Verizon's new Droid takes on iPhone, hits Bay area stores Friday

Tampa, Florida -- Verizon Wireless customers who have been jealous of their iPhone-owning friends may have their own reason to gloat, starting tomorrow.

The new Motorola Droid is set to go on sale Friday morning, with many Verizon Wireless stores opening early at 7 a.m. to put the smartphones into the hands of early-adopting customers. The Citrus Park location is expecting a line of eager phone lovers to form before sunrise.

With a touchscreen, speedy internet access, and downloadable apps that range from games to time-management tools, the Verizon-only Droid mirrors many of the capabilities of Apple's iPhone, which is designed to work only on AT&T's cellular network.

The two phones are about the same size, but differences show themselves quickly when you hold them side-by-side as we did live on The Morning Show on Thursday inside the Verizon Wireless store in Northdale.

The biggest contrast is the Droid's physical keyboard, which slides out from below the screen; the Droid also has an on-screen touch keyboard. The iPhone has only an on-screen keyboard.

Both phones have cameras. Apple's three megapixel camera is known for its crisp pictures. The Droid's camera can handle five megapixels and features a flash, which the iPhone lacks.

The Droid also has a replaceable battery, removable MicroSD memory card, and standard Micro USB plug for charging. The iPhone is a sealed unit and charges with an iPhone-only cord.

The iPhone has the Droid beat in the number of downloadable apps available. Apple's iPhone software can run more than 100,000 apps, while the Google-designed "Android" software that runs the Droid has a selection of 15,000 apps.

A Droid will set you back $199 after a $100 rebate, the same as the $199 price tag for a comparable iPhone. Both of those prices require a new two-year service contract, according to this chart from PC World.

Chuck Hamby, a Verizon Wireless spokesman for the Tampa Bay area, says his company plans to have "hundreds" of the new smartphones on hand locally to prevent the shortages that have plagued past launches of new phones, particularly the iPhone.

Connect with 10 Connects multi-media journalist Grayson Kamm on Twitter as @graysonkamm, on his Facebook page, by e-mail at this link, or on AOL Instant Messenger as screen name GraysonConnects.