06
Dec
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Earlier today, Engadget posted a pretty sensationalist article (now deleted) implying that Gingerbread OTA updates are being streamed down to Nexus One device owners. Since I haven't seen a single confirmation yet, I grew more and more skeptical. To put an end to all rumors, Google's own Reto Meier just sent out a tweet refuting any OTA rumors and putting the Gingerbread update timeline as "in a few weeks":

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And so the wait begins.

Source: @retomeier

01
Dec
Samsung-Galaxy-S_GT-I9000_11

 

While Galaxy S owners here in the States are still (im)patiently awaiting the update to Android 2.2, it looks like users on T-Mobile UK's network are already enjoying the wonders of Froyo. Yes, the update that was initially scheduled for September is only now rolling out.

Luckily, T-Mobile's European brother has (slightly) sweetened the deal with a nice twist - although the update was originally supposed to be made available exclusively through Samsung's Kies software for Windows-based PCs, the carrier has seen fit to add an OTA version into the mix. That doesn't mean Kies has been completely left out of the fun, though - if "reasons out of our [T-Mobile's] control" interfere with the OTA update, users can still hook their phones up to their (Windows-based) computers, start up Kies, and download the update in the same manner most other European carriers are having users do.

16
Nov
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As we mentioned over the weekend, the UK Dell Streaks were on the verge of finally getting that sweet, delicious Froyo upgrade, and now we are able to provide the rollout schedule in more detail.

Starting November 15th, which is pretty much now, carrier unlocked devices will start to receive OTA (over-the-air) notifications allowing the Froyo update to be downloaded and applied. Carrier locked Streak OTAs will follow later on in December due to having to jump through extra hoops, i.e. the carriers, before any updates can be allowed to trickle in. Your Streak will check for a firmware update upon boot but you can force the check manually by going to Settings > About > System Updates.

09
Nov
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Motorola CLIQ owners have been waiting for this day for a very-very-very long time, but, believe it or not, it's finally here. Following the leaked version from 3 weeks ago, the official Éclair for you phones (but not CLIQ XT just yet) is now available from Motorola - not as an OTA, but as a downloadable .zip.

Why Motorola put together the longest update instructions I've ever seen, with more warnings than a prescription drug, is beyond me - it seems to me like the same effect could have been achieved via the existing OTA (over-the-air) update mechanism Android already supports.

02
Nov
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It's always been interesting to me that although the $29.99 Optimus T ships with tethering capabilities, the G2 has no such feature. Of course, it's been rumored several times before that the feature is on its way, but as of today, G2 users are still in the dark.

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That may all be changing soon though, as a recent leaked screenshot from TmoNews indicates that an OTA update that will begin rolling out tomorrow and finish its trip on November 8 will not only grant you tethering, but will also bring about WiFi calling. Interestingly enough, T-Mobile seems to be expecting users to discover tethering on their own though, as the screenshot instructs employees to tell customers that T-Mobile does not currently offer a tethering plan.

19
Oct
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You may envy those who have their hands on a Desire HD already, but early-adoption is rose-like with its obligatory thorns attached. Many owners on XDA-Developers are reporting issues with their phone's screen when making and receiving calls. Outbound calls appear to deactivate the screen permanently and render the phone entirely unresponsive,  save for a battery-pull and fresh boot. Receipt of calls conversely keeps the screen on and active, even when pressed against your ear.

The issue seems to be tied to the light-sensor , with some users noticing their device not experiencing the aforementioned problems in brightly-lit conditions. It seems like a buggy software implementation which should be quite easily fixed with an OTA, but it is unfortunate to see the device shipping with this misbehaviour included.

13
Oct
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As you may be aware, Dell Streak owners have not exactly been sitting on the cutting edge of Android (the device runs 1.6 Donut) since the phone was released stateside. While a leaked and tweaked build of the UK version's 2.1 update has been floating around for a while now, the average user doesn't want to take the time or risk in using an unsupported software build.

But hear ye, hear ye - hope does yet live. Dell previously announced that the Streak would be going straight to Froyo in the US, rather than making the incremental jump to Éclair. Dell's making good on this promise, and has also informed Streakers that they (and their phones) will be frolicking on Froyo "much sooner" than the previously anticipated December 31st deadline.

12
Oct
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I was about to go to sleep, but, of course, when I heard of a possible G2 OTA report, and one that brings such important new features as WiFi calling, otherwise known as UMA, and native tethering, I had to stay up just a bit longer.

Update: T-Mobile's implementation is not exactly UMA - it doesn't transfer your calls between WiFi and T-Mo towers.

Thanks, people in comments!

Here is what we know so far:

  • an OTA is indeed real and has been rolled out to some users
  • it's likely that T-Mobile is doing a very limited test, at least for now and at least until someone discovers a direct link to the OTA download
  • speaking of the direct link, it hasn't been found yet, but if you see it posted around, please drop a line in the comments
  • post-OTA pictures showing both native tethering and WiFi calling, as promised, can be found below, thanks to Stryf3
  • if you want to keep your soft root, the folks at the #g2root freenode IRC channel are warning against installing the OTA just yet
  • the update process itself may or may not shine some light and help figure out a permaroot process, but I have my doubts

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This is a developing story - additional info may be posted if and when we find out something new.

04
Oct
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CLIQ XT owners may experience slight excitement reading this, but only slight - the OTA update version 1.32.20 rolling out now to CLIQ XTs around the country does not contain Android 2.1 - it's merely an incremental update over its existing ancient OS (what is it, 1.5 nowadays?). This update showed up a couple of days ago as a limited beta test, and, thankfully, it didn't take Motorola long to open the flood gates to all CLIQ XT owners.

If you remember, Motorola has been promising 2.1 for a while but recently updated the projections to late Q3 (fail)/early Q4 (Q4 started 4 days ago).

01
Oct
Samsung-Epic

Aw, snap! That update Sprint was supposed to deliver to the Epic 4g yesterday didn't happen due to "administrative issues" per this announcement from Sprint:

We learned this evening that there were administrative issues getting this software loaded to Google's servers.  We don't yet have an expected time when this will be available but will update you as soon as possible.  Please see the statement below that was sent by the Sprint Product Management team: 

We  were planning to release an update for your Samsung Epic 4G on 9/30.   The file was delivered and on track for distribution but late this  afternoon, we learned that an administrative issue prevented Google from  releasing the update as we had planned.  We are working to resolve the  issue and will provide an update as soon as we understand the new  delivery schedule.

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