Verizon Has Launched the Droid and Droid Eris

The wait is over: Verizon Wireless is now offering the Motorola Droid, the new flagship of the Android OS. It also just put the HTC Droid Eris on sale, a less expensive model running the same operating system.

Verizon's first two devices running Google's mobile operating system have very different designs.

The Motorola Droid is a slider, with a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard. It has a 3.7-inch, 854-by-480-pixel (WVGA ) capacitive touchscreen with haptic feedback, and uses Google's default user interface.

The HTC Droid Eris, on the other hand, has an 3.2-inch HVGA screen and an on-screen keyboard rather than a physical one. It uses HTC's proprietary Sense user interface.

Still they have much in common, including support for Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A mobile broadband service, Wi-Fi, microSD card slots, and 5 megapixel cameras.

Android Inside
As mentioned earlier, both these smartphones run Google's OS, with the Droid sporting Android 2.0. The Droid Eris, on the other hand, is debuting with Android 1.6 -- HTC is still porting its Sense UI to the latest OS version. An OS upgrade will be released at some point in the future.

Both come with a suite of applications that can wirelessly synchronize with Google's services, including Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Maps. They also include video and audio software.

In addition to consumer e-mail services, these devices offer Exchange ActiveSync, allowing users to access their work e-mail.

Pricing & Availability
The Motorola Droid costs $200 with a two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate. Verizon is

The Droid Eris is selling for half that, $99 with a two-year service contract and MIR. That's less than Verizon's rivals are asking for any of their Android-powered models.

Both these models are now available in many Verizon stores, which opened early today for the launch.

Source: Verizon Wireless