Video: Android 1.6 Donut gets jazzy walkthrough, performance and Market tweaks on display

Android 1.6 was just released to dev phones, and while you may not have a suitably configured handset to run it, YouTuber arsenito84 does. He's installed the latest version on his T-Mobile myTouch 3G and was kind enough to create this nine minute video showing every tiny little tweak made to the OS. There's not much in the way of presentation updates, most changes going on behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to performance. Those improvements are definitely noticeable when it comes to scrolling through apps, but the new Android Market is also on display, and the photo and video capturing has been improved. Why, the phone even does a fine job of loading up this very website, though scrolling is less than smooth. Still no firm word on when your average user will be able to get their Donut on, but if earlier reports are to believed it could be within a month.

See more video at our hub!

[B3astofthe3ast Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:06AM]

I've been playing with donut for weeks now.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:06AM]

is he playing his own piano soundtrack as he speaks?

[Shmunt Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:18AM]

Your girl's doughnut? Well the old tease finally put out!

[Zodiac Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:07AM]

Can donut run on G1? I heard too large for G1. Is that true?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:18AM]

Not true in the slightest...

[mattdonders Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:23AM]

I am running Donut on my G1.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 1:33PM]

That music is from a Mac program.

[missingNo Posted Sep 30th 2009 11:01AM]

Too bad my G1 won't even take an update to Cupcake or even RC33, for that matter, without hanging at the G1 splash...

[McPOW Posted Sep 30th 2009 2:37PM]

Of course you contacted Tmo (or whoever you bought it from) because you have a defective unit, right? right?

[bklik Posted Oct 1st 2009 8:15AM]

Did you try wiping the phone?
* Start while pressing home
* Alt+w
* Reboot

Note: You will loose all your data that's not on the SD.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:20AM]

I have installed Donut yesterday on my HTC Dream ADP .... and wow a lot faster than anything I have put in it...
Previously I was running cyanogen last experimental version with donut stuff, but a lot slower.

[macjonny Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:23AM]

Marketing blurb from Android:

" Hi, were the OS of choice on your phone if you think Google is just too cool, and if you are too much of a peasant to afford and iphone like you really want. Oh, and ask mamma if it's OK if you buy a phone first."

[tgluak Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:38AM]

I see more kids with iPhones than Android phones, I bet they had to ask their mamma first

[Mateo Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:00AM]

App Monogamist sheep

[steel Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:38AM]

macjonny is sort of right, only he missed a few things:

most people would rather have the iphone, except for 2 nagging facts:

1) Android is for people who would like an iPhone, but actually still need a phone. att sucks.

2) Android is for people who can do more than one thing at a time, and would like for their phones to keep up.

[geoken Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:05AM]

3) Android is for people who want to write an app that doesn't require investing a thousand dollars in Apple hardware

[shanoboy Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:41AM]

Got a question for my fellow Android users. If I root my phone and install another rom, do I lose all my application data? Anyway of backing it up (and maybe even the apps)?

Thanks for the insight my fellow Engadgeteers!

[shanoboy Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:47AM]

and by the way all you iPhone lovers/Android haters:

the iPhone is undeniably cool. but I choose to use Android (and the MyTouch 3G) because I love the integration with Goolge voice, gmail and calendar, most of the apps (though fewer in number) are free or cheaper than their iPhone counterparts, my data plan from Tmobile is only $25 a month (plus $40 a month for 1000 anytime min) and I like that its open to being hacked away and developed by third parties.

Sure, the iPhone kicks ass. But I don't need Steve Jobs and co ass raping my wallet all the time and micro-managing how I use my phone.

[deinfinityx Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:14AM]

You do lose all application data but you can backup most of your apps using any one of the various app managers in the market then reinstall them after you have upgraded to the latest rom.

[HydrogenSnake Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:43AM]

Nice. Cant wait till HTC incorporate the changes into their Hero Rom.

[Guybrush Threepwood Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:44AM]

He knows you can just turn annotations off, right?

[trevr Posted Sep 30th 2009 11:23AM]

i called him XD

[dionelr Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:52AM]

Pretty cool. I hope this helps the G1 improve its performance.

[kalleboo Posted Sep 30th 2009 8:58AM]

I wonder how long it'll take for HTC to apply their patches and release it for the Hero, considering they just released their own update.

I went from a Hero to an iPhone, and the iPhone is so annoying to use after having gotten used to Android. Multitasking improves everything - it's worst with small stuff like clicking web links in applications - either they embed a terrible neutered webkit view, or they open up Safari and going back to the app and where you were is a pain. It's also annoying not being able to for instance keep an IRC session running in the background. I could do this on my "dumbphone" Java phone 4 years ago, how hard can it be!

Once I've given the iPhone its one month chance to convince me I'm going right back to the HTC Hero. Android FTW.

[Stealthhawk007 Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:09AM]

So does the G1 have an update? If so, how can I get it on my G1?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:37AM]

It looks to me like he is running CM 4.1.11.1, which is nothing new.

From what I've read, the SDK will only run on ADP1 or ION phones. To top it off, his app drawer is 5x4, not Android standard. I'm not sure that there will be Vibrate on answer/hangup options in 1.6 without CM either.

[scape Posted Sep 30th 2009 9:45AM]

1.6 out soon, prolly for cliq

[ai4281 Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:06AM]

Looks pretty good. But I refuse to switch to Android if a phone is running that crappy Qualcomm 7600 series CPU...

[jegormeister Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:23AM]

you can still see his phone number after turning the captions off :/

[Hydra Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:36AM]

Boooooo!! Cyanogen has had this a while now, F*&k gogole

[TxDot Posted Sep 30th 2009 10:38AM]

Lose the background music. It is distracting.

[Tensai Posted Sep 30th 2009 11:18AM]

Agreed.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 12:24PM]

Agreed! I feel like I am on a "Charlie Brown Christmas"!

[Drizzle Posted Sep 30th 2009 1:39PM]

Yeah, I was also wondering about the secondary SD in the memory section of the video. I didnt think that would be an option from the Google (although would be nice). So I assume latest cyanogen rom. I want to see the official 1.6. I have this already.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2009 2:25PM]

I'm pretty sure he's just running cyanogenmod or some variant thereof, which is indeed based on 1.6, but not the one released yesterday. Note that he did not scroll down on the about phone page. I have a google ion and was able to install donut yesterday. It looks a bit different than what he was showing. I love it, just this guy doesn't deserve the views.

[McPOW Posted Sep 30th 2009 2:39PM]

Wish:::PIANO:::I could:::PIANO:::understand a:::PIANO:::word he:::PIANO:::said in:::PIANO:::the video

[shukero Posted Oct 1st 2009 9:03AM]

lol, apparently tmobile doesnt like engagdget

[LightSpeedy Posted Oct 1st 2009 8:50PM]

lol