US operator Verizon has, as expected, attempted to take some of the shine off of Apple’s launch of the iPhone 4 today by unveiling its latest flagship and exclusive Android device, the Droid X. Manufactured by Motorola, the smartphone will be available from July 15 for US$199.99 after a US$100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year contract. Droid X is an update to Motorola’s initial Droid smartphone which was launched by Verizon last year and is the top-selling Android phone in the market. However, unlike the iPhone 4 (which has attracted great praise for its added features), Droid X does not appear to offer quite as many innovative new benefits. Specs include a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen, an exclusive deal with Blockbuster for viewing of new movies and video, an 8-MP camera and HD camcorder, as well as a 1GHz processor.

Verizon appears keen to deflect attention away from the iPhone 4, which runs over rival AT&T’s network. In a statement, Verizon talked up its commitment to bringing the “openness” of Android to its network, which it claims is the “largest and most reliable wireless 3G network” in the US. The operator is offering the phone with a US$29.99 unlimited data plan and an option to use the device as a WiFi hotspot for up to five other devices. When used as a personal WiFi hotspot, the company is imposing a 2 GB cap on the data consumption and will charge US$0.05 per megabyte used over that limit. Significantly, AT&T earlier this month moved to a tiered billing system ahead of the iPhone 4 launch. Verizon is certainly getting behind the fast-growing Android ecosystem, promising to update all Motorola Droid handsets to the latest Android 2.2 software by the end of this summer. Google claims there are 160,000 Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications (still a long way off Apple’s 225,000 app store offering though).