Power-Packed: 5 Things To Know About Motorola Droid X
Verizon teased the much-rumored Droid X last week, putting up a new section of its Web site devoted to the phone. While it didn't mention many details, Verizon did confirm Droid X's existence and that it had a 4.3-inch display, video capture for 720p video and HDMI output.
Now that the Droid X cat is out of the bag, here's what to know:
1. Cost and Availability: Droid X will be available through Verizon July 15. Cost is $199.99 with a two-year lock-in and after a $100 rebate. Some data plans will require additional fees; nationwide talk plans begin at $39.99 a month and e-mail and web for smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited access. Verizon is also letting any customers who have Verizon contracts ending on or before Dec. 31, 2009 to upgrade to Droid X without penalty.
2. The Rumors Were True: Not only does Droid X has the 4.3-inch display and other previously confirmed physical features, it also has the 1 Ghz processor, 8 GB of memory, 16 GB microSD card, and 8-megapixel camera that were rumored to be part of the phone for weeks. There's also no physical keyboard on Droid X, and, as also was rumored, it comes preloaded with the touch-screen typing software Swype.
3. No Froyo Yet: Droid X will ship with version 2.1 of Google Android, and later this summer will see an upgrade to Froyo, also known as Android 2.2. It'll be an over-the-air update, according to Motorola and Verizon, that'll include both 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1.
4. Hotspot? Yep: The Droid X includes a 3G Mobile Hotspot for connecting up to five wireless devices on Verizon's 3G network. It comes at a price, though: an added $20 a month, for 2 GB of data.
5. Broader Mobile Content Options: To accompany the Droid X release, Verizon also confirmed expanded mobile video content relationships with Skype Mobile, Blockbuster, Redzone and other providers. Skype Mobile comes integrated, for example, and with the Blockbuster application, users can download movie content directly to their phone.
"Motorola designed Droid X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device," said Sanjay Jha, Motorola co-CEO, in a statement. "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."
Neither Motorola nor Verizon offered details on Droid 2, a rumored upgrade to the original Droid phone whose announcement was thought by some to also be happening Wednesday.