Verizon and Motorola officially announce Droid X
Today is the day many have been waiting for. Verizon has finally announced the Droid X. The press release is quoted below after the key points and the link to live video webcast is also below (Just put in anything for the registration info).
- 1 GHz CPU
- 8 GB Internal Memory, comes with 16GB microSD card
- HD video capture
- HDMI out
- 8 Megapixel camera
- 3 mics, 1 for noise cancelling
- Launches with Android 2.1, gets 2.2 and Flash 10.1 in the latter part of summer
- Launches July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 MIR on a 2 year agreement
- 1540 mAH Battery – Highest in Industry
- Anybody who is able to upgrade 2 year contract will be immediately able to upgrade to Droid X
- Motorola expects to deliver a 1900 mAH battery pack in a few months that will increase thickness by 1mm
In related news, Google announced they are open sourcing Android 2.2 today. And they are activating around 160,000 handsets per day up from the 100,000 per day a month ago at Google IO.
DROID X Delivers More Browsing, More Connectivity, Personal HD Video and Enterprise Features – All on a 4.3” Widescreen
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – 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 unveiled DROID X by Motorola. DROID X does more with ultra high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; loads of memory; intuitive social messaging; Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 ready; and access to Android Market™, which has more than 65,000 applications, along with a host of unique Verizon Wireless applications such as NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™, V CAST Video, EA Need for Speed Shift™ and more.
“Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. “Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola. DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network.”
Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business added, “Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. We are breaking down barriers so that you can experience the Web the way it was meant to be and create, share and view content like never before, either in your hand or in your home. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates.”
DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows. The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.
DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer. With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.
“It has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months ago,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Google. “There are 160,000 new Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications. Plus later this summer, Verizon Wireless and Motorola will update all the DROID by Motorola phones to the latest 2.2 software. For customers, this means great new features and improved browser performance. For developers, this will provide new tools such as cloud-to-device messaging and enhanced enterprise functionality.”
“We are excited about full Flash support coming to the DROID X and other devices from Motorola,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe. “Flash Player 10.1, which is one of Adobe’s most anticipated releases ever, has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver the kind of highly engaging experiences that consumers now expect from their mobile devices.”
Once updated to Android 2.2, business customers will find DROID X offers the features that turn the device into a workhorse with support for both Exchange and Gmail™ for business. Corporate users can enjoy push delivery of e-mail; live widgets that stream messages to the home screen; filter widgets to differentiate work and home e-mail; corporate directory and Global look-up along with a unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™. Security protocols allow remote password control and wipe via Exchange server.
Pricing and Availability
DROID X by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the mail-in 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 X for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile Hotspot allows customers to turn the phone 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 X, without penalty.
For more information on DROID X by Motorola, go to http://phones.verizonwireless.com/droid/x/. 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.
I technically can’t wait around for this smart phone, just two days left and I just wish I can get my hands on one,. I have been reading a lot about the Google android two.2 update that will come in August, just another purpose to be excited about this wonderful phone. Motorola and Verizon wireless claim they will update the phone to Android 2.2 “late summer time.” It will certainly be an over-the-air update. However out-of-the box on its July 15 launch it will probably have Android 2.1.
I have already been feeling a minor heat this a . m . from a few folks not wanting to believe that the Droid X inventory may be limited on release day, as we noted before. Well we’ve simply got five extra screenshots from 5 fairly major markets and I’d say again in which inventory looks to end up being fairly limited to me. A few associated with the major stores get upwards of sixty equipment, but some might simply have got a few units. Now probably these numbers are preceding typical for a Verizon wireless release, but for a device this huge, I guess I simply figured stores would certainly could have tried to have been overstocked.
The Motorola DROID continues to present new possibilities regular. We’ve had it for about 10 months and We have had a Blackberry attached to my entire body given that September 1998. Getting connected is usually a important aspect of my existence so I am often reachable by family and co-workers. I am a bit addicted towards Market for DROID Applications. When the device had unlimited memory I would test the capacity. I think this OS may be the way from the long term and intend to develop with all of you to know it through and via. Thanks to the write-up.