Verizon's Motorola Phone Boosts Android

From the start, Google's Android smartphone software has garnered way more attention from hard-core techies than the general public. That's mainly because the range of handsets and carriers providing the software was uninspiring. Until now.

First, T-Mobile said a couple weeks ago it would introduce the social network-oriented Motorola (MOT) CLIQ. But the real game changer is Verizon Wireless' Oct. 28 introduction of the Motorola Droid, which is not only a very good smartphone, but throws the Verizon marketing juggernaut and its top-tier 3G network behind the fledgling Android operating system, now just over a year old. It comes as a breath of fresh air for the struggling Motorola, in desperate need of a promising handset.