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Verizon Wireless loves to nickel and dime its customers and the upcoming Motorola Droid presents new opportunities.
Droid supports Microsoft Exchange's ActiveSync feature that lets users access e-mail, calendar and contacts from their corporate servers running Exchange. But they could end up paying extra for the privilege, says InfoWorld.
Droid users could pay at least an additional $15 to $20 a month on top of their data plan for Exchange access. That means $45 to $50 a month including Exchange support instead of $30 a month for a data-only plan. Droid will be exclusively available on the Verizon network for $200 with a two-year contract.
The higher rate, though, will only apply for customers on a corporate or business account.
"Most customers will pay $30 for the data plan that gets them internet access and push e-mail," Brenda Raney, a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless told Wired.com. "Customers who use an enterprise server are, in general, business customers and an IT department is facilitating the access. [Those] are the ones who need the $50 plan."
In some cases, Droid users who get the $30 data plan could still access Exchange, says Raney. But that will be a decision for their companies to make. "Many companies required a corporate-approved device for it to access Exchange," she says. "In those cases, Droid users will have to get a business account with Verizon."
The policy is not just for the Droid. It applies to all Verizon smartphones, including the BlackBerry, that want to get corporate e-mail, says Verizon.
But that may not be telling the whole story. BlackBerry users pay additional fees because the phones connect with a company's BlackBerry Enterprise Systems and not the consumer-focused BlackBerry Internet System, points out Mashable. And that involves additional licensing fees.
The Droid, though, runs the open source Android 2.0 platform with ActiveSync support already built in. That means users shouldn't have to pay extra fees for their device to connect with their corporate servers.
It also defeats some of the good intentions behind Android. Wasn't Android expected to help bring in cost savings for carriers and consumers?
Updated 11/04 to include comments from Verizon
See Also:
- Review: Motorola Droid
- Video: Hands-On With Motorola's Droid
- Verizon Attacks the iPhone, Hints at Upcoming Droid
- Review: Motorola Cliq
Photo: (tnkgrl/Flickr)
