It was widely rumored last week that the Verizon Droid (Motorola Droid) would be receiving an OTA (over-the-air) update from Verizon on January 22nd. The update was supposedly being issued to update Motorola Droid phones sold by Verizon which currently run Android 2.0 or Android 2.0.1 (depending on when the phone was purchased). Unfortunately, as noted by Android blog Operation Android, to the dismay of many Droid owners, the update failed to arrive.
The article on Operation Android details how, despite the fact that the 2.1 update brings little in the way of features, many Droid owners are eager to receive the update due to considerable performance speed gains reported by hackers that have already installed and booted Android 2.1 on the Motorola Droid.
Though Verizon has publicly stated that their other “Droid” phone, the HTC Droid Eris, will receive an update to Android 2.1 sometime in the spring, there’s been no indication of when the Motorola version is expected to receive the update. Still, rumors suggesting the update is right around the corner have been plentiful.
Regardless of the fact that the rumored January 22nd date failed to produce an upgraded OS for Motorola Droid owners, “reports” around the web are still suggesting that Verizon is in its final stages testing the 2.1 update. The consensus of opinion around the web still seems to suggest that the update is coming any day now. That said, until there’s an official announcement from Verizon, Droid owners would do well to not play the waiting game.
Additionally, the upgrade promises to improve the pattern-lock functionality, and the audio when a wired headset is unplugged. The update also brings a few more enhancements. One thing the update seems to be lacking is the addition of the 3D application launcher seen on the Nexus One.
We have embedded the official release notes after the break for your viewing pleasure.
Android 2.1 for Motorola Droid Release Notes
via OperationAndroid
