The upcoming update from Google is coming, whether it is on December 10 or 11 still remain to be seen –so far, 11 is likely, as announced by Techradar.
According to the people at Android and Me, the 2.1 version will not change the world (are they implying that there is an Android OS version that will?), but it will add plenty of very useful features to the Android 2.0 –starting with fixing all the bugs. Originally, it was thought that 2.1 would launch alongside an update to the Android application store -which was already launched just recently.
So far, Google has been very secretive about the new 2.0 and 2.1 Androids. This comes as a surprise since they let everyone in on versions 1.5 Cupcake and 1.6 Donut. Google decided to keep the 2.0 Éclair secret for a while (only Motorola had access, which is why they are the only company to release a 2.0 device this Christmas). Had the source code for 2.0 been out earlier, then most of the other Android devices out today will be up to date.
Fortunately, it seems that version 1.5 can easily be updated. A recent report indicated that the HTC Hero, which is packed with version 1.5 Cupcake, will be fully compatible with the 2.1 update, effectively skipping two newer versions.
This comes as promising news for upcoming Android devices, particularly the upcoming XPERIA X10, Sony Ericsson’s impressively powerful Snapdragon Android phone that only uses 1.6 Donut. Let us hope that Sony’s phone will be upgrade-compatible.
Right now, Motorola currently has the only Android 2.0 mobile phone: the Motorola Milestone –which is a localization of the Motorola DROID, a Verizon exclusive Android 2.0 device. Many people were worried that this Android device would never make it out of the US, plenty were relieved to know that it would be later launched locally as the Milestone.
Tags: Android, Android 2.1