Verizon put the original Motorola Droid to rest this week, but not without releasing a refresh for one of the most popular Android smartphones in the US. According to iFixit, the Droid 2 is so similar to the original Droid that the company's Droid repair guide can still be used for most repairs. However, its teardown revealed a few changes where it counts the most.

The TI OMAP ARM-based processor has been nearly doubled in speed, from 550MHz to 1GHz. The updated TI WLAN chip gives the Droid 2 802.11n capabilities. And the keyboard has been redesigned, dropping the cheesy '80s look and direction pad for a solid, modern look and inverted-T direction keys. Essentially, Motorola addressed the areas of criticism of the original while maintaining its successful formula.

While the hardware is mostly the same, the Droid 2 is much more power efficient. Using the same 1390mAh battery as the previous model, the Droid 2 claims a 49 percent improvement in battery life—up to 575 minutes of run time compared to 385 minutes for the Droid. iFixit suggests that updated components probably play a role in the improvement, but the biggest factor is likely Android 2.2 and Motorola's improved power management setup.

There are some minor exterior cosmetic changes, and Motorola dropped Phillips head screws for Torx, but beyond that, the two devices are so similar that iFixit believes it would be possible to swap the new keyboard into an original Droid. Combined with tweaked Froyo kernels that can enable the original Droid to run at 1GHz at reduced voltage, tinkerers out there could pretty much get the new hotness without having to re-up for another two-year contract.

Be sure to check out the entire teardown for all the gory details, along with a bevy of pictures detailing the teardown process.