According to tech industry insiders, the markedly beefed-up Motorola Droid 2, the successor to the popular Droid handset, is expected to hit the stores later this week.

The launch of the second-generation Motorola Droid handset, which is powered by the Google Android operating system, comes less than a year after the extremely impressive launch of the original Droid last November. Launched on the Verizon Wireless network, the original Droid reportedly sold 250,000 units in the debut week itself, thanks to Verizon’s major-league advertising blitz!

That there are expectations galore from the Motorola Droid 2 is evident from the fact that the handset has been enhanced further to keep pace with the times. The key features of the forthcoming Droid 2 will include a much improved keyboard; the Android 2.2 Froyo OS; and a snappier 1GHz processor.

Going by the information forwarded by Wired, the retail cost of the soon-to-be-released Droid 2 will probably be $200 with a 2-year contract; which is, more or less, in keeping with the price-tag of the earlier Droid offerings.

Incidentally, the upcoming Droid 2 is not the first new Motorola Droid handset to be launched this summer – on July 15, the company had launched the much-hyped Droid X, which has received rave reviews largely because of its big HD screen, its Android operating system, and its exceptional call quality.