25
Aug
d2_root

Looks like a dev over at XDA-Devs (where else?) has managed to root the Motorola Droid 2. As this is the device's first root and it was just released, it's not surprising that the method is still dependant on manually typing a number of commands. The process requires adb and Motorola drivers to be installed, and involves pushing and executing the root file with ADB. While it doesn't look overly complex, it's probably not something suitable for more novice rooters.

Setup:
- Install adb (here) and Motorola drivers (here)
- Download attached archive
- Extract to a directory, I used c:\Droid2Root
- Make sure you have USB degugging enabled
- Change connection to PC Mode

Process:
- Open command prompt
- cd c:/wherever-your-sdk-tools-folder-is
- adb devices (to verify the connection)
- cd c:/Droid2Root
- adb push rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin /data/local/tmp/rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
- adb shell
- cd data/local/tmp
- chmod 0755 rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin
- ./rageagainstthecage-arm5.bin

- let the process run until it returns you to c:/Droid2Root
- cd c:/wherever-your-sdk-tools-folder-is
- adb devices (to verify the connection)
- adb shell (you should now have a # prompt)
- exit

- cd c:/Droid2Root
- adb push Superuser.apk /system/app/Superuser.apk
- adb push su /system/bin/su
- adb push busybox /system/bin/busybox
- adb shell
- chmod 4755 /system/bin/su
- chmod 4755 /system/bin/busybox
- exit

I'm sure there are certain steps that could be streamlined or eliminated, so please feel free to make a suggestion and I'll edit the post.

25
Aug
Last Updated: October 22nd, 2011

General Overview

The original Droid was a revolutionary phone, not just because it saved Motorola from certain bankruptcy but also because it revealed the wonders of Android to the masses.

For the first time, an Android device was being marketed in a way that appealed to an average American. Not only that - the Droid was Google’s officially anointed Jesus phone, up until the Nexus One came along, meaning it was the first to get Android 2.0, the first to get Google Navigation, etc.

That sets a pretty high bar for the Droid 2, and if you read our review roundup, you already know that most other bloggers thought that, while it is certainly a worthy successor to the most popular Android phone ever, it doesn’t raise the bar or set a new standard for Droids going forward.

24
Aug

No product is perfect - especially when it launches. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that software updates are often pushed out shortly after release so as to eliminate bugs, incompatibilities, and increase speed.

It appears that's exactly what Verizon's doing today, for software version.2.2.20.A955.Verizon.en.US/BP: BP_C_01.09.05P for the Droid 2 is now rolling out, OTA style. It isn't a major revision, but it does include a number of enhancements, including:

  • Streamlined setup of Visual Voice Mail
  • Improved contact syncing with Corporate Exchange
  • More accurate contact pictures in the recent call log
  • Scrolling text and picture messages

As always, the comments section below is the place to let us know how the update works out for you.

23
Aug
moto cliq

No phone manufacturer is as fast with software updates as customers would like them to be, but Motorola has been particularly bad, especially with some of their MOTOBLUR phones which are still stuck on Android 1.5. But they do seem to be taking a step forward with a new timeline that lists when each of their phones around the world will be receiving updates to a later version of Android.

USA

BACKFLIP (USA)
Upgrade to Android 2.1 planned for Q3

CLIQ (USA)
Upgrade to Android 2.1 - testing in process, planned for late Q3/early Q4

CLIQ XT (USA)
Upgrade to Android 2.1 - testing in process, planned for late Q3/early Q4

DEVOUR (USA)
Will not have a software upgrade to Android 2.1

DROID by Motorola (USA)
Upgrade to Android 2.2 currently rolling out in phases

DROID X by Motorola (USA)
Upgrade to Android 2.2 planned for late summer.

22
Aug
motorola-logo-big

Despite a lot of fun Motorola hardware leaks lately (even some love for AT&T), Moto would like to remind us that they aren't much friendlier than Apple when it comes to unintended dissemination of their intellectual property.

The recently leaked update to Android 2.2 for the DROID X has been quite a popular download for daredevil users, and apparently Motorola has taken notice. While the ROM is now undoubtedly in the hands of every modding and development community member who has any interest in it, that isn't stopping Motorola from issuing cease and desist letters (e-mails) to those hosting the file.

22
Aug

Been thinking that AT&T's Android offerings are rather...how shall we put it....measly as of late? Sure, the Dell Streak and the Samsung Captivate are nothing to scoff at, but the latter is a member of the Galaxy S family, a line of phones coming soon to all four major carriers (as well as a few regionals), while the former is a 5-inch phone/tablet hybrid currently running Android 1.6 that, in all probability, won't be getting FroYo for at least a few months.

Enter the Motorola MB520 Kobe, a device that, according to Engadget's latest tipster, sports specs like:

  • a 3.5-inch 854x480 LCD display
  • an 800MHz TI OMAP processor (although it is unclear whether it is a 3440 or an underclocked 3630)
  • a PowerVR SGX 530 GPU
  • 512MB of RAM
  • 2 GB internal storage alongside a 2GB microSD card out of the box
  • a 3MP camera without flash
  • Android 2.1 with MotoBlur (see screenshot at the top of this article)
  • The specs aren't all Engadget's tipster managed to grab; he/she also procured several screenshots of benchmarking apps, including Linpack and Quadrant, the former of which clocked it at 6.319 MFLOPS - not bad for a phone running Android 2.1 - and the latter of which gave it a score of 1036, a score which only the Nexus One (running stock FroYo) and the Droid X surpassed.

    20
    Aug
    p3droid_Xfroyo5

    MyDroidWorld has scored a big one today: they’ve hosted the Droid X Froyo ROM, thanks to the hard work of P3Droid, Birdman, and rootzwiki. Installation seems relatively simple, and boy is it a popular download: their server was bombarded with 15,000 download requests shortly after posting it.

    p3droid_Xfroyo1

    p3droid_Xfroyo2

    Installation seems rather simple, assuming you're rooted and are running stock recovery:

    p3droid_Xfroyo3

    p3droid_Xfroyo4

    They’ve hosted the file with MediaFire since it seems to have crashed their servers.

    Unfortunately, we don’t really have any details at this point since this just happened, but we’ll update as needed. If anyone takes the jump, be sure to let us know how it goes!

    19
    Aug
    acer tablet

    If you can’t wait any longer for a quality Android tablet, this may come as a bit of bad news. Both Acer and Motorola are planning to delay the release of their respective Android tablets until the release of Android 3.0, which is expected to feature support for higher-resolution screens.

    Acer’s tablet may be pushed back until the first quarter of 2011, which could put a damper on previous rumors that Gingerbread would be released some time before the end of the year. Motorola’s tablet, on the other hand, may see Gingerbread much earlier, as Google is working directly with Motorola to get Android 3.0 working on their 10.1” device (which could be the rumored “Stingray” tablet headed to Verizon).

    18
    Aug
    Droid X Custom Recovery

    This article mentions rooting, Nandroid, and flashing of custom ROMs. If you’re unfamiliar with some of the terms, hit up our primers on rooting, custom ROMs, and Nandroid backups.

    The Droid X, Motorola's and Verizon's current flagship handset, has been rooted earlier this month (method 1, method 2), and today Koushik Dutta, the author of ClockworkMod recovery and the lead developer behind CM6 for Droid, released the first working recovery for this beast.

    This means that users can now easily back up and restore their handsets using Nandroid backup, whether to get back to a certain state in the past or to roll back to a good state due to accidental "bricking" - a situation which is common for those treading in the undocumented territory that is the Droid X internals.

    18
    Aug
    Last Updated: December 22nd, 2010

    Are you in the market for a strikingly rectangular low-end messaging phone running Android 2.1 and Motoblur? Come on, you know you want one!

    If so, the Motorola Charm - you know, that squat little Motorola messaging phone for T-Mobile with a 2.8 inch screen and a non-slide out physical QWERTY keyboard right below it - is now officially hitting T-Mobile on August 25 for what T-Mobile USA has said on Facebook to be an "affordable" $74.99, despite the rumors that it would be free on a new two-year contract.

    Of course, the specs aren't anything special:

    • 2.8” 320x240QVGA TFT LCD touch-capacitive display with Gorilla Glass
    • Android 2.1 with the newest "enhanced" version of MOTOBLUR
    • 3 Megapixel camera
    • Physical QWERTY keyboard
    • 2GB Removable MicroSD card included (expandable to 32GB MicroSDHC)
    • Accelerometer
    • WiFi B/G and N (Single-band 2.4GHz)
    • Can capture 24FPS video (we assume that is with VGA 640×480)
    • Secondary noise-cancellation microphone with CrystalTalk PLUS technology
    • Compatible with T-Mobile HSDPA 3.6
    • Support for Adobe Flash Lite
    • 1170mAh Lithium-ion battery
    • 3.5mm headphone jack

    But hey - it's not meant for us geeks; it's aimed at the kind of people who post statuses on Facebook like "Still recovering...too many parties!" (see the picture above for more on that).