Motorola unveils Droid handset

The Mototola Droid will be available in the US on 6 November

Motorola has unveiled its much-hyped Droid handset based on Google's Android 2.0 mobile operating system.

The smartphone sports the traditional 3G and Wi-Fi connections, along with a 3.7in screen, 16GB of storage and a 5-megapixel camera.

The Droid includes the latest features from the Android 2.0 SDK, including the ability to run multiple simultaneous applications, built-in Gmail support and the recently announced Google Maps Navigation beta service.

US carrier Verizon will be the first to carry the Droid, and the firm expects to launch the device on 6 November. No word on a UK carrier or release date has been given.

"Droid delivers a rich consumer experience with warp-speed web browsing, a mammoth screen and Motorola's expertise in design and voice quality," said Motorola mobile devices chief executive Sanjay Jha.

"Combined with Android's open and flexible graphical user interface, and the power of Verizon's 3G network, Droid is a smartphone that simply doesn't compromise."

Droid is the latest in a flurry of new Android-based handsets from Motorola, including the Cliq in the US and the Dext in the UK.