Posts tagged milestone
Telus updates Milestone, but isn’t 2.2 yet
Aug 11th
This is a bit of a surprise! IntoMobile is reporting that Telus’ Milestone has been updated, but the software version is 2.1 still. Don’t expect Froyo anytime soon, then.
The updates include:
- Alarm Improvements
- Music Player Functionality
- Audio Quality Enhancement
- PIN Lock Improvements
- Proximity Mode Enhancement
- “My Location” Improvements
Check out the update at Motorola’s website, and wait patiently for 2.2.
Will the Droid be Motorola’s last hackable phone?
Jul 16th
Uh-oh.
Here comes the cavalry. According to a leaked doc from the Droid-Life forums, the first and perhaps only moddable Motorola Verizon handset is going bye-bye. If that is true, and as a result the phone is discontinued to make way for the Droid 2, it is likely that the Droid will become somewhat of a collector’s item amongst Verizon users looking to mod their devices.
Though, in reality, if you haven’t picked up a Droid yet, you probably never will. Since the Droid X was released yesterday, and is much more appropriately named, I feel like most people won’t miss the device too much.
There is a possibility, however, that Google would have asked Motorola not to lock down the bootloader on the Droid 2 as well. But since the direction Motorola is going seems to be once of draconian eFuse domination, I doubt that’s going to actually happen. But what of the legacy of the Droid? It’s important to know that Motorola has vigilantly prevented users from hacking their phones, encrypting the bootloader and threatening to brick the phone if the user tries to mess with it. While the eFuse technology is not confirmed to actually brick the phone, the momentum has already left Motorola getting defensive. They’ve already claimed that if you want to buy a hackable phone, get it from another manufacturer.
I like Motorola’s phones. I think they make good hardware and they don’t try to screw up the user experience too much. There is something to be said for a company that learns from its mistakes. But this bootloader issue doesn’t seem to be a mistake. It’s a calculated business decision, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. I am disappointed in the company, though not really surprised.
Let’s hope Google coerces Motorola to keep the bootloader hackable on the Droid 2. I don’t think it will happen, but it’s been a hot summer and magic may still strike.
European Motorola Milestone 2.1 Update Available, Brings Nine Homescreens
May 6th
It may not be the mid-April date that Motorola had promised so long ago, but it’s better than nothing. According to Motorola’s Facebook page European Motorola Milestone users can now get their official 2.1 update bringing with it, the option to use as many as a whopping nine homescreens. Voice dialing over Bluetooth is also an added feature that the US Motorola Droid did not receive in it’s version of 2.1 that the Milestone will receive.
Users have been reporting however that they are having issues after the update with putting their devices in the multimedia dock. Motorola has offered some advice on how to fix the problem—simply clearing out the multimedia cache should resolve the issue.
In some cases problems with docking stations have been due to old cache, try this:
1.Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications
2.Press menu button
3.Filter -> All -> Multimedia station -> Clear data
The update is available from Motorola’s Milestone support page and is currently only available as a side-loaded update but we hear that an OTA version is in the works. A PDF is available here if you need more details before you bite the bullet.
(Via Android Central)
Telus Milestone 2.1 Update Available Now
Apr 21st
Telus Milestone users who have been waiting so patiently for their 2.1 update are in luck today. Telus and Motorola have pushed out the software update, though this won’t be coming in an OTA (over the air) fashion. Instead users can grab it through Motorola’s website at this link. Just select your carrier (Telus) and your device (Milestone) to download the update. Once downloaded, users will need to link up their Milestone via micro USB cable and then proceed with the update. Hit up the full changelog after the break, and if you are a Telus Milestone user and grab the update, make sure to drop a comment with your results.
Telus Milestone and Hero Updates Coming in May/June
Apr 9th
Last night, at the Motorola MotoBlur party (coverage to follow) I had an interesting conversation with someone who works within Telus’ ranks. He said, unofficially, that the updates Android 2.1 for the Telus Milestone and Hero will be coming in early May for the Milestone and early June for the Hero.
The Milestone update is currently being tested in-house and is going along nicely, and likely has the same includes as the European Milestone updates.
As for the Hero, he was less conclusive, saying that the update will come, though it is unknown if it will arrive in late May/early June, or be pushed back till a later date. Considering no Hero versions have yet to be updated to 2.1 (though Sprint’s is supposed to be released today) it is not a huge surprise.
This jibes with our previous suggestion that someone dropped the ball with the Hero update, citing “lack of effort” within the company itself. Seems nobody at Telus is in a hurry to train and support new versions of their phones. Sounds like you’re becoming the new Rogers, Telus. Well done. Or not.
Telus Increases Milestone Price to Undesirable, Wants To Kill Its Own Buzz
Apr 8th
Mobile Syrup has just reported that the Milestone is now up to iPhone 3GS territory on its 3-year plans, after blitzing the country with a great advertising campaign showing off the benefits of the Android platform, and pronouncing the Milestone as “The King of Android Phones.”
On a 3-year plan with voice and data, the Milestone now costs $199.99, which is the same as an iPhone 3GS 16GB. Now I don’t know about you, but the average Telus customer walking into a retail store, seeing those two phones side-by-side, is likely not going to pick the Milestone. This is based on the lack of disseminated information about the Android platform as a whole, and the fact that, when it comes down to it, the iPhone is just way prettier than the big box of the Droid/Milestone.
Which would I pick? At that price, probably the iPhone. And I love Android. So this is quite perplexing. Of course Telus introduced the phone at $149.99 on an Introductory Price, which has now, obviously, expired, but this is eating its own lunch. The Milestone was (is) selling quite well for the company, and I wonder if they realize what that extra $50 will do to its sales margins.
We’ll never know, since Telus won’t likely release sales statistics (though they have claimed before that the phone has sold beyond their expectations), but seriously, guys, sell this phone at $99.99 on a 3-year contract and you’ll have the whole country using it.
Thoughts?
Telus Adds Paid Apps to Android Marketplace
Mar 26th
Someone threw the switch at Telus last night, and Milestone and Hero owners on the Telus network woke to the ability to pay for apps, a long-awaited (and recently-added-to-Rogers) feature.
Now, the presence of paid apps in the Marketplace may not seem like a huge win, since most of the best Android apps are still free, but there are a few I believe are worth paying for:
- Touiteur Premium is the best Android Twitter app on the market, in my opinion. And the premium version adds multiple-account access. £1.99
- Weatherbug Elite adds multiple widgets, multiple locations and a whole whack of cool features to the paid version, for $1.99
- Asphalt5 is the most graphically-advanced game on the Android platform at this point. Smooth as butter and oh-so-pretty. Eat that, iPhone! $6.99
- xScope Browser (Web File Task) is by far the best, feature-rich browser on the Android market, and the developer, unlike Dolphin, updates often and communicates with his fans. $2.99
That’s just a taste of the wide array of paid apps available. Now in order for devs to keep building great apps for the Android platform, buy some!
Telus Motorola Milestone Rooted!
Mar 12th
Yes, folks, don’t all charge the doors at once, but root access has been gained for the Telus Motorola Milestone! This is a big deal for a couple reasons:
First, Motorola decided to lock down the boot sector on the Milestone, meaning that it cannot be rooted directly.
Second, the phone requires a signed boot ROM, in order to run an OS, so only Motorola-approved ROMs are accessible.
If this is all over your head, think about it this way: Android runs a pared-down version of a Linux operating system, with a simplified, touch GUI on top of it. In order to do anything inside the phone, meaning below the depths of what you can do in the GUI, you need root access to the file system. This allows programs to delete OS-installed programs, to overclock the CPU, and to basically do whatever you want with the phone.
The other benefit of rooting the phone, is, typically, allowing custom ROMs to be installed. Say you want to alter the look of the OS with your own custom icons, fonts, and pre-install a bunch of programs, without having to go through the hassle of doing everything manually. A ROM will do it all for you. Most Android phones, such as the G1, Magic, Dream, Hero, Droid, and even the Nexus One, support custom ROMs.
The Milestone does not.
BUT now, by reflashing the Milestone with a Brazilian Motorola-signed ROM, we are able to root the device and gain access to some, not all, of the amazing features that a rooted device gives you.
If you have a Telus Milestone, and feel like delving into this deep, difficult, and fascinating world of rooting, follow the guide at AllDroid, and if you have any questions, post it on the forum.
Below you see proof of Root since the Superuser Whitelist application is only accessible when the phone has been rooted.
Big Props to EkostonS at AllDroid, and all the great guys who worked really hard over the past two days to make this possible!
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