Motorola and Verizon Wireless have announced the launch of the world’s first smartphone with Android 2.0 – DROID by Motorola, which features the brainpower and breakneck speed of modern smartphone, combining 3.7″ touchscreen display, 5MP camera, slide out full QWERTY keyboard, high-speed Web browsing and voice-activated search capability in a single device.

Droid-by-Motorola

“We’re proud to work with Verizon Wireless and Google on the first smartphone to feature Android 2.0,” said Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer for Motorola Mobile Devices. “DROID by Motorola delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed Web browsing, a mammoth screen, and Motorola’s expertise in design and voice quality. Combined with Android’s open, flexible graphical user interface and the power of Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, DROID is a smartphone that simply doesn’t compromise.”

Features and specifications of DROID by Motorola (Verizon Wireless):

  • 550 mHz Arm Cortex A8 processor and Google Android 2.0
  • Large, brilliant 3.7-inch high-resolution screen with WVGA (480 x 854 pixels) resolution
  • 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and image stabilization
  • Multi-window HTML browser with a massive processor
  • Stereo Bluetooth technology v2.1 + EDR and Wi-Fi 802.11 b,g connectivity
  • Perform Google Search at the speed of voice, serving up Google search results based on your location
  • eCompass, proximity and ambient light sensors
  • Google Maps Navigation (Beta) provides turn-by-turn voice guidance as a free feature of Google Maps
  • Access to various services including YouTube, Amazon MP3 Store, Google Talk, Google Search by Voice, Facebook and Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail
  • Run up to 6 applications at once and customize your DROID with thousands of applications and hundreds of widgets from Android Market
  • 1400 mAh Li Ion battery supports up to 385 minutes of usage time or up to 270 hours of standby time
  • 16GB microSD pre-installed, supporting up to 32GB microSD expandable

“This is an exciting announcement for Verizon Wireless, as the DROID by Motorola is the first device that we are bringing to market under our ground-breaking strategic partnership with Google,” said John Stratton, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon Wireless. “DROID by Motorola gives customers a lifestyle device with access to more than 12,000 applications that will help them stay in touch, up to date and entertained, using the best 3G network in the country.”

DROID by Motorola smartphone which measures 2.4 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches and weighs in at 6 ounces is slated to be available exclusively from Verizon Wireless on November 6 for $199.99, after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new 2-year service contract.

Update: Motorola Droid 2 on Verizon