Verizon is set to release its latest smartphone, the Motorola Droid, on November 6th. I was lucky enough to get a two-day preview of the Droid a week early. Many have been calling the Droid the "iPhone killer," especially after a series of iPhone attack ads launched by the Droid went viral on the web. Though I wouldn't go that far, I would definitely say it's going to give the iPhone some competition. Motorola hasn't had any hits since the RAZR craze, but I believe the Droid will put them back into the game as a major player.

I picked up the Droid yesterday morning, and returned it later this afternoon. I was very impressed from what I saw during the time I tested it out. The Droid is the world's first smartphone that runs the Android 2.0 operating system.
The first thing I noticed about the Droid is that it doesn't seem cheap or flimsy- though it is a little on the heavy side. The device has some gold accents-which I wasn't too fond of. There is a power on/off button on the top, right-hand corner of the phone. On the opposite side is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Along the right edge there is volume rocker-which got in my way a lot. There is also a camera button on the opposite end. On the left edge is a MicroUSB port. When you turn the phone on its back there is a 5-megapixel camera along with a flash. A gold, stiched plate hides the Droid's speaker. On the front of the screen are 4-keys: back, menu, home, and search. The phone also comes with a 16GB SD card.

The basic structure of the phone is made of two pieces: a touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The screen is amazing- it's 3.7 inches of touchscreen bliss. It has excellent resolution, a full glass display with a bright and crisp 480x854 resolution. The screen is customizable and visually appealing with bright icons. The keys on the QWERTY keyboard are flat, and, like most keyboards, take some getting used to. The touchscreen also offers a keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard has an individual "@" key, perfect for Twitter. Next to the keyboard is a gold navigation button.

The battery life seemed long, and I only had to re-charge it once after using it it for a pretty long time. The Droid comes equipped with a 1400mAH removable battery. A big complaint of the iPhone- no removable battery.
The Droid allows you to run multiple applications at once- so you can toggle back and forth. However, though Android 2.0 allows for multi-touch, that functionality isn't implemented here.
The phone already comes equipped with Facebook, YouTube, and G-mail preloaded. Users can visit the Android Marketplace for countless apps as well as widgets. The phone also comes with Google Maps Navigation and acts as a GPS. You can also download the latest tracks from the Amazon MP3 store.

The Droid offers Verizon Wireless Visual Voicemail, a cool feature that allows you to reply and forward voicemail messages without having to listen to prior messages or instructions.

The Motorola Droid starts at $199 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. Users will need to purchase a voice plan starting at $39 a month as well as a web and e-mail plan starting at $29 a month. I was surprised with the cost, and actually thought it would be more for the device.

There are so many good things about the Droid. It has high-speed web browsing, a customizable and sharp touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, a 5MP camera with a flash, and access to thousands of Android applications and widgets. The icing on the cake, in my opinion, it's offered by the best 3G mobile network in the country.

Final Thought: The Motorola Droid is heaven-sent if you are a Verizon user like me looking for an upgrade. However, I don't recommend canceling service with another provider and incurring tons of fees just to get it.

For more information: Check out KDKA-TV's Jim Lokay's preview of the Motorola Droid and whether or not Pittsburghers think it will give the iPhone competition.

To view my slideshow of Droid photos, click here.