Droid X (Shadow) - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Feb

Droid X OTA Update (Build 4.5.621) Rolling Out Now, Brings Bug Fixes A-Plenty

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid X (Shadow), News

Droid X users, Motorola and Verizon haven't forgotten about you; not completely, at least. You may not be getting Ice Cream Sandwich (officially, anyway), but Big Red is pushing one hell of a bug-fix update (we spotted it last week) to your device right now.

The OTA update brings fixes to a whole slew of issues that DX users have been dealing with for far too long:

Over the Air Updates

Prevents lockups or resets after the Over the Air (OTA) update.
OTA update notice screen displays the correct estimated update time.

Device Features

Improved browser security with the Google Security Patch from Android 2.3.6.

Feb

Droid X To Receive Update To 4.5.621.MB810 – Here's What To Expect

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Droid X (Shadow), News, Verizon Wireless

Owners of Motorola's Droid X should be expecting an OTA update "soon," which will bring the device's build up to version 4.5.621.MB810. Despite the fact that Verizon's announcement page says "Droid X2" in the title, the update will in fact bring its bevy of enhancements to the original Droid X. Among these are improvements to the OTA process itself, browser security (a la Google's 2.3.6 security patch), and various stability and bug fixes. Verizon's announcement document lists the full set of enhancements, for those interested:

Verizon has also provided a handy instruction sheet for updating your device, though the update is – as yet – still listed as "coming soon." The process should be familiar – just hit settings > About Phone > System Updates > Download.

Jul

[Updated x3] Netflix Adds Support For 16 New Devices, Including The Thunderbolt, EVO 3D, Droid 2, 3, X2, Charge, Atrix 4G, Bionic (!), And... One Honeycomb Tablet

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Applications, Atrix 4G (Olympus), Bionic, Charge (i510), Droid (Sholes), Droid 2, Droid 3, Droid X (Shadow), Droid X2, Epic 4G, EVO 3D (Shooter), EVO 4G (Supersonic), Fascinate, Froyo 2.2, G'zOne Commando, G2 (Vision), Galaxy S, Galaxy S 4G, Gingerbread 2.3, Incredible, Incredible 2 (Vivow), myTouch 4G Slide (Doubleshot), News, Nexus S (Crespo/Soju), Nexus S 4G (Crespo4g), Revolution, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Netflix this evening appears to have quietly unleashed the Android app on 16 more previously unsupported devices, all without updating the application at all.

The whole situation threw us off quite a bit, as the Netflix app description now lists both the new devices and a reference to a new version 1.3, while the app itself is still stuck at 1.2.2.

Nevertheless, after trying to find it in the Market using devices that were previously unsupported (HTC EVO 3D and Thunderbolt), to our pleasant surprise, we succeeded. So... it seems that Netflix indeed simply updated the list in the Market publishing console without updating the app at all, which means it was compatible with all of them all along.

Jun

Motorola Droid X CyanogenMod Goes Official, Now Served Nightly

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Development, Droid X (Shadow), Motorola, News

This week has definitely been the week of the Droid X - after about a year of being on the market, the magic of the "2nd init" hack allowed for the first ever unofficial build of CyanogenMod 7 on this popular U.S. device. Only days after the momentous announcement, the Droid X CyanogenMod, led by the great cvpcs, is now part of the official CM source tree and served nightly from the CM mirror network.

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

Jun

Netflix Now Officially Compatible With Gingerbread-Running DROID X

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Applications, Droid X (Shadow), Motorola, News

Gingerbread-using DROID X owners, your handsets are excluded from the elite ranks of Netflix-compatible devices no more; a recent update to the official Netflix application added support for your 2.3-running phones. Unfortunately, the DROID X is the only Gingerbread handset (with the exception of the Nexus phones) currently compatible with the movie rental service - my EVO 4G, which received its official 2.3 update a few weeks ago, still can't access the app. Additionally, those DROID X users still running Froyo are left out of the fun. Bummer.

Nevertheless, if you're rocking an updated DROID X and feel like adding a touch of Netflix to your Gingerbread-infused phone, you can grab the app via the widget below.

Jun

The Moment You've Been Waiting For - CyanogenMod 7 Beta/RC0 For The Droid X Available For Download

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Development, Droid X (Shadow), News

Even though it's only been two days since cvpcs first unveiled CyanogenMod 7 running on the Droid X, it seems that he has already worked out enough of the kinks to release the first beta/RC version to the masses. The flashing process is a bit more complex compared to other phone/ROM combos, but well worth the added trouble if you ask me. Everything you're seeing here today would have been impossible without the "2nd init" hack, which cvpcs explains in detail here.

"Why should I switch to CyanogenMod?" you may ask. And I'll tell you why - in fact, I'll give you more than enough reasons for doing so: 13 Ways CyanogenMod 7 Makes My Android Phone Feel Future-Proof [Deep Review]

This article deals with a couple of advanced topics.

Jun

[Video] CyanogenMod 7 Ported To Motorola DROID X

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Development, Droid X (Shadow), Motorola, News, Verizon Wireless

Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that cvpcs has achieved the impossible: he's thrown together (but not yet publicized) a build of CyanogenMod 7 that works on the Motorola DROID X!

Naturally, since no one but cvpcs has the firmware yet, there are still a few kinks that need to be ironed out before the ROM goes public - for example, GPS, 3G, Bluetooth, and the camera/camcorder have not been proven to work just yet, ~~and audio (including phone calls, speakers, the microphone, etc.) definitely isn't functional at the moment~~. However, as our own Justin Case put it, "If it boots, it can be fixed."

Update: cvpcs just tweeted that, with some help from Stephen Bird, he was able to fix the audio issue.

Jun

XPAL PowerSkin Review + Giveaway: Extra Juice Meets Extra Protection [Updated: And The Winners Are...]

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Contests / Giveaways, Droid X (Shadow), Droid X2, EVO 4G (Supersonic), Galaxy S, Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy SL, myTouch 4G (Glacier), Vibrant

Last Updated: June 15th, 2011

Horrific battery life on Android phones is nothing new, and neither is the mind-~~blowing~~ shattering frailty of said handsets. We've seen - and reviewed - solutions to both of these issues, but for those who want a convenient, all-in-one product, nothing beats XPAL's "PowerSkins."

Available for a variety of devices, PowerSkins are, in a sentence, silicone cases with built-in batteries from which your phone can sip juice once its internal supply has run dry. With the help of the kind folks on XPAL's PR team, I hooked my EVO 4G up with one and am now ready to report on the aftermath.

May

Rooted Droid X Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) Update Now Available To Download And Install

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Development, Droid X (Shadow), Gingerbread 2.3, Verizon Wireless

In typical speedy fashion, the official Gingerbread update for the Motorola Droid X has already been rooted and mirrored for mass consumption. Two versions are available, as is usual for releases of this nature: odexed and deodexed. The instructions aren't exactly simple, and you have to know what ROM and version you're currently running in order to properly update (then again, chances are that if you're rooted and ROMed in the first place, you probably already know those details).

To download, head on over to MyDroidWorld and follow the steps appropriate for you. As always, be careful and make sure you're following the proper instructions before flashing, lest you end up with an expensive paperweight.

May

[Updated: Update Should Start Tonight, But Maybe Not For Everyone] Verizon: Motorola Droid X Gingerbread Update Starts Friday

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Droid X (Shadow), Gingerbread 2.3, News, Verizon Wireless

UPDATE: According to Droid Life, the update should start tonight, but it may just be a "soak test", for users that signed up via Motorola's support forums. That's not entirely confirmed at this point, so if you happen to get the update, drop us a line.

A couple of notes from Motorola about the update:

The update will be pushed late tonight. If you go to bed, it should be waiting for you in the morning. West Coast members and night owls may be up to see it.

It’s a good idea to keep your phone charged if possible and plugged in overnight.