droidStory

Big Red is not known to be the cheapest carrier around, but their excellent (data) coverage at least shows that the company heavily invests into their network infrastructure.

I don’t mind paying a little premium for the trusty Verizon network.  What bums me out though is that Verizon always seems to find new ways to pile on extra fees. There used to be the $12.95 VZ-Navigator tax for the privilege to use your phone’s GPS with Google Maps. The BES data tax to connect to your company’s Blackberry Enterprise Server. And now the $20 surcharge for WiFi tethering, an Android 2.2 (Froyo) feature that Verizon conveniently removed from the default build.

But here is yet another strange twist in the Verizon fee structure. There are two data plans currently offered for Android handsets and other smartphones. Which one do you need?The distinction between Corporate and Personal Email seems to be an oxymoron. Are corporate users  getting more emails than private accounts? What if my company uses Google Apps for corporate email? Do I still need the corporate plan? The details for the corporate plan offer the following explanation:Is Verizon restricting access to ActiveSync or other corporate messaging protocols, unless you pay up? I’m using ActiveSync for both MS-Exchange and Lotus Traveler, so my first impression was that I needed the more expensive corporate plan. Yet, I’m syncing with my corporate mail servers just fine on the personal plan. My calls into Verizon yielded conflicting responses. One person suggested that I only need the corporate plan for BES connectivity and that the higher cost is simply a result of Verizon having to pay RIM some sort of access fee. Still, why list this option for Android phones?

Whatever you do, try the cheaper plan first. It works just fine for me. I’m still peeved about the extra $20/month for WiFi tethering…

Motorola published their Android upgrade schedule on their support forum.

Nothing new here. Obviously, Motorola acknowledged that the Devour was a total flop, so they don’t even bother with any future upgrades.

The guys at MyDroidWorld got their hands on a leaked (read unauthorized) Android 2.2 Froyo version for the DroidX. They kindly provided the update instructions and download mirrors to the update.zip file here. Rooted and un-rooted phones can be upgraded. It is not clear if this version is a release candidate of the anticipated official release slated for sometime in August or September, but it is likely that it is not.

Many people are reporting successful installation and use of this version, but caution is strongly advised. Unlike the original Droid or the Nexus One, Motorola and Verizon have gone all out (eFuse) to protect the latest Droid from unauthorized updates. While eFuse is not going to brick your phone as some initially reported it is still preventing custom ROM’s from being installed. This update obviously coming from Motorola installs fine, but it is unclear if the official OTA Update of Froyo will, once you’ve installed this leaked version.

For that reason I’m going to sit this one out…

Update: Well, this did not take long. Numerous blogs report that Motorola has sent a cease & desist order to the sites hosting the leaked update. Why am I not surprised.

Verizon and Motorola still going strong with their Droid marketing campaign. Earlier this week I received this little “care package” from Verizon with a bunch of DroidX swag – a t-shirt, an accessory coupon book and a bumper sticker.

Did you get your DroidX flaunting package?

Motorola and Verizon now officially announced the Droid 2, available for pre-order tomorrow and in stores this Thursday.

DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2.

In addition, they will offer a Limited Edition R2-D2 Droid 2, in September.

R2-D2 DROID 2
In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars™ Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.

The successor of the wildly popular Droid, aptly named Droid 2 is coming to Verizon. Many signs are hinting that the latest Droid will hit stores this week.

The Droid 2 seems almost identical to the original Droid, and this ad spotted in a Florida news paper is touting a NEW advanced keyboard as the main improvement. Overall the Droid 2 feels more evolutionary than revolutionary, without any killer features that will set it apart from Droid Incredible or Droid X, unless you want a physical keyboard of course.

Promotional materials leaked from Best Buy list the phone at $199 with a 2 year contract, and $599 without contract.

via Engadget, droiddog