There’s nary a sign of the Motorola MILESTONE (the Euro-spec version of the Motorola DROID we’ve been so enamoured of) in the UK or indeed across the majority of Europe, but German buyers now have a plurality of choice should they want an Android 2.0 handset. Joining O2 Germany is Vodafone Germany, who are now listing the MILESTONE priced from €99 ($148) with a new contract.
While much of the Verizon DROID by Motorola impressed us, one less than satisfying aspect of the Android 2.0 smartphone is its camera. Despite boasting 5.0-megapixel optics, the DROID’s autofocus was sluggish and the final shots mediocre. Now, an ostensibly simple fix is promising to address the issue, and you don’t even need to whip out the screwdrivers: in fact, all that’s required is a soft cloth to give the DROID’s lens a proper clean.
Updated: There’s now talk that the camera issues were addressed with a “silent” over-the-air (OTA) firmware update. That’s not been confirmed by Verizon or Motorola as yet.
Update 2: The bizarreness continues; according to Google Android team member Dan Morill the autofocus issue is date-related, with the DROID cycling between 24.5 day periods of “good” autofocus and 24.5 day periods of “bad”. Since today marked the beginning of a “good” cycle, the DROID’s camera will behave for almost a month, and Dan is promising a fix will be available before things go murky and fuzzy again.
While the US goes DROID crazy after Friday’s launch of the Android 2.0 smartphone, O2 Germany are not far behind when it comes to the GSM version. The Motorola MILESTONE – as the DROID will be known outside the US – was spotted on the carrier’s site last week and officially announced on Monday; it’s now being listed on the O2 Germany site, priced at €549.99 ($816).
If you can predict a device’s success by site stats then we’d say the Verizon DROID by Motorola is going to be a hit. A week after launch and the DROID is still topping the charts for reader interest, and you’ve been peppering us with questions and comments about the Android 2.0 device. Set to hit shelves this coming Friday, the Verizon DROID is already being heralded as the device that will change Motorola’s fortunes; is that hyperbole, or is the DROID really that good? We’ve been putting the smartphone through its paces, so read on for the full SlashGear review.
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Verizon's apparent intention to show up AT&T and the iPhone at every turn continues, with the latest snook to be cocked being confirmed tethering for the Verizon DROID by Motorola. According to the CDMA carrier, early 2010 will see the Verizon Broadband Access Connect plan arrive on the Android slider, likely priced at the usual $15 per month on top of your regular data contract.
Bombing customers with the latest smartphone, frightening horses and destroying many seasons’ worth of precious forest loam – it’s all here in Verizon’s latest teaser commercial for the Verizon DROID by Motorola. Unlike their first attempt at publicity, which basically took pot-shots at the iPhone, this new “Stealth” ad instead hopes to drum up some interest with a sci-fi theme.
Video ad after the cut
Having been spotted over the weekend, albeit unofficially, Motorola Europe and O2 have officially announced the Motorola MILESTONE, the GSM version of the Verizon DROID. The MILESTONE will run Android 2.0, just as with the CDMA handset, and has been confirmed for Germany and Italy on – according to Motorola Germany – at least Vodafone and O2.
US would-be DROID buyers now livid by the European version of the smartphone’s multitouch support can take heart in the fact that while the Motorola MILESTONE gives with one hand, it takes away with the other. Mobile-Review’s Eldar Murtazin has revealed that – on his pre-release Euro model at least – Android 2.0 lacks turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps Navigation.
Update: A Google spokesperson has told us that the reason turn-by-turn is absent from the MILESTONE is because currently the beta is US-only.
Having heard over the weekend that the GSM version of the Motorola DROID – the Motorola MILESTONE – would be landing in Europe later this month on carrier O2, Mobile-Review’s always-on-the-inside Eldar Murtazin has pushed out a video of the handset in action. As well as swapping the CDMA of the Verizon DROID by Motorola for GSM/UMTS, the new MILESTONE also gains multitouch support in Android 2.0.
Video demo of multitouch Motorola MILESTONE after the cut
The weeks are just flying by, time change is this weekend so I hope you aren’t late for anything. The holidays will be here before we know it. This has been another busy week in the gadget world. HTC has confirmed that Android 2.0 smartphones are incoming and the HTC Dragon is the likely first Android 2.0 device to come from HTC.
Chrome OS: Waiting Is The Hardest Part…Though Necessary
Apple is no longer the Nordstrom of Tech, they’re the “New Nordstrom”
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Hey, Premium Notebooks or Netbooks, Get the Basics Right!
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