A real game-changer in mobile / wireless: Droid on Android 2.0

Google / Verizon / Motorola has just announced the Motorola Droid for Verizon on Nov. 6, which will be the first Android phone with Android 2.0 OS - presumably 2.0 will be pushed out to the rest of us shortly after this phone is available in person.

What makes this joint announcement interesting, of course, is Android 2.0. Within 2.0, Google has bundled navigation with Maps. How big is this? Garmin closed yesterday at 37.78, and overnight, lost $1.90, and is currently trading at $32 (-15%), off the floor from today's low of $30.85. TomTom opened at $10.60, and is currently trading at $8.11 (-20%), off the floor of $8.06.

This is a game changer in the world of both mobile phones and stand alone navigation devices, with the proviso that, you must be on a widely distributed wireless network for this to work effectively. Google Maps - while it can cache your data onto your phone - does not store all the maps and POI data you would need on your phone, to effectively navigate and find things if you're not within wireless coverage.

Still, this is pretty big in tech, especially now that Google Maps has Street View, you can actually see what your turns will be like, from an actual photo.

Video of Google Maps with Navigation

Video of Verizon/Motorola's Droid