In just a few hours we’ll be wrapping up 2010, a year that we’d like to unofficially refer to as the “Year of DROID.”  You couldn’t go anywhere without seeing or hearing the word “DROID”.  It was on billboards, on TV, in theaters, in sports, on late night talk shows…it was seriously everywhere.  It became so big, that the word itself started to annoy Android enthusiasts, as novices to the game continue to use it when referencing any Android phone.  The marketing plan behind it was brilliant and many, including myself, would argue that it has been driving the success bus for the Android platform all year.  Sure, there were big releases on other carriers, but none of them produced like this one, and that, you can’t argue with.

So if we look back at the “Year of DROID” what stands out the most?  As we took the time to sift through the 2,000+ posts of ours from 2010, we quickly realized the topics that not only took up the majority of our time, but the ones that helped shape this blog into what it has become.  Here is the list of stories that dominated Droid Life for weeks at a time; tell us which was the biggest.

Happy New Year everyone!

Update:  In my original draft of this poll, I included the “Locked bootloaders and the eFuse” option, then lost the poll somehow, and forgot to add the option again.  If that would have been your choice, feel free to click “Other.”  It’s definitely a top story and I apologize for leaving it out after my poll killed itself in WordPress.  Sorry!

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OG Droid owners rejoice! We’re finally getting around to delivering the good news about Project Elite! We have had a lot of readers and even a couple developers asking us to feature a post about this ROM. Well they weren’t yanking my chain as this ROM is solid as rock and has all the features, scripts, and themes a DROID Freak could ask for.

Here’s a quote I pulled from the the developer (Greg), who goes by the nick actngrezy:

“I wanted to have a ROM with speed, performance, but some of the features that a lot of people enjoy having. I wasn’t going to release this originally until I gave it to some testers and according to the testers it’s very very fast, stable, and it does exactly what it was meant to do which was very pleasing to hear.”

Fast and stable indeed! This would be a good ROM to push all OG DROID 1 owners into the new year.  A new developer, doing some amazing things all in his spare time because he wants to give back to the best community on the planet.  

Tomorrow marks the start of 2011 and a time for many of us to set up goals, like hitting the treadmill every 2 hours or organizing our entire lives.  SiMi Folder is a minimalist option that will do its best to help you accomplish that second task, well on your phone anyway.  If you like minimal homescreens, and you know we do, then head to the market now and grab this one for free.  This is a first release that only allows for applications in folders at this time, but don’t worry, contacts and bookmarks are next on the list.

Your folders will include a scrollable launcher, too many customizable options to list, and a variety of widget sizes.  It’s a winner.  Yep, it is.  More info here.

Download Link

Cheers Wade!

It feels wrong to even report on this, but even rumors this ridiculous sounding need a little attention at times.  The HTC Thunderbolt (our 12-pic gallery) has apparently started to pop up in German retail systems with a set of specs that make almost any device on the planet sound like an unfed infant baby.  You ready for this?  According to the screenshot above, the Thunderbolt will have a 4.3″ screen, a dual-core MSM8960 Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.2GHz, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), an 8MP back camera, 5MP front camera, 16GB of internal storage, an SD card slot expandable to 128GB and an 1800 mAh battery.  Wow.

Where do we even begin with this?  First of all, the screenshot looks like something out of a cheesy used car forum, but who knows, maybe Germans run retail websites like that.  Second, 128GB expandable SD card slot?  Yowzaz.  5MP front cam?  Will we have a front hump to mock the Droid X’s back hump?  Oh and then there’s that dual-core Snapdragon…you know, the chip that Qualcomm just announced a month ago?  I guess it’s ready for prime time!

I have nothing else to say…you guys run with this.  Fake?  Faker?  Fakest?

Oh, I should also point out that the tipster who sent it was from Germany and had a broken email address. Hello, giant hoax?  Please be real though?

Via:  HTCInside

Cheers Dan from Deutschland!

Chad Ochocinco has had a long-standing relationship with Motorola through his “Ochocinco News Network” and it looks like he’s sticking with them to help promote the much anticipated DROID XOOM.  We know that Motorola and Verizon love the NFL, so this seems like a match made in heaven, especially if those rumors of a Super Bowl launch are true.  Since Chad won’t be playing in the big game, we’ll just expect him to bounce from party-to-party with his very own Honeycomb tablet instead.

Via:  Twitter, Android and Me

Cheers ckeegan!

Here we go again, talk of Honeycomb and which version of Android it will actually end up as.  Is it 2.4 or is it 3.0?  Wait, does it even matter?  Not really.  What we do know is that it’ll follow up Gingerbread (2.3) and was built specifically for Android tablets, but will also work on phones.  It will have a much more polished and beautiful user interface, including this sweet music app which will allow you to stream your entire music library.  A new lock screen will be introduced for it, physical home/search/menu buttons will no longer be needed, and it will more than likely be the most impressive version yet.  We’re also hoping to see Google announce some sort of music service to coincide with its launch, plus a desktop version of the Android Market.  It’s going to be amazing.  

Our buddies over at Arkon sent over one of their new Samsung Galaxy Tab fold-up stands to review and I’ve got to say, this is a great little product.  Made from what appears to be high quality plastic, the stand folds up to 7″x1″x1″ and can be easily-stored in your laptop bag, briefcase or other type of man-bag.  It has adjustable legs and backing, grippies for that non-slippage we all enjoy, and should be considered if you own any kind of tablet.

Video action after the break.  

This review seems about 2 months overdue, but at the same time feels like perfect timing as we gear up for next week’s CES and who knows how many Android tablets from who knows how many different manufacturers.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab was the first “real” Android tablet to hit the market and according to rumored sales numbers, was a giant success, but has it already run its course?  With Honeycomb, Tegra 2 dual-core processors, 10″ beasts, and rumors of other unicorns just days away from becoming a reality, is this still an option for anyone looking to buy an Android tablet?

I’ve had the Verizon version of the Tab for almost 2 months now and feel like I know the ins and outs, but I’m still trying to grasp the idea of it being a “must have” device.  The following review will look almost identical to the review we did on the T-Mobile Galaxy Tab over at Android Life, but with some VZW specific comments.  My opinions on it haven’t changed since doing that review, so the big difference here comes down to timing again.  Should this be your first Android tablet knowing that there are so many others just around the corner?