Google Goggles is now pre-installed (no matter how unhelpful it may be).
The browser's now multitouch enabled, just like Google Maps 3.4. Huzzah! No Flash, but then again, we weren't really expecting that.
Interestingly, the home screen's still got the same look as 2.0.1, meaning it doesn't adopt the Nexus One's rotating 3D grid of app icons -- it's still got the pull-up drawer tab at the bottom.
No active wallpapers. Bummer!
The news and weather widgets introduced on the Nexus One are included. Maybe certain capabilities of 2.1 are going to be restricted to devices with minimum performance benchmarks?
Motorola is now reporting via its official Facebook page that it's "happy to relay the 2.1 upgrade to Droid will start to roll out this week," going on to tease that it "will have more information to share on other device upgrades later." There's no detail on what the Droid update will entail or whether it'll roll out to every user this week (we doubt it), but by all indications, this is a promising sign that Moto's keeping the pedal to the metal, we'd say.
Last edited by doomedromance; February 8th, 2010 at 07:50 PM.
Reason: Now that I'm on a computer, update to make post more useful.
Don't care for 2.1 app "toilet paper roll" so i'm fine with that. I am a bit bummed about live wallpapers if they end up being excluded. I'm also surprised that the news and weather widget is in question. I've been running it on my Droid since it was leaked two months ago and it works just fine, in fact i rely on it every single day many times a day.
I really only cared about the 5 home screens and more importantly the "Pre cards"
Although graphically stimulating, I wasn't a big fan of the new app launcher. The animation made it slower to launch by the animation delay. Maybe being stock you can turn it off but the Launcher2 replacements wouldn't. Overall I felt the Launcher2 was much more laggy then acceptable. Maybe that wasn't just because it was ported. Maybe it's just laggy and that's why VZW decided against it. With so many reasons why you could hate VZW they do have pretty high standards of performance.
I don't care about the live wallpapers and everything else I already have thanks to the awesome modding community. I don't think I'll even do the OTA. Probably will keep using Bugless Beast. Thanks Pete!
Last edited by doomedromance; February 8th, 2010 at 07:29 PM.
Reason: Updated the OP, changed this to my opinion.
Alright, this is bull crap for other people who wanted the 3D app drawer! I don't understand why it won't have that or LIVE WALLPAPERS! I'm currently rooted so I have the 3D app drawer and I personally LOVE IT! Will never go back! But that's bull crap about live wallpapers!
So if we don't get live wallpapers can developers still add them to the ROM? Like is it even possible now then? I really really really wanted those! (I know they take battery life away and blah blah blah) but being rooted, I have plenty of speed 800, and 1 ghz if needed, and my battery life is phenominal so I'm not worried. But I'm really bummed about live wallpapers!
Last edited by andrew53517; February 8th, 2010 at 09:38 AM.
I certainly understand the need to limit things based on hardware ability, but jeeze, having multiple versions of 2.1 is gonna really drive people crazy. Especially on forums as this. Well, that is of course is if Verizon is going to call it 2.1. I can only imagine it will be even different for the HTC Eris. I am a firm believer in open source, but this is probably the ONLY, I repeat ONLY reason I like Apple...everybody gets the same thing at the same time.
Oh well. Only time will tell.
I certainly understand the need to limit things based on hardware ability, but jeeze, having multiple versions of 2.1 is gonna really drive people crazy. Especially on forums as this. Well, that is of course is if Verizon is going to call it 2.1. I can only imagine it will be even different for the HTC Eris. I am a firm believer in open source, but this is probably the ONLY, I repeat ONLY reason I like Apple...everybody gets the same thing at the same time.
Oh well. Only time will tell.
You know, sometimes you have to wonder if this could really mess android up. Like google better watch it. There was an article published about a week ago talking about all the different versions we are currently at....well if were going to go to half of current ones, then this is really going to mess android up as a whole. And I agree. Apple does actually do it right with their versions, unlike google!
You know, sometimes you have to wonder if this could really mess android up. Like google better watch it. There was an article published about a week ago talking about all the different versions we are currently at....well if were going to go to half of current ones, then this is really going to mess android up as a whole. And I agree. Apple does actually do it right with their versions, unlike google!
Outside of phone geeks, which are the vast minority of consumers, the general public doesn't give a crap what version of android they have.
Outside of phone geeks, which are the vast minority of consumers, the general public doesn't give a crap what version of android they have.
Correct (plus I wasn't talking about phone geeks, I was talking mainly about android just as a whole), but for developers it does... plus, we don't need 100 different phones ranging from 1.5 to 2.1. We still have phones being released with 1.5! That should NEVER be happening! 2.0 should be the minimum without a doubt.
Last edited by andrew53517; February 8th, 2010 at 10:11 AM.
We all know the Droid can run the exact same OS. Forced OS fragmentation from Verizon is a load of crap. You know how they are thinking though, if Verizon gives the Droid everything, then nobody will ever upgrade. How will we make money if the phone lasts so long?
It's too soon for that old school philosophy, and I think Verizon is going to have to get an earful of just how wrong it is. Since people are running the phone with it, what kind of lie will they make up as the reason for it?
Hoping this is just a rumor from the Android hating Engadgeters!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by droidosis
If this is true, then that's BS.
We all know the Droid can run the exact same OS. Forced OS fragmentation from Verizon is a load of crap. You know how they are thinking though, if Verizon gives the Droid everything, then nobody will ever upgrade. How will we make money if the phone lasts so long?
It's too soon for that old school philosophy, and I think Verizon is going to have to get an earful of just how wrong it is. Since people are running the phone with it, what kind of lie will they make up as the reason for it?
Hoping this is just a rumor from the Android hating Engadgeters!
again, this is just speculation. I wouldnt hold this 100%, they also posted that we were getting a maintanance release which was 100% BS. If animated wallpapers are part of 2.1 and we are getting 2.1, they will be there. It's not like the droid can't handle them.
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No mention of the new gallery, music, dock mode and where is tether Verizon? Been putting off rooting in hope that I would get 2.1 and tethering stock. For the money I pay I should already have it. Guess I am just going to root because tether is something I want now!
again, this is just speculation. I wouldnt hold this 100%, they also posted that we were getting a maintanance release which was 100% BS. If animated wallpapers are part of 2.1 and we are getting 2.1, they will be there. It's not like the droid can't handle them.
I am starting to wonder if they realized they made a mistake with Droid. They made the phone so well that every phone they release afterward does not surpass the awesomeness of the Droid.
Now, with enabling key features that are on Nexus One, they will be stealing thunder from the Nexus which will hurt it's sales.
My point is this, if people have already gotten most of the features(animated wallpapers, new UI menu system) to function correctly on the Droid, then why can't the manufacturer do it?
If Engadget is correct in their assumption, it leaves me to believe Motorola CAN get 2.1 update to fully function on the Droid, but choose not to because of future phone releases. If that's the case, then it is BS.
Last edited by screamster; February 8th, 2010 at 10:50 AM.
So they should bump the processor up to 800mhz in the next update. The speed seems to be stable and hardly taxes the battery any more then current settings.
So they should bump the processor up to 800mhz in the next update. The speed seems to be stable and hardly taxes the battery any more then current settings.
I am starting to wonder if they realized they made a mistake with Droid. They made the phone so well that every phone they release afterward does not surpass the awesomeness of the Droid.
Now, with enabling key features that are on Nexus One, they will be stealing thunder from the Nexus which will hurt it's sales.
Seriously, you guys are all too funny. Verizon will test the software to ensure that everything works. They could hardly care about device overlap as they are not device manufacturers and actually LOSE money on every one they sell. Verizon only cares if you use THEIR network. They want the experience to be seamless and smooth so that you aren't complaining like iPhone users on AT&T. The Droid will have everything you want and more. Indeed, if it doesn't, you'll want to upgrade again and they'll lose on acquisition cost once more. There's a reason why Verizon's network works well.
I am starting to wonder if they realized they made a mistake with Droid. They made the phone so well that every phone they release afterward does not surpass the awesomeness of the Droid.
Now, with enabling key features that are on Nexus One, they will be stealing thunder from the Nexus which will hurt it's sales.
My point is this, if people have already gotten most of the features(animated wallpapers, new UI menu system) to function correctly on the Droid, then why can't the manufacturer do it?
If Engadget is correct in their assumption, it leaves me to believe Motorola CAN get 2.1 update to fully function on the Droid, but choose not to because of future phone releases. If that's the case, then it is BS.
This is exactly what I was getting at in my previous post. They must make a product less desirable at some point in its marketability life span.
Instead, I feel they should be embracing it, and selling more and more of the Droid. Keep it at it's peak until 1.5 years in with all full updates and pushing it to the limit. Then slam the market with Droid 2. Everyone will jump on it. Cutting the head of the OS 3 months in is a mistake in my eyes and old Verizon exec thinking 100% - on par with limiting features like Wifi on Storm1, etc.
Don't care for 2.1 app "toilet paper roll" so i'm fine with that.
That was the one thing that always gave me problems - the app 'roll' would often times come up 'blank', and I'd have to go 'home' and then select again - sometimes several times before it came up, and it was always much slower animating that the stock app drawer.
I ended up getting rid of the 2.1 launcher because of that.
Seriously, you guys are all too funny. Verizon will test the software to ensure that everything works. They could hardly care about device overlap as they are not device manufacturers and actually LOSE money on every one they sell. Verizon only cares if you use THEIR network. They want the experience to be seamless and smooth so that you aren't complaining like iPhone users on AT&T. The Droid will have everything you want and more. Indeed, if it doesn't, you'll want to upgrade again and they'll lose on acquisition cost once more. There's a reason why Verizon's network works well.
Hmmm... I thought Motorola was working on the update, not Verizon.
Outside of phone geeks, which are the vast minority of consumers, the general public doesn't give a crap what version of android they have.
In the long run that's not true. The vast majority will end up being affected when developers stop creating as many apps, previous apps lose support and more and more quirks start to pop up on their phones as a result of minor incompatibilities.
We the geeks and forum-goers may certainly be the vocal minority, but just because the others are not actively complaining about things does not mean that they won't be negatively impacted by it.
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personally, i don't care for this update at all anymore. just rooted and flashed a couple days ago and this upcoming update is basically useless. i don't care about the 2.1 app drawer either, i thought i would like the 2.1 when i saw it but actual usage sucked. don't like the fact that it scrolls in chunks. prefer the original, smoother one with smoked glass look instead.
live wallpapers on the other hand, i did want. wonder if it'll ever get added to our flashable roms...
Whoever said that they should bump the processor up to 800mhz has some very wishful thinking. The TI OMAP3430 is rated at 600mhz max, and UC'd to 550mhz, so do you honestly think they would go above the rated speed? And don't confuse the Cortex A8 spec page for the OMAP3430, A8 as a architecture can handle up to 1ghz, but it needs to have a processor that is rated for that. No matter how stable 800mhz might be for us won't make a difference to them.
About livewallpapers and the 3D drawer not being included, I'm not surprised at all. They both put serious strain on the Droid even when OC'd to 1ghz, compared to the normal app drawer and regular walls. They might run decent enough but a side by side comparison will show the huge performance decrease, so of course they won't put out something that lags the phone down. We are the minority here, representing about 1-4% of total Droid owners. We know how to root and overclock, we know that the Droid can run the newer 2.1 features and we know how to install them. The other 99-96% of owners don't, they are happy with their Droid's the way they are and they don't want something that will slow it down.
And may I add that VZW is a business which you all know, OF COURSE they will hold back features that might prevent us from upgrading. Would you make a product and give it all the new features every 6 months or so? What about your new products? You need to have something that motivates people to upgrade. If we upgrade every 12-18 months then they will keep us in contracts for a lot longer then they would if our Droid's had all the newest goodies all the new phones have, because after 24 months your out of contract and free to leave. But if you upgrade every 12-18 months then you will be with them indefinitely.
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Last edited by CRPercodani; February 8th, 2010 at 11:14 AM.
I have a rooted droid that does all the features that the update Is going to have and more. Do you guys think it's worth it to still update? I would have to unroot for this.
I'm not particularly happy about this, but as long as there are 5 home screens I'll deal. If not, my Droid is going on Craigslist as soon as the N1 hits VZW. If there are still only 3 screens they'll have lost all the notable improvements from 2.1.
It sucks that Google obviously wants their phone (Nexus) to be the flagship Android phone, and it's always going to have the edge over every other android phone. It just seems misleading because when the Motor Droid came out most including myself thought were buying the flagship Android just to be outdone in a couple months. I for one will never root my Droid to try to imatate the Nexus. And ruin my warranty.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CRPercodani
And may I add that VZW is a business which you all know, OF COURSE they will hold back features that might prevent us from upgrading. Would you make a product and give it all the new features every 6 months or so? What about your new products? You need to have something that motivates people to upgrade. If we upgrade every 12-18 months then they will keep us in contracts for a lot longer then they would if our Droid's had all the newest goodies all the new phones have, because after 24 months your out of contract and free to leave. But if you upgrade every 12-18 months then you will be with them indefinitely.
This is very contradictory to what they did with the storm 1 it was upgraded to 5.0 right before the s2 came out...Had all the UI features the s2 had. You still make a very good point but I just wanted to point this out
True, very true. I suppose the hardware upgrades might have been enough to sell some people on it. Didn't they add 3 more of those switches under the screen?
It sucks that Google obviously wants their phone (Nexus) to be the flagship Android phone, and it's always going to have the edge over every other android phone. It just seems misleading because when the Motor Droid came out most including myself thought were buying the flagship Android just to be outdone in a couple months. I for one will never root my Droid to try to imatate the Nexus. And ruin my warranty.
+1
But I rooted and yesterday I unrooted back to stock. As far as I can tell, there's no way a Verizon rep would be able to tell I was ever rooted (thus, my warranty would not be voided). Anywho, I think it was somewhat idiotic to release the Droid with all this fanfare and then release a phone with a better O.S. a month later. It has done nothing but piss off Droid owners (such as myself). Maybe Google wants the N1 to have an air of exclusivity, being the only device to offer full 2.1
QUOTE: I'm not particularly happy about this, but as long as there are 5 home screens I'll deal. If not, my Droid is going on Craigslist as soon as the N1 hits VZW. If there are still only 3 screens they'll have lost all the notable improvements from 2.1.
I agree. I mean, I wanted the 3D app launcher and live WP. But I can live without those features (even though I don't want to). However, I CANNOT live with having just three homescreens. I'm sick of unstable home replacements.
It sucks that Google obviously wants their phone (Nexus) to be the flagship Android phone, and it's always going to have the edge over every other android phone. It just seems misleading because when the Motor Droid came out most including myself thought were buying the flagship Android just to be outdone in a couple months. I for one will never root my Droid to try to imatate the Nexus. And ruin my warranty.
I would say this is more of a marketing stragety than the latest and greatest scenario.
The N1 isn't really more advanced than the Droid, or really that much faster either.
The N1 isn't any better than the Droid just because it has some fancy moving colors as wallpaper. That isn't useful technology that justifies an upgrade.
Last edited by Timaphillips; February 8th, 2010 at 01:19 PM.
I don't care about multitouch, live wallpapers, or anything else mentioned in the article. I'm rooted and they really don't add a whole lot to my droid experience.
So I hope they fix a few things that detract from my experience. Specifically:
Can we finally get a dialer screen that works in landscape mode?? It looks ridiculous in a horizontal dock.
How about fixing bluetooth so we can use voice commands through our headsets (without having to buy a A2DP headset).
Fix exchange email. Verizon is losing business users because they can't do signatures. Also give us the ability to download attachments to a folder.
I'm sure there are more, but I consider these to be better updates than things like goggles and multitouch apps. They can make them available through the market.
Last edited by virtus; February 8th, 2010 at 01:44 PM.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Timaphillips
The N1 isn't any better than the Droid just because it has some fancy moving colors as wallpaper. That isn't useful technology that justifies an upgrade.
Ummm actually it has a faster processor, amoled screen, more ram (i think not positive) should i go on? It does have better specs than the droid and if you do not think so then you are delusional
Ummm actually it has a faster processor, amoled screen, more ram (i think not positive) should i go on? It does have better specs than the droid and if you do not think so then you are delusional
The screen is comparable to the Droid's. Processor isn't all that much quicker. Do a search around here about "clock for clock performance."
Ummm actually it has a faster processor, amoled screen, more ram (i think not positive) should i go on? It does have better specs than the droid and if you do not think so then you are delusional
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timaphillips
The screen is comparable to the Droid's. Processor isn't all that much quicker. Do a search around here about "clock for clock performance."
So yes, please go on...
To add to this, Tim is saying that the features being left out of the Droid's 2.1 update (which are the 3D tray and live wallpapers) are not features worthy of a phone upgrade. The FEATURES, not the SPECS of the actual device.
That being said, the only SPEC the N1 has that I envy is the RAM. AMOLED is cool, but it's trash outdoors, and the N1 is missing 25,920 pixels that we have over it. And Snapdragon? Well, it's got nothing on my 1GHz OMAP3.
To add to this, Tim is saying that the features being left out of the Droid's 2.1 update (which are the 3D tray and live wallpapers) are not features worthy of a phone upgrade. The FEATURES, not the SPECS of the actual device.
That being said, the only SPEC the N1 has that I envy is the RAM. AMOLED is cool, but it's trash outdoors, and the N1 is missing 25,920 pixels that we have over it. And Snapdragon? Well, it's got nothing on my 1GHz OMAP3.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Timaphillips
The screen is comparable to the Droid's. Processor isn't all that much quicker. Do a search around here about "clock for clock performance."
So yes, please go on...
Actually I do not need to do a search around here about clock performance. The N1 has a 1 GHZ processor without the need of overclocking. My droid at 800 or 950 MHZ gets much warmer that it should. While the screen is comparable, the power consumption of an LED screen is much less than that of an LCD screen (this is me going on)
There is a reason the droid does not do live wallpapers and why they are being left out of our update.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gonzoguy24
Actually I do not need to do a search around here about clock performance. The N1 has a 1 GHZ processor without the need of overclocking. My droid at 800 or 950 MHZ gets much warmer that it should. While the screen is comparable, the power consumption of an LED screen is much less than that of an LCD screen (this is me going on)
There is a reason the droid does not do live wallpapers and why they are being left out of our update.
Looks like we all got screwed! Quick let's sell our Droids before they are worth nothing. I played this game for about 9 months. Technology changes every three months looks like the N1 is right on track.
That fact is these are phones, I will admit they are neat phone at that, but to start picking apart every little aspect of every phone that comes out and feel ripped off is crazy.
What iPhone users have over Android users is they get behind their platform and use it without complaining all the time.
The Motorola Droid - the first ever Verizon Android Phone - exploded onto the mobile market with an incredibly successful ad campaign that brough Android to the masses. With a huge and vibrant touchscreen, solid metal body, full QWERTY keyboard, 5M... Read More
droid 2.1 to look the same as 2.0.1, "rolling out this week"? (updated)
That should NEVER be happening! 2.0 should be the minimum without a doubt.
