Motorola Droid
Encyclopedia
The Motorola Droid is an Internet
and multimedia
enabled smartphone
designed by Motorola
, which runs Google
's Android operating system
. The Droid had been publicized under the codenames Sholes and Tao and the model number A855. In Latin America
and Europe
, the model number is A853 (Milestone), and in Mexico, the model number is A854 (Motoroi). Due to the ambiguity with newer phones with similar names, it is also commonly known as the DROID 1 or the OG DROID (where OG is short for OriGinal or Original Gangster or Old school Gangster). The brand name Droid is a trademark of Lucasfilm
licensed to Verizon Wireless
.
Features of the phone include Wi-Fi
networking, a 5-megapixel low light capable digital camera
, a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, interchangeable battery, 3.7-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen
display. It also includes microSDHC
support with bundled 16 GB card, free turn-by-turn navigation
from Google Maps
, sliding QWERTY
keyboard, and Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 processor. The Motorola Droid runs Android version 2.2.
The phone does not, however, run the re-branded Motoblur
interface for Android, instead providing the Google Experience skin and application stack.
The Droid has a hearing aid compatibility (hac) rating of M3/T3. The phone was the first to ship with free Google Maps Navigation (beta) installed.
-alternative. Launched on October 17, 2009 TV spots and an associated website made "entertainingly combative" claims listing features lacking on the iPhone, e.g. "iDon't multitask", only mentioning the name of the Droid in the final frame, reading "Droid Does". At the official launch event on October 28, 2009 Verizon's Chief Marketing Officer John Stratton described the campaign as a spoof of Apple's iPhone ads, intended to "wake up the market."
The marketing for the American
launch included "Droid Does Times Square
." This was a program (billed as an "interactive experience") in which Verizon connected the Nasdaq and Reuters electronic billboards in Times Square to its systems such that people were able to control the electronic displays by using voice commands (illustrating the voice search function that is a primary Android feature). Control of the billboards was available in Times Square or via the "Droid Does" website.
The November 6, 2009 release date of the Droid came just under a month after Verizon and Google announced that they had entered into an agreement to jointly develop wireless devices based on the Android mobile platform. Verizon said at the time that it planned to have two Android-based handsets on the market by year-end with more to come in 2010. The other handset is the HTC Droid Eris, a modification to the HTC Hero
, seen in shots of Google CEO Eric Schmidt holding one in a Verizon/Google press conference.
American exclusive software for the Droid includes Google Maps Navigation, an Amazon MP3 Store applet, and Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail management.
Analytics firm Flurry estimated that 250,000 Motorola Droid phones were sold in the United States during the phone's first week in stores. Flurry also estimated that 1.05 million Motorola Droids were sold in first 74 days of the launch. This number is greater than that of the original iPhone
which sold one million units through day 74. Flurry also reported that Droid sales did not match the newest Apple release, the iPhone 3GS, which sold 1.6 million in the first week.
The Linux kernel used in the 2.0.1 OTA release is 2.6.29, Android build.
However, on March 17, 2010, Verizon Wireless announced that they would issue the Android 2.1 "ESE53" update over-the-air, beginning March 18 to a small test group, and more users would see the update later, into the following week. But screenshots from Verizon Wireless documents showed that a last minute software bug was found, and the update was delayed once again, with no new roll out date determined.
The new news from Verizon Wireless provided official information about the update and what it entailed, including "Pinch-to-zoom...available when using the browser, Gallery, and Google Maps", a weather and news app/widget including "information you want from the Web...weekly and hourly weather forecasts based on your location, and news headlines", voice-to-text wherever there are text boxes, "New Gallery application with 3D layout", and Live Wallpapers "offer[ing] richer animated, interactive backgrounds on the home screen", as well as other, more minor upgrades. However, the update did not include the addition of two more home screens currently available on the Nexus One
, another Android 2.1 device.
The 2.1 update roll out began on March 30, 2010. The 2.2 update was released August 2, 2010.
A third update was released on December 6, 2010, with a version number of 2.2.1 and a build of FRG83D. A fourth update was released on March 9, 2011, with a version number of 2.2.2 and a build of FRG83G.
The Motorola support page reported the Milestone version would get an update to Android 2.2 in the Q1 2011, and indeed on March 15th an update was made available.
" (manipulated to provide superuser
access) on December 8, 2009. This allowed removing sponsored/pay-to-use applets (Amazon, Verizon Visual Voice Mail, etc.), installing and launching custom software, and root access on the phone using a terminal emulator
. There is also a separate unofficial Android Market that allows easy installation of software solely for rooted Droids. The unofficial market is accessed and searched through the regular Market interface, after further modding, alongside official Market apps.
On June 5, 2010, a leaked Android 2.2 ROM was given to the public for those with superuser
access. It includes a new home launcher, Flash 10.1 support, new homescreen widgets, an updated Market, a JIT compiler for a faster system, as well as new aesthetic changes.
As of July 13, 2011, the DROID is able to be updated to the Android 2.3.4 ROM, but with many small updates and edits to the root code in order to properly run.
On July 26, 2011, an Android 2.3.5 ROM was made available for the DROID that, like the Android 2.3.4 ROM, has been modified to improve performance on the smart phone.
support enabled, a trial version of Motorola's MOTONAV service (instead of Droid's US-only Google Maps Navigation) and an 8 GB microSDHC Card, instead of the Droid's 16 GB microSDHC card.
Joining this trend, a new, North American, version of the Motorola Milestone was released in Canada in February 2010. This new version supports 3G bands II and V instead of bands I and VIII so it is compatible with Rogers, Bell, and Telus in Canada, and with AT&T and T-Mobile (2G Only) in the US. At this time, Motorola Milestone is only available from Telus. The Milestone is also available in the U.S. from several regional GSM carriers, like Cincinnati Bell
.
on Thursday December 10, 2009, as the Motorola Milestone. The exclusive sales outlet for the phone, eXpansys, reported that all stocks of the phone had completely sold out within 3 hours of its debut. The sell-out was considered a major victory for Motorola
, which has had little success with its prior Windows Mobile
-based phones, and had been counting on Android-based phones for future growth.
in 2010, however it included a serious limitation as Google prohibited access to its Android Market application for most of Middle Eastern countries. No reasonable alternative was provided by Google.
on December 21, 2009 as the sixth Android device in the region for HKD
4,680 with an 8 GB microSDHC
card included. This version is in English but supports Chinese hand writing that originated from the Motorola MING
and pinyin
input method. While MOTONAV is included, it does not work and is not officially supported. The phone can be updated to Android 2.1 since Q1 2010, the update features a Chinese user interface and more Chinese input methods such as Changjie. The Milestone launched in India on 30 March 2010, priced at 32,000 INR
, approximately US$680.
to load. This creates difficulties for users who wish to boot custom ROM images not signed by Motorola that have become popular in the Droid modding community. This has caused discontent in the Droid community in markets foreign to the US, with numerous petitions being created. Whether the disabling of custom boot loaders is due to retailer, carrier, manufacturer, or legal restrictions is unknown.
Early in 2011 the community around Milestone ROM-Development and the Polish National BOINC Team initiated AndrOINC to decipher the RSA 1024-bit signature and make customizing possible. The project has been down since April 2011 because the German police confiscated the server on suspicion it was involved with an illegal P2P service.
In June 2011, Motorola committed to delivering an unlockable/relockable bootloader solution for phones receiving updates later that year. This will likely not include the Milestone as Motorola has not indicated it will update the Milestone past Android 2.2/Froyo.
The continued postponing of Milestone updates has become known under the term "Motofail" in Central
and South America
.
. Its history is similar to the Motorola Droid and Motorola Milestone.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
enabled smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
designed by Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, which runs Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's Android operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
. The Droid had been publicized under the codenames Sholes and Tao and the model number A855. In Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the model number is A853 (Milestone), and in Mexico, the model number is A854 (Motoroi). Due to the ambiguity with newer phones with similar names, it is also commonly known as the DROID 1 or the OG DROID (where OG is short for OriGinal or Original Gangster or Old school Gangster). The brand name Droid is a trademark of Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
licensed to Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
.
Features of the phone include Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
networking, a 5-megapixel low light capable digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
, a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack, interchangeable battery, 3.7-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
display. It also includes microSDHC
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
support with bundled 16 GB card, free turn-by-turn navigation
Turn-by-turn navigation
Turn-by-turn navigation is a feature of some GPS navigation devices where directions for a selected route are continually presented to the user in the form of spoken and visual instructions. The system keeps the user up-to-date about the best route to the destination, and is often updated according...
from Google Maps
Google Maps
Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...
, sliding QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
keyboard, and Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 processor. The Motorola Droid runs Android version 2.2.
The phone does not, however, run the re-branded Motoblur
Motoblur
Motoblur is an Android UI replacement and push-based service focused on social networking developed by Motorola. It aims at functional similarity to Palm's Synergy, including such features as Remote Wipe...
interface for Android, instead providing the Google Experience skin and application stack.
The Droid has a hearing aid compatibility (hac) rating of M3/T3. The phone was the first to ship with free Google Maps Navigation (beta) installed.
United States
Verizon explicitly promoted the Droid as an Apple iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
-alternative. Launched on October 17, 2009 TV spots and an associated website made "entertainingly combative" claims listing features lacking on the iPhone, e.g. "iDon't multitask", only mentioning the name of the Droid in the final frame, reading "Droid Does". At the official launch event on October 28, 2009 Verizon's Chief Marketing Officer John Stratton described the campaign as a spoof of Apple's iPhone ads, intended to "wake up the market."
The marketing for the American
Mobile phone industry in the United States
The Mobile phone industry in the United States is covered in this article. Mobile phones are usually called "cell phones" in the United States.-History:* In 1983, Ameritech launched the first generation mobile phone service in Chicago....
launch included "Droid Does Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
." This was a program (billed as an "interactive experience") in which Verizon connected the Nasdaq and Reuters electronic billboards in Times Square to its systems such that people were able to control the electronic displays by using voice commands (illustrating the voice search function that is a primary Android feature). Control of the billboards was available in Times Square or via the "Droid Does" website.
The November 6, 2009 release date of the Droid came just under a month after Verizon and Google announced that they had entered into an agreement to jointly develop wireless devices based on the Android mobile platform. Verizon said at the time that it planned to have two Android-based handsets on the market by year-end with more to come in 2010. The other handset is the HTC Droid Eris, a modification to the HTC Hero
HTC Hero
The HTC Hero is the third phone manufactured by the HTC Corporation for the Android platform, as part of the A series...
, seen in shots of Google CEO Eric Schmidt holding one in a Verizon/Google press conference.
American exclusive software for the Droid includes Google Maps Navigation, an Amazon MP3 Store applet, and Verizon Wireless Visual Voice Mail management.
Analytics firm Flurry estimated that 250,000 Motorola Droid phones were sold in the United States during the phone's first week in stores. Flurry also estimated that 1.05 million Motorola Droids were sold in first 74 days of the launch. This number is greater than that of the original iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
which sold one million units through day 74. Flurry also reported that Droid sales did not match the newest Apple release, the iPhone 3GS, which sold 1.6 million in the first week.
Software
This section applies to the Verizon-branded Motorola device in the US. Droid versions in foreign markets (Milestone) may be crippled or have some features disabled due to restrictions enforced by retailer agreements, carrier agreements, manufacturer agreements, or local laws and should be addressed in the appropriate section above.The Linux kernel used in the 2.0.1 OTA release is 2.6.29, Android build.
Android 2.1 update
On February 8, 2010, Motorola announced via Facebook that the Droid update would begin rolling out later that same week. Details were later released via Motorola's official forums. However, the details about the update were later retracted, and unclear information from Motorola and Verizon Wireless caused confusion among many, and technology news websites speculated the update would happen even later in 2010. As an attempt to clear confusion, Motorola released a chart of dates stating when each of their Android devices would be updated to Android 2.1, but this only added to the issues because they said the update would happen "soon", rather than offering a concrete time frame.However, on March 17, 2010, Verizon Wireless announced that they would issue the Android 2.1 "ESE53" update over-the-air, beginning March 18 to a small test group, and more users would see the update later, into the following week. But screenshots from Verizon Wireless documents showed that a last minute software bug was found, and the update was delayed once again, with no new roll out date determined.
The new news from Verizon Wireless provided official information about the update and what it entailed, including "Pinch-to-zoom...available when using the browser, Gallery, and Google Maps", a weather and news app/widget including "information you want from the Web...weekly and hourly weather forecasts based on your location, and news headlines", voice-to-text wherever there are text boxes, "New Gallery application with 3D layout", and Live Wallpapers "offer[ing] richer animated, interactive backgrounds on the home screen", as well as other, more minor upgrades. However, the update did not include the addition of two more home screens currently available on the Nexus One
Nexus One
The Nexus One was Google's flagship smartphone manufactured by Taiwan's HTC Corporation. It became available on January 5, 2010 and uses the Android open source mobile operating system...
, another Android 2.1 device.
The 2.1 update roll out began on March 30, 2010. The 2.2 update was released August 2, 2010.
Android 2.2 update
After some apparent discussion by Motorola over whether they would provide an Android 2.2 Froyo upgrade for the Droid and Milestone, it was confirmed that the Droid would get the upgrade, and a staggered roll out began. This roll out began on August 3, 2010 and updates the phone to Android 2.2 build number FRG01B. Another update for the Droid began on August 24, 2010, and it included some minor bug fixes. This update's build number is FRG22D.A third update was released on December 6, 2010, with a version number of 2.2.1 and a build of FRG83D. A fourth update was released on March 9, 2011, with a version number of 2.2.2 and a build of FRG83G.
The Motorola support page reported the Milestone version would get an update to Android 2.2 in the Q1 2011, and indeed on March 15th an update was made available.
Root access and unsupported Android releases
The Motorola Droid was successfully "rootedPrivilege escalation
Privilege escalation is the act of exploiting a bug, design flaw or configuration oversight in an operating system or software application to gain elevated access to resources that are normally protected from an application or user...
" (manipulated to provide superuser
Superuser
On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor....
access) on December 8, 2009. This allowed removing sponsored/pay-to-use applets (Amazon, Verizon Visual Voice Mail, etc.), installing and launching custom software, and root access on the phone using a terminal emulator
Terminal emulator
A terminal emulator, terminal application, term, or tty for short, is a program that emulates a video terminal within some other display architecture....
. There is also a separate unofficial Android Market that allows easy installation of software solely for rooted Droids. The unofficial market is accessed and searched through the regular Market interface, after further modding, alongside official Market apps.
On June 5, 2010, a leaked Android 2.2 ROM was given to the public for those with superuser
Superuser
On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor....
access. It includes a new home launcher, Flash 10.1 support, new homescreen widgets, an updated Market, a JIT compiler for a faster system, as well as new aesthetic changes.
As of July 13, 2011, the DROID is able to be updated to the Android 2.3.4 ROM, but with many small updates and edits to the root code in order to properly run.
On July 26, 2011, an Android 2.3.5 ROM was made available for the DROID that, like the Android 2.3.4 ROM, has been modified to improve performance on the smart phone.
Motorola Milestone
The quad-band GSM/UMTS version of the Droid is the Motorola A853 (Milestone). While the phone's internal hardware (besides cellular) is the same, differences include out-of-the-box multi-touchMulti-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
support enabled, a trial version of Motorola's MOTONAV service (instead of Droid's US-only Google Maps Navigation) and an 8 GB microSDHC Card, instead of the Droid's 16 GB microSDHC card.
Geographic launch information
The launch countries for the Motorola Milestone included Germany, Italy and Argentina on November 9, 2009. Other European countries soon followed.Joining this trend, a new, North American, version of the Motorola Milestone was released in Canada in February 2010. This new version supports 3G bands II and V instead of bands I and VIII so it is compatible with Rogers, Bell, and Telus in Canada, and with AT&T and T-Mobile (2G Only) in the US. At this time, Motorola Milestone is only available from Telus. The Milestone is also available in the U.S. from several regional GSM carriers, like Cincinnati Bell
Cincinnati Bell
Cincinnati Bell is the dominant telephone company for Cincinnati, Ohio, and its nearby suburbs in the U.S. states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The parent company is named Cincinnati Bell Inc. Its incumbent local exchange carrier subsidiary uses the name Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company LLC,...
.
United Kingdom
The phone was launched in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Thursday December 10, 2009, as the Motorola Milestone. The exclusive sales outlet for the phone, eXpansys, reported that all stocks of the phone had completely sold out within 3 hours of its debut. The sell-out was considered a major victory for Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, which has had little success with its prior Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
-based phones, and had been counting on Android-based phones for future growth.
Middle East
The phone was launched in the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in 2010, however it included a serious limitation as Google prohibited access to its Android Market application for most of Middle Eastern countries. No reasonable alternative was provided by Google.
Asia, India
The Milestone was launched in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on December 21, 2009 as the sixth Android device in the region for HKD
Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
4,680 with an 8 GB microSDHC
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
card included. This version is in English but supports Chinese hand writing that originated from the Motorola MING
Motorola MING
The Motorola MING is a series of smartphone mobile phones from Motorola, sold in Hong Kong only. It is one of the series in the 4LTR line.-A1200i:The A1200 came in December 2005...
and pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
input method. While MOTONAV is included, it does not work and is not officially supported. The phone can be updated to Android 2.1 since Q1 2010, the update features a Chinese user interface and more Chinese input methods such as Changjie. The Milestone launched in India on 30 March 2010, priced at 32,000 INR
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
, approximately US$680.
Locked bootloader
Unlike the DROID, the Milestone has a bootloader that only allows signed firmwareFirmware
In electronic systems and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices...
to load. This creates difficulties for users who wish to boot custom ROM images not signed by Motorola that have become popular in the Droid modding community. This has caused discontent in the Droid community in markets foreign to the US, with numerous petitions being created. Whether the disabling of custom boot loaders is due to retailer, carrier, manufacturer, or legal restrictions is unknown.
Early in 2011 the community around Milestone ROM-Development and the Polish National BOINC Team initiated AndrOINC to decipher the RSA 1024-bit signature and make customizing possible. The project has been down since April 2011 because the German police confiscated the server on suspicion it was involved with an illegal P2P service.
In June 2011, Motorola committed to delivering an unlockable/relockable bootloader solution for phones receiving updates later that year. This will likely not include the Milestone as Motorola has not indicated it will update the Milestone past Android 2.2/Froyo.
Root access
Despite the locked bootloader, the Motorola Milestone has been successfully rooted. Several step-by-step guides are available on the web.2.0.1 update
The 2.0.1 Update, that fixed the well known camera autofocus bug, that appeared every 24.5 days, was finally released, 2 months after Motorola Droid received the update.2.1 update
The Motorola Milestone update rolled out in the beginning of May 2010, five months after the introduction of Android 2.1. After the update several problems were discovered, but since then firmware 2.1 update 1 has been released, which fixes some of the issues. Although Motorola claimed, that they have fixed the random MP3 player start problems, they still occur. It is worth noting that these problems affect only some users.2.2 update
The official Android 2.2 Froyo update was released on 16 March 2011 for UK users with a slow roll out to the rest of Europe. As of 20 March, the update was still being rolled out was not available in all countries. Community created ROMs of Android 2.2 (Froyo) and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) have existed for some time, typically based on kernels from leaked updates.The continued postponing of Milestone updates has become known under the term "Motofail" in Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Motorola Motoroi
In July 2010, Motorola launched the phone for Mexico as the Motorola A854 (MOTOROI) and became exclusive to CDMA network carrier IusacellIusacell
Grupo Iusacell is Mexico's #3 mobile operator.-Services:The company provides cellular services reaching about 90% of Mexico's population, including Mexico City and received more licenses to cover the remaining regions in early 2005. It has more than 3.5 million subscribers...
. Its history is similar to the Motorola Droid and Motorola Milestone.
See also
- HTC Droid Incredible released on April 29, 2010.
- Motorola Droid ProMotorola Droid ProThe Motorola Droid Pro, also offered by Sprint as the Motorola XPRT, is an Android-based smartphone manufactured by Motorola and released on November 18, 2010, for Verizon Wireless and June 5, 2011, for Sprint...
optimized for business users, released November 18, 2010. - Motorola Droid XMotorola Droid XThe Motorola Droid X is a smartphone manufactured by Motorola Mobility, Inc. that runs the Android 2.3 software; the version of the hardware released in Mexico is called the Motorola Motoroi X. The Droid X has been distributed since July, 2010 by Verizon Wireless in the United States and Iusacell...
released July 15, 2010. - Motorola Milestone XT720Motorola Milestone XT720The Motorola Milestone XT720 is an Android-based smartphone manufactured by Motorola Mobility. It is the first Motorola Android phone with Xenon flash.- Features :...
released July, 2010 - Motorola Droid 2Motorola Droid 2The Motorola Droid 2 is the fifth phone in Verizon's Droid line. In the U.S., it is available exclusively on Verizon Wireless, and was released August 12, 2010 . It runs the Android operating system by Google, and can run Flash Player 10.1...
released August 12, 2010. - Motorola Droid X2 released May 19, 2011.
- Motorola Droid 3 released July 7, 2011, shipping with Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread).
- HTC Incredible SHTC Incredible SThe HTC Incredible S is a smartphone designed and manufactured by Taiwan's HTC Corporation that runs the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system...
released February 26, 2011 - List of Android devices