Motorola Droid Owners Can Manually Install Android OS 2.2

Motorola and Verizon are going to send the original Motorola Droid an upgrade to Android OS 2.2 this week, but those who are impatient can already update their smartphone manually.

However, this method is not authorized by either Verizon or Motorola. The cautious can wait a couple of days, and Android OS 2.2 will be sent to their phone when it can be installed in the approved manner.

UPDATE
The version of this system software upgrade that has leaked out is designated "FRG01B". According to information coming from unofficial sources at Verizon, the final version of this upgrade will be "FRG22".

Nevertheless, users of FRG01B have found few problems using it.

Anyone who installs FRG01B will be prompted to install FRG22 when it's available.

UPDATE 2
The Droid's version of the Android OS 2.2 upgrade will not at first include Flash Player 10.1. This app will be released in a few weeks. More information is available in this article:

Motorola Droid's Android OS 2.2 Upgrade Won't Initially Include Adobe Flash Support

Installation Instructions
Those who are interested in doing the unauthorized update should do the following:

• Make sure their Droid has at least a half battery charge before starting this process
• Download the system software update
• Put it in the root directory of the microSD card
• Turn off the Droid
• Turn the Droid back on while holding down the ‘X' key on the physical keyboard
• The smartphone will boot in recovery mode, indicated by an image of a triangle with a exclamation point appearing on the screen
• Either press the volume up key and camera button key OR press only the camera key down halfway
• This will bring up an on-screen menu. User the directional pad to move to and select "apply update.zip"
• The update process will begin, and take several minutes.
• When it is finished and the on-screen menu appears again, choose "Reboot"
• When the Droid starts again, it will be running Android OS 2.2

Overview of Android OS 2.2
The latest version of Google's OS is required for devices to run Adobe Flash Player 10.1, which allows the web browser to fully make use of websites that use Flash for navigation, games, and showing video.

Android OS 2.2 also contains a number of other small enhancements, such as the ability to store applications on a removable memory card, but none of the improvements significantly change the platform.

Unlike versions for other models, the Droid's version of this operating system doesn't include software that allows it to act as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, sharing its 3G connection with other devices.

An Overview of the Motorola Droid
The Motorola Droid is this company's flagship model, and sports a large, high-resolution capacitive Touchscreen and a landscape-oriented QWERTY keyboard. Nevertheless, it still has a slim design.

This smartphone currently runs Google Android OS 2.1, and has a suite of applications that can wirelessly synchronize with Google's services, including Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Maps, as well as Microsoft Exchange. An extensive catalog of third-party apps is also available.

The Droid comes with a 16 GB memory card, GPS receiver, and a 5 MPx camera.

Verizon Wireless is the exclusive U.S. provider of the Motorola Droid.