Droid Cell Phone » Droid Update

Google Nexus One GPhone Gets Android Froyo Update

The Robot Droid — Sun, 23 May 2010 00:23:34 +0000

They said the coming days at Google I/O and they meant it. Google's first child has started to expand on Nexus One. The Android 2.2 software update began dropping to the Smartphone May 22, 2010.
The lucky GPhone owners reported getting the update overnight and reports continue to roll in on Twitter and Face Book.
The update was a shock to some especially those who didn't watch The Google I/O Developers Conference. Speaking of Google I/O we have been going through all the news from the gathering and putting together some detailed posts. Hopefully if things slow down some we can get them up. Slowing down doesn't seem to be how Google moves. Optimization and Speed is what its all about these days at the Search Engine.
Remember when downloading OTA Android Updates your phone needs to be charged. If you don't open the update message you should be sent another until you complete it.
We have seen some other tweets and face book post from those who aren't happy that the droid Phones didn't get the Android Update. Don't worry its coming. A couple reasons this happens. Nexus One is Googles favorite child. A large amount of developers use the phone as well. The order if I remember correctly is Nexus One,Verizon Droid and
Lets us know what you think if you have received the 2.2 Froyo OS.
Read more About Froyo Android 2.2 OS Software

Time Magazines 2009 Top 10 List Picks Droid As Number One Gadget

The Robot Droid — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:48:24 +0000

The year end reviews and top 10 lists are rolling out for the Holiday's. Its not the tech magazine everyone looks to, but Time is very credible. They have been making top 10 lists for many years. They had iPhone at number 3 in 2008 and iPhone 3GS in 4th place for 09. Some of the Gadgets on their lists never go anywhere. That won't happen with the #1 Gadget in 09.

Not only did Time Magazine put 2 phones on the list for 2009, but they picked the Motorola Droid as number one Gadget for the year. That is impressive for a device launched only 5 weeks earlier.

Here's what TIME had to say "Everybody likes Android, Google's open-source smartphone operating system. But a smartphone operating system isn't all that satisfying without an actual kick-ass smartphone wrapped around it. Now Android has one: The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it. The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone. Price: $300." See full list at Time Magazine

Time quotes the price at $300 beans but we know you wouldn't pay that around here. Order it online from Verizon Wireless and skip the $100.00 rebate. Order from WireFly and get both Droid and Eris even cheaper.

All the reviews we are reading and watching have been good. We are really surprised around here. Normally when a phone or device like the Droid is launched people trash it pretty fast. We haven't seen any of the negatives we saw with some recent launches like the Storm. Which even got negative remarks on network TV.

The negatives we have heard from people is mostly about things that can be fixed easy. Camera, Bluetooth, Battery Life and a few other issues. The list of fix's in the 2.0.1 took care of some initial problems with Droid only 5 weeks after launch. When have you heard of a fix for a device being sent that fast. The answer is never from the manufacture itself. Its the users that make work around until manufacturers build them usually.

The wonders of Android will spread as most of us have seen. Once people see what these phones can do they are hooked. Another hook is so much of what you get is free. Just the turn by turn GPS is enough to sell most people. Just the fact that you can expect Android to only grow and grow with its users is a bonus.

Droid 2.0.1 OS Update Has Begun Dropping To Phones

The Robot Droid — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:46:10 +0000

Over the last few weeks Android has been talking about the newest update 2.0.1. In our Dec. 4 SDK Update Post we had mentioned we heard the update would begin on the 10th. As small group of Droid Phone users have reported getting the update already.
A slow roll out of the Android update appears to have begune with a group of 10K and will start being sent to 200.000 user each day until the downloads are complete. This according to the Verizon forums.
Verizon has also released documentation in the support area of there site. Many of the issues reported have been addressed and should make the UI even better. Android, Google, Motorola and Verizon Wireless all said they wanted this update to be out by the end of December. Looks like that goal was easly reached.
The following enhancements to the Droid by Motorola have been made:
xx OS stability is improved.
xx Battery life is improved.
xx Camera auto focus functionality is improved, and time between
shots is reduced.
xx Enhancements for three-way calling.
xx Audio for incoming calls is improved.
xx When receiving a call on call waiting, the speakerphone now
remains on.
xx Bluetooth® functionality is improved; background echo is eliminated.
xx Improved Bluetooth phone book transfer of contacts to in-vehicle
Bluetooth solutions.
xx After closing a GPS application, the GPS icon will now automatically
be removed from the notification panel.
xx Users can now receive SMS and MMS messages after an EMS
message is received.
xx SMS and MMS may now be sent to seven-digit addresses.
xx Google® contact merging has been updated to accommodate
seven-digit numbers.
xx Visual Voice Mail notices now arrive instantaneously.
• The corporate calendar widget user interface is updated.

This update will be sent to your phones message center. Once you recieve it make sure your phone is powered up. The "Install now" and "Restart & install" options will not be available if your device does not have enough power availability. The system update requires 40% or more power availability if not connected to an external power source and 20% power availability if connected to a power source.

System Update Instructions included for Droid 2.0.1

1. You will be notified that a system update is available on your device. Press "Install now" and your device will power off and back on and the installation process will begin.

Note: If you choose "Install later" this will delay installation and you will be taken back to the home screen. The system update message will appear every 30 minutes until you install the update.

After you've received first notification of the system update you can manually initiate by going to "Home" > "Menu" > "Settings" > "About phone" > "System updates". Press "Restart & install". Your device will power off and back on and the installation process will begin.

We have not recieved this updated yet, but will report on it as soon as it is sent. If you have downloaded and used the update please let us know what you think.

For developers, the Android 2.0.1 platform is available as a downloadable component for the Android SDK. The downloadable platform includes a fully compliant Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator skins, sample applications, and more. The downloadable platform includes no external libraries.

Android SDK And Phone To Be Update To 2.0.1 Before The End Of 09

The Robot Droid — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:30:59 +0000

Over on the Android Developers site they announced a update for the SDK which will also include a update for the devices. Developers are being asked to test there application right away to insure compatibility.
We have heard that a update for The Droid By Motorola is to be released 12/10/09, but that is not direct from Android as far as we know. The fix's for the phone is said to be for WiFi and Camera issues being reported. We havnt seen any of these issues yet. That doesn't mean they don't exist. Whenever a new piece of technology is introduced issues arise.

The Android based operating system has a entire community working on a problem. Being open source anyone is welcome to work on updates and contribute.
Here a excerpt from the Developers Site. Please go check it out. "Android 2.0.1 is a minor update to Android 2.0. This update includes several bug fixes and behavior changes, such as application resource selection based on API level and changes to the value of some Bluetooth-related constants. For more detailed information, please see the Android 2.0.1 release notes.

To differentiate its behavior from Android 2.0, the API level of Android 2.0.1 is 6. All Android 2.0 devices will be updated to 2.0.1 before the end of the year, so developers will no longer need to support Android 2.0 at that time. Of course, developers of applications affected by the behavior changes should start compiling and testing their apps immediately." LINK You can read the Developers Site Headlines below.