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Is Verizon Bringing the Droid People Seek?

By Doug Mohney, Contributing Editor

Too much media hype, Verizon's Droid has been launched. While it may not smoke the iPhone into oblivion, there are a lot of people who think the new device is going to put the Palm Pre, RIM BlackBerry and anything called Windows Mobile into the dust bin.

 

A survey compiled by ChangeWave Research reportedly showed that as of September, RIM has a 40 percent share in smart phones, while Apple (News - Alert) is around 30 percent and Palm has bottomed-out with about a 7 percent share of the market; back in June 2006, Palm had 36 percent market share – a change that is all the more shocking given that the Palm Pre is single-handedly holding up Palm today and the entire smartphone pool of users continues to grow, even in a down economy.

 

Verizon (News - Alert) is getting a lot of brownie points for Droid above and beyond their techo-hype, saturation-attack marketing campaign. The device is the first truly cool/"I desire it" phone Verizon has put into its lineup in a long time. For the open source and network neutrality crowd, the Android (News - Alert)-running Droid represents goodness.

 

Droid's launch wasn't hurt by the incorporation of free voice-activated search via Google (News - Alert) and the availability of Google Maps and navigation information; GPS navigation/maps have been an extra-cost feature on Verizon and other carriers, so there's likely to be some bundling/squeezing of navigation services on other carriers in the weeks to come.

 

At $199 list price, plus the all-important two-year contract, the Droid is price competitive with other offerings, but one of the more powerful features may be its battery. The removable 1400 mAh lithium ion battery provides over 6 hours of continuous talk time and up to 11 days of standby time – that's Paris Hilton hot! Other features include WiFi (News - Alert) and Bluetooth, GPS, a 5 MP camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a micro-USB port, and a 16 GB micro-SD card is included. The 5 megapixel camera isn't getting big raves, but you can't have everything.

 

Purchasers of Droid and other Verizon smartphone devices may want to think twice before buying, however. Verizon Wireless plans to double its early termination fee (ETF) for subsidized smartphones to $350 on November 15 – a move that isn't winning any sympathy out of at least one member of Congress. 

 

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) sent a letter to Verizon Wireless denouncing the move, saying it is "anti-competitive and anti-consumer." Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees telecom issues, has held Capital Hill hearing on ETFs and other wireless carrier practices, so she's unlikely to give Verizon a pass – even if they have a Droid she is looking for.

Doug Mohney is a contributing editor for TMCnet and a 20-year veteran of the ICT space. To read more of his articles, please visit columnist page.

Edited by Amy Tierney