Droid Does, Part Deux: A Look At Motorola's Droid 2

Meet Droid 2

Verizon and Motorola on Tuesday confirmed what for months was rumored: Droid 2, a sequel to the barely nine-months-old Droid with faster speeds and more up-to-date software, including version 2.2 of Google Android.

Droid 2 continues the two companies' dominance in the rapidly expanding market for Google Android-based devices, and should be a worthy complement to the recently released Droid X device. Here's a quick look at the finer points of Droid 2.

Physically Speaking

The Droid 2 doesn't differ too much from the Droid; it has the same 3.7-inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera. The biggest change, however, is in the slide-out keyboard, which according to Verizon is a "symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates." The change probably reflects criticism by some consumers of the Droid's original keyboard (pictured), which had flatter keys.

Among other physical features, Droid 2 can provide mobile hot spot capability for up to five devices.

Under The Hood

Droid 2 will ship with version 2.2 of Android, also known as Froyo, which immediately gives Droid 2 a certain edge over many Android phones that haven't yet received the Froyo update.

Droid 2 will also support Adobe Flash 10.1, and offers 512 MB of RAM, 8 GB of on-board storage (with an included, 8-GB microSD card), and a 1Ghz processor, which boosts it over the original Droid's 600Mhz speed.

Availability

According to Verizon and Motorola, the Droid 2 will be available starting Wednesday through Verizon's online store and in Verizon retail outlets starting Thursday. Cost is $199.99 with a two-year lock in and after a $100 rebate, and all Verizon customers with contracts expiring in 2010 are eligible for an upgrade.

What, No C-3PO?

Verizon and Motorola confirmed Tuesday a special bonus for Star Wars lovers: a limited edition version of the Droid 2 will be released in September featuring "exclusive Star Wars content." The Star Wars Droid 2 itself will also resemble R2-D2 (pictured), though there are no pictures of what that actually entails so you'll just have to imagine it right now.

Droid 2 In The Bigger Picture

Android is a key platform for both Motorola, which in 2009 declared its loyalty to Google's OS for its smartphone development, and Verizon, which despite its penetration into most of the major smartphone platforms had, before Droid, lacked a showpiece phone brand to compete with Apple's iPhone. Verizon seems to have liked its Android exposure; according to Boy Genius Report, it has many, many additional Android devices on the way from both Motorola and other manufacturers.