If you read IntoMobile, you’ve probably already manually updated your Droid to Android 2.1. But you’re in luck if you prefer the simplicity of an over-the-air update because Big Red is shooting the firmware out as we speak.
“Wanted to make sure you saw that the Android 2.1 upgrade for the Droid by Motorola started rolling out to Verizon Wireless customers Friday,” an e-mail from Motorola said. “The upgrade is happening in phases and will be delivered over the course of the next few weeks to users who will receive a notification to install it.”
What do you get? After upgrading my Droid manually Friday, I was kind of disappointed to realize you don’t get that much. Sure, you get pinch-to-zoom in the browser, maps and gallery, but I never felt this was desperately needed. The live wallpapers are cool but I’m still trying to see how this is impacting my battery life. The news and weather widgets are awesome, as is the settings widget to easily toggle WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. The speech-to-text feature works pretty darn well but I’m actually a little miffed that the icon takes the spot of the comma. I use commas often, dammit. The new picture gallery is pretty slick, as well.
Overall, I’m glad I have 2.1 but am not amazed by the update. I haven’t had any slowdown with my machine, as some have reported, but please let us know what you think and how your Droid’s holding up.
Update: It looks like the update has kind of fixed a potentially nasty security vulnerability with the Droid. You used to be able to bypass the unlock pattern by answering an incoming phone call and selecting the “Back” icon. BFD? Well, this does give an unscrupulous person access to all your contact and personal information. The Assurer says the 2.1 firmware fixes this flaw but only after you’ve powered down the device and turned it back on. This will probably fly under the radar for 95% of Droid users, but it’s good to know.
[Via The Assurer]