Motorola DROID R2-D2 Gingerbread update now rolling out

Editorial Director of News and Content

| September 13, 2011

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Motorola DROID R2-D2

This is a big week for Star Wars fans: not only is the entire saga finally being released on Blu-ray, but the Motorola DROID R2-D2 is now getting its update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Verizon just announced on its official Twitter account that the 137MB update has been released, and Motorola also confirmed on its support forums that the new software is now being rolled out in phases. As usual, if you're a DROID R2-D2 owner that hasn't yet gotten a taste of Gingerbread, you can try to manually pull the update by going to Menu > Settings > About phone > System Updates > Download.

Now that the DROID R2-D2 has been bumped up to Android 2.3, all three versions of the DROID 2 have gotten been updated to the Gingerbread and the newest version of Motorola's custom skin. This leaves the DROID Pro as the only Moto-made DROID handset without 2.3. There's no word yet on when that update will be coming, but you can be sure we'll let you know more when we do. Until then, the full change log for the DROID R2-D2's update can be found below. And just so you know, there's no indication that the device has had a new "Noooooo!" sound forced upon it like Darth Vader has in the new version of Return of the Jedi.

Android 2.3 Enhancements

Download Manager App:

New App to manage all of your downloads from web browsing, email attachments and other apps.

App and Power Management Details:

Under Manage Applications, a new “Running” tab displays a list of active applications and the storage and memory being used by each.

Multi-Touch Key-Chording:

New ability to enter numbers and symbols with keyboard shortcut combos, instead of having to change to the numeric keyboard mode.

Improved Word Selection and Copy Functionality:

New capability to select a word via press-hold. A second press of the selected word copies the selected characters.

New User Interface and Color Scheme:

New widgets, icons and screens with refreshed colors.

Dock Icons:

Static Phone, App Launcher and Contacts icons are replaced within a customizable dock. Three swappable icons and the App Launcher icon are fixed to the Dock at the bottom of all home screen panels for easy and instant access.

App Groups:

New App Menu allows creation of custom app groups, in addition to 3 default groups: All Apps, Recent and Downloaded.

Security:

Added Device and SD Card encryption. VPN enhancements integrate IPSec VPN clients into device security settings.

Updated Calendar Options:

Display Calendar and event times in your home time zone when traveling.
Dismiss individual reminders, such as dismissing one meeting reminder without dismissing other meeting reminders.
Easy conference dialing – simply dial and automatically enter a conference code directly from your Calendar.

Other Improvements

Email and Calendar:

Improved contact and calendar syncing from multiple accounts.
Email pushes now work correctly when using Exchange ActiveSync.
Exchange ActiveSync account setup will accurately present server option.
Easily see Exchange ActiveSync Calendar appointments when created.
Update Calendar appointments with Exchange ActiveSync without deleting them.

Device Features:

Improved battery life while using Wi-Fi.
Keypad backlight turns on in low light conditions.
Improvements in stability to prevent lockups, resets and “Force Close” errors.
Improvements in screen display no longer causes display screen to turn black.
Improved 3G data connectivity.
Mobile Hotspot status is displayed accurately.
Fixed issue that caused device reset and a black display screen after over the air upgrades.

Messaging: