Motorola's Droid Sales 'Troubling,' Analyst Says

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- It turns out "a lot" is about 100,000 Motorola (MOT Quote) Droid phones sold on the first weekend. Read the updated Motorola Droid sales coverage.

Broadpoint AmTech analyst Mark McKechnie estimates that Verizon (VZ Quote) sold more than half of the 200,000 Droid phones Motorola supplied to its stores. All Verizon would say Monday is that it sold "a lot."

But 100,000 is not a lot, especially for a device that is crucial to the revival of a fallen Motorola. Nor is 100,000 a lot for Verizon, the No.1 telco hoping to hold that position by stopping customers from defecting to AT&T (T Quote) for the Apple (AAPL Quote) iPhone.

"This puts the Droid debut in the same category as the Palm (PALM Quote) Pre, and that's a little troubling," says Nielsen wireless analyst Roger Entner.

More Droid Coverage

Droid Gets Sleepy Reception

Review of Droid Features

Verizon's Change of Heart

Droid Expectations & Comparisons

One has to think that Plan A for Verizon was to have a blockbuster Droid and an ongoing partnership with Google (GOOG Quote) that would rival the winning combination of AT&T and Apple.

Plan B will now almost definitely include the iPhone.

"Verizon wants the iPhone and they will get the iPhone, but it certainly strengthens your negotiation hand if you have a viable alternative," says Entner.

AT&T's exclusive iPhone sales agreement with Apple is set to expire next year and Verizon is widely expected to add the iconic phone to its lineup.

These Aren't the Droids Verizon Was Looking For

Motorola's deft hand at design is showcased in the slim phone with a big brilliant touchscreen. But overall, using the phone over the past two weeks has been a mixed experience.

Motorola Droid