Droid users: If you were hoping to get a nice replica of the Nexus One’s 2.1 flavor of Android, sit down and get ready for some slightly disappointing news. The launcher on the Moto DROID official 2.1 OS uses the same pull-tab launcher, not the new 3D cube style of the Nexus One. Furthermore, the live wallpapers that are gimmicky yet cool are also MIA.
It’s not all bad however. For instance, multi-touch is now supported in the browser (finally) and the News/Weather Genie widget also comes along for the ride. The rest of the performance tweaks and other doo-dads appear to be included as well. The full rundown is as follows:
I have to ask though — for all of the DROID tinkerers (read: those who run custom ROMs), who’s even really interested in 2.1 anymore? I mean, with the help of Sholes.info and AllDroig, I’ve been rocking every piece of 2.1 on 2.0.1 for the last month and a half while being faster and less bug ridden to boot.
As for not including the new homescreen/launcher and live wallpapers, is it some artificial limitation by Google to differentiate the two phones or more because of hardware performance? I can’t imagine it has too much to do with the hardware as again, I’ve been running a live wallpaper on my DROID for a solid three weeks without any hiccup — ditto for the 3D launcher.
As far as current 2.1 custom ROMs for the DROID, the only issues that have remained are a glitch in the 3D cube launcher in landscape mode and the Nexus One live wallpaper not working. Other than that it’s just peachy. Once the official Droid 2.1 update gets into the hands of devs however, expect those last remaining issues (and omissions) to be cleared up in no time flat.
The timeline for the 2.1 DROID release is for now obscured in a shroud of unknown. As long as internal testing on VZW goes well, “within a month” doesn’t sound too far off does it? Oh well, at least we’re getting something, right?
March 8, 2010 at 2:03 pm
is anyone interested in important fixes like the serious issues with the contacts list (phone thinking it’s smart and randomly combining contacts so you cant find them), and email issues (no ability to add signature lines (exchange, not g-mail). Or is everyone just worried about the pretty pictures?
February 11, 2010 at 10:54 am
Quick question…i have BusyBox v1.15.2 installed and i am stuck at Steps 6 & 7 for the live wallpapers…How do i run command lines in recovery mode? Thanks
February 9, 2010 at 12:13 am
what rom are you running that gave you live wallpapers?
February 9, 2010 at 12:18 am
My current ROM (Sholes 2.0.3) doesn’t come with Live wallpapers, though I did re-add them by downloading the two needed files and copying them over to the phone form the SD card.
(How to install Nexus One Live Wallpapers on Droid — Files linked in post
)
The older ROM that I used that came with the Live Wallpapers was one of Eugene’s ROM’s from Alldroid I believe. In reality though, any 2.1 ROM that you flash should have Live Wallpapers included.
February 11, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I have Sholes 2.0.3 and BusyBox v1.15.2…i am stuck At Steps 6 & 7 for installing live wallpapers. How do i enter commands in recovery mode?
February 8, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Can I upgrade via QR code while watching tv? hehe… the google channel.
February 8, 2010 at 9:43 pm
Are there going to be 5 screens or still only 3?
February 8, 2010 at 9:47 pm
For that, I’m not sure. Technically speaking, the “2.1 launcher” includes the 3D cube app drawer and 5-screen layout I believe. Since we are getting stuck with the 2.0.1 style launcher sans 3D cube, it appears to be 3 screens only. Again, reason enough to root and install a custom ROM.
February 8, 2010 at 9:54 pm
OK, thank you, maybe time to install custom ROM.
February 8, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Which live wallpaper are you running on the Droid?
thanks
February 8, 2010 at 2:22 pm
The water ripple one.
February 8, 2010 at 1:18 pm
darn, i hate that stupid red eye thing on startup. that red eye thing looks totally lame and a freshman art major could make that.
anyway, i just want more home screens and improved performance so im stoaked.
February 8, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Ya, the eye is lame. But that’s what custom ROMs are for