Motorola announced it will upgrade its Droid smartphone to Android 2.1, the most recent release of the Google-backed mobile operating system. According to Motorola, which began rolling out the update to Verizon Wireless subscribers late last week, Android 2.1 boasts new multimedia features, widgets and a security upgrade--highlights include speech-to-text search, live wallpapers, an enhanced music application enabling easier access and navigation to content, Google Maps updates, Google Goggles (which allows photo-based search) and battery life optimization.
Motorola debuted the Droid in November 2009. The smartphone is credited for a surge in Android application development--Android project starts increased 94 percent between September and October according to mobile in-application analytics provider Flurry. Within weeks of the Droid's retail release, mobile advertising network AdMob reported the device already yielded 24 percent of all of its Android ad requests.
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