Verizon Droid X teaser site live

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:34:02 +0000

Verizon is ready to unveil the next generation of Droid Does next Wednesday and their teaser site just went live. Visitors to DroidDoes.com will now see the new Motorola Droid X with the message coming soon. Verizon boasts the phone’s 4.3 inch display, HDMI output, and 720P screen captures 720p video.

The Droid X is rumored to launch July 19th, but head over to the site and enter your email if you the full details sent to your inbox when they become available next week.

Droid Does Incredible TV campaign

Taylor Wimberly — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:45:10 +0000

Motorola and Verizon spent a combined $100 million to advertise the original Droid and it resulted in the best selling Android device to date. The Droid is now the second best selling smartphone (behind the iPhone) and accounts for up to 17% of AdMob’s U.S. smartphone requests. Even the latest platform version breakdown from Google suggest that the Droid could account for up to 30% of all Android handsets that access the Market.

We were wondering if the Droid Incredible would receive the same treatment and it appears a similar campaign is in store. Verizon has already launched an Incredible mini site and the first ad spot just appeared on YouTube. We have also spotted Incredible ad banners on many of our favorite tech blogs.

Keep an eye our for Incredible ads and let us know what you find.

From Verizon Wireless: Forget what you thought you knew because you’ve never seen a DROID like this. The DROID INCREDIBLE, nothing short of its name.

Droid does dogs, tasers, and underwear

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:35:24 +0000

We always enjoy a good advertisement about Android, even when they are silly and limited to YouTube. Some of these are three months old, but Motorola attempted to launch a viral video campaign in a series of YouTube clips that offer “SECRET MOTOROLA DROID UNLOCK CODES”.

Each video in the series show a secret code that can unlock hidden powers on your Motorola Droid. It looks like some of the early videos bombed, but the newer ones are picking up in views.

Hit or miss? Do you think Motorola got their money’s worth on this promotion?

To see the remaining videos, visit DROIDshortcuts on YouTube.

Verizon Does… have some of the best Android commercials

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:17:50 +0000

Verizon Wireless spent over 100 million to advertise their Motorola Droid and the campaign paid off big time. The Droid sold 1 million units within 74 days of launch, which was quicker than the original iPhone. Verizon continues to heavily market the device and it solidly holds the top spot as most popular Android phone available.

We can all thank the Droid Does TV spots for raising awareness of Google’s mobile operating system. Most of our friends still have no clue what Android is, but at least they can identify a Droid phone now.

I’m not going to point fingers, but I think other carriers could learn from Verizon’s strategy. We like ads that actually show the phone being used and at least mention the Android platform. As Verizon puts it, “See what it feels like to have a cargo bay of intelligent apps at your fingertips.”

Verizon is keeping a good thing going by continuing to pump out new ads. Two new TV spots are starting to air which highlight the ever expanding Android Market. One focuses on Google Sky Map while the other is centered around Slacker Radio (while poking fun at the iPhone’s lack of true multitasking).

Check out the latest videos and let us know what you think.

Droid does updates: Android 2.0.1 now available (VIDEO)

Taylor Wimberly — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:47:22 +0000

We just received word Verizon has begun rolling out a new software update for the Motorola Droid. The over the air update brings the Android operating system up to Android 2.0.1 and includes a heavy number of bug fixes.

For step-by-step instructions on how to perform the download, please visit verizonwireless.com/droidsupport.

The following enhancements to the Droid by Motorola have been made:

OS stability is improved.
Battery life is improved.
Camera auto focus functionality is improved, and time between shots is reduced.
Enhancements for three-way calling.
Audio for incoming calls is improved.
When receiving a call on call waiting, the speakerphone now remains on.
Bluetooth® functionality is improved; background echo is eliminated.
Improved Bluetooth phone book transfer of contacts to in-vehicle Bluetooth solutions.
After closing a GPS application, the GPS icon will now automatically be removed from the notification panel.
Users can now receive SMS and MMS messages after an EMS message is received.
SMS and MMS may now be sent to seven-digit addresses.
Google® contact merging has been updated to accommodate seven-digit numbers.
Visual Voice Mail notices now arrive instantaneously.
The corporate calendar widget user interface is updated.

Update: Found a video posted from GFQ Network.

If you own a Droid and have received the update, let us know your thoughts on how it works.

A system update is available!

Should Android phones be pretty?

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:58:21 +0000

Should a phone be pretty? That is the latest question posed in one of Verizon’s “Droid Does” TV spots. Many people have criticized the Droid ads because they tend to target the hardcore geek, but it appears that hasn’t hurt the sales numbers. I believe Android does need some more mass appeal designs and I expect we will see more handset form factors in 2010.

How important is the look and design when purchasing an Android phone? Would you recommend any of the current models to your mom, sister, or aunt?

So far I think HTC has done the best job with their Sprint Hero and Verizon Droid Eris, but the handset makers still have a lot of progress to make their phones more female friendly. Of all the Android ad spots, I think T-Mobile has done the best job of producing ads that appeal to both sexes.

Droid does Times Square

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:33:56 +0000

Today is Droid day and Verizon is going crazy with ads. We have seen the non-stop TV ads, full-page newspaper spreads, and radio promos. Starting in about an hour, users will be able to call a toll free number (1-888-376-4336) and control several digital billboards in Times Square. Visit the DroidDoes.com site to watch interactive event.

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.

Motorola Droid box revealed

Taylor Wimberly — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:52:12 +0000

We have seen some pretty interesting packaging on recent Android phones like the myTouch 3G bundle. One might expect the first Motorola Droid would feature some extravagant box to match the huge marketing campaign behind it. The guys over at Engadget claim to have a stack of Droids and they snapped a few photos of the official encasing.

The box is nothing too exciting, but I guess it’s what inside the box that counts.