14 DAY TRIAL // AT&T has just announced the availability of what appears to be the last major update for the Motorola FLIPSIDE, the long-awaited Android 2.2 Froyo upgrade.
However, users who own this smartphone should be aware of the fact that the carrier does not deploy the update OTA (over the air), instead it must be manually flashed via microSD card.
According to Motorola, the update will require a minimum of 40 MB of free internal memory and 100 MB of free space on the SD card.
Furthermore, the update must be downloaded and stored on the microSD card and manually flashed, but users are recommended to back up their data before upgrading the software.
Besides bringing the phone's firmware to Android 2.2 Froyo, the update will improve FLIPSIDE's speed and performance, including faster user interface, application operation and Web browsing.
In addition, the smartphone will support the current version of Adobe Flash Player and a new book reader application, Google Books, will be preloaded.
Users will be able to store applications on the smartphone's microSD card and they can set the apps to automatically update by checking “allow automatic update” under each app's page in Android Market.
USB Tethering is another new feature introduced by Froyo, which provides users with a 3G connection with a compatible Windows or Linux laptop by connecting the phone to the computer with a USB cable.
The update also adds punctuation to the suggestion ribbon so contractions will display correctly.
Other highlights of the Android 2.2 Froyo for Motorola FLIPSIDE include:
- Added profiles feature that provides three customizable set of home screens to give users access to the apps, shortcuts and widgets; - Phone numbers and contacts can now be searched from the dialer screen by entering the first few letters of the contact's name; - Added new apps: Files, Latitude, Places, News and Weather, Google Search; - LinkedIn accounts can now be added to integrate with contacts, social networking updates and messaging; - Added Task manager application; - Added new security features, including Exchange-based encryption and password security; - Updated the design of the Gallery's user interface.
Those who do not know how to update their Motorola FLIPSIDE can check out the full guide offered by Motorola.