27
Apr
150

The Big Android Chart™: A Definitive History of Android Version Adoption

Posted by in Android OS, Cupcake 1.5, Donut 1.6, Eclair 2.1, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News
Last Updated: April 30th, 2012

Pop quiz: How long does it take for a new version of Android to be widely adopted? A new version of Android comes out, AOSP updates, OEMs adapt it to a myriad of devices, and carriers test the updates. That process. How long does it take?

It's a tough question to answer, mostly because Google doesn't provide data like that. The official site shows a 6 month version history, and that's it. Anyone looking for a decent amount of data is out of luck. There’s no way to view the long journey older Android versions have taken, and no way to see the bigger picture of how the update process eventually works out.

05
Jan
android developers

Android Platform Version Chart Updated: Froyo Dominates, Éclair Still Strong, Cupcake And Donut On The Way Out

Posted by in Cupcake 1.5, Donut 1.6, Eclair 2.1, Froyo 2.2, Gingerbread 2.3, News

As per usual, Google has updated their Android Platform Version Chart, which gives us a clear indication of how many devices are running each version of Android, based on Market usage. The results won't shock anybody, but they do say good things about the current state of fragmentation in Android. Froyo continues it dominance, taking over half of the chart, while Android 2.1 still remains strong with 35%, likely due in large part to the massive number of Galaxy S phones still running it. Our obsolete friends, Cupcake and Donut, continue to fall into obscurity, although devices running them are unlikely to be updated.

15
Aug
image

Eclair Hops The Pond - Unofficial Android 2.1 Update Now Works On The AT&T Dell Streak In The US

Posted by in Dell, Donut 1.6, Eclair 2.1, News, Streak

Owners of Dell’s 5” tablet in the UK were lucky to get their hands on a leaked pre-release version of Android 2.1 earlier this week. The hack, however, was only compatible with the O2 version of the device in the UK, so owners of the US counterpart released only 2 days ago on AT&T have been stuck with their new giant babies wearing an ancient 1.6 Donut diaper. To make matters worse, it looks like Dell decided to skip the 2.1 update altogether and go straight for 2.2, delaying the upgrade even longer.

Not to worry - the Android community has now come up with a way to flash 2.1 on the US version of the Streak.

09
Aug
image

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Finally Comes To The US - Available For Pre-Order Now, Out August 15th On AT&T

Posted by in AT&T, Donut 1.6, News, Sony Ericsson, Xperia X10 (es209ra)

Yesterday, a countdown showed up on SonyStyle's website, promising something "smarter was coming." Here's what it looked like:

image

The contour and image enhancement (cranking the brightness all the way up) all but confirmed that Xperia X10 was imminent. Sure enough, this informed guess was correct, and Xperia X10 is headed for AT&T. This will be AT&T’s second high-end Android handset, and the first Android phone from Sony to launch here in the US.

In case you’re not familiar with the phone, it’s got all the high-end specs you’d expect from a smartphone in 2010:

  • 1 GHz processor
  • 4.0” screen
  • 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash
  • WiFi 802.11b/g
  • and expandable memory up to 32 GB (it ships with a 2 GB microSD card)

However, there is one big exception: the phone is most likely running Android 1.6, and there’s been no word on an update to Froyo, though an update to Android 2.1 is expected sometime this quarter.

02
Jul
chart

Android Internal Version Distribution Updated; Fragmentation Dissipating

Posted by in Android OS, News

Right on schedule, Google has yet again updated their Android version distribution charts.

chart

Immediately one notices that Android 2.1 now controls 53.1% of the Android device population. This is in stark contrast to mid-May; when 2.1 accounted for little over 30% of the operating system distribution. The major changes, summarized below:

  • Android 1.5 and 1.6 have shrunk to a combined 44.8% of the Android population; Android 2.1 and 2.2 devices now represent the majority of the distribution.
  • Android 2.0.1 has all but evaporated in the wild.
  • Android 2.1 is run on 53.1% of Android devices.
  • Android 2.2 adoption hovers around 1.8% (this includes non-standard 2.2 ROM’s that can access the Market)

chart (1)

Fragmentation has long been the buzzword of Android critics and users alike; but it appears that the combined effort to upgrade 1.5 and 1.6 devices to 2.1, in consort with increasing sales of new Android devices worldwide, has provided 2.1 a massive boost in the Android OS share.

23
Jun
Samsung Behold II Update To Android 1.6 Donut Going On Now, Brings New Features, Fixes Bugs, Hates How Mad We Are

Samsung Behold II Update To Android 1.6 Donut Going On Now, Brings New Features, Fixes Bugs, Upset At How Mad We Are

Posted by in Behold II, Donut 1.6, News, Samsung, T-Mobile

In an unsurprising and entirely boring turn of events, Samsung Behold II upgrade to Android 1.6, aka Donut, has started on June 21st and is expected to be completed on June 25th.

As we mentioned earlier, Behold II will not be getting past 1.6, to shock and outrage of numerous device owners, and this week will be the last (if not the only) highlight of Behold's about to be slow and boring life.

The bad news is: lots of you are unhappy, some to the point that you vouch never to touch Samsung products again.

The good news is… there is always the hacking community.

26
May
garminthumb

UPDATED: Navigate Your Way To A Garminfone On June 9th

Posted by in Carriers, Devices By Manufacturer, Garmin, Garminfone, News, T-Mobile

Update 05/26/2010: Well, as legit as the picture that Engadget posted looked, it seems that it was incorrect. I recieved an email this afternoon from T-Mobile announcing the availability of the Garminfone for $199.99 after a 2 year contract on June 9th. Seems all other details remain the same. You can view more information on the Garminfone here.

Sorry for the punny title – that actually hurt a bit to write. So, it seems that Engadgets received a fairly credible picture announcing that the Garminfone (did they really have to call it the ‘Garminfone’? I keep typing ‘phone’) should be available on June 2nd for the rumored $199 price point – as long as you’re OK with a 2 year contract.

18
May
Garmin-Asus' Garminfone Reviewed, Is It A Solid Entry? [With Video]

Garmin-Asus' Garminfone Reviewed, Is It A Solid Entry? [With Video]

Posted by in Garmin, Garminfone, News, Phone Reviews, Reviews, Videos
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

The Garminfone is coming to T-Mobile very soon, so in order to help us figure out whether it is just a useless and superfluous toy or a candidate for your next phone/gadget, Engadget grabbed a review unit and put it to the test.

The Highlights

You can read the full review or if you want just the most important highlights, you can read the bullet points I handcrafted below, followed by a video and some photos:

  • Garminfone is coming to T-Mobile in June for $199
  • It has a 600MHz processor, a 3.5" capacitive screen, a 3MP camera, a 2GB microSD card, and runs Android 1.6, unlikely to be upgraded to 2.0+ any time soon, if ever, due to heavy customizations in the UI
  • if it's not obvious from the pictures, there is no physical keyboard
  • according to Engadget, Garminfone is the best mix of PND (portable navigation device) and smartphone to date
  • the phone is quite similar in build quality, size, and shape to Garmin G60, aka Nuvifone, which was running a custom Garmin OS and never ended up being too successful
  • there is no headphone jack… WHAT??