DevPhone1
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Android 1.6 update for Dev Phone 1 now available
We're expecting the official release of Android 1.6 phones any day now, but those of you hardcore enough to rock the badass unlocked Dream known as the Android Dev Phone 1 can get a bite of that Donut immediately: HTC's posted up an official 1.6 image file for you. Sadly it doesn't seem like regular G1 or Dream owners can use this code, but at least someone's having a good time. [Thanks, Loe S.
Early Android 2.0 "Donut" build available, up and running on G1
Android's official code repository has been updated with a fresh load of Donut stuff in the past day or so, and as you might imagine, the dev community is already having a field day with it. Early reports show that all of the features demoed at I/O this year have made it into this cut in one form or another, including universal search, text-to-speech, and system-wide multitouch with gesture support, allowing users to draw symbols on the screen to trigger actions. What's more, though, the codebase is showing signs of CDMA support -- a must for Sprint and Verizon, of course, both of whom will almost certainly have Android sets at one point or another -- and a cool 5-in-1 bank of toggle switches in a home screen widget that can be used to control common features like Bluetooth and WiFi.Perhaps more excitingly, the community is hard at work on a couple major fronts here: first off, the Donut build is actively being ported to current handsets, and an Android Dev Phone 1 / T-Mobile G1 version is already available (though very, very crashy and incomplete right now). Secondly, work is being conducted to extract major elements of Donut (some of the new widgets, for example) and roll them into cooked 1.5 builds, making the best stuff available in a more solid, accessible form without having to wait for 2.0 to become stable. If you're an adventurous -- nay, borderline mental -- G1 owner, though, you can start your journey to Donut right now.[Thanks, Yoav R.]Read - Donut availabilityRead - G1 port
Android Dev Phones get early shot at Cupcake
While mere mortals will most likely have to wait until May to get at Cupcake (probably even stooping so low as to refer to it as Android 1.5, those commoners), the proud, good-looking possessors of Android Dev Phones can get at the update right this instant from HTC's website. Naturally, we'd assume somebody's going to figure out how to get these images onto rooted G1s before long, but we wouldn't want to over estimate the intelligence or temerity of the proletariat.[Via Talk Android]
Latest Cupcake build flaunted on video, still no closer to retail G1s
I f we can't will an official OTA update from T-Mobile into existence with the combined powers of our love, we suppose the next best thing is watching lucky jerks with Dev Phone 1s get their Cupcake on from afar. To that end, Android dev Joey Sochacki has decided to fire up a series of videos he's calling "Cupcake Sundays," where he'll be downloading and installing the latest and greatest Cupcake code from the official repository every week for a public tour. The inaugural video in the series here doesn't show anything particularly mind-blowing -- and some of this stuff, like the three-dimensional world time globe, we've seen before -- but the Live Folders and on-screen keyboard tours are must-sees for anyone curious what's coming down the pike for G1s, Dreams, and Magics of the world. The Android team also appears to be touting the new black-and-white viewfinder in the camera app as a "feature," even though it's really a downgrade designed to boost refresh rate -- but hey, if this is the price we have to pay to get a whole slew of new goodies, send it along, T-Mobile. Seriously. Follow the break for the full video.
Google issues first Android Dev Phone 1 update, clarifies paid app situation
Android Dev Phone 1 owners are pretty much expected to handle their own business when it comes to firmware updates, but those of you who like to kick it official take note: El Goog's just released Android 1.1 for its totally unlocked version of the G1. Most of the fixes are to do with POP3 accounts, although paid apps are now supported with a catch: you won't be able to access any paid apps that use Android's hilariously weak-ass copy protection features, because the ADP1 comes rooted out of the box and thus able to read / write the folder protected apps are stored in. So yeah, ADP1 owners now have access to paid apps that don't have copy protection -- we're guessing that's not a large number. Honestly, we don't see the point of this: nothing's ever going to stop piracy, and pissing off the people willing to buy $400 unlocked phones that don't come with support doesn't seem like the best way to build brand loyalty. Maybe you want to reconsider, guys?
Google blocking paid Market apps from Dev Phone 1 users
The Dev Phone 1 is good for many things that the stock G1 is not -- hardcore geek street cred, developing Android apps, exercising your 1337est hacking skills -- but one thing it's not good for is buying and enjoying paid apps out of the Android Market. It seems Google has disabled access to paid apps from Dev Phone 1s, likely in response to the almost-immediate discovery by users that rooted devices had access to the hidden folders where the apps were stored, effectively making pirating them trivially easy. In all likelihood, the move doesn't actually have anything to do with whether your phone is radio unlocked -- it's the rooting that's the concern, and frankly, we're a bit shocked at Google's naivete at thinking these things were going to stay protected without at least a glancing effort at real DRM. You'd think that developers willing to shell out $400 for the device aren't going to take too kindly to being locked out of the goods -- which, ironically, could be their own -- so let's hope Google's planning on cleaning up the shop and opening back up sooner rather than later.Update: Get a load of this -- we have an unlocked, rooted G1 on hand, and it still has access to paid apps. Same problem, essentially the same phone, but Google's glossing it right over. If we had an ADP1, we'd be fuming right about now.
Android Dev Phone 1 gets in on the Cupcake action early, deemed to be a little undercooked
Admit it, you want some Cupcake, but you're afraid of ditching the physical keyboard altogether. Good news for those of you who've snagged an Android Dev Phone 1, because your wish may be our command. The guys at Make have the lowdown on how to flash Cupcake to the device and experience that on-screen keyboard in all its glory. The hacked OS certainly wasn't ready for primetime, and that hotly-anticipated soft keyboard was still a little buggy -- but there is some hope for using the phone with one hand. We'll bet Google / T-Mobile keep this one in the oven a bit longer until it's ready to take on the masses, but at least we're seeing some fresh baked goodness on something other than the Magic. There's video of the Macguyver'd OS in action after the break. [Via Geek.com]
