Motorola Droid getting 2.0.1 now, Verizon posts details
By Chris Ziegler 
posted December 7th 2009 3:39PM
posted December 7th 2009 3:39PM
The "coming weeks" timeframe that Verizon had promised for 2.0.1 to start pushing to Droids has been mercifully condensed down to just a few days, because a number of folks are starting to report that they're receiving the update on their retail units today -- and we've been able to confirm with the company that it's going down. That's great news for a Monday, we'd say, and if you haven't gotten the update just yet, Big Red has now posted update instructions and details on the Droid's support site that should be enough to tide you over for a few minutes. In brief, this looks like bug-fix nirvana with improved stability and battery life, better camera and call quality, faster visual voicemail, and a host of other goodies -- anyone hoping for new features is probably primed for disappointment, but we'll take what we can get. Keep an eye on your Droid today, owners, and let us know how the experience treats you.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Patch update sweet. Are they going to release 2.0 to everyone else yet...
I don't understand why Verizon, Sprint, etc are the ones that push out these updates. I mean, it's not like I wait for Comcast or Roadrunner to release Windows Updates for my computer. Why do the carriers release updates for the phone? Why can't the OS makers (Google in this case) do OTA updates?
@nelagster
in sprints case they have to make sure their 'wares work properly with the new updates, therefore...
@nelagster to ensure the update doesn't crash all the phones because of incompatibility to the network
@nelagster
Because they have to make sure the updates are compatible with their carrier installed software. I could care less if they make it compatible with their software and just get the updates out but that's just how it is.
@shloopa why do people keep perpetuating this BS?! i've worked in the celular industry for over 20 years now and i can say with 100% authority that no update to the phone can harm the network. the update is coming from Google and not Verizon but Verizon determines when it gets pushed because it's their network.
@nelagster
haha so the consensus is that it's Verizon's network and they decide what goes on it? that's still dumb I wish they didn't need to go through Verizon because we'd probably get updates faster
@nelagster Because Verizon sells the phone, not Google. They have to approve of the update because they're responsible for providing tech support on it. If the OS maker could push out whatever update they felt without giving the carrier a chance to check it over, and something went wrong, it would be on the carrier's hands when people are going into the stores with pitchforks.
Same situation BlackBerry users have been dealing with for years, so suck it up cause a point release isn't worth getting your panties in a bunch anyway. Meanwhile, I'll go back to Crackberry and continue to bitch about Verizon dragging their feet for the last 2 months with 5.0 on my Tour. :\
If it's because they sell the phone, why does Apple not need to wait for carriers update the iPhone?
@CJ100570
You can 100% claim that an update won't hurt the network? Than you don't work in the cellular industry. There are literally hundreds of ways an update can screw up a network if there is a mistake.
Oh, and Google didn't do this update. Motorola did, why do people think Google writes all the software?
@Sneakz
Because the iPhone is an excusive. They work with AT&T ahead of time.
@Sneakz
Because Apple is the most specialest manufacturer in the world and has all of the iPhone's carriers by the balls
@Sneakz Apple`s got AT&T`s ball on Job`s mantle.
Called Verizon and they say the update was approved today, the 7th, but won't be rolled until tomorrow. Kinda lame since their website has instructions etc. for how to install it and nothing is dated, but that's what they said. www.verizonwireless/support
@Winston Yes I can and I do. I'm a network engineer that has worked for AT&T, Verizon, And T-Mobile over the years. A cellphone is a transceiver and as such it works within certain frequencies as determined by the radio inside it. A very low powered radio I might add. All your cellphone does is receive and transmit data to and from the network. "No" firmware update has ever been pointed to as the cause of any network issues. Point out 1 case study from an industry trade paper that says otherwise.
@CJ100570
It's certainly highly unlikely that a given firmware update will harm the network, but it's not impossible.
For the CDMA-based technologies in particular, the network and handset exchange power control messages and adjust transmit power accordingly. The network won't waste a huge amount of transmit power on a handset that is getting a really strong signal. This is what allows CDMA to pack more users onto a tower at the same time than a simple time-division scheme (like GSM). This is why CDMA cells "breathe", which means the serviceable area is affected by the number and proximity of handsets talking to the tower at a given point in time.
If you have a rogue handset that is not complying with the power control protocol, then it can hog network resources, and negatively affect service for other users. As I said before, it's highly unlikely that a given firmware update will affect compliance with the power control protocol. That sort of thing is tested very early in development, and doesn't change much.
I think the real reason is that the support burden falls onto Verizon, plus a tendency towards controlling everything.
There you go, give it to the phone that doesn't desperately need it... >.>
Hmmm...Any security holes fixed? I still want to root this thing!
To update or to not do that which I just stated I could do...Therein lies my predicament.
Let me know when us early adopters get upgraded to 2.0
I WANT MY HERO UPDATE DAMMIT!!
still telling me my droid is up to date. no updates yt.
I dont see the upgrade for my (motorola) Droid, and I have a different build number than the one in the pic. Is something wrong or am I being stupid?
@machiz7888 DUH... nvm "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."
@machiz7888 The build shown is the new build number. You probably have ESD20.
Does this update include Bluetooth Voice Dialing? I hope so.
@DeanONH I hope so too!
TO ENGADGET:
Speaking of updates – will you FINALLY sort that freakin' skript out? I still get that darn error and Camino was updated about two days ago.
More info from VZW - http://support.vzw.com/how_to_use/droid_upgrade.html As far as I can tell, no way to get the update until the powers that be deem your phone worthy of having the update pushed...
Hey, my G1 is feeling the pain now...
@Darwin Let me get you an iPhone so you can stop bitching.
You did try the phone before you bought it, right?
@Darwin
Yeah...
Once rooted, apps -> SD card, until then there's a physical limit...Not exactly able to fix that through a software update.
Yes there is. Get Dolphin browser/Picsay and quit your whining -- who cares?
It's a phone. Buy a camera.
Most do. Get used to it =/
All on-screen keyboards suck.
ur doin it rong
See: every other carrier
@Darwin Try better keyboard for a better on screen keyboard. As for the slide out keypad I tried it and found it very hard to press, I hope it will break in
@Darwin
It's fast.
Thats much for a Smartphone.
Wrong. Check out Dolphin Browser from the Market.
Can't check that.
Your opinion
Download Better Keyboard from the Market
Syncing is great, much better then on the iDont
Download Mixzing from the Market
Thats right.
Does it fix the lag when switching home screens? It's kinda sad to see my G1's 5 home screens transition MUCH more smoothly than my friends droid, despite more horsepower...
Where's my update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dang it!!! why is there not a manual option to update?
look at that! a 10th of a point is "breaking" news
@mikmik111
Maybe they just like the graphic.
Kids, kids, kids...I'm not dumb enough to buy a Droid...it's still at least a generation behind the iPhone.
All you have to do is root it to use more than 256MB of ram? ahahahhahaha. So many things wrong with that statement.
Poor things. You bought in to Verizon and Motorola's commercials designed for teenage boys.
@Darwin
Ah, there the iPhone rears its shiny Jobsian head. iDarwin: go soak yourself.
Or better yet, you can devote yourself to using that new AT&T app where you flag all of those voice/3G dead spots that make your iPhone web browsing "slow as hell."
@Darwin You're certainly misinformed. The Droid and the Milestone have 256mb of RAM, but 512mb for installing apps. That is: it can allocate the same memory per app-basis than the iPhone, but it also does multi-tasking, so it is more efficient in memory management altogether.
Thanks for playing. Now move.
no notification on my phone yet
My Droid got updated about an hour ago-- I'm in San Francisco. The unlock screen is different, with a different font for the clock and a different unlock gesture. (Stupid gratuitous UI changes.)
I haven't had a chance to play with it much, but the camera did feel like it's faster.
@Darwin
Does Apple still pay you for comments that get downrated into oblivion?
no notification in Asheville, NC:((
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.
@va jj
Nice...
@va jj
Bluetooth Voice Dial?
@va jj Really? Improved battery life? I'm curious to see how they can do that with a software update. I still haven't gotten the update yet btw.
@Darwin
lolz at u
I want my update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!