14 DAY TRIAL // Motorola DROID is one of the hottest Android-based mobile phones on the market, and its users will certainly rejoice learning that it might not be too long before the device tastes the latest flavor of Google's Android operating system. The handset is currently running under the Android 2.0.1 version of the platform, yet its owners should get ready for Android 2.1, it seems, with all that multi-touch goodness it is already known to include.
According to a recent article on Engadget, the next software update for the Motorola DROID that Verizon Wireless is set to push out the door will indeed be based on Android 2.1. As many of you might know, this platform version emerged for the first time on Nexus One by HTC, which is being sold via Google's web store, and already received a minor update, which enabled pinch-and-zoom on this phone, and it appears this will be the software solution that DROID will receive too.
Here's what Engadget says on the update: - It's based on Android 2.1. The build currently being circulated is identified as 2.1 version 1, mirroring the update just pushed to the Nexus One last week. - Google Goggles is now pre-installed (no matter how unhelpful it may be). - The browser's now multi-touch enabled, just like Google Maps 3.4. Huzzah! No Flash, but then again, we weren't really expecting that. - Interestingly, the home screen's still got the same look as 2.0.1, meaning it doesn't adopt the Nexus One's rotating 3D grid of app icons - it's still got the pull-up drawer tab at the bottom. - No active wallpapers. Bummer! - The news and weather widgets introduced on the Nexus One are included. Maybe certain capabilities of 2.1 are going to be restricted to devices with minimum performance benchmarks?
For the time being, there are no exact details available on when the software update will be delivered to the Motorola DROID, especially since it appears that the update might very well fail Verizon's testing process, as it has happened with other solutions before. Even so, the good news is that the update to Android 2.1 is being prepared, and that DROID users will enjoy multi-touch in other applications than Google Maps 3.4 too. Stay tuned for more details on the matter.