And a few things we don't love about Motorola's forthcoming Google-powered phone.

Droid does (and doesn't) wow our writer.

The Droid is a fierce phone. Motorola's newest smartphone has a number of features that match and even best its biggest competitor, Apple's (AAPL) iPhone. It has a fast processor. It’s got a large display with almost double the resolution of the iPhone as well as a slide-out keyboard. And it’s got a five megapixel camera with flash and zoom and a video camera that renders your Flip camera unnecessary. Add to that a new sharp-edged form factor straight out of Star Trek. And the marketers have given their campaign a bunch of attitude with their “iDon’t” commercial that pits the Droid directly against the iPhone.

But is any of that going to be enough to woo iPhone fans to Motorola's new device? As I wrote in a September feature, the company has a lot riding on it. Thanks to a massive marketing push by Verizon Wireless (VZ), plenty of excitement is building for the Droid’s November 6 launch. But just a year ago there was a lot of similar hype around RIM's Storm, which was also going to take on the iPhone. Though initial sales were pretty good, the smartphone received lukewarm reviews.

Motorola's new offering will have to prove itself once the hype dies down. And with so many Android-powered devices coming to market in the next few months, it may be hard for the Droid, which Verizon Wireless will sell for $199 after an $100 rebate with a two-year contract, to stand out.

Fortune received a Droid to test this morning. I powered it up, and a monotone robotic voice uttered “Droid.” Here are five things I think Motorola (MOT) has done right with the Droid…and a couple features I miss.
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Company wants to make its Flash technology available everywhere — and that means penetrating mobile devices.

Flash is coming to most mobile phones - except the one that starts with "i." Image: Adobe

Flash is finally coming to your smartphone—and so is Adobe (ADBE). With today's launch of the newest version its software, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, the San Jose-based company is making an aggressive push to get its product onto any gadget that allows for web browsing–Blackberry devices, netbooks, increasingly even TVs.

Crucially, Adobe has signed on a number of key launch partners for the product including Google (GOOG) and Research in Motion (RIMM). By the first half of next year, consumers can expect Flash on nearly every smartphone operating system including Google’s Android, Nokia’s (NOK) Symbian, Palm’s (PALM) webOS and Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows Mobile.

This is great for developers, who have long had to use different software to make their applications work on different devices. And it’s even better for consumers, for whom web browsing will get faster and more consistent regardless of the device. More

No. 1 handset maker unveils (sorta) its iTunes and App Store killer to little fanfare.
By Anu Partanen, contributor

Finally, it is here! Nokia’s Ovi store, the cellphone giant’s answer to Apple's iTunes and App Store, and a central piece of the company’s new strategy. Well, actually, it has been here for a couple of months already, but who knew?

If you have not heard of Ovi, no one will blame you. Nokia (NOK), the Espoo, Finland-based handset manufacturer, has chosen a peculiar strategy for launching its new online storefront. The strategy being – no launch.

In short Ovi – “door” in company’s native Finnish – is a portal where Nokia phone users can access, store and share pictures, videos, music, maps, games, contacts, calendars, files and more. The online store is only one part of the service, a place where users can download free and paid content onto their devices. The service can be accessed both through a computer and a mobile device. More

Why the Kids of NYC Prep brandish BlackBlackberrys

“We all have BlackBerrys, that’s so New York,” says high-school student Camille, in an episode of Bravo latest reality hit, NYC Prep. The show, a summer series that follows six teens at ritzy New York schools, has sparked a firestorm of online gossip. One recurring question: what are teens today doing with Research in Motion's (RIMM) gadget that is designed for corporate professionals three times their age?

The teens of NYC Prep

Mobile web perks like 24/7 email or virtual calendars are hardly relevant to high schoolers: Instead, these teens say they use the phone most frequently for text messaging, which has largely overtaken phone calls among the younger set. More