Photos of the new handset were leaked today by Droid Life, and they've got us positively twitching for a release date.
Most significantly, the phone will retain the physical keyboard to which Droid lovers are so addicted. The keyboard has been overhauled, too, and now features keys that are slightly more raised and no gold D-pad, which was a barely useful mystery, at best.
The lower edge of the phone's keyboard layer is now completely covered by the screen, so you'll have a smooth-surfaced device without the awkward "lip" seen on the first Droid. The rest of the hardware is pretty much identical to the original Droid.
The device will allow for Wi-Fi tethering, and it features a 750MHz OMAP processor and an updated version of Motoblur, Motorola's push-based social networking service.
Now for the bad news: It looks like the device won't be getting a front-facing camera, so no video conferencing just yet for Droid owners. And the phone won't come with Froyo (Android OS 2.2) installed, in all likelihood. You won't get an EVO-class 8MP camera; 5MP will have to do.
Still, do you think the Droid 2's other features will make it worth buying? Do you think this new iteration will be as popular as the original? Check out this video of the phone's boot sequence while you ponder those questions, then let us know your opinion in the comments.