We've
been talking about the Motorola
Droid X for quite some
time, but Motorola today officially its latest Android-based
smartphone. The Droid X will launch July 15 on Verizon's 3G network
and will be priced at $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate (and a
two-year contract). For those that don't want to deal with the hassle
of a rebate, we're quite certain that some retailers -- like Best Buy
-- will offer the phone at $199 without the need for a rebate.
The
Droid X features a Texas Instruments OMAP3640 processor running at
1GHz, a 4.3-inch display (480x854), 8MP camera (w/dual LED flashes),
HDMI-out, and 720p video capture. When it comes to storage, the Droid
X comes with 8GB of storage space onboard and a 16GB microSD is
included in the box brining total standard storage capacity to 24GB.
The
Droid X will also be able to operate as a 3G "Mobile Hotspot"
-- that functionality, however, will cost you an additional $20 per
month. Thankfully, Verizon Wireless is continuing to offer its
smartphones with an unlimited data plan -- something that AT&T
is no longer offering with new smartphone contracts.
The Droid X will ship with Android 2.1. However, Motorola and Google both state that an upgrade to Android 2.2 will be pushed out over-the-air later this summer.
Tucked
in the press release for the Droid X was this little tidbit of
information regarding Android sales. According to Andy Rubin,
Google's VP of engineering, Android smartphone activations are moving
along at a blistering pace.
"It
has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer
adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months
ago," said Rubin. "There are 160,000 new Android-powered
devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000
applications."
In
other smartphone news, Apple has announced that white iPhone 4
smartphones will ship in mid-July:
White
models of Apple’s new iPhone 4 have proven more challenging to
manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available
until the second half of July. The availability of the more popular
iPhone 4 black models is not affected.
The
iPhone 4 officially launches tomorrow, although some folks received
their phones yesterday and many are receiving their phones today.
