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"Update: When we reached out to Verizon for comment on this story yesterday (and clarification), they did not respond. However, Gearlog is reporting that Verizon has clarified to them that the $45 data fee will ONLY be for Verizon Business customers. In this case, regular personal data plans can access Exchange support without a surcharge. \nThe Motorola Droid might not hit Verizon stores and authorized retailers until Friday, but details on the available data plans are already emerging.\nIf you're thinking about getting a Droid to use with a Microsoft Exchange e-mail account (one of the many new features with the included Android 2.0 software), be prepared to fork over some extra cash for the privilege. Verizon will be charging $44.99 a month for users who want Exchange support, versus the $29.99 for users that don't.Verizon will offer three tiers of data plans:\n$30 per month on top of your voice plan to add data and non-Exchange support$45 per month on top of your voice plan to add data and Exchange support$50 per month for a data-only plan\nVerizon justifies the Exchange surcharge by saying that the Droid is primarily a consumer phone and that the corporate e-mail usage increase also applies to other smartphones, like the BlackBerry, and isn't specific to just the Droid.\nThis may be true, but at least in the case of the BlackBerry, users pay an increased fee in part because they are able to use their phones on corporate BlackBerry Enterprise Systems (BES) rather than the consumer-focused BIS (BlackBerry Internet System). Droid's Exchange support is a software feature and isn't in the same league as actually integrating the device on a corporate network.\nIn contrast, AT&amp;T charges $30 a month for data plans (on top of the voice plan) for BlackBerry and iPhone users, and you can setup Exchange accounts on both. AT&amp;T does offer separate data plan rates for AT&amp;T Enterprise customers.\nIs Exchange support a feature you would pay $15 a month for? What do you think of Verizon charging a 50% premium for what is essentially just a software service? Let us know!\nDisclosure: Motorola is a sponsor of Mashable's Open Web Awards"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2009/11/03/verizon-droid-exchange/>