Android 2.0 may only have been officially announced last week, but don’t underestimate the speed of the open-source community. They’ve already got a basic install of the new OS running on the original HTC Dream (aka the T-Mobile G1); it’s not optimized yet, which means the handset chugs along rather than whipping through the pages like we’re finding on the Verizon DROID by Motorola, but it’s certainly working.
Video demo after the cut
Earlier today we heard about how HTC were unable to offer their Sense UI enhancements to owners of T-Mobile myTouch 3G and Vodafone Magic handsets, as a side-effect of “with Google” branding. Now comes word from one Android developer that, beyond OS 1.5 “Cupcake”, the original T-Mobile G1 may not see any future updates such as “Donut” or “Eclair”.
Over at our Google-obsessed sibling site Android Community we’ve been keeping track of the latest efforts to put HTC Sense onto existing Android smartphones. After HTC’s confirmation last week that “with Google” branded devices wouldn’t be getting an upgrade to Sense, the company’s latest enhanced UI, efforts to persuade leaked Hero ROMs to run on the HTC Magic and T-Mobile G1 redoubled; happily there are demo videos which show just how well these efforts have been going.
Video demos after the cut
New Android carrier news today, as both Rogers Wireless and NTT DoCoMo are confirmed to be launching Android smartphones in the near future. Rogers Wireless has picked up both the HTC Dream (aka the T-Mobile G1) and the HTC Magic for release on its Canadian network on June 2nd. Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has not confirmed a release date as yet, but will be offering a rebadged version of the HTC Magic.
It may be more commonly known as the T-Mobile G1, but underneath the carrier’s branding the first Android-powered smartphone to market is really the HTC Dream. Now buyers in Singapore and Australia will get the chance to pick up the device, through carriers Singtel and Optus respectively, with pretty much the same functionality as we’ve come to expect from it.
SlashGear Japan
