droidStory

Expected to be launched today, October 4th, the fifth iPhone from Apple is causing a stir. The ‘Let’s talk iPhone’ event is being held in California which is where Apple are expected to reveal the new edition of the iPhone. New Apple boss Tim Cook is set to host the event that is inviting a lot of speculation as to what the new model will be like.

Of the many people who own mobile phones, a large percentage of them have chosen the iPhone. Whether they are with O2, or another network, the general consensus is that they are really great phones to own. This is why there has been so much hype surrounding the immanent launch of this new model. It is assumed to be even better than the previous iPhones and there is a lot of anticipation surrounding its features and specifications.

The iPhone 4 has been around for 15 months, and the gap between that release and this new one has been the longest in the history of the iPhone. It is possible that this is due to the difficulty of the task Apple faced when they decided to design the new iPhone to use iCloud. This will enable users to back-up the data from their smartphones and even tablets. This will be a really useful feature, giving users a lot more security and peace of mind

The idea that iCloud will be incorporated into this device puts Apple once again ahead of its competitors. While Samsung and HTC have been catching up with the iPhone in terms of the capabilities of their hardware, the development of the iCloud is definitely an advancement on Apple’s side. If users have the ability to update and activate the phone without using a PC, this should boost sales of the iPhone and make it extremely desirable. Thankfully, users will not have to wait much longer to get their hands on the fifth iPhone.

You can almost hear a collective sigh of relief – the long-awaited release of Android 2.2. for the Verizon DroidX is finally here. I received the OTA Update notification this morning, after manually checking for system updates on my DX.

I’m now installing the update, which seems to take unusually long and looks as if its hanging half-way through… hmmm.

Update: The update process is definitely hung. You can get detailed progress when you hit the search key. It’s sitting at “patching system files”. OK. now what – the power button doesn’t work, so remove the battery and hope for the best.

So, I forced a reboot by removing the battery. The phone went right back into the update process and is now moving past the step where it stopped before. Now, finishing up and sitting at reboot.

Update1: Now the reboot is taking forever. All I see is the Motorola logo, and the led is lighting up green every now and then. I updated a number of Android phones, including my Nexus One and Droid Incredible, but the process has never been this painful. WTF – Verizon?

Froyo was originally expected to be released in August for the DroidX. Now half-way through September, a hidden page on Verizon’s DroidDoes website is hinting its imminent arrival.

The link to the DX support page still lists the previous software update without any mention of Android 2.2. Stay tuned…!

Update: It looks like the support page has now been updated: http://support.vzw.com/pdf/system_update/droid_x.pdf

I’m not really surprised about this, other than that it took that long.

Nathan Nabors, a Florida resident, has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Google was in breach of contract by not resolving the Nexus One 3G connectivity problems that some users were experiencing, in addition to the inadequate support Google was providing during the time the company was selling the phone.

I’ve experienced first-hand the 3G problems and posted numerous blog posts and YouTube videos that illustrate the issue. I’ve also felt strongly that the problem was caused by the phone’s hardware, specifically a flaw in the antenna design, combined with T-Mobile’s sub-optimal 3G coverage and signal strength.

Still, Google sold the phone directly to consumers and was not prepared to deal with the support burden. Perhaps that is the reason why Google is the only defendant named in the lawsuit.

I’m now happily using a DroidX on Verizon and the Nexus One / T-Mobile 3G frustration is only distant memory.

The guys at MyDroidWorld got their hands on a leaked (read unauthorized) Android 2.2 Froyo version for the DroidX. They kindly provided the update instructions and download mirrors to the update.zip file here. Rooted and un-rooted phones can be upgraded. It is not clear if this version is a release candidate of the anticipated official release slated for sometime in August or September, but it is likely that it is not.

Many people are reporting successful installation and use of this version, but caution is strongly advised. Unlike the original Droid or the Nexus One, Motorola and Verizon have gone all out (eFuse) to protect the latest Droid from unauthorized updates. While eFuse is not going to brick your phone as some initially reported it is still preventing custom ROM’s from being installed. This update obviously coming from Motorola installs fine, but it is unclear if the official OTA Update of Froyo will, once you’ve installed this leaked version.

For that reason I’m going to sit this one out…

Update: Well, this did not take long. Numerous blogs report that Motorola has sent a cease & desist order to the sites hosting the leaked update. Why am I not surprised.

The NPD Group published its latest research report yesterday, showing that Android took the lead spot in handsets sold to US consumers in Q2, counting for 33 percent of all smartphones purchased. This puts Android ahead of RIM (28 percent) and Apple (22 percent).

“For the second consecutive quarter, Android handsets have shown strong but slowing sell-through market share gains among U.S. consumers,” said Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis for NPD. “While the Google-developed OS took market share from RIM, Apple’s iOS saw a small gain this quarter on the strength of the iPhone 4 launch.”

Based on U.S. consumer purchases of mobile phones in Q2, the top 5 Android smartphones were as follows:

1. Motorola Droid
2. HTC Droid Incredible
3. HTC EVO 4G
4. HTC Hero
5. HTC Droid Eris