photo credit: Joseph Robertson

If last week’s news is any indication, we’re all about to see an army of Droids to be released and hit the mobile scene — in a very big way. Even if you didn’t already pre-order through Best Buy, Big Red hopes you’ll be stopping by their stores this Friday to see what all the fuss is about.   Some good hardware from Motorola and a faster, much improved Android 2.0 should please quite a few Verizon customers by providing what could be argued as the carrier’s first eagerly anticipated smartphone.   But will it pose any real threat to the iPhone?

Time will tell, but it seems unlikely that current iPhone users would so quickly disregard their beloved smartphone for the Droid.  Sure, there are going to be those users who live in areas with network coverage issues that they may jump ship over to Verizon so they can get on Big Red’s CDMA network.  They will be few and far between.  Honestly, it is doubtful many iPhone users would break contract and pay high cancellation fees for the Droid.  More likely, a slew of existing Verizon customers are going to be bum-rushing their local stores to finally be able to take a device into their next meeting or social gathering without the beleaguered preamble of “well, you know, it’s the network I like…I don’t care so much for the flashy phones.”

Should Apple be scared?  No.  Not yet, anyway.  Apple still has customers glued to their smartphones, with no signs of slowing down.  With an entire software ecosystem bringing applications, music, and video to iPhone users, there is no major cause for concern with the Android Market.  Yet.  But, expect developers to start putting Android much higher on their list of development platforms as the Droid lineup expands.  Applications that make full use of the Android platform — and show that Android can , like SPB TV (which is also available for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry, but at first glance, looks much more at home running on Android).  While Apple may not be breaking a sweat, RIM may feel a little more heat from the release — especially on Verizon’s network.   The more Droid handsets that are sold will likely equate to one less Storm2 or Curve2 flying off the shelves.

There will be certainly more to come as production units hit the streets, and everyone gets a chance to evaluate the Droid — with all of the highs and lows that come with any smartphone.    Beyond Droid, there were — as usual — many more highlights throughout the week.

Here are just a few:

Moving to Windows 7?

If you have not already made the move, you should check out Clinton’s step-by-step guide for making a bootable USB stick.   If you have these instructions you won’t feel any stress upgrading.  No CD/DVD player or optical drive on your machine?  No worries.  Read these steps, then bookmark it.  Thank us later.

Still Want To Learn a New Language, But Don’t Want to Break The Bank?
Christopher Gavula’s new series does just that.  One of the great things about technology is that it puts a vast amount of knowledge right at your fingertips.  Last week, Chris showed more options to break out and learn a new language; showing that investing in yourself and your skills doesn’t have to mean spending a lot of money.

Speaking of series’, you may notice there are quite a few.  Hopefully, you’ve not missed any — but the team has regularly been putting out weekly features, including Allistair’s own Weekly Roundup of Windows Mobile applications.  There is the popular Blue Plate Special — featuring the very best of the cheap (or free!) iPhone/iPod Touch apps from Travis.  Be sure to check out last week’s NASA app.

Trying to keep up with the latest information pertaining to the flurry of eBook readers and services?   Head over to CarlyZ’s State of The eBook series.  Whether you want to know about Kindles, Nooks, Ques, or whatever other reader is heading down the pipeline, chances are it will be covered right there.   Into gaming?  Sure you are.  Who doesn’t need a break now and again?  Well, if you need to know the latest game releases or if you can sneak that netbook away from your wife long enough to play World of Warcraft, then you’re gonna want to check out Michael Anderson’s Gear Games and Netbook Gamer features.

Maybe you want more Pre coverage?   There is plenty of webOS & Palm love here on Gear Diary.  You may be missing Doug’s 30 Apps in 30 Days for the Palm Pre, but Mark has been showing more reasons to love the Pre and the Palm webOS platform.

Finally, there’s never a good week where there isn’t a giveaway or contest.  Well, this past week was a good week.  Judie had a few Google Wave invites to give out (sorry, those are all gone now ).  But…

If you’ve not yet bit the bullet and used turn-by-turn GPS applications on your smartphone, Dan gave you one more reason to dive right in:  The AT&T Navigator Giveaway from TeleNav.  Need more good news?  There’s still time to enter to win! But hurry, a winner will be randomly selected this week — Thursday, November 5th!

We can’t wait to see what this week brings Gear Diary readers!