Yes, you're right. But from a custom ROM point of view, only Droid's bootloader is not locked which means you're free to put in whatever custom ROMs you wish to apply. The Milestone's bootloader is locked so you can't do anything. But root works. I've found a forum where there are currently a group of Motorola veterans finding a way to overcome the bootloader protection. They have achieved a significant milestone (ironic) in understanding the protection being used but have not overcome it yet.

You can already enjoy (technically) 2.1 on your Milestone if you have one already. I posted a so called custom ROM for Milestone. It works beautifully and its fast. It doesn't need rooting and it avoids the bootloader protection because it doesn't replaces it. Its just a bunch of core apps and tweaks from 2.1.

But you need to update to 2.0.1 in order to apply that custom ROM.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Mar 9 2010, 02:07 PM

Simple. Openness . You want to customized your phone with all the custom ROM development scenes. You want access to the file system so you can do simple things like transferring a video for immediate viewing instead of syncing via iTunes. You can download an album from the internet. Tag it with album art, dump into phone and voila... you have added a new collection to your library. Simple.

When I pass on my iPhone and got the Milestone... I was a bit reluctant. I didn't want to leave my favorite applications. To be honest, iPhone has one of the best collection of applications and games. Going to Android is like going back in time when iPhone was still in its early stage. Simple apps, simple games and really craptastic graphics hehehehe...

But I have faith in Android. Just today, Google released a new NDK that enables OpenGL ES 2.0. Just what developers need to get things really going!

Yeah I read about them too. Here are the ones I am aware of:

1. Weak radio antenna (causing poor 3G reception performance specially in weak areas)
2. Inaccurate multi-touch
3. Color accuracy of the OLED (related to shades/tones)

What else?

I agree. I think a radio update may be able to resolve the problem especially on the falling back/switching of 2G/3G policies. Like making it less aggressive. Regarding the multi touch issue, I read that the inaccuracy was demonstrated with a 2 point test. Not sure how it will affect usability. Maybe gaming may take a hit. Again not sure.

You are right regarding the banding. Its not noticeable on regular usage unless you're displaying single color shades. Again a firmware or custom ROM may resolve things.

Personally speaking, I think the Live Wallpaper sucks a lot of battery power. On the Droid, removing it does make the system more responsive and power efficient. Real time widgets also sucks a lot of battery. And the processor does take a toll on the battery life.

Yeah I notice that my battery life is improving as I charge and discharge. Hopefully can reach your mileage of 2+ per cycle.

1. Both Droid and Milestone are the same Motorola phone but meant to work at different regions. The Droid is meant for North American region and has radio that will not work in Malaysia. The Milestone is meant to work every where else like Europe, Asia, etc. The one that is launching end of the month is Milestone. So if you would like one, I'm afraid you can only go with the Milestone.

2. Milestone can be rooted but I heard only HK sets because their firmware has a vulnerability that current rooting method uses. But you cannot use custom ROM because the bootloader is locked. In fact most parts of the firmware is locked. You can't even OC with SetCPU even though you have root. Pulsar Custom ROM is different. It is not really a custom ROM. Its just a package of core apps and tweaks. It doesn't replace the bootloader nor does it upgrade you to 2.1. The core apps are ported from 2.1 and installed over your current 2.0.1.

3. Yes, besides the bootloader differences... the radio hardware too remember? Do remember you cannot take Droid ROM and installed on Milestone and vice versa.

Yeah we know about that some time now. HK sets were notified over OTA. To me, it didn't do much for UI smoothness. In fact, I didn't really know what 2.0.1 brought to the table. The browser is still choppy. The notification slide bar is slightly smoother but still laggy.

By the way I fixed them by installing Pulsar ROM. I saw the real 2.1 on Droid. Looks really good.

I'm satisfied with my Milestone (software) and I'm damn happy with the phone (hardware). Its really solid. I love the super tight slide mechanism. The entire screen chunk is metal while the bottom is high quality plastic. Every where it radiates 'quality'. Its classy except for that 'Motorola' credibility . I love the call quality. The camera is passable. Just make sure there's no finger print grease over the lens when taking picture. The lens are very prone to flare. Did I mention that the phone is really slim for a full qwerty phone? Although iPhone is slightly slimmer... add on that case and voila, its back to thick.

The screen is surprising resistant to finger print smudges. Its there for sure but nothing a quick wipe with your shirt cannot solve. I don't know if its oleophobic but it doesn't seem so. Some forums say the screen is made of gorilla glass. Whatever that means...

I think there's a feature to mute a call. But I haven't tried the turn over phone to snooze alarm. The hardware is definitely capable but I'm not sure if the default app supports it. Maybe there's a 3rd party app that can do that.

Definitely more than 1 day for me. If I were to use it every hour, I will need to charge it by the end of the day. By 11PM it'll be around 15%. Pretty good for my standard. Definitely better than iPhone 3GS.

However, on a typical work day where I won't have time to play with it except making/receiving calls. It can last close to 2 days to me.

To update there are two ways. The OTA way is to go to Settings>About Phone>System Updates. You will need to be connected either to your 3G data or WIFI because it will search for updates. You should be prompted that an update is available. Then it will continue to download. When completed, it will proceed to update itself. Just make sure you have enough battery to continue.

The other way is to install Motorola Update Software. Get it from Motorola HK website. Not sure if it will work with Windows 7 64 bit, didn't try on that. The rest is automated just like using Nokia Software Updater.

For the sake of discussion there is also another way albeit more low level --> SBF manual flashing. You will need Motorola RSD Lite software, a driver and the appropriate region SBF file. The SBF is the firmware file. If for some reasons you want to downgrade to 2.0, I think this is the only way.

I don't know how much they are selling in HK. Judging from the AP price of RM19xx compared to original rumored at around RM25xx. Sounds like a good idea. If you're getting AP, there is a valid reason why we should take HK set. First the keyboard is QWERTY while I heard some European sets are QWERTZ. Milestone selling in Singapore is also HK AP.

Have you signed in your Google account on the phone? I also hit this error but mysteriously after signing in, I get an update notification. Otherwise, just use the Motorola Update Software. Also I have heard that once your root, you lose OTA capability. Maybe this is your problem.

Yes, we have heard about Pulsar 1.2.1 custom ROM. I made a post few pages back. Check it out. You have to use Pulsar 1.2.1 and not the update patch. And yes, you need at least Android 2.0.1 to be able to do it. If you do it with 2.0, you will be stuck at the boot process. To recover, use RSD Lite with the appropriate SBF of your choice.

Remember to wipe and clean data before applying the update. Just follow your instructions on hand. Or read my post.

Wipe and clean data only applies for Pulsar Custom ROM. Before applying any update first you need to boot into the console. There will be options. Just the D-pad to navigate. Before applying the Pulsar Custom ROM which is in the form of an update.zip file, you need to wipe and clean data (shown in the menus).

Regular update is optional. Have you tried Motorola Software Update? Try with that first.

It doesn't require rooting. The rest follow the instructions. And cross your fingers.

You can change the language during setup. On my first boot, it display foreign language too but I have no problem changing to English (US). It can also display Chinese, Japanese and Korean fonts. Note that Voice, Dial Search and Voice-to-Text messaging work primarily in English.

We were given indications that it'll be end of this month but nothing solid so far.

Hmm strange... Seems very stable for me. I have been using it for 3 days straight without any rebooting. Everything just works pretty good except for the Flan gallery. It did quit a few times but it quickly restores itself. Music cover flow works beautifully except for a little skipping at times, not as bad as reported over forums.

If you have performance issues, I would recommend you to wipe and clean data. It is there in the instructions. Also don't use live wallpaper. It'll speed up the ROM for sure. Although I really like the interactive wallpaper but I don't like my battery going down like no tomorrow.

Mine is Pulsar 1.2.1. Third party software recommendation:

Astro File Manager
Barcode Scanner
Bloo (alternative FB app)
Facebook (official)
Compass
Goggles
Netcounter
Nimbuzz (very good multi IM chat app)
Photoshop Mobile
SeePU (check on CPU/RAM usage)
SMS PopUp

1. I tend to think glass is more rigid but that depends on the type of fall. Still glass is pretty scratch resistant especially when treated.
3. Thanks for clearing that up. I think dual touch is sufficient since you don't need more than 2 fingers on a small screen (even though it is 3.7"). But the articles I have read point to Nexus One's screen easily being easily confused when 2 points are touched. Gonna have to read it again.

IF the Milestone is really coming out end of the month WITH Android 2.1. Thats damn good news. Means a SBF file is just moments away for us to flash.

Yeah, which is why getting HK AP from Terry seems like a good idea.

Yeah, we definitely need the bootloader to be unlocked. Then we will have a world of customized ROM. Motorola gave an impression that they will take their time on 2.1 update. Thats really shady.

The Pulsar 1.2.1 you installed is not rooted by default. The current rooting technique will work for Pulsar because technically we're still at 2.0.1. So you can proceed to root again.

Yes, mine is HK AP set. Bought from Terry for RM1930. Checkout his store.

Still, enthusiasts and modders will go for Nexus One. That platform is the single most 'unprotected' device and you can do anything with it. Plus you get the entire xda-developers people there including people like Cyanogen, Modaco, etc.

Unless you want to go with Desire. Gosh, I hate that chin and buttons. Hahaha...

Nope, its not available for Milestone but the Droid has it. BUT you can download the Facebook app that enables contact syncing. Its not available at Market for Milestone so you need to search forums.

Seeing this double standard going on with Motorola is really stupid.

If you mean built in social networking capabilities, that feature is only present on MotoBlur devices. The Droid/Milestone do not bear that branding and its part of Open Handset Alliance and has Google's blessings on it. Blur interface did not make it into the device. However, the Droid has a 'special' FB app that has contact syncing. Its pretty close but not like Blur interface.

The Milestone however did not receive the same attention as Droid despite being the same device. This is getting hilarious. The FB app available for Milestone do not have contact syncing. Anyway the official FB app is not too good either. I prefer Bloo. Very good app. Besides there are plenty of widget/apps that provide live status updates.

For Malaysian phones, if we want social networking integration... I think the HTC Desire/Legend is gonna be good. Or any HTC devices with the upcoming Android Sense UI.

Maybe AP set price will catch up? Seriously the AP price is a little cheap. But I intend to pick your suggest. Hopefully Brightstar would reduce.

Its for the Droid (US version's of Milestone). And its not compatible for Milestone yet. Android v2.1 update was initially promised for every Milestone from everywhere else but it was then dropped to 'update pending review' or equivalent. Meaning to say, its not their highest priority now. What they care at the moment is the US customers, basically the Droid owners.

Yes, thats true. No fun for us at the moment.