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Nexus One Rival Droid Gets Android 2.1 Update
The Motorola Droid is getting a boost courtesy of Google, maker of the Droid's rival Nexus One smartphone. Google is releasing the Android 2.1 OS update for the Droid, adding to the Droid user experience with multitouch functions, voice-text capabilities, and a new night-mode illumination feature. The Nexus OneAfter rolling out its latest operating system on its exclusive Nexus One smartphone in January,
The over-the-air update will be available in batches of 250,000 beginning Thursday, March 18, Verizon Wireless announced. A blog dedicated to Android posted the official software update notice on Wednesday.
The fast-selling Droid is estimated to make up 15 percent of all Android smartphones sold.
According to the analytics firm Flurry, which measures access to key web sites by various smartphones, the Droid reached an estimated 1,050,000 users in its first 74 days on the market -- the same period of time it took Apple to sell one million of its first-generation iPhone in 2007. In the same post-launch period beginning Jan. 5 of this year, the Nexus One sold only 135,000 handsets through its online store and T-Mobile outlets.
Multitouch, Voice Text
The Android update will add to the Droid user experience by allowing limited multitouch, a feature pioneered by the iPhone. Android 2.1 allows pinch-and-zoom interaction with photo galleries, Google Maps and web browsing. A weather and news widget will allow users to receive weekly or hourly updates based on their location and the type of news they prefer, and there is greater support for Yahoo mail accounts.
Android 2.1 also allows users to make more use of text entry by voice, simply by touching the microphone whenever a text window appears. Another dazzling feature is interactive animated wallpaper for backgrounds, and it will be easier to use Google Maps Navigation after dark with a new night-mode illumination feature.
While Android 2.1 and its successors can be an immediate selling point for Verizon Wireless in marketing the Droid, the impact is unclear.
"I don't think it will have a great impact on sales other than trying to keep current with all the iPhone applications already available," says Kirk Parsons, an analyst with J.D. Power and Associates. "Android is updating its OS platform to make it more appealing to a broader audience, and to be more competitive in the marketplace, especially versus the iPhone."
Speed and Flash Advantages
Even with its operating system on rival phones, the Nexus One still has a few advantages.
"The big selling point with the Nexus One is its openness with various software application services via the OS platform and some features that the iPhone still does not have, like being able to open up flash-based web sites," Parsons explained.
The Nexus One can also boast of its speed, with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, compared with Droid's 550MHz processor.
Later this spring, Google will reportedly sell a Nexus One model compatible with the Verizon network , as it did this week with AT&T, although T-Mobile is currently the only carrier selling the device subsidized, at $179 with a two-year plan. The unlocked version of the phone, for $529, can be placed on most carrier networks.
In another development, Google's bid to trademark the term "Nexus One" was reportedly rejected by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because it is too similar to products patented by Integra Telecom. That means the search giant may have to license the moniker from Integra or find a new name, if it can't appeal the ruling.
may still have an edge over the Droid.
Wireless Business Solution Zee Tawasha