Today Verizon walked into the ring for contender in the smart phone heavyweight competition. This Android powered phone has been anxiously awaited by Verizon clients and Android fans, promising the greatest combination of technology and features available for Android (and arguably all smart phones.
The launch of Droid X kicked off with a feel good partnership agreement between Google and Verizon. Shantanu Narayen, the CEO of Adobe Systems, emphasized the presence of Flash support to the new Android phone. He may not be as media friendly as Steve Jobs, but his presence shows the seriousness that all three companies have, and promises that the Droid X will be the very first smart phone to be able to support Adobe Flash.
Unfortunately, the corporate types are still telling us things that we already know. Mobility is more than a phone, it is an arrangement of software, networking, hardware, how the platform’s maturity rate parallels with other platforms throughout the years, and so on and so forth. We know this already, so why do these launch events always talk down to their audience? The general public aren’t the ones who tend to go to these launch events. Anyone who takes the time to show up is already deeply interested in the category and is aware of the changing nature of mobile communications.
But on to the good stuff. They get into feature details that promise a lot of entertainment for Droid X owners. Of course there will be Verizon’s V CAST video support. They even announced several partnerships to give you content from NFL Mobile, Skype, Blockbuster video rentals on the go, as well as a backup assistant to protect your data (presumably for when you throw the phone to the ground in rage if your NFL team loses to its rivals).
On the specs front, the screen size is 4.3″ diagonally. This is a monster size phone, but the extra screen real estate will come in handy. With one of the biggest LCD screens, a Droid X screen protector is recommended to keep the screen clean and scratch-free. It seems a little defensive by taking a shot at higher resolution screens such as the iPhone, claiming that when asked consumers would choose a larger screen. But the audience gives a laugh at the “quantity vs quality” jab.
The processor is a 1 GHz OMAP chip, it sports 8GB of RAM memory, and 16GB of storage. It includes an expansion card to add up to 32GB for a total of 40GB of storage. It has a multi-touch keyboard using Swype.
It can serve as a WiFi hotspot, so you can use your phone’s Internet connection to connect your laptop to surf or check email. They claim that you can connect up to five devices, though I doubt the speed would be acceptable with so many devices sharing the phone’s Internet connection.
For voice communications, it includes three microphones. Why three? One is for telephone calls, one for video calls, and one is used for cancel out background noise. It includes Bluetooth voice dialing.
For corporate users, this includes support for Gmail enterprise and MS Exchange. As expected, it allows push email, remote management/data wipe, and other IT department pleasers.
Adobe Flash 10.1 we are told has been completely rewritten so it can support the Droid platform better.
Speaking of flash, the 8mb digital camera includes a flash for when you taking photos. It also can record 720p HD video. It includes an HDMI out to connect your phone to your TV so you can share photos and videos.
The data plans announced is $29.99 for unlimited download, and you can add WiFi tethering for $20 including 2GB of data. I am not certain to why you need an extra 2GB of data if the $29.99 plan is “unlimited,” but I am sure they will clear that up shortly. Perhaps the 2GB limit with 5 cents per MB overage limit is for tethering only, and any data used on the phone is unlimited.
The Motorola Droid X will be available July 15th, at $199 after rebate. The price is just right, you’ll probably even have enough money to buy Motorola Droid X accessories. They announced that this device will be US only, though there may be similar devices created for the rest of the world.
Will this be an iPhone killer? Who knows? But it is definitely a contender for the smart phone space. It is unlikely to have the same flocking effect that iPhone had for AT&T, where people left service providers they liked for AT&T just to get the iPhone. But for Verizon customers that have iPhone envy, this is a very good reason to stay with Verizon.
