Google secretly crafts Android codename "cupcake," fixes and features aplenty
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Dec 18th 2008 4:34PM
posted Dec 18th 2008 4:34PM
Okay, so right here: this is where Android starts to get awesome. The platform is being hacked and developed at a blistering pace that closed operating systems can only dream of, and to top it all off, Google's now gifted the world with a bunch of changes it had been developing in secrecy in a private branch called "cupcake." Why "cupcake," you ask? We're not sure, but given the list of fixes and additions we're seeing here, we can only assume it has something to do with how tasty it's going to be once it gets rolled into a shipping firmware. For starters, it rolls in circa-November WebKit code and significantly boosts browsing performance, fixes a novel's worth of issues with the email app, and -- wait for it -- adds support for stereo Bluetooth. Of course, we're at the mercy of T-Mobile and HTC for getting this onto retail G1s, so it really makes a strong case for picking up a Dev Phone 1, doesn't it?[Via Android Community, thanks Ben F.]
Man, all i saw was cupcake and now i'm hungry....
I just finished eating a cupcake, it was blueberry flavour.
The cupcake is a lie!
I instinctly clicked this article because of that word. Engadget, you disappoint me, almost as much as GLaDOS.
When they say video recording what do they mean .. besides the basic? Will they make it possible to record a video call? This is for when someone sends a video call and midway I (or they) wanna record what stuff is going on.
Also if some cool stuff is happening live, I’d want to call someone easily and show them what’s going on while continuing to video and record it (minimal or no interruption of video).
The post doesn't mention video recording, which is a let down.
However it does mention "significantly boosts browsing performance" which is SWEEEET. Really I hope that means smoother scrolling and zooming.
All I want for Christmas is....
# New features * Support for A2DP & AVRCP profiles.
I hope T-Mobile will offer this in the next firmware update for those of us who have already purchased the G1.
W/ all the hubbub about this phone I suggested it to someone very close to me. She was totally underwhelmed by it's buggyness & went to another w/in just 2 weeks.
Email was abysmal. All she got were "network errors" except when initially setting it up, where it ran just fine & downloaded all messages. Then promptly died.
I'll take another look when it *really, really* seems to be working for regular people.
I've been using my G1 since launch day and I have never encountered a significant bug. Admittedly, I have never attempted to use the non-Gmail email app, and there are like 20 bug fixes for it in this update so it was probably pretty bad, but everything else in the system is rock solid.
I preordered a G1 and have had no issues with it. Its the best phone i have had thus far. Its not buggy at all. It also doesnt suffer from the slowdown i would experience on my T-mobile wing that ran Windows Mobile.
It started out lacking a few things but most have been fixed via the marketplace and updates. The only real thing we still need a solid fix for is exchange support. There are options out already, but i wouldnt call them a complete solution.
Honestly i have been completely impressed by it. Great product and unlimited possibilities. I am amazed at how well everything works for how young the software is. Did you ever use a introductory Windows mobile phone or a Palm phone? Those were buggy things.
where are all the android phones!?
I heard Australia had one that wasn't a G1.
One.
pistachio
The Android logo mascot guy looks kind of like a cupcake.
MIND = BLOWN
Good work sir, good work.
hmm... kiwii flavored?
i kno right, its frickin adorable. (no homo.)
and to think, the CEO of Google sits on Apple's board of directors
Seeing that Android is finally getting A2DP support, I'm going to buy a Dev Phone 1 now. Was waiting and looking at some winmo and nokia phones due to the lack of good music listening options on the G1, but this cinches the deal for me.
Getting an unlocked TMO G1, might flash it to the dev one (if possible) plus aren't these just "updates" and updates for the G1 are done by Google and not TMO?
That's it, I'm getting a Dev Phone 1. Now that's an expensive cupcake!
Mmmm! I like cupcakes...
YES!!!!
DEAR GOD YES!!!
I was literally moments away from placing an order for a wired headphone adapter. Reluctantly, I might add, because I can't stand wired headphones. This is the greatest news ever. My G1 just grew up!
I can buy GSM unlocked Samsung, Nokia, and HTC phones at places like newegg. When are other vendors going to show up with unlocked Android GSM phones I can buy over the counter??? I like my phones unlocked and contract free.....
...just like my women... [bam] or [rim shot]
There is only one Android phone currently released, and you can buy it GSM unlocked from google for $400. Is your problem just that you can't buy one on newegg?
Chef, I think he stated his problem: When are OTHER vendors going to release an Android phone? i.e. competition so that the $400 unlocked phone is more like 200.
I love how these so called smartphones get major applause for features that real smartphone have been shipping with for a long time.
Amen. My low-end Nokia has had A2DP profile support for two years. Why is it so hard for iPhone and G1, which are supposed to be high-end models?
In this case, the applause isn't for the feature per se, but for the platform, and the fact that features are developed far quicker for Android than for a closed OS.
Exactly. The reason we're excited is that once Android gets past the entry stage on all the basics, we'll have a phone that we can add an endless stream of free apps to without some silly CEO controlling the flow.
I mean Apple won't even let you control a fleet of unmanned aircraft with your phone. What the hell is that about?? ( http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/iphone.pdf , page 2, first para. )
Yeah, my high end Nokia didn't have A2DP, and never got a software update for A2DP. Good job, Google.
these guys are all talk,.laggy software . They got no app store ,.open platform so far blows ,.action baby,.I heard android gonna be on this 1 phone koalakand in aug of 2009,.boring n pathetic,.,.get with the times,.I know u get paid by the hour,but dang,,.,.,
Funny thing is, when you consistently have the lowest ranked posts, it usually means you talk shit. Move on, troll before I cast a spell on thee!
No app store? Ignorant commenters are the bane of tech fora... Get a life!
And dare I add, Apple iSheep (aka fanboys) who ignorantly trash/bash everything that does not have their "holy apple icon" (which instantly and mysteriously get your creative juices flowing according to one "academic study") are the scum of the web!
PS.
The G1 app store got Shazam before your beloved iPhony started touting it as their own on TV commercials. Seriously, Microsoft (Zune esp.), G1 (be it T-Mobile, HTC or Google themselves), and PC manufacturers need to start building up a war chest to:
1.)pirate Apple's entire marketing department (you all forgave them for the antivirus advice incident, right?);
2.)hire Apple's ad company; and finally,
3.)pirate Jonathan Ive, Apple's genius designer.
PPS.
Sorry for the parenthetical overuse... I just can't help inserting snide remarks... >:)
HURRYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.that is all..
You guys also forgot to mention another big thing...
"Input method framework, for soft keyboards and other on-screen input methods. Includes new APIs for applications to interact with input methods, and the ability for third party developers to write their own input methods."
Atleast now it has native support for them.
No it dossent, all that, and it only made me hungry for a cupcake not a g1 for sure, still to many problems such as design and bugs..
There's only one phrase to descrive this.
"Oh, Snap!"
Please get an awesome Android phone by Febuary Sprint! (my upgrade date)
Android + Sero plan = win. *dreams*
My G1 has no bugs. I think I got the one God was supposed to get.
we both did...
"Work to transition to the USB Gadget Framework underway."
This would allow another sort of tethering. g_ether. The phone could present a USB Ethernet NIC.
Wireless master mode is probably slicker/more flexible, but there is a charm about g_ether to me...
I dont get how engadget doesn't get why its called "cupcake."
Its supposed to be sweet and not so bloating to the stomach. And if you want more, all you have say is "Yes, please".
That concept works for a lot of things.
Does cupcake include the ability for users to store/launch applications from their SD card? To me this is THE drawback of the G1. It's ridiculous that I need to keep uninstalling apps just to try a new one bcz I run out of space on the phone's internal memory storage!
OMFG....are you serious???? I had no idea of this limitation. Oh the horror!
No, don't buy that. This is Linux, dude. I'm sure it's just a matter of getting root access and changing the very lazy security settings of the G1. It CAN be done, it's just a matter of making sure your phone is still secure after the fact.
This is why we need a vendor with a little more open source savvy than T-Mobile.
And what vendor has this 'open source savvy' that you are referring to? I guess you are talking about Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T, because they have tons of open source phones in their line up, right?
Dude, get your reality off my dreams, NOW!
Ummm... there is already an app for it. However, you need an older version (RC27?? I think??) which gives you root access. I'm already at RC30 and awaiting for the next exploit to give me root access again =(
Addition of video recording and saving pics send via MMS will definitely be appreciated. An IM application that actually works would be even more appreciated, though.
I don't see T-Mobile dragging its feet here, or rather, I don't see it being an issue. This isn't like Windows Mobile upgrades that get doled out at the carrier's leisure. I think it's more like Windows/Mac auto-updates. Heck, we've already gotten, what, like 4 OTA updates for the G1 since its release?
It's more like some open source dev already has these things fixed on his phone but he's too busy w/last minute Christmas shopping to post the code. Give it a week or so.
dale1v can't reply to u ,.muthachucka..this darn iPhone only gives u 8 browser windows at a time . U know those android fanbois don't like to hear the truth,.I wanna see android handsets as bad as the next guy. Ok so they announced some 14+ company partnership ,.in order to take down the top dawg,.by the way I high ranked u so they can see what u responded to,.,.
I really don't like it when things seem to be going well, it's just a sign of things sucking later on. Let's hope they don't run out of steam anytime soon.
P.S: Can anyone point me to a place that tells us the use of modded firmware. I don't really know what all the hype is about, no one seems to be taking advantage
Hope t-mob pushes an update with these feats packed
Man, I personally think Google is doing a way better job than Apple of addressing problems and managing its open-source platform well.
FIRST !!! oh , wrong post .....
anyways , i owned a tmobile mda before the g1( it was also manufactured by htc like the g1) . sure , it had everything . video/audio playback , camera/video recorder , wifi , touchscreen , widows bundle ( word , excel , etc ..) ,ie eb browser , flash , sliding keyboard , virtual keyboard , lots of apps to download , i can go on and on . but , that said , the g1( with android ) is my most favorite phone that i ever owned . i runs so smoooooooth . it runs many applications at the same time without hiccups . my windows mobile phone would get bogged down . it froze constantly . i had to restart it many , many times during the day . then it would take forever to start up . but it was a great phone . the g1 is much better . i mean MUCH . ii never had or have any problems with it . i never have to restart it . it never freezes , and its very fast . even when there are many apps or processes running in the background . not to mention the 3g . now that they are adding features like stereo bluetooth and video recording , it just makes my mouth water :^) being open sourced means that anyone can write application for it . without being worried about approval and cencership . that means this phone is just going to get better and better . its already moving at a very fast pace .
I'm a bit puzzled here. Before I bought my G1 I asked around everywhere I could think of, just wanting to know if the lack of A2DP was the fault of Android or HTC. I was lead to believe that the G1 didn't have A2DP capability. It doesn't matter right now that Android's getting it if the hardware it's running on doesn't support it. If that's the case, I'm happy for Android, but all us G1 owners will still be left in the cold.
If that's NOT the case, then I'm clearly ecstatic!
No nothing to do with hardware as far as I know, it's just Android didn't have the software for it yet initially because they had more work to do on bluetooth. They promised it would come later in an update.
hey so when this comes out.in aug of 2009, should i thrash my iphone.,will i now be called android fanboi.,?
I assume both questions are rhetoric?
Kinda makes me feel like my iPhone is less cool now that android is kicking ass.
Ok google that a nice step.
Now when are you gonna actually open this platform like you said you would and let people make real C/C++ based applications for android ?
I mean Java is surely nice but we don't need another iPhone, with zillions of useless java-based games.
let this to Apple and don't you try to close you platform, don't think you can do it all because you cannot.
Your OS is good, you browser is quite good, but not the best, you media player isn't good, you need to let people do their Jobs (hahah..sorry about that).
You will fail like Apple will if you continue to try to control everything.
TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE CUPCAKE
I may be wrong but it seems obvious to me
The updates are pushed by Google, not T-mobile. The only part that the carrier is involved in is making sure that they go to current customers. I'm [assuming] they update google with current customer lists or something before a firmware push - but it could be something else like the IMEI, etc.
That being said, many people are blaming Tmo for the wrong things - for example, not being able to store things on your SD is more than likely a protection vs. limitation, and one set by Google, not Tmobile. If you're able to store software packages on your SD then there's nothing to stop market downloader A. from giving the app he purchased to market downloader B. Unless Google implements some sort of open source phone ID based drm plan for the marketplace OR app makers get more resourceful with their licensing schemes (ie: offer websites that allow customers to purchase the app and get a unique reg. or something like that) - the simplest method of curbing that issue is to let the marketplace and the phone's 'core' software handle all of that.
Android is a ticking timebomb of yumminess and I can't wait for more of it's features to be unlocked and shown off.