By In a Facebook post to help calm the stirring waters of the Droid ocean, Motorola posts a very vague (welcome to PR) announcement telling everyone they know we want 2.1, but the update is taking longer than expected, and they’ll let us know when they have updates.
We know THEY know we want 2.1 (mouthful), and we DEFINITELY know the update is taking longer than expected (duh, that was just rubbing it in), but what makes them think we really care any more when they have “updates”? It’s getting to be a bit like the boy who cried wolf. Or in this case, the Manufacturer who promised 2.1!
We’re all still eagerly awaiting Android 2.1 just as much as before, and based on this article you MAY think we’re all still hanging on their every word, but personally I’m thinking just the opposite. I’ve chosen to give up hope and pay no attention to the promises, and instead be pleasantly surprised if and when 2.1 comes. That’s an overly pessimistic view, but if it sets me up to go from complacency to happiness how can it hurt?
And for those of you who ARE hanging on MOTO’s every word, don’t worry – I’ll still keep you in the loop! And by the way, while this whole 2.1 thing HAS been kind of a train wreck, I’m sure not all the blame should land in MOTO’s court. They’re trying to err on the side of safety which is a good thing, and we all know about Verizon Wireless’ rigorous testing procedures – probably a good thing too. Even worse would be to get a 2.1 update that adds new features but makes your phone a lot more buggy.
you have no idea how *I* feel with my Magic.. running cupcake!
I give up on Motorola and Verizon, Headed back to AT&T and IPHONE.
My Droid is running fine without the update… although I do want it just for the cool stuff it will bring, I am not gonna flip out over their delays. Delays happen.
well i’d rather them get it perfect then buggy.
The Verizon website lists the Devour with “Motorola over the air updates”. The website lists the Droid with “Google over the air updates”. Does this mean that the OTA updates are provided by these thrid party companys, for these devices? Is the fact that the Droid is a Google experience phone mean that Google provides the software update and if so what is there role in the implementation? Do they deliver a release to Motorola who then has to implement the changes, i.e. kernel, drivers etc, for the platform itself? Very curious to know how all of this works with the Android platform.
Cheers
Since I dnt own an android phone yet the smart thing 2 do is 2 buy 2.1 out of the box.I advise others 2 do the same.
If you can’t wait to get 2.1, don’t, head on over to alldroid.org and get a custom rom.
the wait pushed me to DM Updater (DroidMod) and I now probably won’t even install the update when it comes.
is better to wait, then the update brick our phones :S
The only thing I really wanted was 5 screens instead of 3 and that’s not even going to be part of 2.1
I’ve been running the 2.1 Bugless Beast build on my Droid for over a month with no issues. It’s fast and has all the 2.1 goodies.
I say screw waiting on VZW & Moto for it. I’ve had not one issue with 2.1 at all.
Except for the radio update that’s included, I really don’t care that much anymore as I have the latest BB 2.1 rom which seems rock solid even overclocked.
at least if the update comes out and it bricks everybodys phones, verizon will have to replace a billion droid phones.
for free
Ok Firstly, 2.1 better dang well have the browser fix so browsers aren’t laggy anymore on websites with lots of pics. Before that 2.0.1 update the browser was great, and then 2.0.1 broke it big time. How did that make it through testing?
Secondly, who cares, I’ve rooted and installed a nice ROM that has a browser that works now and I dont have to wait for Verizon’s blessing on anything..
Could Moto at least give my Cliq a Donut?
Why not just use droidmod.org to root it and bring you all the good things from 2.1 (plus more)
*live wallpapers
*pinch/zoom
*wifi tethering
many more things, plus it’s rooted so I have far more control… I could care less about the 2.1 update
GO HTC!!!
DOWN WITH MOTO
Motorola has always been the same. It misleads its customers for the mighty dollar. Their PR sucs and so are the company policies. They have good phones but because of their corporate practices, it has given their products a bad name.
Just ask yourself this. Have you actually heard as much bad publicity for HTC? The answer is of course NO!!
Need I say more?
Been running a 2.1 rom (smoked glass 6) for a couple of weeks now. Gotta say, its pretty terrific. Motorola can take all the time they need.
If you’re getting tired of the wait, root your phone and install 2.1 yourself. Simple as that.
I’m with Bobby…works great and has all the goodies I want.
As somebody who works in the tech sector, I can appreciate the fact that they will not release the 2.1 update before it is ready. I’ve spent most of the last 10 years of my career dealing with project managers who are more concerned about making dates than putting out a quality product. If the 2.1 update goes smooth and it’s six months late, so be it.
A bricked phone isn’t worth anything to anybody.
Weeks ago I posted that since the phone is with Verizon we can expect to see the update about 18 months from now. I then had to apologize when the story came out that the update was days away. So of course I’m with Rob in thinking VZW is playing a big part in this delay. I guess that feeling comes with being a VZW customer for way too many years and dealing with this type of thing way too many times. Part of me thinks there are bigger things in life to worry about but the geek in me wants live wallpaper now.
@Brad: For faster browser, install Opera Mini 5 beta
Hey Motorola, I can name a few kickass devs that you should be throwing some money at!
I say we all call verizon @ 1:pm on 3/27/2010 and ask them when the update for droid 2.1 is coming out. Everyone who owns a droid!
From my research I heard that the update will be April 26th, but its not supposed to be known by the public yet.
Any word when the Droid ERIS will receive the update? We’re waiting patiently too with 1.5 :)
Is there any word on when the Android BT stack will be deemed sufficient to support Bluetooth voice commands? The lack has really impacted the utility of the phone in the “hands-free” automotive environment…..
i smell BS the update is fine the method of xfer is the part that’s fucked. they know this. Verizon knows this. don’t be fooled demand your update. they can give you a manual update method just like HTC does for us Eris users when the update is ready. But they refuse to.
i’m running a cyanogen rom on my droid. screw 2.1
My wife has the Eris , bet she gets 2.1 before we get 2.1 for the Moto Droid .
DM Update kids. I have all the bells and whistles and more! 2.1, live wallpapers, etc…
pardon my venting…to everyone who keeps pointing out that those of us waiting for 2.1 can just root and get everything we want…that helps us not a bit.
i have rooted my phone. twice. bugless beast 2.0.1 and later bugless beast 2.1. both experiences were awful. it ran hot even when i didn’t have my cpu speed jacked. it was slow and lagged like you wouldn’t believe. things progressed from bad to worse and eventually, in both cases, i had to do a factory reset to unroot it…and i still have crap leftover on my sdcard from when it was rooted that i’m not comfortable getting rid of since i’m paranoid about messing something up now (worse). requests for help in various forums…ignored, mocked or met with angry responses telling me i was in the wrong section of the forum in question.
my guess is that the vast majority of the Droid users waiting for 2.1 either don’t want to root and made that decision a long time ago, or they have rooted and have had awful experiences and they don’t want to go through that again.
so yeah…telling us to root…not helping as much as you’d think.
I’ve rooted, having a great experience, but it’s not for everyone. It’s more of a chore than stock Android to get it running the way you like, but my 2.1 is working perfectly, and at low temps. But yeah, the update is taking a long time to roll out to non root users.
I find this troubling. This is as simple an update that any current android phone could have. From what I understand, the Moto Droid is a straight up Android, no Blur, not HTC sense etc. Just android. And they are having this much trouble going up a point release, 2.0 to 2.1. Is there any hope for Moto Cliq or Moto BackFlip customers running 1.5, with third party software, Moto Blur?
To everyone who expected more from Big Red, shame on you. To those who just want all of the goodies you didn’t get as part of your initial purchase, also shame on you for complaining! There is nothing wrong with the phone as is, if you take the time to READ and learn what you bought! If you don’t know how to drive a clutch, don’t buy a manual trans! There are downloads for just about everything you could want that you “feel” you are lacking in your purchase. Most are free…
Conspiracy theory here… why would Verizon, with the impending release of Nexus 1, want to cannibalize the initial sales of the Nexus 1 by having a phone that pretty much does everything (Droid w/2.1) at a much lower price point? I bet they’re simply waiting to release the Nexus 1 and get a couple of weeks of sales under their belts prior to allowing Moto to release the 2.1 update for the Droid. Just a thought…
@2 is Steve Jobs.
There is a middle ground here guys. If you want 5 screens get Home++. If you want a better browser and pinch to Zoom–Dolphin or Opera will be fine. If you want a prettier music player Tune Wiki is great. What makes Android great is that its so easly changed and that you teach android how to work and not the other way around. Its why I like Android over the Iphone. Apple has made their money by showing people how they should work with their style of OS. Some people need to be told what and how to do things. Android is for the other type. I really don’t trust rooting. Its not me and to me its not worth voiding a warrenty. There are options in the android market now that give you a 2.1 like experience.
Home++ is great if the Moto 2.1 droid uodate comes with 3 screens only. I hope Home++ finds a way to work with it. and use the widgets and Live wallpapers.
The only thing I don’t like about this is that it makes Android look bad. The lack of good PR hurts sales and I really want to see this OS prosper.
This is one case where I think Apple did a good thing with the IPhone. There’s just one device. When an update comes, everyone gets it. This is the one area that makes me hate how Android is used. Different manufacturers make different devices with different specs, features and UIs and when an update comes, some phones (like G1 and Cliq) get left in the dust while others (like Hero) skip an update and others (like the Droid) have no idea when they will get the latest update that the newest phone has been touting since day one.
Personally, I would like to see Google set some kind of a standard so that when Google finishes an update, it can be pushed to all devices at once.
I still say waterbaord someone.
They need to give the update.
They are letting the side down.
I still have 16 days to return 4 droids that I bought for my family. IPhone here we come f— Verizon and moto
I dunno… my Droid satisfies me as is, sure 2.1 would be cool when it comes, but I see no reason to get bent outstanding shape without it. This is still an awesome phone.
Don’t care too much anymore — though for marketing purposes, it would be nice if I get the update before I sell my Droid on ebay, which is right after I buy my new HTC EVO, the day it is released.
What a beast — I’m the owner the EVO is waiting for.
@The Don — I owned a G1 for a year, and it was rooted, and I have owned a Droid since Day 1, and I chose not to root it, even tho I know how. I found that after the novelty wore off, it was a pain in the butt. The roms have bugs, so you need to upgrade roms regularly. I’m kind of nerdy with my phones, but I don’t want it to be my life, so I don’t root anymore. Instead, I upgrade to the next fastest Android phone about once a year. My recommendation to anyone who asks — don’t root.
Hahah, wow, is 2.1 still not out yet? Poor stock users!
It’s such a relaxing feeling to just have all those features already and not have to worry about this fiasco. Been rooted since late January, and the only reason I rooted even back then was that I thought “I can’t wait another 2 weeks for OTA!” lol….
I kept up to date with 2.1 release news until actual 2.1-based mods were coming out. When I flashed Cyanogen onto my Droid, I stopped checking the news altogether because I realized, I am now missing absolutely nothing the 2.1 update has to offer. In fact, with my 7 homescreens, live and interactive wallpapers, a low voltage kernel for extended battery life that STILL runs faster than 2.1 stock droid ever will, not to mention a 3d app launcher that stock 2.1 Droid will never see, I would actually be *downgrading* if I were to employ the 2.1 OTA..
I checked the 2.1 news today for first time in almost 2 weeks (used to check for it daily), expecting to see news about how it’s finally out and whatnot but…ouch!
I personally feel like I’ve saved myself a lot of disappointment/impatience/frustration by going root. It’s almost as if now I’m watching this fiasco unfold from a distance when I used to be right in the heart of it.
All those die-hard stock users, think about it for a minute: how many hours of your lives now have you devoted to checking, hoping, checking, getting excited, checking again, being upset, etc. by now? If you had taken all that time and put it into actually learning about your phone and figuring out how to get all these features on your own, you’d be done with all this by now. Rooting can cause problems, but if you learn first and approach it with the requisite knowledge it is not quite the ordeal that others make it out to be.
In fact, if I had to compare the ordeal of waiting for something that is completely beyond your control, and running into snags in the custom rom process, I would say this this waiting game overall causes MUCH more frustration than any problems you can run into rooting. After all – like The Don even mentioned – worse case scenario you gotta flash back to stock/factory reset, and you’re right back where you started. Hey – at least you tried something instead of sitting there sad and hopeless, right?…
Screw it I’m rooting tonight. Which rom do you think is the best right now?
Actually I didn’t mind leaving my phone stock at all, I was perfectly happy with it. What happened though was the 2.0.1 update came out and screwed up the browser, making it have really bad scroll lag on webpages with images. I remember the 2.0.0 version well, it never had that lag at all! SO I only wanted a 2.1 update to hopefully fix that bug that came in because of the first update! I don’t expect to keep getting updates forever, and people that do need to get a grip on reality. If the phone works fine than it works fine. Very rarely does Google add any “new” functionality that you will need anyway, usually its mostly minor tweaks here and there nowadays.
Anyway that’s why I rooted, I couldn’t stand that browser scroll lag, since I browsed a lot. So I rooted with SMUpdater and got a ROM and now my browser works good. I’m happy.
motorola is investing in better meeting future deadlines using automation testing for subsequent releases. this is a bit of a culture shock for me to stumble into this establishment tonight. i wonder what us everyone in a hurry for anyhow, some things, like wine, are better appreciated with more time. where is this technology leading us? what are we all becoming? big brother now knows where everyone butt is 24/7 – people are walking around psychological absent of their immediate surroundings more and more. did anyone see the matrix? btw, the devour looks like a nexus killer… haha, i’m starting to pick up on the matrix lingo fast. that one song, i think i am turning japanese, now i comes to mind. the next phone name i think should be called “the black hole”. it’s up for grabs, with motorola giving the first right of refusal. just give me a bit of credit in the future, i’ve been shy before to claim my 10 minutes of fame.
these past couple of months, i’ve turned into some sort of raving lunatic searching the web every morning to see if today is the day they release 2.1 for the droid!
but i’m done acting like a crack addict and will be happy to update to 2.1 whenever they feel like giving it to us…don’t understand how or why i got myself so wrapped up in it for so long.
Some of you act like it’s the end of the world that 2.1 OTA isn’t being released, yet. If you want it, who says you can’t? You just have to do some work to get the ROM going. You can get 2.1 if you wanted to. I chose to wait, though I know the wait can be tough. Heck, to go to an iPhone just because you didn’t get your update is kinda weak, IMO. I could care less about the iPhone and AT&T’s network. It’s better to get the 2.1 to work well than to rush and have major issues with it.
I actually did call VZ on Friday night to see if the representative I spoke to knew anything about the 2.1 OTA for the Droid. He seemed fairly knowledgeable. He did say that he does not know the release date for the update, but part of the reason for the delay may be due to possibly release it with or around the time that Adobe Flash 10.1 is released. Like anything, I take this with a grain of salt.
To everyone leaving the Droid and Verzon. Goodbye, and Thank God! Good Riddance it will be a better place without your whining.
If I might point out that Verizon isn’t the only carrier that has pulled back the Android 2.1 update. Sprint has done the same with both the HTC Hero & Samsung Moment 2.1 update. Also, since both companies have held back the update, there’s probably an issue they are ironing out. While some mods might work, in a lot of cases, the average person doesn’t have enough experience to troubleshoot these kinds of issues. I seriously doubt the average Windows user could troubleshoot an Linux based Android OS.
I’d like to point out that rooting your phone technically violates the service agreement you signed with your carrier. Should your carrier find out, they would have legal ground to terminate your contract. Since both Verizon & Sprint have delayed this, the smart play is to wait for the update. If the update bricks your phone, the carrier is required to replace your phone. If the Android devices weren’t dependent on a carriers terms & agreements, then I’d go ahead & root myself.
However, my Android device works just fine on 1.5. I’m willing to wait & get a decent build of 2.1 instead of gambling on some hacker’s mod of 2.1 which could brick my device.
Got tired of waiting for Verizon. Rooted my phone and updated it with the latest stable 2.1 ROM. Works perfectly and so now enjoying live wallpapers, pinch and zoom, cool gallery and everything else Verizon is suppose to deliver. Very cool stuff. I noticed I now have Wireless Tethering too! Is this what’s causing Verizon delays since they charge for this a whopping $30/mo. on top of the data plan?
Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrMPDZVNIpQ
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9IPHxrimPY
Easy to do.
Another thought. If one is already paying for an unlimited data plan every month, should you be allowed to tether your phone for free without getting charged an extra $30/mo? Sounds wrong to me and greed driven.
If you don’t want to root your phone and still get free tethering, you can go to:
http://www.junefabrics.com/android/index.php
Works everytime.
Well now I believe Moto doesn’t know how to lie either. This latest delay had nothing to do with that Bitphone or Bitrate I cant, remember their name. Do you actually think Moto is still working on bandwidth problems? I hope Moto owns that other company, if they were thrown under the Moto bus.
All I want is Flash support & BT Handsfree Voice Commands. Even my old Razr did BT Voice.
I have been waiting for the 2.1 for Eris for 4 months so I can have the google turn by turn and other GPS apps. But I’m getting frustrated with VZW and the false promises. I think I’m going to switch to AT&T and settle for the more expensive Iphone. It’s something I been resisting but I’m at that point now.
And we used to make fun of crackberry users. Lol. All this fuss about a phone that will be a paperweight once verizon rolls out 4G. I think I’m going to enjoy my Droid til then. Switched from an omnia running windoze. Droid is much more reponsive. Although I do have issued when trying to end calls.
@Mike…good point, and I should have mentioned that. I’m now running stock 2.0.1, like I said, and I’ve added the Helix home replacement app. It’s pretty slick. I’ve used GDE and Home++ also, but I like Helix a lot better so far. I also downloaded Better Clock from the market and now I have a 2.1 style multimedia dock/clock, as well. Otherwise, I’m pretty standard and I don’t really have any complaints about 2.0.1. I’ll be happy when 2.1 gets here, but having worked in QA for a couple of large EMR software companies for the past 13 years, I’d much rather Verizon/Google/Motorola push the release and make it right. I just wish they’d keep their users informed a bit better.
@Josh…gee, thanks. your detailed list of everything you’ve been able to do with your phone via root was a great help to those of us who’ve already decided not to root and are waiting for the official 2.1 release. very valuable information. that also wasn’t exactly what i was complaining about in my original comment, either. thanks man. btw, running into problems and going back to stock the hard way and having to re-download all my apps, re-setup all of my screens, re-configure all of my alerts and preferences and settings…that wasn’t really a positive experience/selling point on how great rooting was. maybe that’s just me, though.
I heard from a verizon employee that the update isn’t coming until april 9th :/ aww
Reading these comments you’d think Android 2.01 was the second coming of Windows ME or something totally crappy.
My Droid running 2.01 and the free Dolphin browser runs circles around an iPhone. And Apple FanBoys, don’t give me BS about how Apple gets it right with one crappy design when they force you to pay $$$ for a new phone every 12 months for that looks exactly like the old one only with 1 or 2 new features that the old phone should have had in the first place- like 3G support, video, etc.
The fact that the best phone on the best carrier will eventually get even better sometime soon AND FOR FREE is fine with me whenever it happens.
Now what I really want to know is WHERE’S MY DAMN FLASH PLAYER????!!!!????
2.1 whatever. We have been waiting so long it’s already time for 2.2!
@steve. Yer dumb. “I give up on motorola, going back to iPhone.” Ignorant and impatient.
steve gives up and goes back to the stone age.
I only want the 2.1 update to address the Bluetooth hands-free dialing defect. Until then, they should stop the deceptive marketing. If it doesn’t work as a basic phone, what good is it? The lawsuits will start coming soon after a few car accidents in hands-free states.
You know, some of the blame here goes to over hyped news articles quoting “a trusted source” and some BS date. And its not just one site doing it. Anyone that gets anything of a date seems to post it like its gospel and hooks the Android community into thinking it is here. I swear if I see one more site with a bogus release date, I’m boycotting the site for good. And don’t trust that idiot posting on FB and forums from Moto either. This guy obviously doesn’t have a clue to what is really going on.
I always said that I’ll be watching how all the phone manufactures do with their updates and customer care for deciding which Android phone I’ll be going with next. Things aren’t looking that good for Moto…
I think which ever person up there says that Verizon is waiting for the Nexus One release, I agree. Because it’s true; when the Droid gets 2.1, it will be the exact same thing as the Nexus One. Personally, I think it’d be more because it has that keyboard as an added extra. So, I actually see the 2.1 for Droid being a few months away still. This probably includes all of Verizon’s Android phones.
I received an OTA update to 2.1-update-1 yesterday, March 27th. I’m up in Canada, with an unlocked milestone from the asian market.
2.1 is cool, but there are some minor bugs and odd settings problems. It does seem a bit faster and that odd charging issue seems to bw gone. I wonder why you guys haven’t received the update yet.
All you lil bitches crying for a update LMFASSSSSSO get a life.
I am very happy with my Moto Droid. 2.01. Yes the upgrade would be nice. Especially before the Verizon version of the Nexus one arrives or atleast before Verizon switches to 4g.
That is the problem with Technology… If you can get it (at an affordable price) it is out of date. There will always be somethig newer.
It is kinda like motorcycles. I would kill to have a Honda Shadow 750. Used bikes a few year old are out there and can save you 50% But I want Fuel Injection. Two choices Aftermarket, or pay $10 for a new honda…
Patience is a Virtue I am developing!
“I give up on Motorola and Verizon, Headed back to AT&T and IPHONE.”
Go back to Mommy and Daddy’s basement, you little ass.
I was tired of waiting. Rooted my phone, went with Cyanogen’s Mod and could not be happier.
I’m getting tried of all the delays. I’m really need the 2.1 update so it can fix the dug with syncing to our Exchange 2010 server. I wish they would get the act together.
ill do it for free chicken!!
Tech support at Verizon told me that according to an internal memo, the update was approved by Verizon sometime last week. And then motorola mysteriously pulled it from being sent out. They had no explanation why or a new time line. Not good, as my droid just continually deletes my email accounts, and after replacing it once and wiping it another time, verizon says i need to wait for the update now. Come on motorola get it done!
just upgraded from G1 to droid for $19.99. Much better and faster. Love it. It will be sweet if i can get 2.1….not that big deal yet to me. Droid still new to me, I happy with 2.0 for now.
Rooting the phone is the easiest thing in the world. Then using Rom Manager from the Market Place makes updating your phone to the latest STABLE ROM a snap. Worried about violating Verizon Warranty? You can always go back to stock. ROM Manager will back up all your stuff. Updated to Ultimate Droid 2.1 ROM which includes everything the Nexus has plus free wireless tethering. How cool is that?
Seriously though, in the end it’s just going to wind up with the rest of the phones I once thought were so cool that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. :) :( :)
Updated Droid to 2.1. Here’re the screen shots: http://nimana.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/droid-2-1-update/
I don’t understand. There are still people who haven’t received the update? I got my 2.1 update mid december and I just received an update for the 2.1 minutes ago. I haven’t figured out what it does better yet. There wasn’t much difference when I gor 2.1 either. The lock screen changed from an arch to a straight line. That’s a?? I can think of. I’m running on droid, btw. Am I missing something?
love the new update! the gallery’s pretty cool
It is out as of 5:00 AM this morning.
Got 2.1 last night. Now I want a firmware update that’ll give an accurate reading of something other than the stock Motorola battery. (And I don’t need everyone listing every battery app widget in the Market.)