Motorola Backflip now scheduled to get Android 2.1 update in Q3
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 13th 2010 2:19PM
posted April 13th 2010 2:19PM
Decide to go with Motorola's unconventional Backflip over an Android phone with a more traditional form factor? Then it looks like you'll have to wait a bit longer than most to get the Android 2.1 firmware update. According to a newly published timeline from Motorola itself, the Backflip is now scheduled to receive the update sometime in the third quarter of this year, compared to the second quarter for the CLIQ and now-ish for the Droid -- the Devour upgrade is apparently still "under evaluation." Of course, all of this can still change and, given Motorola's past history with Android updates, it probably will.
[Thanks, Tony]
[Thanks, Tony]
People actually bought that thing? I was recently in the AT&T store at my local mall and took a in person look at one. It was not an impressive device IMO.
@ice5nake
Your question is answered in the next comment from "nerdron"! :)
@ice5nake Well they need the extra time to make sure that all of AT&T's crapware is compatible with 2.1
@NikAmi Exactly.... the extra time is to F'it up.
@coolpal btw, can these android phones be updated unofficially with the generic android firmware, like we used to update winmo from xda forums on pretty much any device?
@ice5nake
At 99bucks for two phones I would say alot of people
@draftdubya Good point. Although I thought they were $100 a pop. I guess my main point was this thing being ugly.
I have a backflip, and really like it, but Q3 seems like a long wait for an upgrade...
@nerdron
Q3 is long? give me a break. I've been waiting since november of 2009 to at least get Android 1,6 on my (now) very outdated Samsung Galaxy that is still running on 1.5 (Cupcake), I know its pathetic.
@nerdron don't worry it will end up being Q4 with the way updates went on a droid.
http://www.crummy.com/software/eater/eater.cgi?url-EoM=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2010%2F04%2F13%2Fmotorola-backflip-now-scheduled-to-get-android-2-1-update-in-q3%2F%23comments&eat-EoM=endings
@Woaha
nice
How is the Droid "now-ish"? Rollout of 2.1 for the Droid is over and done with.
my coworker has me helpin him with his back flip.
side loading apps and all :)
DROIIDD!!
HOLLY SH#$%^&
Q3 really that means september, I would be on another phone by then. not to mention it will be android 3.0 by then
Guess it takes time to cripple it.
Am I the only one that wishes that that was actually an E-Ink display?
Who is making these decisions as to when updates become available for a particular handset? This seemingly arbitrary fragmentation can't be good at all for the platform, or the carriers.
@yossarian
Would you people shut up about "fragmentation". Fragmentation is when platforms diverge, say, if someone took 1.6 and then built up their own alternative 2.1 and released that. Then you have two *fragmented* paths - one set of APIs in one platform, and an entirely different set in the other. That's not what is happening here. 1.6 devices just have a strict SUBSET of the APIs available in 2.1 (or in any case, a developer can clearly identify whether a given handset has the capabilities needed to run his app).
And to your other question, it is the manufacturer, the carrier and sometimes Google that make the decision of when to release a change. Don't be stupid - it takes time for changes introduced between 1.6 and 2.1 to be merged into the software of a phone like Backflip, so I'm sure the Q3 timeframe is as soon as they could get it in there and tested. No, it's not soon enough and they all need to think about how to make the process go faster, but you can't seriously think anyone is intentionally delaying it simply to annoy you or some other preposterous explanation.
@junktrunk
BS man, BS.
Fragmentation is also where the hardware that the OS is on diverges so that the developers cannot target one platform.
It is made worse when all the different configurations of hardware are running different versions of the OS so a developer is really screwed and ends up writing for the lowest common denominator.
You are referring to forking.
As for Android, if you are a developer what would you write for? Right now it would come down to being phone specific, not OS specific.
That is a bad thing.
@ssgadget This is a good Android phone. You just need to tell AT&T to stop stabbing the firmware.
...Man, the verbs I use...
Can't save this piece of shit.
In all reality the Backflip isn't THAT bad. Granted still can't root it to get rid of that useless preloaded AT&T crap but otherwise a decent device. My wife has one and loves it. Well I think it is more the Moto-Blur she loves because she is a social network addict. Apps can still be sideloaded onto it through ADB so it isn't all that bad. My only gripe is no root and the inability to remove the AT&T crap. Which is probably why I love my Droid as much as I do.
@Darkseider It's pretty terrible that they decided to do that to this phone in the first place. Why can't they take a hint from the other carriers? The Android devices on those networks are selling like hotcakes with no problems.
But as long as the experience is great and the users are enjoying their phone, it's no big.
@N900 Oh don't get me wrong I agree that the fact that Moto+AT&T gimped the OS is just plain wrong. It would be nice to at a minimum remove the AT&T crapware to free up some space. All in all though from an end user perspective it isn't that bad of a device.
Can anyone think of a reason for this delay other than the obvious "lets screw them over until they do a backflip and perhaps have a few fools buy another, already updated phone from us"?
@Bahumbug
Are you serious? Have you ever tried to merge two loadlines together when you've made some pretty significant changes to one? It's not trivial. Add on top of that the very extensive testing that has to be done to make sure it still works as it should before you can roll out the release, and time adds up quickly.
Don't think that Motorola and others don't know they need to find a way to drastically shorten their development/testing cycles to adjust for these frequent Google releases. They do, but give them a bit of a break - Android has been making enormous strides release to release, so it does take *some* time.
@junktrunk Well thats a nice theory you got there, too bad it crumbles like an old cookie given the fact that it seems to happenf aster with other models. And if its still the way you think it is and the reason being way too different platforms between their models, then its clear why motorola is in the position they are...
I'm just glad they gave us a time frame. Even if it changes, Android 1.5 has what I need for the mean time. The rest of you just need to chill out and stick with what you got. Yes, I bought a Backflip and I'm happy I did. If you don't like the phone, buy something else or wait for the Galaxy S. Why bitch about something that you don't wish to purchase? Are you that bored in your mother's basement?
@SonicGA
Oh you know, nothing much to bitch about regarding Apple at the moment so they take it out on you.
The world of the bitching troll is an endless rolling tide of something to hack on.
@Cy Starkman I'm just one of the few that don't use their phone as an all-in-one device.
@ssgadget No. I just like the Backflip as is and can wait for 2.1, unlike the others on AT&T who wanted it on this from day one.
well it's look like a nice phone.but I don't think many people are using it.
This phone had a lot of potential. But the fact that AT&T ruined it with their software is unacceptable.
Hang on, let me Yahoo search the exact upgrade date. Shit hang on, I just froze up.
-Sent from my Backflip on America's most crippled 3G network.
I seen one person with the back-flip so far. Maybe this Q3 wait might have something to do with AT&Ts firmware crippling.
@ssgadget Backflip aint all that bad, if it wasn't At&t that is. Theres 2 Android phones that are pretty good, but At&t are gonna restrict the hell out of it.
So don't wait for At&t to get a "good" android phone.
Will it still have the Blur interface or can you have the standard 2.1 UI?
@EmGee
You know that Android homescreens are just apps that can be changed anytime you like, right? That includes BLUR. I don't know why you would buy it if you don't like BLUR but it's your choice.
@junktrunk
Yeah I didnt know they were just apps I thought what you see if what you get and there would be no way to change it. But if you have the ability to change blur and revert it thats great. I like the standard look better.
what's with the front of it looking spookily like an iPhone? i guess this is why apple patented their design.
At least you can run Flash on it...oh wait nevermind
This is the exact reason I left at&t for Verizon and the Droid. It seems that Att is all about the iphone ever since it was released in 07 and every other alternative smartphone has been ruined by them and their bloatware. This is just another example of Att taking a perfectly good OS and crapping all over it to the point it becomes too hard to develop for and delays updates that everyone else is getting.
Praise the Lord for competition!!
Maybe Telus will update my Milestone to 2.1
My touchdiamond even has 2.1 on it :( ....and it doesn't even do multi touch
I'm never impress with phones AT&T keeps getting and of course the older ANDROID 1.5 or older have to wait for a few months before they get a 2.0. Because I went to my local AT&T store. Try it out and you know what I was right. The Screen is sluggish non responsive keyboard is kinda tight in the middle can't even type right. I call AT&T rep few days later and threaten them that If "THEY DON'T GET A GOOD QUALITY ANDROID PHONE I'M CANCELING THEM". I don't care if I have to pay full breaking contract fee. I also tell the lady that I DON'T CARE FOR THE CRAPPY IPHONE. I just want a good ass phone where I can text I'm a heavy TEXTER, And I go to blogs such as Engadget and others to read daily articles and I use Facebook. I can't use Facebook on a regular flip phone no sir I can't. So I'm giving AT&T ONE MORE CHANCE TO COME UP WITH A GOOD ANDROID PHONE UNTIL MY UPGRADE IS MAY 15TH. If not I'm moving to prepaid.
I am a tech guy who has AT&T. I've wanted an android phone for a while. The Backflip looked cool...but I almost didn't get it because of all the horrible reviews on how AT&T crippled this device. Then I said "screw it" and bought the device knowing I could return it in 30 days if I hated it.
So far, I really, really like this device! I have downloaded several apps from the market (where thousands are available). I now have push email from my company's Exchange server, great text messaging application that mimics the iPhone's threaded conversations, Facebook app, and the Opera mini 5 browser which is fast as hell. Motoblur tied all of my phone contacts to their Facebook accounts so their pics come up when they call....pretty damn cool!
The only app I wish I had is the new version of Google Maps with turn-by-turn. Unless it's disabled by AT&T, it will come with the 2.1 update. I am thinking that AT&T will not disable it since a few other non-AT&T navigation apps like Co-Pilot are available in the market.
Is the search tied to Yahoo? Yes. And it's really no big deal. And I trashed the other AT&T crapware widgets off my homepage. The battery life is medicore, but I am getting around 16 hours with a few phone calls and texts each day, wifi and gps ON, and Touchdown synced to Exchange 24/7. I can live with that.
So for all the people that have never really experienced this phone, quit flaming it! It's actually a really cool device that works well.
Figures. I'm one of those brave souls that will admit to using a Backflip and liking it. Sure I'd rather have a Nexus One, but not at $530. My Backflip cost me $10 after rebate on my Premiere plan. That's a bargain. Yahoo search doesn't bother me and I don't even notice the AT&T stuff because I don't have to click on it......it's amazing how easy that is. My 5 homescreens (7 with GDE) have all of the shortcuts and widgets I could ever need so I rarely even go into the menu. It has the Market and you can still sideload (although I haven't had to). The keyboard is great as is the camera and display. Video playback very good including Youtube. People who bash the device generally haven't used one for any length of time. I have an iPhone and a BB Bold that I never use anymore. Just sayin.
I have been using the backflip for a while now and really like it. If you want something that is good for face book and texting you should probably get a blackberry. Push facebook and the best messaging experience period. I like the backflip and can't wait for it to get 2.1 because it is a fun well rounded phone. I have used nearly everything and nothing is quite as streamlined and fun to use as the backflip.
All the people saying this phone is bad are just dumb.
This is hands-down THE absolutely BEST subsidized Android phone for AT&T.
@Johnny Rockets
aaahhhh...we see what you did there;) +1