Motorola Milestone 2: Hands-on photos with the latest droid

The Motorola Milestone is one of the best smart phones out there, with a sharp screen and Google's Android operating system. So it's no wonder that Motorola isn't messing much with a good thing for the Motorola Milestone 2.

But it has sorted out a few of the quirks that we complained about the first time around. For example, the Milestone 2's slide-out Qwerty keyboard has been improved -- the gold trackpad has been ditched in favour of bigger keys, and the keys aren't quite as flat as before.

The Milestone's odd little shelf, which protruded out beside the screen when the keyboard was closed, has been covered by a cosmetic bit of plastic -- but the Milestone's strength was never its good looks. Instead, it won our coveted Editor's Choice Award because of its brains -- and the Milestone 2 is on track to do the same.

It's running the latest version of Android, 2.2 Froyo, which we loved thanks to its extra speed and support for Flash Player 10.1. Wi-Fi and HSPA will keep you connected, while a 3.7-inch screen and a great Web browser will make the Milestone 2 a good choice for surfing the mobile Web.

The Milestone 2 also has Motoblur, Motorola's cloud-based social network aggregating service. Yeah, we know that we told you it was dead, but apparently it's been shocked back into life with a vengeance. That means that rather than pure, untouched Android, like we saw on the first Milestone, you'll get Motorola's own version. It includes widgets to show updates from your mates on Facebook and Twitter, and an online back-up service.

We'll soon be taking the Milestone 2 for a full test-run soon, closer to its winter launch date. In the meantime, check out our preview and click through the gallery above for our hands-on photos.