Verizon Wireless will launch its Motorola Droid R2-D2 smartphone Sept. 30 for $250. This Star Wars-themed version of the Android 2.2- and QWERTY-enabled Droid 2 adds a Star Wars media dock and wired stereo headset, plus preloaded content such as R2-D2 notification sounds and ringtones, says Verizon.

Verizon Wireless will begin selling its Motorola Droid R2-D2 smartphone Sept. 30 for $250 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Available online and in some Verizon Wireless stores this Thursday, the Droid R2-D2 is a Star Wars-themed version of the Motorola Droid 2 handset Verizon launched for $200 almost 50 days ago. That means it's heavy on the geek factor and a limited edition.

Motorola Droid R2-D2
(Click to enlarge)

The device — which customers can see on a special Droid R2-D2 Web page complete with a nifty introduction — will come in a custom box resembling carbonite, the fictional compound bounty hunter Boba Fett used to encase Han Solo for transport. The handset will also feature a Star Wars media dock and wired stereo headset.

The Star Wars experience doesn't end there, as users who power on the device will see such preloaded content as R2-D2 notification sounds and ringtones. There are also four live wallpapers, an R2-D2 Clock Widget, a "The Best of R2-D2" video with the original Star Wars Cantina music, and an exclusive Binoculars application.

Beyond these cosmetics, and the audio and video features, the Droid R2-D2 is straight Droid 2, sporting the Android 2.2 operating system, a virtual keyboard, and an improved slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The Droid R2-D2 will also feature a 3.7-inch screen, a five-megapixel camera, and a 1GHz OMAP processor. Other perks include the gesture-typing application Swype and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, allowing users to connect up to five computers and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices in the home.

Soon, Verizon Wireless customers with Android devices running Android 2.1 or higher will be able to download the Empire Strikes Back app from Android Market. For $2.99, Jedi Masters (otherwise known as Android 2.1+ phone owners) can download Star Wars content related to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

The Star Wars mobile app will offer Bounty Hunt Visual ID, Sound and Photo Gallery, Live Wallpapers, and features such as Blast the Probe Droid, Luke Balancing Yoda, Navigating the Asteroid Field, Watch Bespin's Cloud City, and an Empire Strikes Back trivia challenge.

Availability

The Motorola Droid R2-D2 smartphone will go on sale on Sept. 30 for $250 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The Droid R2-D2 is available "while supplies last," but neither Motorola nor Verizon responded to our question about how many handsets they will produce for sale. 

More information may be found here, and on this animated page, here.

Clint Boulton is a regular contributor to our sister publication eWEEK.

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