After rumors of a January release for Android 2.1 on Verizon Wireless proved to be wrong, Motorola Droid owners have been watching and waiting for any sign of the update. Google is supposedly the company working to get the update out and they have been silent on a timetable.

There are glimmers of hope now that the Motorola Droid in Hong Kong (or Milestone as they call the phone locally) has received the Android 2.1 update. Verizon has stated that 2.1 will eventually come to all Droid owners in the US, and rumors are flying about when this will happen.

Android users with OS version 2.0 or later can now search their phones with gestures. Instead of typing search terms for contacts or apps, writing the character on the screen with your finger will input the letters to search.

In this example, first a letter that could be interpreted as "A" or "H" is entered. All contacts containing both letters are returned. The second gesture is interpreted as a lower case "n" and narrows the search to found items - in this case contacts with "An" in the name field.

Reports have surfaced that all US-based smartphones running the Android operating system will receive the latest 2.1 update. The software should be released over the next few months for all hardware models currently in use.

Some models will not support all features of the OS upgrade. In fact, in some cases users will have to completely wipe the old operating system to update their devices. As long as contacts and media files are backed up they can be restored.

Rumor has it that a Verizon Wireless compatible version of the Nexus One could launch as early as March 23. Google is expected to announce availability at the Spring CTIA show in Las Vegas starting on the same date.

This makes sense as Google has previously stated that the Nexus One would come to Verizon sometime in the spring. The phone will launch on the Android Store and presumably at Verizon Wireless retail outlets. Pricing has not been announced, but will likely fall near the current subsidized price of $179 on T-Mobile.

AT&T Wireless fans now have their first opportunity to purchase an Android smartphone from the carrier. The Motorola Backflip is one of five Android handsets the company plans to release in the first half of 2010.

The device features a large keyboard that flips over instead of sliding. When the Backflip is folded closed the keyboard is not hidden, it remains exposed and deactivated on the back of the phone.

Now the iPhone is not the only multi-touch contender in the smartphone contest. Google has released a software update for the Nexus One Android 2.1 handset that activates all of the finger gesture goodness of multi-touch.

Google maps, photo gallery, and the web browser will all support multi-touch with the new software update. This includes pinching and zooming with all of the typical two-fingered gestures that will make the Nexus One interface that much more intuitive and smooth.

Micro-Star International (MSI) is developing a 10-inch touch screen Android tablet they say will launch in the second half of 2010 starting at $500. The device features full multitasking with a quick NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.

The tablet's name has not been announced yet, however the product will come in a variety of configurations and feature wireless communications capabilities. Prototypes are light and slim, and the Android product is bound to compete with Apple's iPad.

Although the community feedback in regards to the latest Android smartphone, the Google Nexus One, has been overwhelmingly positive, one area in regards to which users have not been glowing is the Nexus One's 3G connectivity. Since the release of the device on January 5, 2010, owners have complained of spotty 3G coverage and intermittent, unreliable 3G connectivity.

Until recently, the jury was out on what was the cause of the 3G hiccups the Nexus One was experiencing. Early reports were unclear as to whether the device hardware, device software, or T-Mobile's network were to blame. Based on information released today by Google -- the blame seems to fall, at least partially, with the Nexus One's software.

A recent update by Google indicates that they have found a shortcoming in the device software and are

Despite the many things that the Verizon enjoys pointing out that the Motorola "Droid Does", evidently one of the things it doesn't do is get the Android 2.1 update, at least not yet. It had been fairly heavily rumored that Verizon was planning an OTA update to Android 2.1 for all Motorola Droid owners yesterday, January 22nd. Unfortunately for many hopefully Droid owners, yesterday has come and gone, and without an Android update.

Coder and Android hacker Cyanogen has released a mod that enables multi-touch gestures in the Nexus One web browser. Since Google has pushed Android 2.1 source code to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) the floodgates have opened to ROM developers who are interested in adding features to Android devices.

The latest version of Android is dubbed Eclair and ships on the Google Nexus One. Changes from the previous Android build include: