How to Manually Update Motorola DROID X to Android 2.2.1

Verizon Wireless has started to deliver over-the-air (OTA) the latest Android 2.3.340 software update for Motorola DROID X on December 7th, but it seems that only a handful of subscribers have gotten the file.

It is unclear if the carrier has decided to push the update only to those subscribers who were members of the Motorola Feedback Network program or it is being delivered randomly to a certain number of subscribers.
Thanks to the guys over at XDA who got their hands on the update file, Motorola DROID X owners will now be able to manually upgrade their devices without waiting for the OTA update.
Apparently, it doesn't matter if your device is rooted. Instead the update will search your firmware for the bloatware that the phone was stuffed with, such as Blockbuster and VZ Navigator, in order to “validate” the device before update.

As long as you haven't removed or freezed any carrier-branded apps bundled in DROID X, you are eligible for the update.
The latest Android 2.3.340 software update for Motorola DROID X has 25.7 MB in size and can be downloaded from Softpedia.

Users who successfully upgraded to Android 2.2.1 reported that the update goes smoother if your device is running system build 2.3.15.
After downloading the update.zip file from Softpedia make sure you copy it to the root of your SD memory card and power off your DROID X.
The next step required is to boot your phone into recovery mode, which can be done by holding down “Home” and “Power” until the phone starts and then release the “Power” button.
Keep pressing the “Home” button until you get an exclamation mark displayed on the screen.
Release the “Home” button and press the “Search” key once. You have just made your Motorola DROID X to boot up in Recovery Mode.
From the quick menu select “Apply update.zip” by using the volume key and press the camera button to start the update.
The whole process will take about 5 minutes, after which the phone will boot up for another 5 minutes.
The full changelog of the update is detailed below:
New features:
- Preloaded Madden NFL football game;
- Preloaded Adobe Flash Player 10.1;
- Preloaded MyVerizon application (v5);
- Added Data Widget to home panel.Improvements:

- Improved Android OS Froyo stability;
- Improvements to Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync: Enhancements to corporate email sync and push stop; PIN lock timeout now follows the server's settings; Enhancements to SMTP authentication.
- Improvements to Visual Voice Mail: “Failed delivery to” message displays correctly when messages can't be sent; Audio routes correctly to speaker, even when connected to a mono Bluetooth headset.
Other improvements:
- Device now supports MP3 media files after MR2 update;
- MusicPlay now runs smoothly and without lock-ups;
- Weather widget stays with assigned location updates, not current location;
- “Smart Profile: Face Down” feature will not permanently disable the phone's ringer;
- Enhanced audio sync when playing high quality WMV videos;
- Improved video playback;
- Clearer colors assigned to soft keys in applications such as Google Maps;
- In the Contacts widget, keyboard now appears when using “type to search”;
- Eliminated camera “Force Close” errors;
- Device lock remains, even after a long, hard key press;
- Quicker wake-up of display when on a call.
As a side note, the Madden NFL football game is not included in the update, but when you click on the game's icon the phone will start to download the game files, so make sure you have Wi-Fi enabled or a data connection set up.