Verizon and Motorola have jointly announced the forthcoming launch of the next flagship Motorola Droid device in the DROID X which will launch on July 15th.
The DROID X will feature a 4.3 inch 854×480 resolution widescreen capacitive touch display, TI OMAP chipset at 1GHz, multi-touch virtual keyboard with pre-loaded Swype keyboard, Wi-Fi radio, 8.0 megapixel camera with 720p video capture and autofocus, three built-in mics for noise cancellation on phone calls and video recordings, 8GB of internal memory with bundled and pre installed 8GB microSDHC card with support for 32GB cards.
The rest of the feature set includes Android 2.1 with an updated version of the MotoBLUR user interface, mini HDMI output, Bluetooth with stereo audio support, and future support for Android 2.2 slated for later this summer. Verizon will also support and offer Mobile Hotspot service on the device (for up to five devices) as an add-on starting at an additional $20 a month for 2GB, with an additional 2GB allotment available for the same price on top of the requisite $30 monthly data plan.
Pricing is set at $299.99 after new 2 year agreement before an additional $100 mail-in rebate bringing the total to $199.99, with all current customers eligible for the new customer price if eligible for an upgrade this year.
So, a 4 Gig hotspot allowance is $40 on top of the $30 data plan for a grand total of $70 a month? Wow. And I thought the 5 Gig/$60 plan was bad……
[…] 2GB allotment available for the same price on top of the requisite $30 monthly data plan. Verizon and Motorola Announce DROID X for July 15th, Mobile Hotspot for Additional Charge | PhoneNew… Dang, $30 dataplan now jumps to $50 to be able to tether 2GB. Or 4Gb for $40+30=$70 just for […]
Jim, unlike on AT&T, handset data usage on Verizon is unlimited.
This actually is a better deal than the Verizon’s broadband card plan, in most cases. You can tell the Android web browser to save files to your microSD card, so big downloads go to the unlimited handset data quota.
As such, unless you need to do VPN, there aren’t a lot of things that will push you past 2 GB in Mobile Hotspot.
Still, with PDANet and rooting your phone being free, $20 still is a bit steep. Not to mention you get 5 GB of Mobile Hotspot on Pre Plus and Pixi Plus absolutely free.
Yeah, but recall that the Hotspot on Pre/Pre+ was originally $40/month, and thare’s no stopping VZW from restoring that price point at any time they choose. But tethering prices aside, discriminitory pricing on data cards really torques me, as I prefer the card to the phone modem. But $40/200 Meg this day and age on datacards & USB modems is shameless thievery. If 5 Gig is to remain at $60/mo, then at least 2 Gig, if not 3 for $40 would be at least a tolerable lower-cost option on these things. Heck, T-Mo does offer 5 Gig/mo on their modem for $40 now, but alas my AT&T-tuned Gobi chip in my netbook can’t hit T-Mo 3G frequencies. If it did, I’d be there in a heartbeat, as I carry cell service with them. As it is, I’m stuck with VZW on contract until next year.
I can only hope and pray 4G plans give better consumer value for dollar regardless of carrier.
Jim, Verizon ran TV ads saying “buy a Palm Pre Plus or Palm Pixi Plus… and get the 3G Mobile Hotspot feature at no additional charge.”
I seriously doubt Verizon would be able to keep those contracts as valid and yank the 5GB Mobile Hotspot plan code. There are some skunk tactics they could play there, but I think those two devices are going to be stuck grandfathered for life.
Anything else, and Verizon runs the risk of a class action lawsuit. They may be okay with that risk, but I doubt they’d risk it regardless.
Correction…. comes with 16gb pre installed micro SDHC