14 DAY TRIAL // The wait is finally over for HTC DROID Eris owners out there. On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless has started the roll-out of the Android 2.1 software update for them, and the plan is to have all DROID Eris handsets brought to the latest firmware version by May 16, it seems. The software solution has been reportedly pushed out to 1,000 people and should arrive for 9,000 more users today, with the rest of DROID Eris owners expected to taste the solution before the end of this week.
There are a great deal of enhancements to expect from the new update, including pinch-to-zoom available in Gallery and Google Maps, support for voice-to-text entry, a Leap thumbnail view enabling users to jump between the seven panels on the home screen, additional calendar views, easier access to contacts, Google Maps with Navigation, simultaneous access to multiple Google accounts, support for 19 Microsoft Exchange Server policies, and more.
According to the changelog Verizon published on its website, the improvements the software update has been packed with include: - Free Yahoo! Mail is now supported—simply sign in with your Yahoo! email address and password. - Longer battery life due to power savings. - Improved YouTube video playback. - Better Bluetooth support, including contact transfer. - Automatic settings for POP3 verizon.net email accounts. - Added support for stand-alone Wi-Fi when device is in airplane mode. - Improved handset audio when disconnecting a wired headset. - Faster power-up time. - Improved swipe-unlock functionality. - Added support for Microsoft Office 2007 documents.
Additional details on the update, as well as instructions on how to perform the update process, are available on Verizon's support website (two PDF files are available there). Hopefully, the roll-out of the over-the-air Android 2.1 software update for DROID Eris will go smooth, and no further delays will emerge, the same as it happened with Motorola DROID's Android 2.1 solution. Keep an eye on this space for more info on the matter.