Believe it or not, the original Motorola Droid can also run Google’s latest Android software and clever developers have once again demonstrated their skills in proving to the Android world that software updates on older Android handsets are still very much possible.

The OG Droid is the latest handset to join the Ice Cream Sandwich bandwagon, as word coming out from the XDA Developer Forums is that an alpha build of Android 4.0.3 is now available to download for the handset, as reported by Droid-Life. Being an alpha build though, you’ll probably want to hold off from downloading this straight away, as it won’t be a stable build and is primarily just for testing purposes which will ultimately improve future builds of the update.

The significance of this though, is that Ice Cream Sandwich is possible on the ancient OG Droid and it now looks very likely that a stable build will be become available very soon. Considering that the handset probably has a million-to-one chance of receiving an official Ice Cream Sandwich update, this is fantastic news for those of you who still happen to be rocking an original Droid.

Let’s not forget that this is a handset that launched two years ago, with Android 2.0 as well to put this into perspective. You can’t really fault the hard work that the community are putting in for free to get these unofficial software updates out to users. Hopefully it won’t be too long until the download becomes available, it would be great to see the original Droid running a stable build of Ice Cream Sandwich, side by side with the Galaxy Nexus.

Do you still have a OG Droid? If so, let us know your thoughts on this. To all other Android owners waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich to arrive, this should provide you with considerable optimism.

Engadget’s Droid RAZR review found plenty of pros and cons with this stylish smartphone. Positives include a stylish design and solid build quality, a fast 1.2GHz dual-core processor and the Smart Actions software (find out more about this here). But it’s not all great, the battery is not removable and Engadget’s Terrence O’Brien suggest that Motorola has applied “unnecessarily flashy UI customization”.

You can see the full review for yourself here, in the wrap up its thin design, premium materials and LTE connectivity are all complimented, whilst battery life and comfort in the hands are both criticised. It is also clear that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is needed.

TechCrunch’s verdict is pretty similar, they complimented the thin, beautiful and unique design, its great display and MOTOCast support, but suggested that it quite often gets hot, slows down and the battery life is not great. Jordan Crook also says that it feels too light to warrant such a price tag, but we think that this just a matter of personal opinion and you would soon get used to the aluminium and Kevlar design. You can see the full review here.

Finally you should check out the Cnet review, on the whole they seem happy with the Droid RAZR and here’s why: Firstly like TechCrunch and Engadget they are also very impressed by the design, display, 4G LTE connectivity and fast dual-core processor, however unlike the other reviews they actually complement battery life. They did however not like the fact that the battery was non-removable and suggested that it would not suit someone with relatively small hands – finally they thought that when compared to other similar smartphones the 8 megapixel wasn’t amazing.

On the whole most reputable sources say that this brings the RAZR series up to date with today’s high standards, there are some minor imperfections, but if you want the thinnest smartphone on the market, fast performance and fast connectivity you will not be making a mistake buying the Droid RAZR.

Will you buy the Motorola Droid RAZR? If not, what will you buy instead?

Remember that we are not going by the specs here, as the 800 MHz Qualcomm processor, 521MB of RAM and 5-megapixel camera will not cut it for a new Droid handset. However, we think that the design of the exterior could. The handset is only destined for China for the moment, but it would be great to see it hit the shores of the US, as we could then gauge a consumer response.

I have an iPhone 4, and while it is a great phone, it will not win any awards for how it looks. This is the same with the current batch of handsets on the market. LG has one or two nice ones, but a number of factors let them down. HTC has a few nicely designed handsets, as does Motorola, but none of them compare to the Motorola Domino+.

The smartphone market has been all about hardware and software, but never seems to bring the design into the equation – well they do but not as much as they should do. OK, so we know that the device is just a tool, but so is a car – look how important the design of vehicles are? More people now think of their phone as a fashion accessory, and the more consumers think like this, the less likely they will keep wanting to buy a Droid Brick.

MIC Gadget has a selection of images of the Motorola Domino+ – sounds like a new type of pizza. You can see this phone from a number of angles, and while the website does not care much for the phone, we do. It shows that the phone maker is capable of so much more, so why do they keep releasing handsets with the same-old design? The Droid Bionic is the first from the Droid range that tries its best not to be a brick, so maybe we are now starting to see a change in their designs?

Most drivers at some stage in their lives are guilty of speeding; while some get away with it others do not. Skatter Tech has been explaining how one guy was pulled up by a police officer for going 15mph over the speed limit. The driver Sahas Katta, maintained that he was driving below the limit and was able to prove this with the app that he had running.

You always have the chance to prove that you were not going over the speed limit, but this is often very hard to do. However, the way in which Google My Tracks keeps an eye on your speed and distance you have covered is the perfect witness. The app said that he was traveling 1mph below the speed limit, and that it was accuracte.

Katta was able to get the court to drop the charge, as the officer was unable to prove when the last time his radar gun was calibrated. Katta does warn that you should in no way try to challenge any speeding offensive, as this could be a one-off, but he did point out how smarphones and their GPS technology compare to that of a radar gun used by the police force.

Answers.com adds that although a police radar gun is not accurate all the time, there is a way for them to perform a calibration test of their own. The chances are that you are more likely to have to pay the fine, even if you do try to argue the point.

Have you ever been able to contest a speeding ticket?

The idea of having 512MB of RAM in a handset that also has dual-core processor is normally something that would get us exited, but the Atrix 4G with its 1GB of RAM has kind of spoilt that now. We have a quick video review of the specs of the Atrix 4G for you here.

Another con that I can see has to be the use of 4G, as this has often had a drain of battery performance with other handsets in the past. We also worry that carrier will not be fully able to support the speeds, so you will be paying a premium for a service that you cannot take advantage of all the time.

The pros of the Motorola Droid Bionic – which was announced at CES 2011 along with the Xoom tablet is that dual-core processor that we previously mentioned above, as it could have a possible speed of 2GHz. Some people still believe that the iPhone 4 underperforms in the camera department, not so with the Bionic. This upcoming smartphone has an 8-megapixel camera at the rear, as well as a front-facing VGA.

Another positive for the handset is how they aim to tread into the BlackBerry market, by offering something for business users. The Bionic will come with corporate email, encryption capabilities, remote wipe and data security and much more. More details on this can be found on Motorola.com.

Do you agree with these pros and cons? Do you have any more to add?

If you would like to install this firmware version you should check out MyDroidWorld for full installation instructions.

A full changelog is not known, however we can confirm that it works as many users have successfully updated to this firmware version. On the whole app compatibility seems good, however one user suggest that they are experiencing problems with the XM/Sirus app, whilst other people refute these claims.

To be honest with you I would wait until it’s official, let’s face it with no changelog and no obvious changes/improvements it is not really worth installing just yet.

Source: MyDroidWorld

Two of the other updates that will prove popular with Droid 2 users are faster GPS location tracking and an increased changeover from Wi-Fi to GPS. These are just a few, but there are 13 improvements and 4 enhancements, lets take a look at some of the others.

Like the iPhone 4, the Droid 2 has suffered from proximity sensor issues; the accuracy has now been improved for a faster response time on the screen. Visual Voice Mail has also been improved, making things much simpler than before. Adding a video file to a text message has now been made simpler, along with improved sound and video quality.

Two of the best enhancements are the ability to export your contacts list to your SD Card, and finally being able to add images to your contacts. These are just some of the features included in the update visit Droid Life for more details.

This information was made available to all on the Motorola website, but has since been removed again. This is nothing news, and has happened to the likes of Verizon and AT&T, listing something when they were not meant too.

These are not the full details, but certainly give us enough to wet our appetites. Official specs include a 1.25GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash, and the most interesting is 40GB of storage.

Scott Webster from Android Guys believes that of this 40GB, 8GB will be internal and the 32GB will be in the form of a microSD card. Has Motorola done enough, or did you expect more?

As reported from Droid-Life, new information has been obtained via a leaked Verizon document, which confirms a cut-off date for the new update, identified as FRG22D – which adds a downloadable version of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to the Android Market.

The date in question is September 4th. The document states that all Motorola Droid owners should receive the notification by then. Question is though – have you got the update already?

At least you know that you haven’t been forgotten by Verizon. Let us know your thoughts on this.

Firstly, if you want to read up on our previous details, you can do so here. This is the FRG22D update, which adds a downloadable version of Flash 10.1 to the Android market. That information came via a leaked document, but Verizon has confirmed it now, with the following message:

”Verizon Wireless has begun pushing an update today to the DROID by Motorola that will allow customers to download Adobe Flash 10.1 via Android Market.”

If you are still without Flash 10.1 on your original Droid, then now is the time to get it. You have to hand it to Verizon for still keeping the Droid nice and fresh, despite the likes of the newer Droid X and Droid 2 available to buy.

Did you download the new update? How does it work for you?

Source – Read