Motorola Droid 2.1 comming 03/18 per yahoo

Nexus One Rival Droid Gets Android 2.1 Update

After rolling out its latest operating system on its exclusive Nexus One smartphone in January, Google will now release Android 2.1 for a top competitor: the Motorola Droid, which is distributed by Verizon Wireless.
The over-the-air update will be available in batches of 250,000 beginning Thursday, March 18, Verizon Wireless announced. A blog dedicated to Android posted the official software update notice on Wednesday.

The fast-selling Droid is estimated to make up 15 percent of all Android smartphones sold.

According to the analytics firm Flurry, which measures access to key web sites by various smartphones, the Droid reached an estimated 1,050,000 users in its first 74 days on the market -- the same period of time it took Apple to sell one million of its first-generation iPhone in 2007. In the same post-launch period beginning Jan. 5 of this year, the Nexus One sold only 135,000 handsets through its online store and T-Mobile outlets.

Multitouch, Voice Text

The Android update will add to the Droid user experience by allowing limited multitouch, a feature pioneered by the iPhone. Android 2.1 allows pinch-and-zoom interaction with photo galleries, Google Maps and web browsing. A weather and news widget will allow users to receive weekly or hourly updates based on their location and the type of news they prefer, and there is greater support for Yahoo mail accounts.

Android 2.1 also allows users to make more use of text entry by voice, simply by touching the microphone whenever a text window appears. Another dazzling feature is interactive animated wallpaper for backgrounds, and it will be easier to use Google Maps Navigation after dark with a new night-mode illumination feature.

While Android 2.1 and its successors can be an immediate selling point for Verizon Wireless in marketing the Droid, the impact is unclear.

"I don't think it will have a great impact on sales other than trying to keep current with all the iPhone applications already available," says Kirk Parsons, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates. "Android is updating its OS platform to make it more appealing to a broader audience, and to be more competitive in the marketplace, especially versus the iPhone."

Speed and Flash Advantages

Even with its operating system on rival phones, the Nexus One still has a few advantages.

"The big selling point with the Nexus One is its openness with various software application services via the OS platform and some features that the iPhone still does not have, like being able to open up flash-based web sites," Parsons explained.

The Nexus One can also boast of its speed, with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, compared with Droid's 550MHz processor.

Later this spring, Google will reportedly sell a Nexus One model compatible with the Verizon network, as it did this week with AT&T, although T-Mobile is currently the only carrier selling the device subsidized, at $179 with a two-year plan. The unlocked version of the phone, for $529, can be placed on most carrier networks.

In another development, Google's bid to trademark the term "Nexus One" was reportedly rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because it is too similar to products patented by Integra Telecom. That means the search giant may have to license the moniker from Integra or find a new name, if it can't appeal the ruling.

In 2007, Apple faced a similar dispute with Cisco over the iPhone name, but negotiated a settlement.




I am just passing this along found on Yahoo Tech News Section

cheers mikron


update 2.1per story begins 03/18/2010

cheers mikron

ps read the story for yourself

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› See More: Motorola Droid 2.1 comming 03/18 per yahoo

here is info from verizon and the pdf file link

PDF is up on VZW's site and has been verified. March 18th marks the date that the 2.1 software updates will begin rolling out.


Software Schedule:
Below is the software-upgrade notification schedule (All times listed are Eastern Time.):
At noon on 3/18, 1,000 users will receive notification of the update.
At 11:59 PM on 3/18, 9,000 more users will receive the update notification.
After the first 10,000 users receive the update on 3/18, there will be a 24-hour period when no additional upgrades will be delivered.
On Day 3 (3/20), 200,000 users will receive the update notification at 11:59 PM. This schedule will continue each day thereafter until the update has been delivered to all users.
Download & Install Conditions:
An OTA download requires 40% or more power availability if the device is not connected to an external power source or 20% or more power if it is connected to an external source
If roaming, the customer will not receive the update. The only option in this scenario is for the subscriber to enable Wi-Fi and wait for a mandatory OTA. The wait period in this case will not be more than 12 hours
User must wait to receive the upgrade via OTA
User is unable to make or receive calls, including emergency calls during this time
Users will see the following information when they select More info on the update screen: This software update includes new enhancements to support Yahoo! Email, pinch-to-zoom, and many other improvements for your DROID by Motorola. You will be unable to use your device or make emergency calls for the duration of the install. The software updates automatically, and your DROID will power off and on as part of this software upgrade.
Additional Enhancements and Improvements:
Google Maps update - Starred items are stored and synced automatically between Google Maps on your device and maps.google.com on your PC.

http://support.vzw.com/pdf/system_update/moto_droid.pdf

Unfortunately this didn't happen:

thanks John cheers and I even called up verizon on 03/17/2010 and they said that 2.1 would be rolled out 03/18 and pointed to the pdf so they had internal information

over at android and me

states the verizon twitter feed
says that a very small Test group of only 1000 may have been done to avoid problems

and from there there is little hope to exactly when especially since there is no saying that Flash will be available ever on the droid

i want to ask how to change the moto droid ESN
i must change ESN of this phone ,then i can use it in my country.
someone who can help me ,i can pay 100 dollars fo thanks