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Milestone gets Android 2.1 update in UK, available to download now
The saga of the Milestone's firmware update to Android 2.1 is finally over for one more territory. The United Kingdom is today awaking to the news that Motorola has made the freshest Eclair available to its loyal British users, with the download already awaiting those eager to be surfing along the cutting edge of Android innovation. What else do you need to know, it's the finest software Google has to offer for your phone and it's downloadable at the source link -- get going!
Game Gripper review
We love an innovative fix to a problem, and so were immediately smitten by the Game Gripper when we saw it in action. It's a little keypad that slaps on over the keyboard of your Motorola Droid or Milestone, turning it into what looked like perhaps the most perfect blend of smartphone and portable gaming machine we'd ever seen. (Sorry, N-Gage.) Naturally we had to try it, and the Gripper's creator, Hyrum Fairbanks, was kind enough to send us one to test -- even customized to match the Engadget Mobile color scheme. Is it worth the measly $15 he's charging for the thing, and is it good enough to execute a hadouken? Read on through to find out. %Gallery-91440%
Telus Milestone users finally get a taste of Android 2.1's custard filling
If you're on Telus and you've been longingly waiting for your turn to jump onto the Android 2.1 bandwagon, that time is now. However, you're going to have to take a few steps to get aboard, as this update is not coming OTA. According to MobileSyrup, where you can find the full update instructions, you'll need to hit Motorola's site directly, accept an agreement, then download a software updater to your PC. After that you'll get a taste of multitouch in Maps, a new Facebook widget to clutter your desktop, and the option to enable up to nine homescreens -- something you can gloat about to your Droid-owning neighbors to the south. We're still making do with just 3. [Thanks, Sean]
European Milestone gets OTA 2.1 update, Droid update MIA
Motorola Milestone owners, your moment is now. The Android 2.1 update you've been waiting for is now available en masse. Users outside of Hong Kong (which already got served) have received notice that an over-the-air update is available to unlock the nine home-screens, Google Earth, and other goodness that comes along with the latest flavor of Google's mobile OS. When can US-bound Verizon subscribers hope to get their point release of goodness? That, sadly, is still TBD, but we're guessing it'll be any day now. [Thanks, Miao]
Motorola Milestone gets 2.1 firmware upgrade in Hong Kong, Europe to follow by 'end of March'
Look away now, Droid owners, as Motorola's finally uploaded the Milestone's Android 2.1 firmware update to its servers. It's only officially sanctioned for users in Hong Kong and Macau for now, but judging by the inclusion of a Dutch language pack in the new firmware, it looks like it's the same stuff that will shortly be rolling out all across Europe as well. In addition to the funky live wallpapers, users will also get a new feature called Motorola Car Home -- a special interface for in-car usage -- along with some speed improvements. Now, we're not exactly sure what the rollout plan is for each nation, but Moto's Facebook page tells us we'll see an end to the Milestone's upgrade saga before March is through. The source contains a direct link to the fresh firmware file, and you can find a straightforward upgrade how-to at Android World below. We'll be right here for your upgrade stories. [Thanks, Peter]
Motorola Milestone with Android 2.1 hitting Bulgaria by March 20th, rest of Europe to follow?
We'd had some indication that Europe would be seeing Motorola Milestones running Android 2.1 roughly around this time, and it looks like we are now finally starting to get a few more specifics. According to Mobile Bulgaria, that country's leading carrier, Vivacom, will begin selling Milestones equipped with Android 2.1 "by March 20th," which should no doubt be just part of a broader European rollout in the coming days / weeks (that will hopefully extend to Canada as well). Unfortunately, things still aren't any clearer for Droid users in the US, but you can be sure we'll be watching every development on that front.
Motorola Milestone skipping on music playback, perfect for Billy Joel's 'Movin' Out'
For a device with as much superphone street cred as the Milestone, you'd think a basic task like listening to music through the headphone jack would be a cakewalk. No problems, right? So straightforward, really, that it's not even worth testing thoroughly -- and therein lies the problem, it seems. Milestone owners on both sides of the pond are reporting en masse that music playback occasionally skips over the jack -- though stereo Bluetooth, ironically a more CPU-taxing operation, seems to be fine. For many owners, particularly those who don't carry a separate PMP, that can totally be a deal-breaker. It's said you can work around the issue by putting the phone into airplane mode, which effectively makes it a dedicated PMP anyhow -- not an optimal solution, right? Yeah, Moto, this seriously isn't shaping up to be your week, so let's just make sure you earn some brownie points with awesome customer service through this rough patch. [Thanks, Vlad G.]
Motorola publishes schedule of Android upgrades for its handsets, steers clear of specifics
Remember last week, when Motorola said it was releasing an Android 2.1 update for the Droid, but then totally didn't? Moto tried to "explain" the situation in forums, but didn't really, edited its long-erroneous Facebook post retroactively, and ended up breaking a lot of hearts. Well, now Motorola has a new "Software Upgrade News" chart detailing planned upgrades for its Android devices. While this is certainly helpful going forward, the lack of clarification on the Droid update doesn't exactly solve the confusion that got them into this mess: Motorola is merely saying that the OTA upgrade will roll out "soon." As previously promised, we're also going to be getting a Cliq update to 2.1 eventually as well, which is now being pegged for Q2. Sadly, upgrades for non-US handsets are decidedly less expedient -- or not even assured -- but at least we've got something. [Thanks, Glenn]
Motorola Milestone looks set for February 18 launch on Telus; AT&Ters, get your unlocking pants on
Telus hasn't yet committed to a date for the release of its mighty Milestone, but no sweat -- Best Buy's happy to commit on their behalf, pegging February 18 as the date that Canadians will have access to their most powerful subsidized Android set yet. That's really awesome, don't get us wrong -- but the other side of this win-win is that it'll be the first time that a Milestone has been available with 850 / 1900MHz 3G, meaning this thing could become a boon for anyone willing to whisk a few across the border, assuming it's not a nightmare to unlock (we doubt it will be). So yes, it's true, if you really want to wait to get your Android-powered Motorola on through AT&T proper, you can hold out for the Backflip, but considering that the Milestone's a more juicily-spec'd piece to start, you might just want to swing this way -- assuming you've got a penchant for hacking and smuggling, of course.
Android display battle: In the end, there can be only One
It's not everyday you get to see six (6!) Android devices pitted against each other in a display-quality grudge match. No, not that sensor sensitivity nonsense again, rather, just a plain ol' video playback comparison for your subjective observations. Fortunately, the Android-loving kids over at HDBlog shot a video of the MyTouch 3G, HTC Hero, Motorola Milestone / Droid, Acer Liquid, Nexus One, and Samsung Galaxy (laid out clockwise in the image above). In our opinion, the Nexus One with its 3.7-inch AMOLED display packing a 800 x 480 pixel resolution comes out on top with the best overall image (though slightly on the red end of the color spectrum) -- good thing the video wasn't shot outdoors where that AMOLED is all but unreadable. But hey, that's our opinion, form your own in the video after the break.
Motorola Milestone reaches milestone, gets rooted
Following its American cousin by just a few short weeks, the Motorola Milestone has now been rooted by a handful of enterprising hackers, opening the door to the usual array of forbidden fruits that Moto never intended you to have: WiFi tethering, wacky Sense ports, fully customized ROMs, and the list goes on. Proceed at your own risk, but seriously -- you don't want to be the one uncool kid on your block with a stock software stack, do you? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Telus' Motorola Milestone gets a date?
We've known for quite a while that Motorola's Milestone was steaming its way towards Telus, but what we didn't know -- aside from the irritatingly vague Q1 2010 -- was exactly what day you could expect to find yourself lined up for yours -- you are getting one, aren't you Canada? We've now heard that January 26th is the rumored target date for Telus' missing hero Android device, and that suits us just fine -- though, we're still waiting on a dollar figure. But please keep in mind, dates -- or rumors, that can prove to be completely untrue -- like this can slip, so don't come pounding on our doors if this slips back down the calendar. We'll be watching for Telus' Milestone closely and hopefully hear a little more soon.
Motorola Europe says Milestone getting Android 2.1 soon, 2.0.1 even sooner
Echoing statements made by CEO Sanjay Jha earlier in the week regarding the Droid and CLIQ, Motorola's European division is letting everyone know that its own Android devices are in for their own updates pretty shortly. Android 2.0.1 is apparently "on its way" for the Milestone already with users being advised to keep an eye on Moto's Facebook page for more details; as you might recall, this is the same version the phone's American cousin got a few weeks ago. This will be followed on by 2.1 -- the version introduced on the Nexus One -- "in the next 2 months." Oh, and DEXT owners, don't worry, you're not being left out in the cold -- Moto says you're on track to get 2.1 as well, though there's no timeline just yet
Milestone multitouch browser ported to the Droid by a user-made patch (video)
This little nugget of software is itself still in beta, but if you can't wait for the full Milestone firmware port to climb out of alpha development, it's a good alternate route to getting your Droid dancing in the "pinch to zoom" party. Once again produced by the good folks over at AllDroid, the patch substitutes the Droid's default browser with the Milestone's multitouch capable one -- and from the feedback we're seeing it does so very cleanly and painlessly, whether you're running Android 2.0.1 or 2.1. You'll still need to root your device first, and some background reading is advisable before jumping in, but then you should be clear for take-off into the world of multitouch browsing. Video evidence after the break. [Thanks, Steve]
Motorola Milestone firmware coaxed into Droid, multitouch ensues (video!)
If you thought it'd be easy to move code back and forth between two nearly-identical Motorolas running Android... well, you'd apparently be right. Unfortunately, taking clear video of the completed task proves, as ever, to be an insurmountable task. Of course, the Android hacking community has overcome pretty much every other roadblock it's encountered so far, so it shouldn't come as any surprise to learn that the Milestone's firmware has been successfully ported today over to its big, loud American cousin, the Droid, thanks to the work of AllDroid's Eugene and Barakinflorida who risked their own device for your gain. Our understanding is that the ROM's cooked in some regard -- it's not bone stock, which makes sense if for no other reason than the fact that the Droid's got a completely different radio -- but fortunately, that all-important multitouch support carries over from the Euro side. We're hearing direct from AllDroid's founder, Brent Fishman, that the ROM should drop in a couple of days. Until then, follow the break for a video of the build in action. P.S. Don't worry Droid owners, Google Navigation is still functional with this build. Update: Better video added after the break! Man, these guys learn fast.
Motorola Milestone becomes eXpansys UK's 'fastest selling gadget'
Call it a pent-up demand for WVGA Android devices, call it Droid jealousy, call it an unnatural love for the sweet, doughy goodness of a just-baked Eclair -- but whatever it is, early indications suggest that the British love their Milestones. Retailer eXpansys (which is big enough to actually produce some meaningful sales trend data, we suspect) is reporting that the just-launched Droid clone for GSM became "the fastest selling gadget in the website's 11 year history, even more successful than the iPhone" when it sold out inside of three hours on its site on top of the roughly 1,000 preorders they had taken prior to the 10th. This might be a case of double-speak -- we're trying to establish just how many phones were sold during those three hours, because what we really need is a sales rate, not a time span alone -- so we're cautioning Moto not to bust out the champagne glasses just yet, but it's certainly looking like a promising start. Schaumburg hasn't had a lot of success in Western Europe in recent years, of course, but if we can use eXpansys as a barometer here, we'd say that a little cautious optimism is well justified.
Motorola Milestone's ad campaign less likely to leave you in a bloody heap than Droid's
Motorola's European version of the Droid -- the Milestone -- is on the verge of release in the UK, so it's not surprising to see ads starting to pop up. This is the first we've seen, and we'll say that the approach is... interesting. In contrast to the over the top, explosive (literally -- did you see that banana?!) Verizon Droid ads, the Milestone ad is all about information, delivered in a soothing, sophisticated tone. "Intelligence and versatility converge" here, and we have to say we much prefer this approach over the it's a "frickin' robot" one taken by Verizon. Decide for yourself -- the video is after the break.
Google Maps Navigation hacked for extra-American use
Guess what, prospective Milestone owners, the Droid's one major advantage over its Euro cousin has just been coded out of existence by those proactive, un-American XDA Developers. The free Google Maps Navigation service, whose US announcement was so shocking as to decimate the stock prices of satnav purveyors Garmin and TomTom, has now been ported to work outside the land of the free as well. Not only that, but you can use the app on other Android devices, meaning your old G1 can get a breath of fresh air for absolutely free. That is if you don't count the time it takes you to learn how to insert all the code properly and the risk of bricking your device in the process. But we know our readers eat iron nails for breakfast and fashion elegantly optimized code before lunch, so we expect all of you to be using this by day's end, you hear?
Achtung! Motorola Milestone now free on contract in Germany, sort of
Already jealous of the multitouch functionality afforded by Motorola Droids (or Milestones, as it were) sold outside the United States? Well, you might just want to look away for this one -- it seems that O2 is now practically giving away the phone in Germany. Specifically, it's selling it for a mere €1 with a 2 year-contract, which itself can be had for as little as €20 per month. As with other non-US carries, however, you'll have to make do without Google's own free navigation service, but you will at least get a 60-day Motorola's MotoNAV service in its place, and the endless joy that comes from telling your American friends that you got a free Droid. [Thanks, Bob] Update: As some commenters have helpfully pointed out, that €20 a month for two years is actually on top of a standard contract, which certainly makes the deal a tad less attractive -- although you can technically still walk away with a Droid for just a handful of Euros.
Motorola Droid torn down despite desperate cries of 'no disassemble'
If you were thinking of tearing apart your own Droid, let us direct you first to this quote straight from the folks at phoneWreck: "no easy task." It seems that even finding some of the screws involved in holding the mess together was a problem, but at the end of the day, good old-fashioned human ingenuity prevailed over... well, other human ingenuity, and the phone fell asunder into the 16 pieces you see here. As you might imagine, there's a bit of industrial magic involved in fitting a full QWERTY slide into a package this tight -- but just as Moto was up to the challenge of putting it together, some dude with a little time on his hands was up to the challenge of asploding it. Needless to say, we won't be doing this to ours.
