Motorola DROID X Gets Official

Verizon, Motorola and Google have officially announced the DROID X, the latest Android smartphone and something of a multimedia powerhouse.  Powered by a 1GHz processor, the DROID X has 8GB of ROM, a 4.3-inch 854 x 480 capacitive touchscreen and will come with a 16GB microSD card preloaded for a total of 24GB storage; that's useful, as the phone also has an 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording.

For playing back that content there's an HDMI output together with DLNA media streaming support.  The battery is a 1,570mAh pack, and there's EVDO Rev.A, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and USB 2.0.  The DROID X runs Android 2.1 though Motorola say an update to 2.2 – complete with Flash 10.1 – will come later in the summer; there's also a custom UI, Swype and various social networking widgets.

There are also three microphones for noise cancellation and a 3G MiFi-style hotspot feature.  The Motorola DROID X will land on Verizon on July 15th, priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement (and after the usual rebate).  If you want to use the MiFi functionality then it'll be an extra $20 (on top of the Verizon $29.99 unlimited data package) for which Verizon will also give you 2GB more data per month.

Meanwhile a second battery, apparently adding a millimeter of thickness but boosting capacity to 1,930 mAh will arrive in the Summer.  The DROID X will be available from Verizon, Best Buy and other retailers, as well as online.

Press Release:

July 2010: DROID X By Motorola Lands On The Nation's Largest & Most Reliable 3G Network

DROID X Delivers More Browsing, More Connectivity, Personal HD Video and Enterprise Features – All on a 4.3" Widescreen

June 23, 2010

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation's largest and most reliable wireless 3G network, and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a pioneer in the mobile industry, today unveiled DROID X by Motorola. DROID X does more with ultra high-speed Web browsing; a fast 1GHz processor; 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities; loads of memory; intuitive social messaging; Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 ready; and access to Android Market™, which has more than 65,000 applications, along with a host of unique Verizon Wireless applications such as NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™, V CAST Video, EA Need for Speed Shift™ and more.

"Nine months ago, we made a commitment to our customers to bring the openness of Android to the Verizon Wireless network," said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon Wireless. "Since then, we have introduced the top-selling Android phone in the marketplace today – the DROID by Motorola. DROID X takes that commitment to another level with exclusive content, faster processing speeds, and, of course, the reliability of our network."

Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business added, "Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. 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. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates."

DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows. The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.

DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer. With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.

"It has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months ago," said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Google. "There are 160,000 new Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications. Plus later this summer, Verizon Wireless and Motorola will update all the DROID by Motorola phones to the latest 2.2 software. For customers, this means great new features and improved browser performance. For developers, this will provide new tools such as cloud-to-device messaging and enhanced enterprise functionality."

"We are excited about full Flash support coming to the DROID X and other devices from Motorola," said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe. "Flash Player 10.1, which is one of Adobe's most anticipated releases ever, has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver the kind of highly engaging experiences that consumers now expect from their mobile devices."

Once updated to Android 2.2, business customers will find DROID X offers the features that turn the device into a workhorse with support for both Exchange and Gmail™ for business. Corporate users can enjoy push delivery of e-mail; live widgets that stream messages to the home screen; filter widgets to differentiate work and home e-mail; corporate directory and Global look-up along with a unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™. Security protocols allow remote password control and wipe via Exchange server.

Pricing and Availability

DROID X by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile Hotspot service to their DROID X for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile Hotspot allows customers to turn the phone into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID X, without penalty.

For more information on DROID X by Motorola, go to http://phones.verizonwireless.com/droid/x/. For information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Droid X Fact Sheet:

DROID X by Motorola Fact Sheet
Pocket-Sized Home Theater

Capture, share and enjoy your world with DROID X, a pocket-sized home theater with a massive 4.3 inch high-resolution display that lets you capture HD movies for playback on your HDTV. It also features a powerful processor and scary fast speeds, all on Verizon Wireless' 3G network, the nation's largest and most reliable wireless voice and data network. DROID X utilizes high-performance diversity antennas along with innovative software to improve signal strength and reduce dropped calls. DROID X users will receive Android™ 2.2 and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 via an over-the-air update in late summer.

Capture Sights and Sounds

Capture your memories in high definition with 720p HD video capture. Customize your videos with a slow-motion effect and make them flawless with an advanced three microphone solution for directional audio capture and noise cancelation. In between takes, make sure no still shot is missed with a fully loaded 8 megapixel camera capable of 1/1000 second shutter speed and features such as auto-focus, touch to focus, panoramic capture and a powerful dual LED flash to produce high-quality photos.

Share with Ease

Share personal videos with friends using either an optional HDMI cable or Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified technology, enabling you to stream, store and share content with multiple DLNA compatible devices such as a HDTVs, game consoles or PCs. Share the wealth of your own 3G Mobile HotSpot with up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices, all while accessing your content at superfast speed, powered by a 1 GHz processor.

Enjoy Life's Brilliant Moments

DROID X brings your content to life with a vibrant 4.3-inch display with a crisp WVGA 854 x 480 resolution. Download full-length movies and enjoy them in cinematic widescreen format1. DROID X will feature Adobe Flash Player following a software update late summer, which will deliver streaming video from tens of millions of websites or game play with a full PC Web experience. Whether texting, checking push corporate e-mails or updating your status, the large display reveals a spacious virtual keyboard to do it all. Type and text with ease at more than 50 words per minute with Swype® using one continuous finger motion across the screen keyboard. Get up close and personal with your favorite sites using pinch-to-zoom.

Enjoy additional preloaded apps and games such as EA Need for Speed Shift™, NFL Mobile, Skype mobile™ and a full suite of Google™ Mobile Services, including Android Market™, Google Maps™ with Street View, Google Latitude, a YouTube™ widget, Calendar, Google Search™ by Voice, and, of course, Gmail™ and Google Search™. You can also easily download BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video via a link icon on your home screen or use V CAST to watch your favorite shows.

More Social, More Connected, More Memory

Preloaded social networking widgets allow you to sync and stream your feeds and updates from Facebook®, Twitter and MySpace all to one screen in real time. With 8 GB of onboard memory and a pre-installed 16 GB memory card, DROID X can be expanded to up to 40 GB with the addition of a 32 GB memory card to house favorite videos, images, games and apps.