Motorola details Android 2.1 update for Droid
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 10th 2010 11:29AM
posted February 10th 2010 11:29AM
Motorola already dropped word that Android 2.1 would be rolling out to the Droid this week, and it's now followed that up with some eagerly anticipated details on just what's in store. As expected, that includes full multitouch with pinch-to-zoom in the browser, gallery and maps applications, along with some voice recognition and virtual keyboard enhancements, a new 3D gallery, a news and weather app, an enhanced music app (with tabs for navigation) and, of course, the Google Goggles app, among other more minor updates. Still no indication that the update is rolling out just yet, however, although Droid users should get a notification as soon as it's available. Hit up the link below for the complete release notes.[Thanks, Jimmy]
Update: Looks like the details have been pulled, with the page now simply saying "There is a release coming, check back soon." We are checking, Moto! Thanks, Matthew!
A enhanced music app? This should be interesting. But in general Google need to revamp the whole media portion. So far i like the new gallery but i mean come on when are they going to add iPhone like music quality(e.g like equalizer stuff like that even though my N1 sounds ok) to there devices. How many cakes and pastries do we have to pass by before it gets a change?
@MykeSaint
Their*
@MykeSaint
Hey, I finally bit the bullet and made a post! I bought a Driod myself a few months back and have to say I agree wholeheartedly about the music app. I did download TuneWiki but Id rather have something a little more streamlined like I did with my old iPod Touch. One would think it would be a simple task to make a decent player but I guess more is involved in it than I thought.
@MykeSaint I agree, I was astonished at how weak the media experience is on Android (Nexus One). The music app is generic and limited, and Video is much worse. I honestly expected a much better experience.
@MykeSaint
I'm just annoyed with the lack of codec support. My n810 having the gstreamer packages can play almost any media I throw at it. For android to lack ogg or flac is annoying to me (I hate having to convert it just for the phone) and ditto for video. What google should do is add codec packages for free in the market place ala Ubuntu to get around any licensing issues (android is on the google apache license which makes including gnu elements hard).
As well google should improve the media players.
then again:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/03/android_driver_code_deleted_from_linux_kernel/
@MykeSaint
The music experience can be better, but i can't complain. I love being on the update train. New functionality every few months is amazing!
Desperately awaiting news how to manually download update because it was so easy last time! No pc connection; done ota.
So no live wallpaper and new home screen?
@computerman92
I had live wallpaper on the Droid through rooting. It's honestly kind of lame. Sure it looks cool for all of 15 minutes but it caused lots of instability and slowdown. It's probably a good thing they removed it. Now that was before I overclocked my Droid from the stock 550Mhz all the way up to 1Ghz. I'm sure that my Droid could handle the live wallpapers just fine now. Even so It's really just eye candy that will eat up your battery all that much faster for no gain in usability.
@Bobbo
Hold on now. The Droid CANNOT be overclocked from 550mhz to 1Ghz. The highest I heard was 600mhz. Max would be 700-something.
@TareG http://alldroid.org/viewtopic.php?f=312&t=2115
Google is your friend.
@TareG
The Droid can and has been run stable at least as high as 1.1 GHz. Look into either SholesMod or Bugless Beast for more info.
@Bobbo
How do you root and overclock?
Overclocking sounds awesome
I know it's probably a complicated question but is there some online tutorial/youtube video out there? (I mean I'm sure there has to be a youtube video) but what EXACTLY does it do?
Similar to a jailbreak on ipods/phones?
@ale Go to the Hack section of DroidForums.net
will this enable multitouch for the virtual keyboard so hitting more then 1 button at once works like tje iphone.. thats a big deal to me
@johnsonroda27
just curious. but why is that such a big deal
@johnsonroda27
the keyboard already uses multi-touch... and when would you ever need to hold down one letter while pressing another?
@haan For me, its the difference between being able to actually being able to type a decent speed, otherwise there's no point in me using the touch-screen keyboard. I can type much faster on the iPhone because of the keyboard being multitouch enabled. I have no problem with my DROID's virtual keyboard other than the fact you can't type at a fast rate; If that's the case then I might as well just use the physical keyboard. But that's just me...
@johnsonroda27
I was wondering the same thing. Looks like that's not the case though as those of us with rooted Droids already have these Multi-touch features and I can tell you that it certainly did not bring multi-touch to the Droid keyboard in a way that you can press one key and hold it, then press another key with the other hand and it register both correctly. This still does not work.
But it will be interesting to see what this "enlarged keyboard" they mention is all about. I certainly feel like the Droid is just too narrow in portrait mode so it doesn't give much space for the portrait keyboard. I don't know if there's anyway to fix that. The iPhone is comparison is a wider device so they have more room for a portrait keyboard which really does make a difference in accuracy when your buttons are just that much bigger.
@haan
because it makes typing alot fast and you wont miss letters as much.. or is that not good enough.. go type on a mytouch then an iphone and see the difference.. and i hate iphones
@haan Typing speed. I have a Droid and an iPhone and I can type much faster on the iPhone because I can quickly peck the keys with both thumbs. Sometimes having both pressed at the same time. On the Droid it seems if I do try to type too fast, letters get skipped over because it doesn't recognize the multiple contact points and it auto-corrects me to say something I didn't mean.
@petrie1130
are you kidding? so u can type faster.. type on a mytouch then a iphone and tell me whixh is better
@johnsonroda27
Download Smart Keyboard Pro and you are sorted.
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.net-cdeguet-smartkeyboardpro-wnzt.aspx
"Multitouch keyboard with english, french, spanish and russian layouts."
@johnsonroda27
I thought that was fixed in 2.0.1 ?
check this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSI8ZBk8NOk
typing "hahahahahahahaha" really quick, for example, does work here as opposed to 2.0
@johnsonroda27 For all you that are worried about speed, try Swype. It is amazing.
Am i the only person who wants a keypad for text entry when the phone is in portrait mode?
A QWERTY that small is obnoxious.
And none of that t9 crap.
I want word. :)
@whereiswaldo7 Try Swype! Simply the best.
@vainmicah Agreed, Swype is super-duper awesome.
I look forward to my favorite ROM chefs getting this and optimizing it!
Now all I need is that Engadget app for Android
@Bobbo
I don't want an app. I want a widget which shows the latest 4-5 story headlines, with a scroll bar so you can swipe to see the rest. I want it to make a sound everytime a story comes up. I want it to support exlusions (e.g. Apple/iPad) for those times of the year.
Com'on Engadget. Is there no developer among you? Or do you just not want to show how functional Android could get with its homescreens and widgets?
@TareG
Something like this Google Reader mockup I designed before:
http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/6574/g2hddesktoprevealsqwertnh2.jpg
@Bobbo I'd be up to developing something on Android, but I program all day at work and I'd rather do something else when I get home.
@Bobbo When is Engadget going to get an app for Android??
@Bobbo
Try NewsRoom, they have a trial download. Best $5 I ever spent for an app.
@blindguymcsqueezy I like newsroom too, but really didn't use it too much. I stick with FeedR, seems to do everything I need.
we still dont have an exact eta except for "this week"?
I'm glad droid is getting the update so soon, I'm definitely enjoying the 2.1 enhancements on my Nexus One. I also wish that the Music program would be completely ReVamped and not JUST enhanced seeing as although its manageable, looks like utter crap next the Fantastic new gallery! Google do what you did with the Gallery to the Music section and you will be GOLD. ps. the Enhanced Keyboard really works well, its a lot more responsive compared to the older ones.
yeah, I'm curious about adding more home screens as well. Any word on that?
@bdm2569
Yes this will give you 5 home screens just like the Nexus One has. You might want to look into Home ++ ...it's a great Home replacement for Android.
@Bobbo Is that confirmed? I definitely would love a few new home screens.
Android got it, webOS got it, and HTC introduced it for HD2. What again was this Apple patent for?
@TareG: Apple is stepping up to an entire multi-touch interface and will defend that, as opposed to defending a few distinct gestures. Besides, multi-touch on anything other than an iPhone is nothing but fail. The iPhone OS was designed with multi-touch as a core element. Multi-touch on other platforms is simply so they can showcase it in TV ads and shout, "Look we're just like Apple!: Even better: "Buy one Droid, get one free!"
@Ariel Bender
What is this "Buy one Droid, get one free!" spew?
You do realise that the networks are responsible for BOGOF offers, not the phone manufacturers? The network "gives" a second phone with a second line, which you pay for for the duration of the contract. the handset is paid for by the network.
As for your "multi-touch on anything other than an iPhone is nothing but fail" comment, have you used every multitouch capable handset to come to this conclusion or is it just personal opinion?
@Ariel Bender
"multi-touch on anything other than an iPhone is nothing but fail" Wow, fanboy much? And I disagree the entire OS was built around multitouch, since the main OS doesn't use multitouch itself afaik, just apps like the kb, maps, browser, etc.
@ChazClout: BOGOF. Let's face it, that's what Google is all about. Mediocre stuff for free, and in return they monetize your behavior.
Regarding multi-touch in the context of a touch-centric OS, Gruber says it best: " On the iPhone, once you’re in an app, everything happens on-screen, with touch. Everything. You go outside the screen to the home button to leave the app or the sleep button to turn off the device. On Android, many things happens on screen with touch, but many other things don’t, and you’re often leaving the screen for the hardware Back, Menu, and Home buttons, and text selection and editing requires the use of the fiddly trackball. An Android gadget never disappears.'
@bstock: The truth hurts. Which is why Google/Android fans are in such denial. Google wants to be loved as Apple is loved, and Android users want to be acknowledged as hip and successful as Apple users are. Except Google is just a cheap knockoff, and for that matter, so is Android.
@Ariel Bender "Android users want to be acknowledged as hip and successful as Apple users are."
Seriously? I'm pretty sure nobody wants to be as "hip" and "successful" as your comments suggest you are.
@Ariel Bender
"BOGOF. Let's face it, that's what Google is all about. Mediocre stuff for free, and in return they monetize your behavior"
Google you say? AFAIK, the only Google branded phone is the Nexus One. Care to show me a BOGOF deal on the N1?
Top tip: Don't confuse other branded Android phones with Google. HTC with Android is HTC. Motorola with Android is Motorola. Samsung with Android is Samsing. Catch my drift?
2nd point, I don't give a shit what Gruber said. What actual experience have you had with other multitouch devices to say "Besides, multi-touch on anything other than an iPhone is nothing but fail"?
@Ariel Bender
Android is the cheap knockoff, when Apple uses an OS based on Unix...