Qualifying as perhaps the worst-kept smartphone secret of the summer, the successor to Motorola’s best-selling Droid might get its official unveiling Aug. 12, if the latest leak (in a series of many) proves to be true. Fuzzy photos, videos and spec sheets for the Droid 2 have been leaked left and right in the past several weeks, and now Android Central: Android Central has an image of a newspaper teaser promising a Droid 2 with “a new advanced keyboard” (which would replace the oft-criticized flat keypad on the original Droid). The revamped Droid, the ad says, is “coming soon” to Verizon, and will let you “rule your empire with iron thumbs.” You don’t say. The newspaper ad doesn’t offer any specifics on the Droid 2, but Engadget got its hands on a (yes, leaked) Verizon-branded “internal device comparison” sheet that spills the beans. Among the (still unconfirmed) details: a 1GHz IMAP processor (considerably faster than the 750MHz processor we heard about back in June), a 3.7-inch, 854-by-480 touchscreen (same as on the original Droid), a 5-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash (again, same as the first Droid, but shy of the resolution on the Droid X’s 8MP snapper), and “DVD”- (not HD-) quality video capture. Sorry, video-chat fans: There’s no hint of a front-facing camera. Most interesting is the version of Android that the leaked spec sheet says the Droid 2 might ship with: 2.2 “Froyo,” rather than the older 2.1 version that’s still running on the current, red-hot Droid X. ( Recent reports have it that the Droid X might not get the Android 2.2 update until September, by the way.) Besides its rumored features and internal specs, the Droid 2 will also draw scrutiny for its supposed “advanced” keypad, which (in these — yes, leaked — fuzzy photos from a couple of months ago, at least) appear a little “puffier” (as Droid Life put it) than the flat, slippery keys that disappointed so many Droid 1 users, with yet another leaked flyer promising a keypad that’s “larger and raised for a better typing experience.” Oh, and by the way: The same leaked flyer that mentions the improved keypad also notes that the Droid 2 can wirelessly share its 3G connection with other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, as opposed to the Droid (which won’t work as a mobile hotspot even after its slated Android 2.2 update). OK, so how much will Droid 2 cost? Shockingly, there’s yet another leak that covers Best Buy’s pricing for the phone: $199 with a two-year Verizon contract, or $599 with a month-to-month wireless plan. All that remains is for Verizon and Motorola to go ahead and drop the coy act with the Droid 2 — which, if the rumored Aug. 12 release date is correct, should be any day now. So, any Droid 2 takers? Or would you rather go for another Android superphone, like the Droid X or the Evo 4G? • Android Central: Droid 2 now ‘coming soon’ in the Sunday papers • Engadget: Droid 2 looks confirmed for August 12, Best Buy pits it against the competition — Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News. Follow me on Twitter! Follow Yahoo! News on Twitter , become a fan on Facebook

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