The launch of the Droid drew a mixed but steady crowd to 10 Indianapolis-area Verizon stores.

The stores, including 6633 E. 82nd St. in Castleton, opened at 7 a.m. today to give customers the earliest opportunity to purchase the Android smart phone by Motorola, its first day of sale.

" Droid may take bite out of iPhone: Star columnist Erika Smith discussed the new phone in a Monday column. The other phone Verizon released today, the HTC Eris, will be the topic of her next column. ":http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=BUSINESS10

Officials expected heavy interest in Droid sales after a heavy national advertising campaign that directly took on Apple’s iPhone, drawing comparisons to what its’ competitor lacks in features.

* Droid may take a bite out of iPhone. *

The Droid’s features: High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and what Verizon calls the best 3G mobile network in the country.

The store in Bloomington had 10 people waiting in line, but the Indianapolis stores experienced less early-morning rush and more consistent flow throughout the day.

“Some had lines but it’s been a steady flow throughout the day as as opposed to a mad rush all at once because we told our customers we had plenty of inventory,” said Michelle Gilbert, a spokeswoman for Verizon. “It’s been a mix of customers, people from all walks of life.”