The first ever Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 by HTC, has finally been removed from T-Mobile’s online and brick-and-mortar stores, marking the end of an era.
Android’s first smartphone launched in September, 2008.
Frankly, it was only a matter of time before T-Mobile decided to drop the device as its 528 MHz processor, 3.2 inch display, and Android 1.6 OS are obsolete. The phone is also bulky.
While you can root your G1 to have Android 2.1 Eclair, it never ran as fast as you would hope, as the device was not made to handle the new software updates.
The G1’s likely replacement is the HTC G1 Blaze, which has an expected September 9th release date. The phone will have a 1GHz processor and a 3.7-inch screen, along with a full QWERTY keypad.
Result for: new software
Verizon Wireless , who for weeks has been promising the release of the Android 2.1 firmware for Motorola Droid owners, has started rolling out the firmware as an OTA update.
However, the rollout will be staggered so some users will not get the update until Thursday or even later.
Reads the official memo:
Starting 03/30/2010, Verizon Wireless is pleased to announce a new software update for the DROID by Motorola. Users will be able to upgrade their software to version AP: ESE81/BP: C_01.3E.03P to receive new improvements and enhancements.
*Key Advantages:*
o Email - Yahoo Mail is now supported - customers can simply
sign in with their Yahoo! Email address and password. Note:
Yahoo! Email is not available over Wi-Fi
o Pinch to Zoom now available in the Browser, Maps, and Gallery
o Speech-to-Text - Customers can now use their voice instead
of typing whenever a text-entry box appears
o Google Goggles is now preloaded
[More]>>
Result for: new software
Palm’s webOS 1.2 update for the Pre didn’t launch as expected last week, but is expected to become available sometime during this week. It is reported that a test of a revamped App Catalog is what triggered the delay. A PreCentral source said that the software update will provide native sync for the iTunes 9 software when it is released, which will undoubtedly up the tension between Apple and Palm over the Pre-iTunes dispute.
The source said that Apple’s blocking of iTunes syncing has never caused a delay in the release of new software. In fact, the source claimed that the first attempt to break sync between the software and the device was fixed in just five minutes, by simply changing the USB VendorID to mimic Apple’s ID.
Palm is reportedly committed to continuing efforts to keep iTunes sync working until the amount of time required patching software becomes unreasonable. More specifically, the company will only stop restoring the sync when the process of patching the software takes more than 40 hours; the average work week for an employee.
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) recently sided with Apple in the dispute and asked Palm to clarify its position.
