Motorola building image from Flickr.

Controversial commercials that take shots at the iPhone have caused the release of Verizon and Motorola’s Droid phones to be a much-anticipated event. Today, the companies have finally released pictures, prices and the official retail date for Droid phones.

Word on the street is that the Droid will cost $199 with a two-year Verizon contract and a mail-in rebate. The first installment in the Droid phones line will be available to purchase on Nov. 6. Did I say first? Yep, reports are circulating that the Verizon, Motorola team plans to release up to three Droid phones by the end of the year.

Suspense and more suspense

So what are fans of Droid phones – and more importantly people who plan to give Droid phones as gifts — to do? Putting off holiday shopping is generally a bad idea, but you certainly don’t want to end up paying off a credit card charge for the wrong Droid phone.

The Christian Science Monitor appears to have some inside info about Droid phones. Check out some of the rumors about Droid phones technology that have been making their way around the Internet. There’s no information about when the other Droid phones will be released, so I guess  procrastinators have an advantage in this case.

Verizon Droid review

A few lucky tech testers have gotten their hands on the Verizon droid and reviewed it. One reviewer from China (see http://english.dgshi.cn/content/200910/294430.html) says the Droid is “blindingly fast,” and the the slide-out keyboard is very comfortable to type on. It’ll take time to find out how durable the keyboard is, but the Droid appears sturdy thanks to its metallic body.

The Droid comes with stand that acts as a desk cradle, charger and  multimedia station. The reviewer says “The movies, games and pictures all were crystal clear and really sharp.”

Marketing mayhem

The makers of Droid phones were audacious enough to directly target the iPhone with their advertising campaign. “Everything iDon’t, Droid does” the commercials say, after listing several items such as “iDon’t run simultaneous apps.”

This bold marketing strategy that highlights several enticing features of the Droid has really caught people’s attention. Watch the full commercial at DroidDoes.com.

Google power

Yet another indicator that Verizon and Motorola are about to hit paydirt with the Droid phones is that the venture has Google power behind it. The Droid phones are powered by Google Android 2.0 operating system.

With Motorola on the outside, Google on the inside and Verizon — who boasts the largest coverage area in the U.S. — making the connections, I think we’re about to see the rich get richer. What do you think; are Droid phones going to drastically change the smartphone market?