What Verizon, Google and Motorola expect from Droid X? Anyway Apple wins

Verizon Wireless will soon start selling Motorola Droid X phone on Google Android platform. Beginning next month the move marks the continued quest of the three companies to occupy more space in the smartphone market as Apple is launching its mauch expected iPhone 4 on five continents.

Verizon Wireless said that Droid X will go on sale on July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 rebate to customers signing a two-year contract.

The phone will have a 4.3 inch touch-screen and an 8 megapixel camera, according to Verizon Wireless. Besides, Droid X includes Swype software, which Apple lacks. Swype helps make typing on the touch screen keypad faster and more accurate as the user can drag fingers between letters instead of tapping on each letter individually. The Droid X allows consumers to rent and buy movies from Blockbuster Inc to watch on the phone. Movies cost $9.99 to purchase and $3.99 to rent using the Wi-Fi network. Unlike iPhone 4, the Droid X will support Adobe Flash.

Meantime, some analysts doubt that Droid X may pose any real competition to iPhone.

"This won't dissuade somebody who wants an iPhone 4 but it will keep customers who want to stay with Verizon Wireless happy," Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart noted.

On the other hand Verizon and Motorola are hopeful the phone will attract more consumers in particular due to its multimedia capabilities which feature the relatively large screen and a high definition video player.

But JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall worried that the phone's battery would compare badly with iPhone's and he questioned how popular the device's size, larger than usual, would be.