I'm still looking for an Android based phone to buy so I can cover that platform here. Despite the -0.5 score I've assigned to the HTC Droid (scheduled to be available for sale starting this Friday from Verizon), it is probably still the best Android phone currently available. Despite its relatively affordable $199 price (after a mail-in rebate and a two-year contract), I don't want to be locked into paying a minimum of $70 per month for two years $1680).

The large early termination charge reported by The Boy Genius Report will probably apply to the Droid making an early termination unpalatable.

Confirmed: Verizon Wireless to charge up to $350 early termination on "advanced devices"

There are, however, what looks like two other options. Both were tweeted by Verizon's @DroidDoes Twitter account...

1. $559.99 for a Droid with no contract restrictions
2. $269.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a one-year contract

So, let's see how this works out for some hypothetical scenarios for me. I'm going to round up to even numbers to make it easier to read...

1. $1,880 = $200 for the Droid + 2 years at $70 per month
2. $1,110 = $270 for the Droid + 1 year at $70 per month
3. $980 = $560 for the Droid + 6 months at $70 per month
4. $1,400 = $560 for the Droid + 1 year at $70 per month
5. $2,240 = $560 for the Droid + 2 years at $70 per month
6. $970 = $200 for the Droid + 6 months at $70 per month + $350 early termination fee
7. $1,390 = $200 for the Droid + 12 months at $70 per month + $350 early termination fee

So, if I just want to try the Droid with Verizon service for 6 months, the least expensive route is to get the full discount and pay the early termination fee.

However, if I plan to use the phone for a full year, the one-year contract option makes more sense.