Motorola announced during CES that their CLIQ (Dext) and Droid (Milestone) phones would be updated to Android 2.1, but we have yet to receive a time frame. Enough people have been asking Motorola about the update that they responded on Twitter.
“Guys, we’re sorry; we know you are excited about 2.1 updates to your Moto Android-based products, but we can’t comment on official timing.”@MotoMobile
We have heard rumors that the latest Android 2.1 build was in beta testing and now some screens have leaked out. German site MobiFlip (translated) has posted the first screens of Android 2.1 running on the Motorola Milestone (Droid). They refer to the update as 2.0.2, but the screens show firmware version 2.1 (see gallery below).
I’m not really sure what to make of these, because we can still see the old app drawer being used instead of the new 3D version that is found on the Nexus One. This could be a hybrid version of Android 2.1 or maybe the 3D app drawer is a temporary exclusive of the Nexus One. Either way, we should find out soon enough.
Most handset makers are not rolling out Android 2.1 to first generation devices until Q2 2010, so we might expect a similar date for the Droid (U.S.) and Milestone (UK, Canada, etc.). The main difference would be that Google had more control over the Droid software while Motorola managed the Milestone version.
One new addition found in the screens that I have not seen in Android 2.1 is the ability to change the number of home panels from 3 to 9. The translated site also claims a new “vehicle mode” and “language and search” app have been added.
Follow @MotoMobile on Twitter for the latest news on Android updates.
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Taylor Wimberly
Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He loves playing with all kinds of gadgets, but most importantly cell phones. His other hobbies include cooking (BBQ hero!), politics, football, and watching every MMA event possible.
7 Comments
I believe the 3D app drawer is a Nexus One exclusive, and perhaps a permanent one: the 2.1 version of the emulator used to test android application development doesn’t have it either.
Though one could perhaps make the case that because the emulator drains enough resources without it, most pc’s simply wouldn’t be able to handle it and thus it has been “turned off”.
The new app drawer is pretty much the only reason I want 2.1. Couldn’t really care less about the other “features”.
Surely holding it N1 exclusive is further damaging to manufacturer relationships..
“Not only will updates be slower to your phones, but we’re keeping them one step behind too because we want the N1 to have more pull with potential customers”!
Uhhh I believe you’re operating under the assumption that Google actually releases the updates that are particular to certain phones which is NOT the case. It’s up to either the manufacturer or service provider to update THEIR version of the OS with updated device drivers or any network-specific modifications that are needed
Oh! Super.
Go motorola! Make my phone prettier.
I had 2.1 running on my Droid for a time. While it was obviously not an optimized version, one of the main reasons I went back to the vanilla 2.0 ROM was how much of a resource hog the new app launcher was. Sure, it looks cool the first few times you run it, but I’d go with functionality over flash any day. Could be that the amount of RAM available on the Droid simply isn’t up to the task.
Really? I’ve been running 2.1 for a while now, since before N1 came out. And I never noticed the app drawer be sluggish.
I had the nexus one, just returned it (tmobile is horrible, and I’m in southern California). The 3D drawer was sluggish on 3 nexus ones i have played with. i have Droid now and the drawer is much snappier. i hope the 3D version stays on the N1.