Motorola announced via its Facebook page yesterday that the Droid will be getting an over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 2.1. The new version of the Android OS (a.k.a. Eclaire), is currently running only on Google’s Nexus One.

Motorola announced the forthcoming update for later this week and apologized to Droid users for a lack of details on which functions will be included.

“Motorola Hi all – we know you are frustrated with the lack of details regarding Android software upgrades and we sincerely apologize for not being able to share info sooner. We’re happy to relay the 2.1 upgrade to DROID will start to roll out this week, and we will have more information to share on other device upgrades later this week as well,” Motorola posted on its Facebook page.

The Droid was released running Android 2.0 and has since received one OTA to version 2.0.1.

[via Wireless Week]

Not 24 hours after Steve Jobs told his minions that Google’s Don’t Be Evil mantra was “B.S.” (or “crap” depending on who you listen to) Google answers by pushing out an Android update to Nexus One users that includes multi-touch (and other Android goodness).

Google, up until yesterday, left multi-touch off its U.S. Android phones, presumably in deference to Apple’s multi-touch patent.

It was also rumored that Apple asked Google not to release multitouch in the U.S. to avoid the IP aggression we’ve seen it take against Palm for including multi-touch in the Pre.

I’m not saying that Google released the Nexus One multi-touch update because of Jobs’ comments, but it may have been pushed out a little sooner because of them.

More evidence of how the relationship between Apple and Google has chilled lately.

The N1 update takes the Android/iPhone battle to a new level and frankly, the ball’s in Apple’s court. Jobs promised that the next iPhone would be A+ and that Android won’t be able to keep up with it.

Them’s fighting words, Steve!

If Apple doesn’t address a majority of the items on my iPhone wishlist (background apps, voice search, improved home/lock screens, widgets, etc.) with its “A+” release we’ll know that Jobs was just trash-talking and that Android has clearly taken the lead in the smartphone wars.

Note: Impatient Nexus One owners can force the firmware update by following this technique. It preserves your data and apps and doesn’t require root access.

[via ZDNet]

This brief tutorial will guide you through upgrading CyanogenMod 4.1.99 to 4.1.999 on your Android G1 phone.

Fortunately, the process to go from 4.1.99 to 4.1.999 is much, much easier than updating to 4.1.99 itself. For a full list of all the changes in v4.1.999 see the changelog. One of the bigger changes is that bluetooth is now 100% working. Please note: the steps outlined in this tutorial require that your G1 is currently running 4.1.99. You cannot use the method outlined below to go from any version other than 4.1.99 to 4.1.999. If you need help installing 4.1.99, please see this tutorial.

1. Start out by downloading CyanogenMod 4.1.999 here (or from this mirror).
2. Copy the .zip file to your G1’s SD card.
3. Boot into Recovery Mode by powering off your phone, and then powering it back on while holding down the Home button.
4. When the Android system recovery screen loads, scroll to nandroid v2.2 backup and select it by clicking your trackball.



5. Before applying any upgrade, it’s a good idea to perform a backup with nandroid. The process only takes a couple of minutes.



6. Once the backup has completed, scroll to apply any zip from sd and select it by clicking your trackball.



7. Select the update-cm-4.1.999-signed.zip file on your SD card. Make sure to select the one ending in .999 if you still have version .99 on your card.



8. Click the file with your trackball. You’ll be prompted to confirm this action by clicking the Home button on your phone. Do so now.



9. CyanogenMod 4.1.999 will now install.



10. Once the installation has completed you’ll see the message Install from sdcard complete on the Android system recovery screen. Now scroll to reboot system now and click it with your trackball.



11. Your phone will now reboot. Don’t be at all surprised or alarmed if your phone takes longer to start up. Both the mobile providers boot screen (in my case T-Mobile) and the Android boot screen (pictured below) may be displayed for longer than usual. Again, this is normal.



12. One of the minor smaller changes in 4.1.999 is the inclusion of some new wallpaper. In case you missed the link at the beginning of this tutorial, see the see the changelog for a full list of new features and fixes.

By Ross McKillop

[via Simple Help]