BASKING RIDGE, USA - Verizon Wireless and Motorola have announced Droid, the world's first handset to feature the Android 2.0 platform, also known as Eclair. The device will be available to consumers in the US starting from 6th of November this year, and is the world's thinnest QWERTY keyboard-equipped handset.

The smartphone is being promoted by Verizon as the ultimate "iDontPhone", conveying the message that the phone packs all the features that are missing in the present version of the iPhone 3GS. While the Droid has an impressive featureset on its specifications sheet, usability and consumer acceptability remains to be seen.

The demo video above highlights some of the most sought-after features presently absent in the iPhone: out-of-box turn-by-turn navigation service, QWERTY keyboard, customisable homescreen, high-resolution camera with flash, and replaceable memory and battery.

While the latest version of the Google Android platform is shown to be faster and more user-friendly, the hardware specifications of Droid have been spot-on as well, making it the top contender for stealing the limelight from iPhone, and it can be considered to be the best Android phone to date.

The impressive specifications of theDroid include a 3.7" touchscreen with resolution of 854x480 pixels, a 550MHz processor, CDMA EVDO rev. A connectivity, GPS, hardware QWERTY slide-out keyboard, a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, image stabilisation and dual LED flash; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB connectivity, and microSD memory card slot for memory expansion up to 32GB.

The Droid is priced at US$199  (after a US$100 mail-in rebate) on a two-year contract, and will be available for consumers in the US starting this November 6th.