Hasta La Gadget!

Flippin’ finally, right? Verizon Wireless put the long-awaited Android 2.1 update on hold for its cadre of Motorola Droid owners earlier in the month, with an all-too-vague “TBD” as the only detail as to when we could look for it to actually, really land. We’ve just happened upon what looks to be an internal Verizon email that went out this morning, and sure enough, it sounds as if the update will at long last begin hitting Droid owners in just a few minutes. At noon on 3/30 (that’s today, vaquero), a grand total of 1,000 users will receive notification of the update, while 9,000 more will get a similar alert just before midnight. If all goes well, the rest of ya will see v2.1 slide down starting on Thursday, though it looks as if patience will be your only friend as you await your turn. Head on past the break for the full memo, but don’t get your hopes up too high — wouldn’t want to be let down again, would you buttercup?

Continue reading Verizon begins Android 2.1 update rollout for Motorola Droid

Verizon begins Android 2.1 update rollout for Motorola Droid originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you saw that the first MOTO smartphone touchscreen comparison was done with a fleshy humanoid controlling the testing finger and discounted it as scientifically flawed? Well, MOTO’s back and this time the arm of judgment is operated by a coldly mechanical and ruthlessly precise robot — a machine in itself, we’ll assume the robot is intrinsically immune to developing fanboy tendencies. Joining the iPhone, Droid Eris, Droid, and Nexus One of the earlier test are Palm’s Pre and RIM’s BlackBerry Storm 2, whose results you can see at the source link below. The full test methodology is also explained there, including a list of the drawing apps used, which were selected with a view to minimizing smoothing algorithms that may prejudice the outcome. We’re not gonna tell you who won, you have eyes of your own after all, and will just direct you after the break for the full robot-on-smartphone video action.

Continue reading MOTO touchscreen comparison recruits robotic implements for heightened precision (video)

MOTO touchscreen comparison recruits robotic implements for heightened precision (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look away now, Droid owners, as Motorola’s finally uploaded the Milestone‘s Android 2.1 firmware update to its servers. It’s only officially sanctioned for users in Hong Kong and Macau for now, but judging by the inclusion of a Dutch language pack in the new firmware, it looks like it’s the same stuff that will shortly be rolling out all across Europe as well. In addition to the funky live wallpapers, users will also get a new feature called Motorola Car Home — a special interface for in-car usage — along with some speed improvements. Now, we’re not exactly sure what the rollout plan is for each nation, but Moto’s Facebook page tells us we’ll see an end to the Milestone’s upgrade saga before March is through. The source contains a direct link to the fresh firmware file, and you can find a straightforward upgrade how-to at Android World below. We’ll be right here for your upgrade stories.

[Thanks, Peter]

Motorola Milestone gets 2.1 firmware upgrade in Hong Kong, Europe to follow by ‘end of March’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re shmoozing with Motorola’s team and Mike Rowe — yes, the Dirty Jobs guy, who’s been fittingly selected as the rugged i1’s spokesperson — and we’re starting to get our first fleeting moments with Motorola’s first Android-powered iDEN handset in the flesh. Believe it or not, it might be the best-feeling Android phone from Motorola to date, besting the CLIQ XT and Droid with a tasteful mix of black chrome and rubber around the edges; if it weren’t for the lack of bona fide 3G, we could realistically see putting this in our pockets over, say, a myTouch 3G, Hero, or Behold II. We’ve been able to confirm that they’ve basically taken the UI look and feel introduced by Blur and subtracted… well, the things that actually make it Blur, namely the integration with Blur servers that brings social service aggregation into the fold. Will it appeal to the iDEN demographic? Hard to say, but Mr. Rowe certainly seems amped on it. Check out the gallery below!

Motorola i1 first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Possibly confirming those leaks suggesting that the first volley of Droid updates to Android 2.1 would be limited to just a quarter million folks, Verizon just shot out a statement to let everyone know that the over-the-air push is “being deployed to a small number of Verizon Wireless test users tomorrow afternoon.” Beyond that, no dates are given for the rest of us to get in on the action — probably because Verizon and Motorola need to see how the first group manages before sending out the remainder — so for the moment, just hope that you’re one of these incredibly blessed “test users” and stay tuned.

Droid’s Android 2.1 update going to ‘a small number’ of users tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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