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Verizon's Buzz for Motorola's Droid Fizzles at Day's End By Patricia Resende November 6, 2009 2:06PM The buzz generated by Verizon Wireless for the launch of Motorola's Droid smartphone seemed to fizzle by day's end. Besides the Android-powered Droid, Verizon also launched the Droid Eris by HTC and said it had no supply problems and was satisfied with the turnout. A modem plan for the Droid costs extra and does not yet include tethering.   Related Topics Verizon Motorola Droid Android HTC Tethering Latest News Endeavour Inspected for Damage Autism Risk for Kids of Older Mothers Go Online and You Can Save the Planet In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency Motorola's Droid smartphones may have been dropping out of the sky like meteors in Verizon Wireless commercials, but they weren't selling with as much force on the first day of launch. Verizon stores throughout the nation made the Droid available Friday after heavily marketing the Android 2.0-based device during the World Series. Motorola and Verizon are hoping the Droid will have as much success as the Motorola Razr during in its four-year run, when it sold 110 million units. Anxious consumers lined up at midnight to have first dibs at purchasing the Droid, and some shorter lines formed Friday morning when Verizon stores opened. But the excitement fizzled by the end of the day despite Verizon's efforts. Tethering Not Available Some purchasers praised Motorola for the Droid's features, saying it is equipped with everything they need. The features also have some observers predicting the Droid will hurt Apple's iPhone sales. The device is equipped with a 3.7-inch-high and 854-pixel-wide screen, features voice-activated search, the ability to toggle between applications, a thin QWERTY keyboard, a five-megapixel camera, a 16GB memory card, and turn-by-turn directions with the Google Maps Navigation beta. Preloaded apps include YouTube, Verizon Wireless Visual VoiceMail, Facebook, Google Talk, and Gmail. It also comes with a $299 price. If purchased with a two-year contract, the price is $199 with a $100 mail-in rebate. "We have plenty of inventory, so customers are walking out with the Android phone of their choice, either the Droid by Motorola or the Droid Eris by HTC," said Brenday Raney, a Verizon spokesperson. Verizon requires a nationwide voice plan starting at $40 a month and an Internet data plan for an additional $30 a month. It also offers a modem plan called Mobile Broadband Connect for $30 more a month that does not yet include tethering so other wireless devices can connect to the Droid. "Tethering is not currently available on the Droid by Motorola phone," Raney said. "It is scheduled to be implemented next year. I don't have a specific time frame or date that we are sharing at this time." Steady Stream Fans are not likely to avoid buying the Droid because of the missing tethering feature. Apple's iPhone also does not have tethering. Despite its heavy marketing of Motorola's Droid, Verizon stores experienced a not-so-crazy launch in comparison with its launch of the BlackBerry Storm and AT&T 's launch of the iPhone, which both brought droves of customers. But Verizon said it is still happy with the turnout. "We are very pleased with the first day's sales," Raney said. "All of our stores are reporting a steady stream of customers."   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  Digital Life 1.   Macworld Focuses on Mobile Apps 2.   Nexus One 'Support' Passes the Buck 3.   New Zealand Virgin Auctions Herself 4.   Google May Make Gmail More Social 5.   Analysts Expect iPad Price To Drop Sony Ericsson Unveils Aspen Handset Windows Mobile unit comes with Skype. Average Rating: Books on Social-Media Marketing Cost-effective ways to engage clients. Average Rating: Torrent Traps Used To Harvest Logins Web sites sold with backdoor access. Average Rating:

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