Verizon
The Motorola Droid seems to be set for release at the end of October or early November, and Verizon is spending freely to promote the launch with prime-time ad spots in baseball playoff games. The first ad is nothing less than a direct assault on the Apple
Them's fightin' words, but early hands-on reports on the Droid (a.k.a. the Motorola Sholes or Tao) position the new device as a realistic challenger to the iPhone. The Droid seems like it can walk the talk. Motorola, Google, and Verizon reportedly worked hand-in-hand-in-hand to spit-shine this phone, and the product matches the iPhone feature by feature.
The Droid is rumored to use a powerful Texas Instruments
Verizon hurls verbal barbs like "iDon't allow open development" and "iDon't take night shots" at the iPhone. That's not something you'd do to a future partner, right? I guess the iPhone isn't coming to Verizon Wireless anytime soon, then (though lesser lights like T-Mobile still might show up in an Apple store near you).
What's abundantly clear is that the Android is coming of age right now. Recently announced models like the Samsung Galaxy, Motorola Cliq, and HTC Hero all look like serious products with distinctive advantages over both older Androids and the iPhone. But none have drawn the pre-release praise that the Droid is getting. "Just about anyone who has come in contact with the phone can't stop talking about it," says industry observer TechCrunch, and "they have good reason." And it will connect to the Verizon network, removing what many feel is the weakest link in Apple's chain: slow and/or unreliable data connections on the AT&T
The battle lines have been drawn. Would you buy a Motorola iPhone-clone if it came with Verizon's network and Google's software? Share your thoughts below. You'll be able to vote with your wallet in just a couple of weeks.