Without as much as a peep from Verizon Wireless’ PR team, the nation’s top carrier on Thursday made the latest addition to its DROID line of smartphones available for purchase. Perhaps the silence is payback since Motorola announced the device last month in China before Verizon’s unveiling, which has historically preceded international versions of the phone. As we’ve known for quite some time, the Motorola DROID 3 features a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 4-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) touchscreen display, a full slide-out QWERTY keypad, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture support, 16GB of storage and global roaming support, all atop Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. The phone is available from Verizon Wireless immediately for $199.99 on contract, and you’ll have to choose one of the carrier’s new tiered data plans along with it if you’re a new customer.
UPDATE: VZW finally decided to make the DROID 3 — you know, its brand new flagship Android smartphone — official. The carrier’s full press release can now be found after the break. Of note, the phone is available immediately online but won’t be in stores until July 14th.
VERIZON WIRELESS INTRODUCES THE NEXT GENERATION DROID DELIVERING POWER AND PERFORMANCE: THE DROID 3 BY MOTOROLA
Full Keyboard, No Compromises; DROID 3 by Motorola Available Online Today
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Verizon Wireless and Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), today announced the new Android™-powered DROID 3 by Motorola, a global smartphone that delivers power for work and play without making compromises.
DROID 3 by Motorola is the world’s thinnest full QWERTY smartphone, and still delivers the power of a dual-core 1 GHz processor for fast multi-tasking. Customers can take stunning photos with the 8-megapixel camera or capture the moment in 1080p HD video. Equipped with Android 2.3, the DROID 3 by Motorola features a brilliant 4-inch qHD display, a roomy 5-row QWERTY keyboard and 3G Mobile Hotspot capabilities, with the ability to connect up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices. DROID 3 by Motorola delivers the power needed to conquer the day whether customers are at home, work or somewhere in between.
Additional features:
· Powered by Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread
· Mirror mode allows you to view and share photos, videos and movies on a larger TV via HDMI output (requires HDMI cable)
· Global ready, allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice and data service in more than 200 countries, including more than 125 with 3G speeds
· Enterprise ready with advanced security policies, device and SD card encryption, complex password support, remote data wipe of device and SD card; document and presentation viewing and editing with Quickoffice®
· Citrix® GoToMeeting® for Android, gives users the ability to attend online meetings while on-the-go, and Citrix Receiver® for Android, a universal software client that allows companies to deliver corporate apps, desktops and data to any corporate- or employee-owned device
· ESP smart dock technology for a tailored experience based on whether DROID 3 is docked in home, office or car settings
· Adobe® Flash® Player 10
· Front-facing camera for still shots and video chat
· Video playback in 1080p HD in mirror mode
Pricing and availability:
· DROID 3 by Motorola is now available online at http://www.verizonwireless.com, and will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores by July 14 for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
· Customers that purchase a DROID 3 will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan and a smartphone data package. New Verizon Wireless customers will have the option of smartphone plans starting at $30 for 2GB of data. Current Verizon Wireless smartphone customers who are upgrading their smartphone can keep their current data plan.