Are you pining for Android 2.3 Gingerbread? Well, Motorola Backflip owners would probably tell you to shut up because they’ve been stuck on 1.5 but these users will finally get Android 2.1 through an official software update.
It doesn’t look like this is an over-the-air upgrade yet, but you can follow these simple instructions to get Android 2.1 on your Motorola Backflip. Be sure to have a fully-charged handset, a connecting cable to your phone and computer, a microSD card with at least 100 MB of free space and set aside at least 20 minutes to do the update.
Download the Android 2.1 for Backflip software here (Blur_Version.3.0.1390.MB300.ATT.en.US.zip). Make sure the file isn’t unzipped after you save it and you can save it to your PC or directly to your phone’s microSD card.
Connect your phone if it isn’t already, then hit the mount option in the USB windows on the Motorola Backflip. Drag and drop the Android 2.1 file on to your phone and then unmount the card from your computer and unplug your phone from the computer. Be sure to wait until the file is finished copying before you disconnect.
Go into the Menu, select “Settings,” then “About Phone,” then “System Updates” and you should see that an update is available to install. Once you say “Install Now,” the magic will happen – your phone may turn on and off a few times during this – and you’ll soon have Android 2.1 with MotoBlur on your BackFlip.
What’s the big flipping deal? Well, if you’ve read our Evolution of Android piece, you’d know that 2.1 Eclair bring multiple new features like speech-to-text in nearly any text box. Maybe more importantly, Motorola Backflip owners will now be able to associate more than one Google account with the phone.
You can also look forward to the stellar Google Maps Navigation, Voice Search, more home screen panel, access to more apps in the Android Market, improved widgets and media gallery and stronger support for corporate e-mail.
Get cracking and let us know how you like it in the comments.
[Via Motorola