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Motorola Cliq / Dext gets leaked Android 2.1 update, not pinch-to-zoom (video)

Don't know about you, but our poor Motorola Dext (or Cliq as it's know in the Land of the Free) had been left gathering dust for some time as it got unbearably laggy, even after a few wipes. We only clung onto this Android 1.5 device in the hope that Motorola or T-Mobile would stick to their update schedules. And boy we got lucky, as an anonymous leakster dropped off an allegedly official T-Mobile 2.1 ROM for said phone yesterday, which sounds about right when you think of the carrier's planned August update. Read on to find out how the new ROM's running on our Dext -- we've also got a hands-on video for you.%Gallery-97967%


Even though this was meant to be an official ROM, we still had to spend about 20 minutes rooting our device (Android SDK required; see source link for HandlerExploit's rooting tutorial and files). After that, we wiped the phone (essential preparation) and then followed the usual manual firmware update procedure: put the leaked ZIP file onto our SD card, renamed it to "update.zip," and then used the phone's new bootloader to flash the update. Boom! The result is a slightly more usable Dext, although the homescreen and apps menu can still be fairly laggy sometimes; but most disappointing of all, pinch-to-zooming has yet to be implemented anywhere on the phone. That said, there are some positive points: regular apps like Google Maps and the browser run surprisingly smoothly, plus the ability to resize Motorola widgets is a handy addition. And live wallpapers? Not included, but we all know it's probably for the best. Despite some serious flaws, and assuming this ROM is legit, Motorola's still got some time to make the appropriate fixes -- let's just hope that us Cliq / Dext owners don't get screwed by the launch of a certain new phone.