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Want a Droid for work e-mail? It'll cost you extra(InfoWorld Daily Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The industry is abuzz over the Motorola Droid, the first Google Android 2.0-based smartphone, to be released on Friday, Nov. 6, in the United States, with network access provided by Verizon Wireless. But users who buy the device and expect to use its built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support to get corporate e-mail from Exchange servers will have to pay an additional $15 per month for the privilege, Verizon confirms. [ Learn which smartphonessupport your business's Exchange security and access policies. | Get the InfoWorld editors'21-page PDF guide to next-gen smartphones. ] Verizon offers three data plans for Droid customers: $30 month on top of your voice plan's rate for non-Exchange usage, $45 per month on top of your voice plan's rate for Exchange usage, and $50 per month total cost for a data-only plan (whether or not you use it to access Exchange). Verizon spokeswoman Brenda Raney notes that the requirement to get the $45 "smartphone plan" for corporate e-mail usage applies to any smartphone, such as the BlackBerry -- not just to the Droid. "The Droid is primarily a consumer phone," Raney adds. That pricing contrasts with AT&T's $30 monthly data plan (on top of your voice plan's rates) for the Apple iPhone and Research in Motion BlackBerry, the two most popular business-class smartphones; AT&T offers a $35-per-month data-only plan for the BlackBerry, but has no such plan for the iPhone. However, AT&T's business data plans charge $45 per month if the smartphones are used to access corporate e-mail or servers. Sprint doesn't break out its data plans' costs for the Palm Pre and BlackBerry, but its smartphone plans cost the same as AT&T's, with a $30-per-month difference in charges for its voice-only phones' plans and its data-capable phones' plans. Like Verizon, Sprint offers a data-only plan for these devices for $50 per month. Like most smartphones, the Droid does not support IBM's Lotus Notes or Novell's Groupwise. It does support Google's Gmail in addition to Exchange. Related stories • Review: Motorola Droid • • Android 2.0: The iPhone killer at last? • • InfoWorld Mobile 2.0 Tech Deep Dive Report • • InfoWorld Enterprise iPhone Deep Dive Report • • ARM vs. Atom: The battle for the next digital frontierSmall, inexpensive, power-efficient new chips from Intel and ARM are enabling the new wave of mobile devices -- and setting the two companies on a collision course • • iPhone App Store roulette: A tale of rejectionApple's random rules for iPhone app approval are a recipe for trivial apps and alienated developers • • 7 myths about iPhone Exchange policiesMisinformation about connecting iPhones to corporate networks could get your business into serious trouble • • 21 apps Apple doesn't want on your iPhoneWorthwhile productivity apps you won't find at the App Store • • The no-junk business iPhone apps finderInfoWorld's interactive catalog of iPhone apps designed for businesses, professionals, and IT staff • • Mobile deathmatch: Palm Pre vs. iPhone, side by side Which mobile device can do the most for you? See what each can do -- or not -- in this comparison. • • Mobile deathmatch rematch: BlackBerry vs. iPhone 3.0, side by side The iPhone 3.0 OS takes on some of the BlackBerry's advantages for business users. See where the iPhone wins over the BlackBerry, and where the BlackBerry still prevails • This story, "Want a Droid for work e-mail? It'll cost you extra," was originally published atInfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments inmobile,Google Android,iPhone, andBlackBerryat InfoWorld.com. (c) 2009 InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. |