HTC believes Cupcake will come to the T-Mobile G1

We've already seen it go down unofficially, but we've received word from HTC today that Android's coveted "Cupcake" branch of updates and fixes -- or at least a majority of it -- will likely be making it to the G1 in the future as a legitimate over-the-air push. HTC isn't involved in deciding what updates get pushed to the G1 or when, but given the update cadence so far and the G1's support for Cupcake's capabilities, the company believes that it's just a matter of time before T-Mobile makes it happen. The timing is still a big question -- HTC's more or less out of the loop on the schedule, and it's up to Google and T-Mobile to figure out how it's going to play out. We'll keep you updated as we find out more!

Update: We pressed HTC spokespeople to give us a little more to go on, but got the standard "we can't comment on rumors or speculation" line. T-Mobile, Google, your move -- you've got plenty of folks waiting. A belated Festivus gift, perhaps?

[1234321 @ Dec 30th 2008 8:26PM]

G2?

[BlurMagic @ Dec 31st 2008 1:26AM]

n00bz.

Psh. They are still working the kinks out of the G1 you tardmuffin.

Speaking of delicious pastrys,

I personally cannot wait for Cupcake... Couple that with Flash... Sucks to be the owner of an iPhone. What sweet things do you guys have coming your way? Oh. Some more weak ass apps in the app store? Cool. I guess. How many apps do you really need to find a place to eat?

Android fanboy I am.

[unclebobo126 @ Jan 20th 2009 10:21PM]

fuck a g2 i think they should wait for at less 2 to 3 years to come out wit it or shit dont come out wit it all n wit cupcake that sounds kool but they should not have rush the g1 to come out look at the iphone get real people money talks bullshit walk......

[Mark @ Dec 30th 2008 8:28PM]

TWO keyboards, OMG!

My iPhone only has one.

[The Truth @ Dec 30th 2008 10:08PM]

The iphone has a keyboard? That's news to me.

[Bob @ Dec 30th 2008 10:34PM]

@ The Truth

It was a typo, he meant "none."

[Centinall @ Dec 30th 2008 11:09PM]

There are times where it would be nice to be able to use a virtual keyboard instead of sliding open the phone.

Also, what do we expect android phones that don't/won't have a physical keyboard to be able to do? What about for other languages and characters?

Android is an OS, not a phone.

[a ham sandwich @ Dec 30th 2008 8:30PM]

woo hoo! imagine all the thumbs that will be saved by not having to slide out the keyboard!

[Eric R @ Dec 30th 2008 8:33PM]

So excite!!!! I can't wait for them to fix the slow laggy scrolling in the messaging app.

[Wiigee @ Dec 30th 2008 8:45PM]

werd. cant wait for that.

[thatisandwas @ Dec 30th 2008 8:38PM]

This rocks! Soooo many updates in Cupcake. I bet it hits right around the new year. It would make sense to do the upgrade when the marketplace changes over from a beta service to a pay for apps service. And flash is just around the corner! Love my G1.

[newjaruz @ Dec 30th 2008 8:45PM]

YAY! WOOHOOOOO!

lmao... I cant wait I really don't want to have to continue opening my phone for typing in the browser.... and cant wait to heck out video thumbnails so on and so fourth.

[Nomi @ Dec 30th 2008 8:45PM]

When is HTCs next crop of phones due?

[Phoenix @ Dec 31st 2008 6:16AM]

They're due to be announced this summer, released Q3 unlocked and probably Q4 on the networks. That's if they keep up the trend they used with the TyTN, kaiser and Touch Diamond/Pro.

We may well see something from either HTC or the networks at CES.

[DoC @ Dec 30th 2008 8:52PM]

Well, who needs an iPhone now. Cupcakes.....mmmmmmmaaaamammmmmmmmm (in Homer Simpson Voice).

[Eric R @ Dec 30th 2008 8:56PM]

The [cup]cake is not a lie after all!

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 31st 2008 7:46AM]

CAKE! But you must be a TMobile G1 user to get it... :(

[Brian @ Dec 30th 2008 8:58PM]

I've been on the fence about getting a G1, but I think I'm finally sold. This coupled with the (rumored) battery replacement proves to me that T-mobile and Google are standing behind their product.

[B3astofthe3ast @ Dec 30th 2008 9:24PM]

So...it's not a lie?

[slyzxx @ Dec 30th 2008 9:33PM]

looks promising

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 30th 2008 9:46PM]

see, this is what open handsets are able to do, being able to adapt to anything and create an flawless software for use.
unlike some competitors *cough*Apple*cough*

[Brian @ Dec 30th 2008 10:49PM]

but with apps, the iphone is open-ended because you can get an app for anything!!!

/sarcasm

[Broo @ Dec 30th 2008 10:06PM]

i cannot wait for this -specifically for the addition of A2DP!

[Eric @ Dec 30th 2008 10:35PM]

Hopefully the g1 gets video recording, that is what I am hoping for. I might make use of the a2dp eventually. I wish they would release the sdk for desktop widgets already, I need me some weather on my desktop, can't fill it all up with icons :)

[Yevon @ Dec 31st 2008 12:35AM]

Video recording is in Cupcake.
http://source.android.com/roadmap/cupcake

No word on widgets though. I can't wait for that.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 31st 2008 6:40AM]

Last I heard, there was a distinct possibility that the Widget SDK might never happen. It's apparently a major security risk for some reason.

The good news, though, is that anybody with a standard Android SDK can write a whole new home screen from scratch, so hopefully we'll see some solid alternatives pop up before too long.

[Michael Martin @ Dec 30th 2008 10:44PM]

This is completely T-Mobile's call as CupCake will be merged into the main Android path just after the New Year.

Most likely in mid to late January OTA.

,Michael Martin

[Larry @ Dec 30th 2008 10:46PM]

Well, yeah, it better be coming to the G1. There's way too much good stuff for the G1 in there. Some of the stuff is almost necessary and I might have to murder someone if it didn't come to the G1. Seriously.

[kev @ Dec 31st 2008 1:09AM]

The cupcake is a lie.

[JCP @ Dec 31st 2008 1:23AM]

So even if for some odd reason this did not come OTA it would still be availible as a manual update, right?

[superhobo @ Dec 31st 2008 2:44AM]

So why is this news?
Anyone can update/change the OS on G1, right?

[bob @ Dec 31st 2008 4:03AM]

Festivus lol.....

"Festivus is not over till you pin me george"

[tiremfej @ Dec 31st 2008 6:23AM]

I love my G1, I think it's a fantastic phone. I don't understand all the hate. I think these additions will make it much more formidable to the dreaded "iPhone".

Is it cooler to have something that everyone has? Or is it cooler to have something few have? Or is it even cool to talk about being cool based on your phone?

I could have a bumper sticker on my 1989 Honda Accord: It could have a little picture of a G1 on it and say "My other phone is a Jitterbug" that would make me pretty cool...right?

[Bob @ Jan 4th 2009 7:44AM]

Haha, I love the Jitterbug jingle. Cracks me up every time.

Anyway... All the chics hang out with me now that I got my G1. I'm so much cooler than the jocks now!

[Adam N @ Jan 7th 2009 4:21AM]

But EVERYONE has a G1. I live in Chicago and I see at least as many G1s as iPhones now. I have one, my parents have them, dozens of coworkers, damn near everyone i know that has T-Mobile uses a G1 (2 people use Sidekicks, 1 uses a jail broken 1st gen iPhone). I remember when I got my G1 in the middle of October it was cool and new and I didn't see another person with one for weeks, then a little after general release they were everywhere. Ever since mid November they've been EVERYWHERE.

[Steve M @ Dec 31st 2008 6:36AM]

It'd good that it's finally going to be coming to the phone. To be honest, I could live without the onscreen keyboard, what I want is for them to sort out the more key problems, such as the non-Gmail email app not always notifying, the lack of internal space to install apps (let us install to the memory card, it cant be that difficult) and if they could do something with the power management so much the better.

I love my G1, but I can't use it as my everyday phone until they sort these few issues out. Fingers crossed they'll come with the cupcake update.

[mike @ Dec 31st 2008 6:39AM]

lol you are such retards. When iPhone came with no keyboard but only software keyboard, everybody was uhhh ohhhh that´s bad eh?. No the G1 comes with a silly software keyboard it´s all yeahhh woottt (did anybody say revolution plz). Android is SO bad, full of bugs and........looks like crap :O). G1/Android is only for people who dosent know any better....i kind a feel sorry for the lot of you......and you mothers for having born you.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 31st 2008 6:50AM]

Virtual Keyboards are garbage.

[Bob @ Jan 4th 2009 7:50AM]

Mike is kinda like Apple and their fanboys. An OS comes out without any service packs and there are a couple bugs. Sooo... Let's base all of our opinions ** several months later ** on the face that there are some bugs, even though 99.9% of those bugs have been fixed and it runs almost flawlessly now.

Grow up mike. If you want to bash the G1, go get your hands on one and play with it for a few days, don't just ASSume. You know what that does, right?

[tracester @ Jan 5th 2009 3:21PM]

i'm an unabashed apple fanboy since 1990, and i much prefer the G1. the keypad on the itouch made my wrists hurt. seriously.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 31st 2008 6:50AM]

It had never occurred to me that there was even a slight possibility that cupcake wasn't coming to the G1. That would have sucked hard.

I couldn't care less about the on-screen keyboard. I was all ready to buy an iPhone last year until I tried the keyboard and decided that virtual keyboards will always be unusable garbage. The real update here is the A2DP functionality, which has been sorely missing so far. With no headphone jack, stereo bluetooth is an absolute necessity.

I think the initial software feature-set was defined by "what does the iPhone have" and so they let obvious features like A2DP and Video Recording slip to the back burner in order to make their release date.

[civilian @ Dec 31st 2008 10:43AM]

@blurmagic,

how many tip calculators do YOU need??? stupid Android fanboy you are. Thats true though, Iphone owners dont have to look forward to things like a decent movie media player, the ability to store apps on an sd card rather than 70 mb of internal memory, or a headphone jack, or a mass amount of people to start developing for their platform. You guys are lucky though with the rest of the stuff in cupcake, but ehh its a give or take because people can wait for some of the features in cupcake to be added to the iphone as well.

[john @ Dec 31st 2008 11:46AM]

the first search result for 'g1 cupcake' is:

[quote]Cupcake confirmed for T-Mobile G1 - Engadget
Cupcake confirmed for T-Mobile G1. by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 30th 2008[/quote]

endgadet writes, you suck.

[szandor @ Dec 31st 2008 11:58AM]

How is cupcake confirmed for the G1? Jean-Baptiste just posted this some day(s) ago...has this update been updated?

Jean-Baptiste Queru writes about how the G1’s code isn’t being currently rolled into Cupcake:

The G1 contains a significant number of proprietary applications, drivers, etc… that aren’t part of the core Android Open-Source Project. Even if the source code for the 1.0 platform that powers the G1 was released, you’d still be missing many parts to turn the base platform into something that exactly matches what shipped on the G1. [...] Cupcake sets a base that should reduce the impact of the first aspect, with the open-source tree being hopefully eventually close (or identical) to the underlying platform of the stuff that ends up on consumer devices.

It sounds like the G1 would need specific modifications to make use of what Cupcake has to offer or is something magical going to happen in January that will force the two together?

[Yipcanjo @ Dec 31st 2008 12:02PM]

I was *very* surprised when T-Mobile released a WM5.0 - 6.0 upgrade for the Dash -- and totally supported! I have no doubts that they'll support an OS refresh with the G1 as well.

[Ferguson @ Dec 31st 2008 1:45PM]

Cool now make themes.
and tethering
and the app from iphone
and better battery life
and gestures
oh wait a touch screen keyboard, your right everyone was hoping for that first.

[John Datserakis @ Dec 31st 2008 12:34AM]

go back to clarissa explains it all

[Graham Wellington (formerly tyrone washington, or marsha goldberg) @ Dec 31st 2008 1:15AM]

+1 for john, wish i could do +5

[GTeye @ Dec 31st 2008 5:19PM]

Don't mention cupcake on the Tmobile forums.

The fuhrer moderator will delete your post and lump it in with his "Your all damn cry babies" post.

Or be told that we should be happy with what we have because people in 3rd world countries don't even have cell phones.

(Real quote).

[EpicTastic @ Jan 2nd 2009 12:28PM]

Well that mod has no idea what he's talking about,
people in third world countries use iPhones.