If the wait for official DROID 2 announcements and images is starting to get to you, you’re in luck. Droid-Life has scored the official DROID 2 owners manual for the world to partake. Not wasting any time, it’s evident that the re-worked Moto BLUR that is featured on the DROID X is front and center, as are the Swype and multi-touch keyboards, and yes — Froyo!
Speaking of that multi-touch keyboard, I’m hoping some talented dev can rip it out and port it over to the D1. To the best of my knowledge, no one has taken it off of the DROID X and got it working on a Droid 1 running Froyo, though users still back on 2.1 have voiced success. Seeing as how the D1 and D2 will share Android versions, it looks like that succulent multi-touch keyboard will finally make its way across the hardware gap.
Sadly, looking back at all the known hardware specs and now the manual, I’m left wanting more. The D1 was a game changing Android device back in November. The D2 is merely a ploy by Moto to capitalize on the D1′s success while spending as little R&D as possible. It’s not really different at all. Simply put, compared to the EVO 4G’s, and Samsung Galaxy S’s of the world, the D2 is merely average.
Mini rant aside, you can download the manual in its entirety and find several more images over at Droid-life. Hop to it!
If you want to play in the big touchscreen smartphone arena these days, one crucial feature must be included — multi-touch. Even if you think it’s not that big of a deal, just look back at web archives from countless blogs over the last few months concerning the Moto DROID in particular. One of the biggest gripes was the lack of multi-touch. Clearly it’s a deciding factor.
So why then has Sony constructed a device that is 9/10 of the way there and simply gorgeous to look at with a beautifully and intuitively crafted UI such as the Xperia X10 left off such a crucial feature?
According to Sony themselves:
“It is correct that the X10 will not support multi-touch. However with the X10’s signature applications, the X10 offers an excellent user experience
The lack of multi-touch isn’t just a software issue (as it ships with Android 1.6 which lacks multi-touch API’s) but is even a hardware issue at this point. No software update can fix that.
It’s a shame really. Short of a lag here or there and no subsidized love in the US, the Xperia X10 was quite the looker. Unfortunately it now appears it will forever remain one of those “neighbor next door” kind of phones — always there tempting you yet always just out of your grasp. Except this time, the reason for the inability to finish the job is actually by choice.
Is it just me or is the Nexus One becoming more problem prone? The latest issue surrounding the uber Android device has to do with multi-touch, more specifically when two screen inputs are extremely close together the points are flipped. Such occurrences obviously happen quite frequently as the only way to type on the N1 is via the on-screen keyboard. So how do we fix it? Well, we may not be able to outside of a large scale recall.
According to Google engineer Diane Hackborn, it’s not the OS any individual software on the device meaning she’s pegging the problem on the sensor. Mind you, this same sensor is also in a slew of other Android handsets such as the G1 and MyTouch 3G just to name a couple. The DROID looks to be exempt (if it is in fact a hardware issue) because it uses a multi-touch sensor from a different manufacturer and supposedly, a “better quality touchscreen” than the affected units previously mentioned. Good for me, bad for N1/G1/MyTouch owners.
Let’s hope that whatever the real problem is — of course if it’s more than just a simple matter of screen quality — Google can fix it relatively quickly and painlessly. Having to issue a recall spanning multiple countries, carriers, and handsets would be a nightmare of epic proportions.
Anyone with a Nexus One, G1, MyTouch can check for any multi-touch issues themselves by downloading “Multitouch Visible Test” from the Android Market and giving it a shot. Leave your results below.
Apple’s event for “exciting new devices” is just around the corner. While pretty much everyone is laser focused on any and all information pertaining to an “iTablet”, let us not forget that January is also the time in which we get to see up and coming info on new iPhone developments. A few of BGR’s ever impressive ninjas have done it again with iPhone OS 4.0. So what’s in store that we can now sorta kinda claim?
Multi-tasking: Quoting BGR’s sources…”A few new ways” to run applications in the background. (Read: background process — soooo revolutionary, Isn’t it?) Still, I’m stoked.
User Interface: Updated UI and navigation methods making the OS “easier and more efficient to navigate”.
Sync: Some new syncing ability in regards to calendars and contacts. (Pretty vague)
Multi-touch: Multi-touch gestures OS wide. Whoop whoop! Would you expect any less?
Supported models: iPhone 3G/3GS/4 — We knew it was coming at some point. It looks like the original 1st gen iPhone will be left out of OS 4.0. It’s bittersweet really. If it’s significantly different enough to render the 1st gen iPhone inadequate for daily uses, it must have something worthwhile packed inside right?
Some pretty exciting stuff in deed. If this “new and exciting” way to run applications is nothing more than background permissions for all apps I’d be a happy camper. Even though my iPhone has been relegated to glorified iPod, I wouldn’t hesitate to slap 4.0 on it.
And I’ll admit, a small piece of me is hoping a CDMA iPhone variant is revealed/announced in the near future. Maybe now will be the time to dual wield a DROID/iPhone combo hmmm?
I, like many of you, have sat back and criticized Google since day one on the lack of multi-touch support in Android. As the momentum and hype to the DROID’s launch escalated, many thought that finally, multi-touch would grace the Android masses. But alas, it didn’t and Google yet again failed in the eyes of many. What was once thought (and still sorta kinda believed) to be because of licensing/lawsuit issues with other companies (read: Apple), was recently cleared up.
Google’s Andy Rubin responded to Engadget’s Editor-in-Chief, Josh Topolsky by saying:
I don’t like two handed operations…
If it is a front for some legal red tape in the way, it’s the worst way I’ve ever seen or heard to cover such a thing up. If it’s the truth and he’s merely pushing his personal likes/dislikes on the rest of us, well, it’s still the worst thing I’ve ever heard or seen. And if it is solely because he (Andy Rubin) doesn’t like two handed operations and isn’t because of any pressing legal problems in the States, why did Motorola go EU only on multi-touch for the Sholes — the DROID’s distant cousin across the pond?
It’s all water under the bridge really. Where Google neglects to evolve or develop, others do.
If you’re really that interested in multi-touch for Android — and more importantly, the DROID — there are plenty of Android forums on the web where you can find the necessary files and instructional know-how. Hunting through various web forums and threads won’t be needed in the near future thankfully as Motorola’s CEO Sanjay Jha stated that going forward, most of Motorola’s handsets would feature multi-touch because that is what the consumers want. Well bravo Mr. Jha. That is what we want.
How soon until his words start turning in to real world mutli-touch goodness? We shall see. One thing I’m interested in is if Motorola will push out an update for the DROID so that it receives the same multi-touch love. Though again, if not it’s OK. I’ve had multi-touch on my DROID for weeks. Just have to know where to go…
If none of the current crop of available Android devices nor those of imminent releases such as the Xperia X10 and Nexus One are doing it for you, perhaps a new Android device from rather obscure (to me anyway) OPPO will float your boat. The device at this time has no name, no identity, and likely no friends with little information except for a couple of pictures.
Looking at the image above, it’s easy to see that this won’t exactly be the thinnest Android device to date though still comes away with a pretty cool physical design. I might add though that those hardware buttons on the front of the device aren’t really doing it for me though. The blue glow that radiates from within however is pretty sweet battery killer or not.
As far as those few known specs, we’re looking at now standard fair:
3.5″ 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen
Slide-out QWERTY
WiFi
**Multi-touch
For now, the multi-touch isn’t specified any further and frankly doesn’t mean much. The Droid has multi-touch support. It’s just poorly implemented and isn’t used in a way that is widely popular or known — ala pinch-to-zoom like the iPhone. You can see for yourselves by downloading the Dolphin web browser from the Android Market onto your Droid as the developers behind Dolphin added pinch-to-zoom to their application to make up for Motorola’s/Google’s shortcoming.
If the spec sheet fills out and the physical design get’s a tad more lovin’, this OPPO Android phone should be a pretty sweet deal. Anyone interested?
I don’t personally own an HP TouchSmart PC. I’ve used one though and came away overall impressed. It’s a nifty idea though not one I’d want to make use of daily. Some things I just prefer to do with an old fashioned mouse and keyboard, joystick sometimes makes grand appearance. The real problem with the TouchSmart is that it only senses up to two fingers. The reason behind such woes stem from the sheer size of the display which forced HP to rely on older optical sensor based technology for the touchscreen mayhem.
Thankfully many smart people around the world work on such issues as the two-finger TouchSmart PC limit. Two of those very groups happen to be German think tanks Elektrosil and Citron creating some truly awesome multi-touch-on-steroids technology dubbed “dreaMTcouh”.
The real cake taker here is that with the help of dreaMTouch, touch input focused computers such as the TouchSmart (there’s a whole lotta touchin’ goin’ on…) can jump from paltry 2-finger support all the way up to 32 phalanges if the necessary amount of fingers and toes can be allocated for.
Currently, the panel that slips over the actual display of the end user measures in at 4mm so it’s not that big. But do you really want some big piece of plastic hanging in front of your nice, glassy display? Hmm, me thinks that 32 points of contact between myself and the digital world is certainly worth a few sacrifices. Did I mention that this technology can be scaled up to displays up to 82″ in size? Ya, somehow that plastic shroud is looking like less of an excuse. What says you?
HTC’s current lack or recognition for Android 1.6 (Donut) has left many HTC users feeling hurt and unloved. Even though Cupcake/1.6 doesn’t bring anything that earth shattering, Android people love their updates. Almost as much as CrackBerry users. So it is understandable that a lack of 1.6 love could cause some problems. Take comfort in knowing that it is for the greater good….
An email between a slightly disgruntled HTC Hero user and an HTC European CSR:
Dear HTC customer,
Thank you for contacting our Customer Support Center. We are dedicated to providing you with the best quality service and answering all of your questions and concerns.
The Hero will not be receiving the Android 1.6 upgrade, it will however get the 2.0 one. Do note however that we do not have a confirmed release date for this upgrade, all I can recommend at the moment is that you keep yourself updated by visiting our website regularly as the latest information will be available to view from there.
Best regards,
HTC customer support team
HTC Corp. Global Service Division
I think I could stomach missing out on some minor updates for the bigger, badder 2.0 perfection that is Android 2.0/Eclair. Don’t you? For now, file this neat carefully handled tidbit into the “rumor” file as HTC has yet to confirm such an announcement. Awaiting a response from HTC themselves. Though I’m not expect too much at this point. An answer confirming this rumor would make for a pleasant surprise…
Are you eagerdying to know everything, and I mean everything about Android 2.0 (Eclair)? Even though Verizon’s various documents and product marketing material have done an ok job giving us a few talking points on Google’s up and coming update, if you really want to know every nook and cranny of the beauty that is Eclair, the video below needs to be in your que.
If you’re of the impatient type, I’ll go ahead and give you something to get you going. Some of the more drool worthy Android 2.0 features:
WVGA (800×480) and FWVGA (854×480) support
Revamped browser UI w/ HTML 5 support
Exchange Support
Drastically improved on-screen keyboard
Multi-touch support
Improved & deeper camera controls
Such things are the very tip of the iceberg mind you. It’s in your best interest to take a look at the video below. Sit back and watch it. When you’re done, watch it again. Then lets us know what you think. Please T-Mobile, get an Android device as awesome as the Moto Droid and soon! Heck, I’ll pretty much take anything with Android 2.0 at this point. Though it appears I may be waiting just a tad as subtle hints in the vid below have Verizon slyly admitting to a small exclusive period with Android 2.0. Here’s to hoping it’s indeed short…
Get online with best value broadband & home phone bundles.
Choose between our Essentials or Plus packages -
both with introductory offers - & benefit from our ground-breaking HomeSafe online protection.
Compare our broadband and phone bundles with our competitors.
We think our Essentials and Plus packages are great value -
see for yourself by checking the breakdown of costs and features versus our biggest competitors.
When it comes to marketing your product it's essential to understand the visitor patterns in your shop. Heatmap software allows you to do just that by producing reports and visualizations that help you make the best decisions for your business.
If the wait for official DROID 2 announcements and images is starting to get to you, you’re in luck. Droid-Life has scored the official DROID 2 owners manual for the world to partake. Not wasting any time, it’s evident that the re-worked Moto BLUR that is featured on the DROID X is front and center, as are the Swype and multi-touch keyboards, and yes — Froyo! 
HTC’s current lack or recognition for Android 1.6 (Donut) has left many HTC users feeling hurt and unloved. Even though Cupcake/1.6 doesn’t bring anything that earth shattering, Android people love their updates. Almost as much as CrackBerry users. So it is understandable that a lack of 1.6 love could cause some problems. Take comfort in knowing that it is for the greater good….
