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Moto Droid to get Froyo update next week

Starting the week of August 1, Verizon Wireless will start issuing the Android 2.2 Froyo update to Motorola Droid users.

Kent German Former senior managing editor / features
Kent was a senior managing editor at CNET News. A veteran of CNET since 2003, he reviewed the first iPhone and worked in both the London and San Francisco offices. When not working, he's planning his next vacation, walking his dog or watching planes land at the airport (yes, really).
Kent German

The Droid gets a big update with Froyo.

Update: On Monday, August 2, Verizon Wireless confirmed that the Droid will not receive the tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot features that the update can include. For a full list of additions, see Verizon's site.

Less than 24 hours after Sprint announced that Froyo was coming to its HTC Evo, Verizon said Friday that the original Motorola Droid would also get the latest version of the Android operating system.

According to Verizon spokesman Albert Aydin, the carrier will start issuing Froyo the week of August 1. Aydin did not name a more specific time frame, but we suspect that Verizon will do its best to counter Sprint's update, which should start rolling out Tuesday, August 3.

Froyo, aka Andorid 2.2, offers a hefty load of new features, and it also erases two of our biggest gripes with Andorid 2.2 so far. Users now will be able to make voice dial calls over Bluetooth and they'll be able to store apps on external memory cards. Additional upgrades should include memory and performance optimizations, alphanumeric passwords, support for Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, and Flash 10.1, an updated Android Market interface, USB tethering and Wi-Fi hot-spot functionality, new Microsoft Exchange features, an improved application launcher, and the option to disable data access remotely.

Aydin would not comment on rumors that Verizon will deliver the update to the HTC Droid Incredible and the Motorola Droid X at the same time, but it's clear that the Froyo dam is showing more cracks.