Motorola DROID users will soon be able to get their hands on Android 2.1. This, according to Motorola’s Facebook page. Details of the update are still fuzzy at best, but the good ‘ol team over at Engadget have jotted down their thoughts on what may be coming in 2.1 for the DROID:
The update is based on Android 2.1. Build currently in the works is 2.1 version 1.
News and weather widgets intro’d on the Nexus One will be included
No active wallpapers or home screen updates
Keep in mind this is all speculation… There’s only one thing for certain here: The DROID update is being tested by the good folks at Verizon (NYSE: VZ), and we’ll see it real soon (provided the testing goes smooth as butter). I’ll keep my ear to the ground for more details as they become available.
Note: Canadian ‘DROID’ seekers… Still nothing new on the TELUS Motorola Milestone yet. I still suspect we’ll see it by the end of the month… I’ll be sure to let you know once I hear anything official.
While these aren’t the touchscreen beauties we’ve heard about, it’s always worth noting when a carrier has something new to offer. In this case, it looks like we have some proof (via a FutureShop flyer) of the Samsung Flight and the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) (NYSE: MOT) W388, coming to Rogers (NYSE: RCI) (NYSE: RCI) and Fido respectively.
The Samsung Flight features a look and form-factor strikingly similar to another popular device out on the market these days. I won’t mention the name, but if you know what webOS is, I think you can figure it out. The Flight packs a slide out QWERTY keyboard, 2.8″ touchscreen, 2MP camera with video, expansion to 16GB via microSD, and a bunch more. The cost? $99.99 on a 3-year term with Rogers.
The Motorola W388 is a basic candybar complete with 2.5mm headset jack, 1.8″ display, expansion to 2GB via microSD, 0.3MB VGA camera and more. The price tag will apparently be set at $15 on a 2-year contract with Fido.
Verizon (NYSE: VZ) had announced the Motorola devour last week (after a long string of prereleasesneakpeeks) as a cheaper alternative to the droid. Rumour has it that Verizon’s Indirect Channel will be offering the devour to business customers starting February 25, and coming to the market at large on March 15 at the outer limit.
It’s entirely possible that the devour’s modest 3.1” 320 x 240 touch display and 3 megapixel camera don’t sell you on the phone immediately, but the motoblur social networking layer on top of Android, presumably low price point, and Megan Fox’s above endorsement from Super Bowl should be enough to at least pique some interest. The optical trackpad is also a nice addition that you won’t find on the droid.
Between the droid, Zeppelin, Backflip, cliq, and motoroi Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has been aggressively pumping out the Android handsets over the last couple of months, and if their Q3 and Q4 2009 results are any indication, it seems like Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s mobile OS is the way to go for Moto to pull themselves out of the slump.
I have to admit, all of the TELUS Motorola Milestone rumors have been coming fast and furious lately… and the latest batch going ’round that it would launch on February 18th left me scratching my head. Don’t get me wrong, it still very well could launch on the 18th… But to this point I’ve been unable to get any sort of verification from the folks at TELUS (NYSE: TU), which was why I was reluctant to post any release dates for the Milestone.
Today, it looks like Best Buy has changed their tune, perhaps in reaction to TELUS bonking them on the head for spilling the beans. As you can see in the shot above (via MobileSyrup), Best Buy has removed the so-called launch date and have replaced it with a much more vague (and date free) pre-order blurb.
What you make of this is your own business. Could be the launch is delayed… Could be it’ll still launch on the 18th. Only thing I know for sure is I’ll let you know the moment I find out the real scoop from TELUS!
The Nexus One has been multi-touching itself with all kinds of pinch zoom functionality for days now, while Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid users have been left wanting a quick and convenient way to zoom in and out of web pages and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps. Today, thanks to an otherwise unassuming update to the Android Google Maps app, Droids across the nation can now pinch-zoom their hearts out.
The Google Maps 3.4.0 update is now available in the Android Market. Fire up your Droid, head over to the Android Market, and update your Google Maps app. It’s that simple. Well, it’s not as simple as the over-the-air update for the Nexus One, but at least you can control when you get the update this way. You’ll be up and multi-touching your Droid like it’s going out of style in no time flat.
The Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Milestone launch on TELUS (NYSE: TU) might not be all that exciting for the HSPA-less residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but it sure is exciting for everyone else on Canada’s TELUS network. Following on news that the Motorola Milestone will soon be hitting Canadian airwaves, Best Buy has seemingly confirmed what the carrier has been reluctant to admit thus far – the Milestone will go live on February 18th! More to the point, GSM Droid hopefuls in the US will want to mark down that date in their calendars as the first day that a GSM variant of the Motorola Droid will be available with AT&T (NYSE: T) 3G compatible frequencies.
The implications here are huge. The Motorola Droid is so far a Verizon-only affair. Big Red’s network is completely incompatible with AT&T’s network, so the option of unlocking a US Droid for use on AT&T’s 3G network is out of the question. But, unlocking a TELUS Milestone for use on Big Blue’s network is totally within the realm of possibility. Imagine a Droid that will surf on a 3G network that lets you surf the web and make a voice call at the same time.
Now, get to working on figuring out just how you’re going to get a TELUS Milestone across the border.
We’ve seen Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s next Android/motoblur handset, the Zeppelin, pop up in Brazil and China, but have yet to hear anything about a North American launch. Well, rumour has it that not only does this mobile support T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s AWS bands, but it’s apparently coming out on March 10. There aren’t any documents or pictures to support this, so take it all with a grain of salt.
We’re expecting to see the Zeppelin lumber in at Mobile World Congress in the next couple of weeks, festooned with a 3.1” HVGA display, Wi-Fi, GPS, HDMI out, 3.5 mm headphone jack and Motorola’s custom user interface focussing on social networking. The cliq, devour, and Backflip, are all using motoblur already, although Motorola hasn’t been shy about using stock vanilla Android on the droid and motoroi. It’s still hard to say what that motosplit is running, presuming it’s actually real.
If T-Mobile U.S. does get the Zeppelin at MWC, we would expect that given the locale, T-Mobile carriers across Europe would also be riding along for the launch. The droid really paved the way for Motorola’s American Android attack, but I’m curious how well the platform is performing for Moto internationally, and if the Zeppelin will be their flagship for the “everywhere-but-the-U.S.” market.
London’s High Court has ruled that Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s case against RIM for patent infringement is invalid, and even if the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM)-maker had stepped on Moto’s toes in the instance in question, two other systems didn’t infringe at all. Way to defend your small circular pedestal raised above a pool of legal and corporate defeat, RIM.
Motorola and RIM have been fighting over patents for two years since terminating a licensing agreement; though RIM may have won the battle abroad, they still have to deal with Motorola and the ITC in the U.S. Once upon a time, Motorola was a contender for a viable enterprise-grade push solutions provider, until they sold off Visto to Good.
On the device side, Motorola still makes a couple of devices that appeal to the suits (namely the Q9H), but it’s an uphill battle going up against BlackBerry, whose each successive quarter has been full of win. We’ll have to keep an eye out to see how the ITC kerfuffle turns out over here, but for now, BlackBerry can hold its giant Q-tip high in victory.
The frustration for folks in Manitoba and Saskatchewan continues. With the Motorola Milestone launching on TELUS ‘real soon’, many nationwide are eagerly awaiting the official word. I’ve been prodding my contacts to spill the beans on this one, with no luck… However, ‘coming soon’ ads have appeared on the TELUS site, and my contacts have assured me the device is coming very VERY soon… That is, to all parts of the country besides Manitoba and Saskatchewan!
Yesterday, a new ‘ad’ popped up on the TELUS (NYSE: TU) site noting that the Milestone will not be available in MB and SK… at least for the immediate future. This is extremely frustrating and disappointing for folks in the area, as this is the second time around for such a debacle. Not so long ago when TELUS went live with the iPhone 3GS, the same deal went down, in fact, it’s still going down. Manitobans and Saskatchewanians (sp?) are still in the dark when it comes to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s latest iteration of the iPhone.
The reason for these exclusions is of course due to their network. TELUS doesn’t have any HSPA coverage in MB or SK, hence the lack of iPhone and Milestone action. I hope TELUS is hustling on this one… I know more than a few folks are panting at the door, scratching and clawing to get out of their Rogers (NYSE: RCI)’ contracts.
We’ve seen Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s unreleased Zeppelin here and there, but not much of the software. A fully functioning device was spotted in Brazil, and Android 1.5 with motoblur is a confirmed addition. A different version surfaced in China awhile back, complete with 3.1” HVGA display, Wi-Fi, GPS, HDMI out, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 5 megapixel camera with flash, but we only got to see the hardware. We’re expecting to see the Zeppelin at Mobile World Congress in a few weeks, but the status of an American release is still entirely up in the air. Given the current sources of the leaks, it’s seeming like this particular device is destined for everywhere but the U.S. Too bad, really, since HDMI-out isn’t a feature you see on a lot of Android devices.
The Nexus One 
The Motorola (
