T-Mobile USA announced today that it will begin rolling out Android 1.5 to T-Mobile G1 users next week. This free over-the-air update will bring a number of new features to this smartphone, including an on-screen keyboard.
A report from last week which indicated that this upgrade was already being distributed was partially premature, as the software had actually only been released in the U.K.
T-Mobile says all G1 customers should receive the new version of this operating system by the end of this month. At this point, there's no way for users to upgrade their G1 with the official version other than to wait for T-Mobile to send them the files. However, an unsanctioned method to manually download and install the official upgrade will almost certainly be available shortly after the files start being sent out.
What's in Android 1.5?
One of the most noticeable new features in the upcoming version of this OS is the on-screen keyboard. This will allow users to enter text with the phone in portrait mode. Currently, users of the T-Mobile G1 have to rotate it to landscape mode and open the keyboard to enter text.
Android 1.5 also adds Home Screen widgets to display the user's calendar, a music player, and a picture frame. These join the ones already available, the analog clock and the search widget.
The latest version of Google's OS offers greater support for video, including video recording with the built-in camera and playing video in the MPEG-4 and 3GP formats. Users will also be able to upload videos to YouTube, and upload still images to Picasa, two services owned by Google.
Other improvements include updates and enhancements to the standard web browser, and the addition of Stereo Bluetooth.
An Overview of the T-Mobile G1
The T-Mobile G1 is a consumer-oriented smartphone with a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also sports a microSD card slot and a 3.2 megapixel camera.
What makes the G1 special though isn't the hardware, but that it's the first device running Android, an operating system that was developed primarily by Google. This has a highly-functional web browser, and includes tie-ins to a number of this company's online services, like Gmail and Google Maps. There is also a rapidly growing collection of third-party software available
A report from last week which indicated that this upgrade was already being distributed was partially premature, as the software had actually only been released in the U.K.
T-Mobile says all G1 customers should receive the new version of this operating system by the end of this month. At this point, there's no way for users to upgrade their G1 with the official version other than to wait for T-Mobile to send them the files. However, an unsanctioned method to manually download and install the official upgrade will almost certainly be available shortly after the files start being sent out.
What's in Android 1.5?
One of the most noticeable new features in the upcoming version of this OS is the on-screen keyboard. This will allow users to enter text with the phone in portrait mode. Currently, users of the T-Mobile G1 have to rotate it to landscape mode and open the keyboard to enter text.
Android 1.5 also adds Home Screen widgets to display the user's calendar, a music player, and a picture frame. These join the ones already available, the analog clock and the search widget.
The latest version of Google's OS offers greater support for video, including video recording with the built-in camera and playing video in the MPEG-4 and 3GP formats. Users will also be able to upload videos to YouTube, and upload still images to Picasa, two services owned by Google.
Other improvements include updates and enhancements to the standard web browser, and the addition of Stereo Bluetooth.
An Overview of the T-Mobile G1
The T-Mobile G1 is a consumer-oriented smartphone with a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a QWERTY keyboard, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It also sports a microSD card slot and a 3.2 megapixel camera.
What makes the G1 special though isn't the hardware, but that it's the first device running Android, an operating system that was developed primarily by Google. This has a highly-functional web browser, and includes tie-ins to a number of this company's online services, like Gmail and Google Maps. There is also a rapidly growing collection of third-party software available
