Hasta La Gadget!

Geeks and Star Wars fans can soon get a souped-up limited edition of the Droid 2 phone. Verizon Wireless will introduce a R2-D2 Droid phone in a custom box resembling carbonite, a fictional compound in the Star Wars universe. The phone will include features such as themed widgets, media dock and a new app.

The phone will be available online starting September 30. At $250 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a new two-year contract, the R2-D2 Droid will be more expensive than the regular Droid. The Droid 2 costs $200 with a rebate and a new contract.

The back of the R2-D2 Droid phone has a graphic pattern designed to look like the Astromech Droid from the Star Wars saga. The phone will come pre-loaded with special notification sounds, ringtones and wallpapers.

Other Verizon customers with Android devices running Android 2.1 OS or higher won’t entirely be left out. They will be able to download an app from the Android Market called ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’ The app lets users browse and download Star Wars related content such as trivia and games. ‘

Verizon introduced the second generation Droid phone in August with a faster 1 GHz processor and Android 2.2 Froyo operating system.

See Also:

• Verizon Denies Tethering, Hot Spot Features to Droid Customers
• Motorola Introduces Droid 2 Phone
• Motorola Droid Rules Android
• Droid X Debut Leaves Hardcore Android Fans Leery
• Droid 2 Teardown Reveals Beefed-Up Processor, Few Other Changes

Photos: Verizon Wireless

It’s getting awful close now, eh? Merely hours after hearing that Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kits were splashing down in select Verizon Wireless locations, in flies a foursome of images proving as much. Of course, we still can’t promise you that these fellows will be available for the taking a moment before the 30th of September, but if you know someone at Big Red, at least there’s a chance he / she may be able to get you a sneak peek starting now. Or, you know, you could just peek the gallery below.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Droid 2 R2-D2 edition launch kit makes emergency landing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That picture above is no joke — that’s where I ended up last night trying to revive my Droid X review unit. It was fun, in a hacky mad-scientist sort of way, but it’s also really sad — a testament to how Google approves Android device hacking with a wink and a nod, but doesn’t provide any safety nets for its most passionate users.

Let’s back up, though. How did I end up in such dire straits? It started when I had the nerve to update this Droid X to the leaked Android 2.2 build — a simple process that involved installing the file on a microSD card and restarting. Unfortunately, since Motorola refuses to provide a sanctioned upgrade path from the leaked build to the official 2.2 build released earlier this week, I was forced to downgrade back to 2.1 to get back on track. Based on how easy the update was, this would be a piece of cake, right?

Continue reading Editorial: Firmware, forums, and desperation — the dark side of Android hacking

Editorial: Firmware, forums, and desperation — the dark side of Android hacking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though the HTC Droid Eris soldiers on in user pockets in a variety of guises, Verizon has unsurprisingly decided to disavow future updates for the canceled device. Carrier spokespersons told Computerworld that the Eris won’t see Android 2.2. “We have other options in Android devices, so this is part of the normal evolution of our portfolio,” a spokeswoman reportedly said. While we didn’t really expect Verizon to pull a T-Mobile and support phones that died even before the original G1, we have to imagine there’ll be a few ruffled feathers at that particular choice of words. No one likes to be told to buy a new device in order to get a software update. On the plus side, we expect XDA-developers will get a few new members this week, the better to unleash the potential of future neglected devices for us all.

Shocker: Verizon says Droid Eris won’t get Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re guessing Verizon has been pretty happy with the results of its V Cast App store for BlackBerry, as it looks like the carrier’s now accepting submissions in the Android category for software that’ll propagate its eventual marketplace on that mobile platform. According to a purported letter obtained by Android and Me, Big Red has been sending out letters to developers extolling the virtues of using its store in lieu of Google’s: no testing fee, 14-day turnaround, carrier billing (with the promise of an eventual subscription billing option), 70 / 30 split favoring the developer, etc. Froyo is the flavor of choice, and the only version of Android that’ll be supported from the onset — so that includes both flagship Droids, Droid Incredible, and Droid X. Verizon’s Developer Community Conference is the end of this month (21st and 22nd, to be exact), and we imagine the skinny will be gotten by then.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Verizon gearing up for Android V Cast App store? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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