Verizon Wireless has detailed a software update that will soon be pushed to the Motorola DROID X, thus confirming that the phone will be upgraded to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The update will include a number of enhancements and the more prominent ones include a new user interface, better word prediction, app grouping, an improved email application, geo-tagging support in the camera, a download manager application, auto-focus improvements for the camera in low-light conditions, and improved battery life while using Bluetooth. Phone Scoop says Verizon has confirmed it will begin pushing the Android 2.3 update to DROID X phones on May 27th.

[Via Phone Scoop]

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Roku has just announced a firmware update — version 2.9 b1509 — for its popular line of streaming media players. The new code packs various bug fixes, playback optimizations, and, most notably, 1080p video playback for the Roku XR player. If your device hasn’t yet automatically retrieved the update, you can manually grab the firmware by navigating to: Settings > Player Info > Check For Updates.

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Microsoft has been talking about Windows Phone 7 updates since long before Windows Phone 7 was even released. While the OS’ launch was a bit rushed, we have to commend Microsoft for taking a pretty open stance and choosing to talk about upcoming functionality instead of shrugging off inquiries as most companies do. WP7 users should be happy to learn that many of the upcoming features Microsoft has been discussing could be coming as soon as January in a major update. According to Windows Phone 7 developer Chris Walsh, who claims to have inside knowledge of the update, Microsoft’s upcoming software bump will be “massive.” Expected features include copy/paste, free voice-guided Bing navigation, custom ringtone support, a third-party multitasking solution and more. Needless to say, all of this functionality is sorely missed in Windows Phone 7 as it stands today.

[Via Windows Phone Central]

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It appears as though two additional iPhone model names have surfaced in Apple’s latest iteration of the AppleTV firmware. The two devices — which are listed as iPhone 3,2 and iPhone 3,3 — will presumably have the same form factor as the current iPhone 4 model (unless Apple has decided to do something drastically different with model names) but have some sort of internal tweak(s). What could those tweaks be? It could be anything from an updated processor or antenna design to a… wait for it… CDMA radio. It’s all speculative at this point. Let us know what you think it could be.

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After compiling and posting ROMs for hundreds of smartphones — from HTC, RIM, Motorola, and more — Conflipper is throwing in the towel and no longer updating his popular Shipped ROMS website. The decision is part of a compromise negotiated with HTC following a Cease and Desist letter from the handset manufacturer over these publicly available ROMs. As part of the agreement, Conflipper is permitted to keep all current ROMs on his site but is forbidden to upload any new ones. Rather than go head-to-head with the handset giant, Conflipper announced, in a blog post, that he is begrudgingly accepting this agreement and leaving the PPC community to pursue other interests.

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Good news for Motorola DROID X owners as Verizon Wireless is releasing an update to the newly launched handset. The update, Version 1.13.604.MB810.Verizon.en.US/Baseband: BP_C01.09.04P, includes the following improvements and enhancements:

• Improved battery charging status indicator.
• Smoother transition for camera and camcorder functions.
• Redesign of weather widget icons.
• Faster Exchange ActiveSync® email loading.
• Streamlined organization of newly downloaded applications.
• Organized favorite contacts by call count.
• Updated Bluetooth® connection for enhanced video sharing experience.
• Coordinated date and time across phone displays.
• Cleaner looking status bar for GPS symbol.
• Improved sync capabilities for 3G Mobile Hotspot.
• Faster Visual Voice Mail loading.
• Take advantage of the enhanced, preloaded My Verizon application.
• Preloaded Amazon Kindle® application lets you read Kindle books on your AndroidTM phone, including thousands of free books.

The OTA is slated to roll out starting the 19th and will hit handsets in stages over the following few days.

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Folks who updated their Peek with the latest firmware are reporting a serious bug that is misdirecting SMS messages and incoming Twitter feeds to the wrong users. The issue began several days ago when Peek rolled out an update that enabled some social features including Google Voice support. Since then, things have gone horribly awry with users receiving the incorrect Twitter feed and even SMS messages intended for other recipients. If that was not bad enough – rather than receiving incorrect information, some Peek users are receiving absolutely no information at all and are questioning whether the service on their Peek is down. This situation would be mildly humorous if it wasn’t such a serious privacy breech with very personal and sometimes embarrassing messages landing in the wrong hands. Any Peek users out there care to comment?

Thanks, Andrew!

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A rumor fresh out of Droid-Life suggests that Verizon Wireless has an update slated for the DROID Incredible that will add 720p video recording and mobile hotspot functionality to the Android handset. As an added bonus, the update reportedly includes the signature DROID red eye boot animation which adds some eye candy (pun intended) to the handset. These two enhancements, and the extra bling, will narrow the gap between the Incredible and the DROID X, making your Android handset buying decision that much more difficult. No word on when the update will drop, but HTC would be wise to push Verizon to release it prior to July 15th. DROIIIIIID!

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The folks over at XDA-Developers have posted a new, non-over-the-air, firmware build for the Nexus One. The new build contains, among other things, an update to the radio firmware. Several days ago we reported on how some N1 users could trigger a dropped 3G connection or poor 3G signal by simply putting their hand over the lower half of their superphone. In our comments, there seemed to be close to an even mix of those who were seeing the problem, and could reproduce it, and those who were not. For those willing to take a walk on the wild side, you can head on over to XDA and pick up the new build. If you do give these new bits a shot let us know your findings in the comments.

[Via Engadget]

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A little Android breaking and entering? Yes, please. The Android hacking community has successfully ported the Motorola MILESTONE’s firmware over to it’s stateside relative, the Motorola DROID. A video, shot on what appears to be the worst video camera in the United States, has emerged displaying the Euro firmware running on the DROID, multitouch and all. The boys over all AllDroid say that a baked ROM will be ready for consumption within a week or two. We’ve got the fuzzy video all queued up for you after the break.

UPDATE: Looks like you won’t have to wait too long as the actual ROM should be out within days.

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Alright HTC Hero owners: backup your handset, brew yourself a strong cup of coffee, and get ready to RTFM, because an unofficial Android 2.1 ROM — complete with Sense UI — is available for your handset. A few days back we reported that Android 2.1 was spotted running on the Hero, but now, courtesy of XDA-developers, the rumored build is on the intertubes for all to download. Come on, try it out, we know you’re curious; don’t forget to backup your data, and be sure to let us know how it goes in the comments.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Guess what, Sprint Hero users? The update that you have all been so patiently waiting for has finally arrived. No, we’re not talking about anything as big Android 2.0, but a bug killing maintenance release. Available OTA and coming in at 3748377 bytes, firmware 1.56.651.2 fixes that pesky SMS issues which caused significant battery drain as well as enables the device to play friendly with DST. So far we’re not noticing any other changes (we wish there were an official change log we could take a peek at), but if you spot anything, be sure to let us know. We love hearing from you.

Thanks, Mark!

We have to be perfectly honest with you — it’s been a long time since any of us bothered to play with our Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. A really long time. The handset was a bit dated before it even came to market and it has been a tiny bit difficult to keep caring about it. It’s definitely a milestone device though — Nokia’s first S60 5th Edition phone and a sign that that company is in fact trying to keep up with the times, to some extent — so we feel obligated to cover it once in a while. Like now: Nokia Malaysia reportedly held a meet and greet recently at which several tasty tidbits regarding the 5800 XM were revealed. Long story short, a bunch of the neat little features found in the 5530 XM are supposedly headed to the 5800 XM in a new firmware update due out some time in the future. Notables:

• Kinetic scrolling
• Improved camera performance
• Enhanced home screen (like the N97)
• Improved response time

So if you’re still enjoying your 5800 XM but you’ve been waiting for these improvements to make your life whole again, hopefully this rumor will pan out sooner rather than later.

[Via Cell Addict]

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Have you been feeling left out lately, Samsung Omnia owners? You know deep down that your sexy Windows Mobile-powered touchscreen handset is a gem, but waiting around for Verizon to unlock the GPS is definitely trying your patience. Just when you were about to lose hope however, Verizon is finally ready to push out the update you’ve been waiting for. Yup, GPS lock is about to become a thing of the past. The update is all set to be pushed out within the hour so sit tight. Woo! We’re not sure what other fixes/features are included in this update but the important thing is that the big one is covered. Keep checking for that update and let us know how it goes!

UPDATE: It looks like the update is now live and ready to rock as of just before 4pm. Get moving people…

Following some big announcements from Europe earlier this week, it looks like Palm Pre owners on this side of the pond have some good news to look forward to as well. Word on the street suggests that Palm is prepping to unwrap webOS 1.1 within a month or so and the focus will be better positioning in the enterprise market by way of Exchange Active Sync enhancements and improved security. Rumored updates include:

• IT-initiated remote wipe
• Required PIN
• PIN complexity (numeric or alphanumeric)
• Device wipe after a certain number of failed PIN attempts
• Auto-lock after X minutes of inactivity
• Improved digital certificates

The Pre may also receive a number of new applications to coincide with webOS 1.1 hitting the scene, though it is unclear whether these new apps will be Palm-built or third-party additions to the App Catalog. So what say you, Pre owners — looking forward to the update or are there other features Palm appears to be holding off on that you’re waiting for?

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