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.
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...
Posted: 2010-03-17 14:57:42
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