We knew that the Droid would be getting its Android 2.1 fix this week, but details of the update were still unknown. Now, more information is finally available. According to Motorola's website, the Android 2.1 update for the Motorola Droid will include the following changes:
- Voice recognition for virtual keyboard
- 3D photo gallery
- Pinch-to-Zoom for web, gallery, and maps
- News and Weather app and widget
- Google Maps 4.0 update
- Enhanced music app with new tabbed navigation
- Google Goggles
- Security fix for bypassing pattern lock
- Yahoo mail account setup optimization
- Better battery life
No mention is made about the 3D effects that the Nexus One has. Android 2.1's Live Wallpapers, 3D App Drawer, and 5 home screens are noticeably missing from the list. Many Droid users on Motorola's Facebook page have expressed extreme anger and disappointment about the idea of getting a gimped version of Android 2.1. A Facebook user named Anthony just posted the following bit of sarcasm in response to hearing about the update:
"Thanks for skipping the 5 home screens and 3D app drawer, I love knowing you don't plan on keeping up with the market, so I won't purchase your phone again."
It seems as though Motrola crippled the update for some reason. It's unclear what the reason is, but people are speculating that the Droid just can't handle the extra clock cycles and 3D effects. However, this claim has been refuted by the "rooting" community who have successfully loaded the Android 2.1 ROM onto the Droid without seeing any problems with the three features mentioned above. Not only that, but Motorola's inclusion of the 3D photo gallery shows that the device is fully capable of fancy effects. Clearly, something strange is going on here.
UPDATE: Motorola seems to have removed the page. It's possible that the information on it was incomplete. However, Neowin has no further information at this time.
UPDATE 2: Motorola's forum manager, Matt, has posted the following in regard to the pulling of the Android 2.1 release notes: "Update: How embarassing. Apparently we jumped the gun on these details...."
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