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All U.S. Android phones may get an update to OS 2.1 soon
A planned firmware update for the Motorola Droid might benefit owners of other Android devices, too. According to Android and Me, "every Android phone currently released in the United States will be receiving an upgrade to Android 2.1." This news comes from the same site that was previously skeptical about Google's ability to fit version 1.6 of the Android OS onto a T-Mobile G1. Google, of course, pulled it off, and now Android and Me has sources saying they'll pull of the 2.1 update, too.
What does 2.1 mean for your Android experience? Perks include live wallpapers (on phones that can support them), speech-to-text support, a beefed-up Gmail application, and a Facebook application that can sync photos with your phone's contact list. Unfortunately, some handsets (maybe all of them, actually) may require a wipe before they can upgrade to this yummy new version of the OS.
The update is scheduled for the second quarter of 2010, and could be via PC or over-the-air, depending on your phone.
Comments
5
Subscribe to commentsPhil MillerMar 1st 2010 9:56AM
So the update will come this month? How do you get informed that you have an OS update? the same way as an application update?
gonintendoMar 1st 2010 12:53PM
yep, it comes up in your notification tray.
Money MikeMar 1st 2010 6:26PM
Excellent. I have the Droid and currently have version 2.01. Everything’s going pretty well, but I’m a little disappointed in the GMail app, so I’ll be happy to have another update. I've gone through it once before, as it came with version 2.0, so I know the process is easy enough when it's ready, but I am a little worried about having another bad experience. The day before it happened last time, my phone went complete crazy.
Simply put, it was completely unusable. I would click on something and it would literally take a few minutes to react. It was a day I had to work from home and make a few calls, so it was very frustrating. I remember finally being able to call my boss at one point, and as soon as we got off the call, my phone dialed her back. I couldn't do anything but yank the battery out to end it. I can’t tell you how many times that day I rebooted, but it never worked. It was basically a nice-looking brick. I even left it off for long stretches with the battery pulled to no avail.
The next morning, it was a little more responsive, but still not back to normal. Shortly after waking up, though, I got the message asking me to update (although, I remember it being a big popup on the screen - not in the notification bar), so I did it right away. I don’t remember exactly how long it took, but it was well worth it because it’s been great since.
The only real issue I have with the Droid is that the volume occasionally turns itself on. The icon still shows vibrate and no matter what I do with the settings, it makes noise for phone calls and text messages. Of course, this only happens when I’m at work and since I work in an office, it’s embarrassing. The only way I can stop it is by rebooting. It’s possible I have a bad app causing it, but I haven’t been able to figure that out.
Level 5Mar 1st 2010 8:36PM
Meh.. wipe shmipe. Most Android users will only need to flash, sign back into their Google Account and download their apps again. Could be done in about 45 mins.
diamonddogsMar 5th 2010 3:44PM
If every Android phone in the US will get an upgrade, then presumably phones outside the US that bear similarities to phones for the Yanks will also get them, even, dare I say it, the gimped Vodafone version of the HTC Magic?
Whatever way it ends up happening, this is encouraging news. But how reliable are Android and Me's sources on the matter?