Number of voice mails converted so far:

Most people seem to have figured out how to configure their email / voice mail systems to send messages through the responder, but let me know in the comments if you have trouble getting it to work.

Of the many people who own mobile phones, a large percentage of them have chosen the iPhone. Whether they are with O2, or another network, the general consensus is that they are really great phones to own. This is why there has been so much hype surrounding the immanent launch of this new model. It is assumed to be even better than the previous iPhones and there is a lot of anticipation surrounding its features and specifications.

The iPhone 4 has been around for 15 months, and the gap between that release and this new one has been the longest in the history of the iPhone. It is possible that this is due to the difficulty of the task Apple faced when they decided to design the new iPhone to use iCloud. This will enable users to back-up the data from their smartphones and even tablets. This will be a really useful feature, giving users a lot more security and peace of mind

The idea that iCloud will be incorporated into this device puts Apple once again ahead of its competitors. While Samsung and HTC have been catching up with the iPhone in terms of the capabilities of their hardware, the development of the iCloud is definitely an advancement on Apple’s side. If users have the ability to update and activate the phone without using a PC, this should boost sales of the iPhone and make it extremely desirable. Thankfully, users will not have to wait much longer to get their hands on the fifth iPhone.

Life has gotten too busy for me to write regularly on this site, but there are many other great resources out there that cover Android and the Droid’s more frequently than I can afford.

This will be a fun year to watch Android rise, and I may chime in occasionally as things get interesting.

I’ll still run the wav2mp3 voice mail converter service, which has turned into quite a social experiment. It’s a free service for which donations are accepted. Surprisingly, the heaviest users that rely on this services on a daily basis aren’t the giving kind, while the occasional users show their appreciation. Mhhm – interesting…

Any bets on how quickly it will sell out, or how much it will cost on eBay?

I get to work and move my sd-card and battery to the new phone, and just as I turn on the replacement, I think that perhaps I should try to backup all my programs and settings on my old phone before activating the replacement.

Let me explain: While my DX only displays the Motorola logo after installing the upgrade, the phone actually loads Android 2.2 successfully, and I’m able to answer calls and unlock the phone by using the touch screen blindly. I’m even able to read my text messages and emails by taking screen shots via the Android SDK and USB debug connection.  Now, my plan is to use this method to navigate through the different screens to sync with AppBrain and Lookout to get my apps and settings saved.

I move battery and sd-card back into my phone and power on. Guess what? The phone moves past the Moto logo and everything is working. What just happened, that’s unbelievable?! I power-cycle the phone one more time to see if this was just a lucky fluke, but the phone now works just fine.

I have no idea why its working now, but I’m not complaining. I’ll hold on to the refurb for a couple of days before sending it back, just in case my phone has a relapse.

Did you have similar problems with your DX after the upgrade, and did your phone magically recover?

Update: My DX had a relapse this weekend.  The problems started when I noticed that incoming calls would not play any of my custom ring tones.  Also, attempting to play any ring tone or music stored on the SD-card would yield a “file not found” error.  I rebooted the phone and was once again stuck at the Motorola logo.

I tried repeated reboots after removing the battery, but still the same. Then I took out the battery and waited for a couple of minutes, reboot, and viola back to normal.  It looks as if the memory is not getting properly initialized during boot and some left-over bits are messing up the phone. Well, at least there is a work-around for now…

The DX wont go past the Motorola boot screen, and will not go into recovery mode either.  Well actually the phone does finish the boot sequence and you can hear email notifications and incoming calls, but the screen keeps displaying the Motorola logo. I can also see the redesigned 2.2. screen lock screen when taking screen shots via USB debug and the SDK (see right).

I called Verizon support, and they let me do the usual reboot routines to no eval. The rep told me that they’ve experienced the same problems with the Froyo update of the original Droid and that about 3% of phones were affected by this. She told me to go to the Verizon store so that they can reapply the update, which should fix it.

Update: I went to the Verizon store during lunch. They tried different things in the back room for about an hour – what a great way to spend a lunch hour   No fix. They are now shipping a new DX to me overnight.  I had to push a little for them to waive the Fedex priority fee.

While waiting I met two other Droid customers who had issues with their phones. One had a Droid Incredible that would not browse the Internet any longer after the latest software update. The tech was going to do a hard reset. The other had a Droid2 stuck in a reboot loop. He received a replacement phone.

Update1: Other people experiencing the same problem. Do you have any problems with the update?

I’m now installing the update, which seems to take unusually long and looks as if its hanging half-way through… hmmm.

Update: The update process is definitely hung. You can get detailed progress when you hit the search key. It’s sitting at “patching system files”. OK. now what – the power button doesn’t work, so remove the battery and hope for the best.

So, I forced a reboot by removing the battery. The phone went right back into the update process and is now moving past the step where it stopped before. Now, finishing up and sitting at reboot.

Update1: Now the reboot is taking forever. All I see is the Motorola logo, and the led is lighting up green every now and then. I updated a number of Android phones, including my Nexus One and Droid Incredible, but the process has never been this painful. WTF – Verizon?

The link to the DX support page still lists the previous software update without any mention of Android 2.2. Stay tuned…!

Update: It looks like the support page has now been updated: http://support.vzw.com/pdf/system_update/droid_x.pdf

Nathan Nabors, a Florida resident, has filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Google was in breach of contract by not resolving the Nexus One 3G connectivity problems that some users were experiencing, in addition to the inadequate support Google was providing during the time the company was selling the phone.

I’ve experienced first-hand the 3G problems and posted numerous blog posts and YouTube videos that illustrate the issue. I’ve also felt strongly that the problem was caused by the phone’s hardware, specifically a flaw in the antenna design, combined with T-Mobile’s sub-optimal 3G coverage and signal strength.

Still, Google sold the phone directly to consumers and was not prepared to deal with the support burden. Perhaps that is the reason why Google is the only defendant named in the lawsuit.

I’m now happily using a DroidX on Verizon and the Nexus One / T-Mobile 3G frustration is only distant memory.

All OTA (Over the Air) Updates are staggered to avoid system overload. So it may still take a few days before Froyo actually shows up on your phone. Still no luck on my Droid Incredible, when I checked a few minutes ago.

If you still wonder what all the hubbub is about: This release will bring Adobe Flash, application auto update and improved battery performance, amongst some other general improvements to the Incredible. It will make this cool Droid even better.