Verizon Wireless announced that the Motorola Droid 2 will finally get an update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread and all its glory. The carrier didn’t announce a specific date for the roll-out to commence, so Droid 2 owners should be on the look-out for an over-the-air software update.
Android Gingerbread will bring a lot of new features to the handset. Many of these features aim to improve the current experience, rather than trying to add to it. Some examples include the new active task manager, which automatically kills any processes that haven’t been used in a while and are hogging up resources, and a better software keyboard. Check out Verizon’s full list of improvements below.
+ Download Manager App:
New App to manage all of your downloads from web browsing, email attachments and other apps.
+ App and Power Management Details:
Under Manage Applications, a new “Running” tab displays a list of active applications, as well as the storage and memory being used by each.
+ Multi-Touch Key-Chording:
New ability to enter numbers and symbols with keyboard shortcut combos, without having to change to the numeric keyboard mode.
+ Improved Word Selection and Copy Functionality:
New capability to select a word via press-hold. A second press of the selected word copies the selected characters.
+ New User Interface and Color Scheme:
New widgets, icons and screens with refreshed colors.
+ Dock Icons:
Three swappable icons and the App Launcher icon are fixed to the Dock at the bottom of all home screen panels for easy and instant access. The Phone, App Launcher and Contacts icons are now within this customizable dock.
+ App Groups:
New App Menu allows creation of custom app groups, in addition to 3 default groups: All Apps, Recent and Downloaded.
+ Security:
Added Device and SD Card encryption. VPN enhancements integrate IPSec VPN clients into device security settings.
Web Browsing and Data Access
+ Improved battery life while using Wi-Fi.
+ Fixed issue that caused frequent data connection drops.
+ Mobile Hotspot status is displayed accurately.
Email and Messaging
+ Email application:
• Improved contact syncing from multiple accounts.
• Email pushes now work correctly when using Exchange ActiveSync.
• Exchange ActiveSync account setup will accurately present server option.
+ Correct contact name is displayed when receiving SMS messages.
+ Emoticons are displayed in messages.
+ Forward SMS message conversations accurately.
+ Notification LED will flash when new message is received.
Applications and Widgets
+ Access My Verizon without any force close errors.
+ Compass calibration within Google Maps syncs accurately with your location.
+ Geo-tagging features available for camera applications.
+ Clock widget updates time correctly.
+ Callback numbers now populate in Dialer app.
+ GPS apps and programs no longer cause unnecessary device resets.
+ Google Books is now preloaded.
+ V CAST Media Manager is now preloaded.
+ Blockbuster® movie rentals license remains active after download.
Additional Improvements
+ Keypad backlight turns on in darker settings.
+ Improvements in screen display no longer causes display screen to turn black.
+ Fixed issue that caused factory resets when the device’s mobile number is changed.
+ Fixed issue that caused device reset and a black display screen after over the air upgrades.