A Verizon spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that the company planned to sell out its inventory of its original Droid phones, and not replace them when the supply was exhausted.

Less than a year after it , the is dead. Almost.

A Verizon spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday that the company planned to sell out its inventory of its original Droid phones, and not replace them when the supply was exhausted. Instead, Verizon has shifted to the , which launched on Tuesday as well.

The spokeswoman did not say whether Verizon would discount the phones further to get rid of them, although Dell has already offered a free Droid phone with the purchase of a new two-year contract. Dell has since replaced the Droid deal with a free with a two-year contract.

The new Droid model includes both an improved keyboard, Android 2.2, and a faster, 1-GHz microprocessor, the same speed as the newer Droid X's processor. Motorola, the phone's manufacturer, also increased the available RAM to 512 MB. The original Droid included a 600-MHz microprocessor.

A version of the Droid 2 outfitted as R2-D2 from the Star Wars movies (specifically The Empire Strikes Back) can also be preordered at Verizon's dedicated site. No price was given.

The Droid 2 also has a 5-megapixel camera with DVD-quality video capture, 8 GB of on-board memory and an included 8GB MicroSD card, and the ability to function as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 5 devices, although that capability will cost an extra $20 per month.

Verizon has that it will extend Android 2.2 to the original Droid, as well.

While Apple has released a single phone - the - in a year's time, Verizon has launched Verizon has released five: the original Droid in Oct. 2009, the in Nov. 2009, the in April 2010, the in June 2010, and the Droid 2 in August.

When asked to comment, a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman said selling a large portfolio of phones was standard practice.

"We keep a portfolio of about 30 phones and have done so for years," a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman said in an email. "We know from experience that wireless phones aren't one-size-fits all because people have preferences for different operating systems, different styles, different features and different price points. Verizon Wireless takes pride in being able to offer the phones our customers want and giving them choice over something so personal as the device they depend on for voice,messaging, email, entertainment, news, weather and more."