There’s been some talk this week about how Droid users will have to pay an extra $15 for Exchange email on top of their data plans. In fact, a lot of sites picked up this story and ran it as fact. In the end, though, this was only sorta kinda true, but not really, at least for most customers. Confused? So was everyone else. Here’s the scoop:
Gearlog went straight to the source and asked Verizon Wireless. Turns out, the $15 difference isn’t dependent on whether you use Exchange Activesync or not; it depends on what kind of account you have in the carrier’s system. The stock plan for the typical personal/family subscriber (which includes Exchange support) is still $30, but corporate users incur $45 for the data plan. This goes for its WinMo phones and any other Android handsets that will come to the carrier.
In other words, only business or “corporate liable” accounts (which typically involve multiple lines purchased through business sales or IT departments) pay $45 per month. So this doesn’t affect Johnny Smith getting a Droid as a holiday present.
By the way, even if you are a business owner, you can still use a personal account — with Exchange — for the $30 monthly fee. Unless you have a fleet of people whose accounts you have to pay for and manage, there’s no need to sign up for the corporate account.
With only two more days to go until launch, I wonder how many other Droid rumors are going to surface at the last minute. For now, though, I hope this helps clear things up.
In other Droid news…
If you’re a New York City–based Droid fan or a follower of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you might be interested in a special secret concert being put on in honor of Moto’s first Verizon Android phone. It’s taking place somewhere in the Lower East Side at an as-yet unpublicized location. NY customers who pick up the Droid this Friday will get free entrance, and followers of Verizon’s VCast Twitter feed will also have a chance to win tickets.
From the official press release for the concert:
You can be one of the first to experience the brand new Droid by Motorola - the world's first smartphone with Android 2.0 - available exclusively on the Verizon Wireless network. Follow Verizon Wireless' New York Street Teams at Twitter.com/vcastmusic to find out where they will be so you can be one of the first to try the Droid out for yourself and win tickets to attend an exclusive celebration in Manhattan's Lower East Side featuring a performance by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and mingle with celebrity guests including Adrian Grenier, Kim Delaney, Katrina Bowden and more.
Via: Gearlog, Prefix Mag
UPDATE: Speaking of Droid in The Big Apple, MobileCrunch just reported that New Yorkers itching for an early fix on Verizon's Android phone won't have to wake up early to hit the 7 am opening time on November 6. One Verizon store on the west side will start selling the handset from midnight to 2am the night before. We don't know if there will be more, but this one — at 134 W 34TH St, in Manhattan — is certainly catering to its customer base. New Yorkers are not generally morning people, but staying up late is like a birthright, so this will be sure to thrill some of the urban technoratti. (Thanks, Greg!)
