Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from the Today @ PC World blog at PCWorld.com.
The Motorola Droid will be upgraded to the Google Android 2.1 software this week, the company announced on its official Facebook page. The over-the-air software update will bring the Droid software on the par with the Google Nexus One, albeit with some features missing.
“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,” Motorola teased on its Facebook page—without mentioning which features the Droid will get, or which other of its devices will be upgraded.
Despite few details on features, Engadget quotes “trusted sources” saying the 2.1 software update for the Droid will bring multitouch capabilities to the built-in browser and for Google Maps 3.4, Google Googles visual search, and the news and weather widgets as seen on the Nexus One. Yet the similarities with the Nexus One end here.
Some visual aspects introduced with Android 2.1 on the Nexus One won’t make it onto the Motorola Droid though. These include the new home screen with active wallpapers and the new 3D app icons grid, instead of the pull-up drawer tab Android users got accustomed to by now.
Multitouch is probably the most anticipated feature to soon grace the Motorola Droid. The Nexus One received last week a software update that added pinch-to-zoom functionality to the phone’s stock browser, photo gallery and Google Maps. Android has been previously criticized for the lack of multitouch support and hackers even went on a campaign to enable the feature.
While we patiently wait for the Android 2.1 software update for the Motorola Droid, it is still unknown when other of the company’s Android devices ( Cliq) will get up to speed with the latest release. HTC Android phones, ( G1, MyTouch 3G, Hero) are still awaiting the 2.X upgrade, though some of these devices could be left behind due to hardware differences.