Well, meet the Status’s evil twin: the Motorola Droid 3, a jet-black, ultra-speedy, and feature-packed slider phone that’s all business. You won’t find the Droid 3 mingling at the beach with the laid-back Status; instead, you’ll find it hanging from Darth Vader’s utility belt.

Available now from Verizon Wireless for $199 with a two-year contract, the Droid 3 comes armed to the teeth with features.

Behold its four-inch, high-resolution (960-by-540 pixels to be exact), and utterly gorgeous display.

Witness the dual cameras: an eight-megapixel one in back (which records 1080p HD video, by the way), plus another in front for video chat.

Revel in its 1GHz, dual-core processor—in other words, two processors sitting on a single chip, good for speedier, more efficient performance.

And delight in its roomy keypad, complete with five rows of keys and crammed into a shell that’s thinner than any other QWERTY slider phone in the galaxy (according to Verizon, at least).

All very impressive, and I haven’t even mentioned the Droid 3’s rarefied status as a world phone—which means it’s compatible with CDMA cellular networks here in the States and in Asia, as well as the GSM networks that are more prevalent in Europe and Africa.

Impressive, indeed—and big. While it may well rank as the world’s thinnest QWERTY slider, the Droid 3 nonetheless makes for a large, hulking phone, one that tips the scales at nearly six ounces (more than an ounce and a half heavier than the Status, and about a full ounce heavier than the iPhone 4) while measuring a half-inch thick. Believe me, you won’t forget that the Droid 3 is squeezed into your pocket.

Then there’s the Droid 3’s keypad, with keys so flat and compact that they feel almost slippery—not a desirable quality when it comes to typing.

And for all its cutting-edge features, the Droid 3 isn’t compatible with Verizon’s brand-new, 4G LTE data network, which means you’ll have to settle for (still pretty fast) 3G data speeds.

Don’t get me wrong: the Droid 3 is an eye-popping smartphone with a Formula 1-caliber engine under its jet-black hood. And if you want to fire off texts using a full-QWERTY keypad while hopping from one continent to another and shooting HD video as you go, well … the Droid 3 is a tough to beat.

It’s also big, scary, and intimidating—perfect for those who enjoy lurking around the Death Star, demanding status reports from terrified underlings.

But if you’d rather be relaxing on the lido deck, consider the sunny, satisfying Status.

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Like a lot of instant crushes, this one’s a little difficult to explain. After all, by most standards, the Status is not all that amazing of a phone.

Powered by the latest version of Google’s Android OS (always a good start) but a decidedly middle-of-the-road processor, the Status has what must be the smallest touchscreen I’ve ever seen on a smartphone.

We’re talking just 2.6 inches across, diagonally—almost a full inch smaller than the iPhone’s screen and only a fraction the size of the largest Android handsets. Checking your Gmail, reading the latest scoops from the New York Times, and watching YouTube on the Status demand sharp eyes, lots of scrolling, nimble fingers, and fair amount of patience. (Luckily, the Status comes with a quartet of arrow keys in the bottom corner of the keypad.)

Press the dedicated Facebook button to quickly share photos, videos, or interesting online tidbits with your Facebook pals.

But then we come to the Facebook button, which sits right beneath the (roomy) full keypad. Tap it anytime to post a status update, photo, or video to your Facebook wall. (The Status boasts a decent, five-megapixel camera in back, along with a so-so VGA lens in front for video chat.)

Or, better yet, press the button when you come across something on the Status’s (tiny) web browser you’d like to share. You’ll get the chance to add a message and choose a thumbnail (in the case of webpages with photos) before posting anything Facebook, and get this—the button glows whenever you come across something online that’s ripe for sharing. Kinda silly, I know…but I loved it.

I’m also hopelessly smitten with how the Status looks. Its white-and-silver design feels as light and airy as a pair of white-framed sunglasses, or a white Polo shirt with the collar up. (Sorry…it’s beyond my control.)

Then there’s the slight angle in the phone’s shell, which lets the Status hug your face while you’re on a call, not to mention, the tactile, attractive, and thumb-friendly keypad.

No, I can’t really defend my infatuation with the Status, although I can say with some objectivity that at $49 with a two-year contract, the price is right. (The phone goes on sale Sunday, July 17, though AT&T, but you can pre-order it now.)

I’ll leave you with a photo spread—er, gallery—of the Status to gaze upon. Enjoy, and let me know if a) it’s love at first sight, or b) I’ve gone off the deep end.

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