A jump to Android 1.6 does not sound too exciting when many current Android users have just been upgraded to 2.1 and are looking to possible Android 2.2 updates in the near future.  But Android 1.6 is still a great improvement over the current Android 1.5 build on the Behold II.  Users will be able to enjoy the updated Android Market, Google Maps Navigation, Quick Search, improved camera, camcorder, gallery, and the integration of text-to-speech.

Samsung Behold II owners looking for Android 2.1 should consider the Galaxy S or T-Mobile’s myTouch Slide (rumored to be getting android 2.2 soon), but everyone else will most likely enjoy the new features that Android 1.6 has to offer.

Cue the donut.

Just a few short days ago, Buzz was all the buzz on the internet and in internet-savvy circles. It didn’t take long for us, as Android users, to notice the greatest limitation of Buzz: lack of full support for pre 2.0 handsets. We complained, cried, and raised our voices in anger at Google, saying things like “you support the iPhone but not a version of Android that’s still being shipped on new phones?” Maybe Google heard us. Maybe they had this in the cards all along.

So, users of 1.6 and 1.5, take out your phones, load up your favorite browser, head to http://buzz.google.com and simply tap on “Continue on an unsupported device.” Reading Buzzes from the people you follow works fully but it seems that the Nearby feature might not be able to access your phone’s location. On my 1.6 test device I simply got “Location is not available” and, obviously, on the emulator the same message appeared.

The Google Mobile blog, back on Tuesday the 9th, told us all about Buzz. Then at about 4:40PM that day they published an “update” at the end of their post, explaining that Maps 4.0 with the Buzz layer was already available for 1.6 but that the site, buzz.google.com, would not work unless you were using 2.0+. They also said that “we’re working to support other versions soon.” Apparently soon means this weekend.

At the time of this post, I am unable to find any official word from Google, announcing access to the Buzz mobile page for unsupported devices. This is pretty typical of Google, though, as they hardly ever make a big to-do about features—just about new products or services.

The screenshots below were taken from an HTC Hero on Sprint, running an AOSP 1.6 ROM, and from Android SDK’s emulator, running Android 1.5.

We believe the ZiiLabs intended to operate as an original design manufacturer and have other companies pick up the ZiiEgg and re-brand it as their own. No product announcements have been made (that we are aware of) and the device is only available to developers.

The ZiiEgg is still going for $399 and packs some serious specs.

• 3.5″ 320×480 true-color capacitive 10-point multi-touch display
• X-Fi audio processing
• Up to 32GB internal NAND Flash
• 256MB RAM
• HDTV 1080p support via HD Cable
• Composite video In/Out
• Forward facing VGA camera
• Rear Facing HD camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Hardware GPS receiver with antenna
• 3-axis Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor
• Full size SDHC slot (supports up to 32GB of external SDHC Card)
• USB 2.0 Mini-B (MTP and Charging)
• Universal Docking connector (HDMI, USB, Audio Line-In/Line-Out, Composite-In/Out, UART)
• Headphone socket, built in speaker and microphone
• 1200mAH rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Supports Linux-based Plaszma OS and Android
• 115 x 62 x 12 mm
• Light weight: 108grams

Anything But Ipod has a device and loaded up the new Android 1.6 firmware to capture it on video. They report this firmware is the first Android firmware to make it to the Zii EGG so it is very buggy and more of a proof of concept. You still have to give ZiiLabs major props for releasing Android 1.6 while other companies struggle to roll it out to their devices based on Android 1.5 (Sprint Hero, Sprint Moment, T-Mobile Cliq, T-Mobile Behold II).

Developers can finally play with Android 1.6.

I have spoken with representatives from HTC, Samsung, and Sprint to confirm that the Hero and Moment will ship with Android 1.5. As many of our regular readers know, T-Mobile began rolling out Android 1.6 last week.

So when will the Sprint Android phones get Android 1.6 and how will it be delivered?

According to both companies, there are no current plans to offer Android 1.6 as an over the air update. Samsung has indicated they will offer Android 1.6 in early 2010 and it will be available as a PC download. HTC said the Android 1.6 update is yet to be determined and is also leaning towards an update method involving the PC.

When I asked why OTA updates would not be available, both companies specifically mentioned file size. I found this kind of odd considering T-Mobile has been able to successfully rollout multiple OTA updates on their network.

If these devices will not support Android 1.6 until 2010, then developers will have to make sure their future apps are backwards compatible with Android 1.5.

Sprint phones will also lack the new Android Market that is packaged with Android 1.6. The new quick search box, camera, gesture controls, and all other enhancements will have to wait till 2010.

If you were planning on purchasing an Android phone from Sprint, does the lack of Android 1.6 change your opinion?

Did Google fumble the Android 1.6 launch?

1. The update caught developers off guard.

Developers knew the update was coming, but many had not released updates for their applications. This is a problem because Android 1.6 causes problems with many apps and they need to be updated in order to be compatible.

Google normally sends an email to all developers who register with Android Market in order to warn them, but that did not happen this time around.

Some customers experienced severe problems when they updated to Android 1.6 because they had apps installed that were not compatible with the update.

2. Google uploaded the wrong 1.6 images on HTC’s site.

Google uploaded the developer images of Android 1.6 to HTC’s site only two days before the over the air update began. Unfortunately, the wrong images were uploaded at first, which caused further confusion among developers.

3. Android 1.6 breaks many apps in ADC2.

The Android Developers challenge is in the middle of the first round of voting. According to the official rules of the contest, applications can not be upgraded after they are submitted. All of the applications were designed for Android 1.5 so the new update to Android 1.6 makes these apps unusable.

Hopefully Google will do something to address this.

Having Problems with Android 1.6?

If you are experiencing force close loops, you can boot your phone into safe mode and uninstall the offending software.

• Power off your phone
• Hold down Menu and then power on your phone
• Keep holding Menu down until Android boots and you see safe mode displayed on your desktop
• Go to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications and uninstall problem software

If you experience an application that has problems, please email the developer. Many problems can be easily fixed, but the dev needs to be aware that problems exist.

The following is a list of applications that users have reported problems with Android 1.6. Not all have been verified. Let us know if any get fixed and we will update it.

• Open Home (Fixed)
• Useful Switchers
• Facebook
• Panda Home
• Appmanager Pro
• CoPilot
• Handcent
• Twidroid
• Toggle Settings

It appears apps that use GPS, home replacement apps, and some apps with native Android tabs are having issues.

If you know of an app that does not work with Android 1.6, leave a comment and we will add it to the list.

We have discovered the file for the T-Mobile G1 which updates your phone to Android 1.6. This file is being hosted by Google so I don’t think anyone will complain about distributing it.

For the full list of Android 1.6 highlights, visit the official Google Android site.

If you have a T-Mobile myTouch 3G, please be patient while we wait for the download link to be discovered.

Method A – My G1 has the official T-Mobile version of Android 1.5

Read first: This method is for people running an official T-Mobile USA version of Android. You will be downloading the official update file from Google and manually installing it on your phone. The update file is the exact file that is being sent to phones over the air, but this method allows you to manually download it (instead of sitting there waiting).

Warning: Some developers have not updated their apps to be compatible with Android 1.6 yet. Check your favorite apps to make sure they have been updated and contact the developer if they have not.

Warning 2: If you have a home replacement app that does not support Android 1.6 you may get stuck in a force close loop. You can boot into safe mode and uninstall the offending app. Hold down Power+Menu when turning on the phone and keep holding down both buttons until the phone boots in safe mode. You can then go to Settings > Manage applications to uninstall the app.

1. Download T-Mobile Android 1.6 (DRC83) from Google. (Search Google for “signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip” if the link is removed)
2. Copy the downloaded file to your phone’s SD card. (Advanced users only: Use the command “adb push signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip /sdcard/update.zip”)
3. Rename the downloaded file to update.zip (Make sure you can see the file extension. Many users make the mistake of naming the file update.zip.zip)
4. Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Power off the phone first and then hold down the Home key while powering it back on.
5. The recovery mode is finished loading when you see the ! mark inside the triangle. Press Alt+L  to display the list of options.
6. Press Alt+S to flash the file update.zip.
7. Wait for the update to apply. Your phone may reboot during this process so be patient.
8. Press Home+Back if prompted to reboot your phone.

Verify: When the update is complete you can double-check your version of Android by going to Settings > About phone.

The build number should read DRC83.

Method B – My G1 has a hacked version of Android currently installed

Read first: This method is for people running any hacked version of Android. Installing the official T-Mobile version of Android 1.6 will wipe your phone and you will lose root access. This is for people who wish to return to the latest default install of Android.

Warning: Some developers have not updated their apps to be compatible with Android 1.6 yet. Check your favorite apps to make sure they have been updated and contact the developer if they have not.

Step 1: Downgrade to RC29

• Download the file DREAIMG-RC29.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
• Unzip the file DREAIMG.nbh and copy it to your SD card home directory.
• Power off your phone first and then hold down the camera button while powering it back on.
• When prompted, press the power button to begin the downgrade. Wait for it to finish and display the rainbow screen. Press Talk+Menu+Power to reboot your phone (or just pop your battery out once the downgrade has finished)

Step 2: Upgrade to Android 1.5 CRB43

• Download the file signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
• Rename the file to update.zip and copy it to your SD card (Advanced users only: Use the command “adb push signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip /sdcard/update.zip”)
• Reboot your phone into recovery mode. Power off the phone first and then hold down the Home key while powering it back on.
• The recovery mode is finished loading when you see the ! mark inside the triangle. Press Alt+L  to display the list of options.
• Press Alt+S to flash the file update.zip.
• Wait for the update to apply. Your phone may reboot during this process so be patient.
• Press Home+Back if prompted to reboot your phone.

Step 3: Upgrade to Android 1.5 CRC1

• Download the file signed-kila-CRC1-from-CRB43-FIX.7ca4a1d7.zip (Search Google if link is removed)
• Repeat the steps from above to flash the update file.

Step 4: Upgrade to Android 1.6 DRC83

• Download the file signed-kila-DRC83-from-CRC1.c41b93c1.zip (Search Google if this link is removed)
• Repeat the steps from above to flash the update file.

Verify: When the update is complete you can double-check your version of Android by going to Settings > About phone.

The build number should read DRC83.

[Thanks Justin for the link]

According to Tmonews, select G1′s will receive the update over the next 24 hours and then it will begin rolling out to myTouch 3G users. We expect the rollout will be staggered so it could still be a few weeks before everyone is officially updated.

If we obtain a link to the official update file, we will post it so that users can perform a manual update instead of having to wait.

Android 1.6 about screen.

[Thank you Kevin Mohr for sending in the picture]

I just got an notification from Android Market informing me I had several apps that needed to be updated. I went to check which apps had a new version and found T-Mobile My Account had been updated to 2.0.3. According to the release notes, this new version was targeted specifically to support the new Android 1.6 (Donut).

Over the past couple of weeks we have seen Google deliver the Android 1.6 SDK then HTC released the Android 1.6 images for developer phones. Some sites are interpreting the update of My Account to mean that T-Mobile is ready to roll out Android 1.6. Tmonews even goes as far to say the Android 1.6 over the air update is coming at midnight.

Based on the history of the Android 1.5 rollout from T-Mobile, I think we still have several weeks to wait. It’s nice to see T-Mobile update their apps to work with the latest update, but many developers have not tested their apps and there are compatibility issues. Android Market Support typically sends an email out to developers before any rollouts occur and they have not done so for Android 1.6.

T-Mobile could surprise everyone and push the update out tonight, but I’m not holding my breath.

For those of you wondering about the article we wrote claiming the G1 might not get future updates, we have good news. As I explained in my G1 storage problem article, the Android 1.5 (Cupcake) update consumed 99.5% of the space available for the operating system. The system partition of the G1 is about 70 MB and Android 1.5 used around 69 MB.

I’ve had the chance to install and play with developers version of Android 1.6 and it only uses 60 MB. This means the Google engineers were able to shave off around 10 MB of code with new optimizations. The final T-Mobile version of Android 1.6 will be slightly larger when they add their MyFaves and IM apps, but it should have no problem fitting on the G1.

And now the wait begins.

T-Mobile prepares for Donut.

• Android 1.6 images for Android Dev Phone (HTC Dream)
• Android 1.6 images for Google I/O Phone (HTC Magic)

These images were accidentally signed with test keys so you mush flash them with a recovery image that also uses test keys (cm-recovery 1.4). Google has said they will soon upload the correct images signed with production keys so that these images can be loaded on stock developers phones.

This release of Android 1.6 is in line with the recent rumors we posted and we still expect T-Mobile will rollout the over the air update in late October.

Several readers requested screenshots of the official Android 1.6 build and I will be uploading some later today.

The follow is a collection of tips we have received over the last few days:

Rumor 1: As of next week, Motorola is expanding the rollout of developer units of the Sholes by a factor of 3. There should hopefully be more info in the wild shortly after the new batch of them go out to testers at Motorola and Google. Also, a Motorola representative was dispatched to Google’s (removed) building last Friday, with a briefcase carried under guard. Said briefcase did not happen to have any Sholes in it, but something even newer by the Moto crew. I’m not sure what. Yet.

Comment: This is in line with what I have been hearing. The “Sholes” hardware is practically finished and Motorola and Google are working to finish off Android 2.0. This batch of new units could offer a slight hardware refresh. We first reported the “Sholes” would feature 512 MB of internal storage, but later speculated it could be as high as 16 GB. I have no idea what the new hardware is, but we did report that Motorola is working on 10 Android phones.

Rumor 2: Donut should be released by Google by the end of next week. It will be made available to (but not necessarily released in an update) T-Mobile and HTC in phone images. This is assuming the schedule doesn’t slip yet again.

Comment: Once again, this confirms what we have been hearing from other sources. Much of the Android 1.6 code is already available in the AOSP, so this is no surprise. Once T-Mobile has the images, it should be a month before we see the OTA update. Look to late October for the official Android 1.6 rollout.

Rumor 3: The Sholes’s CPU officially supports Neon. Granted, this is very weak news by itself, until you know what Neon is but if you’re a developer looking forward to making use of it, it’ll make you jump for joy.

Comment: We already reported this back in August and now another source confirms it. You can read more about Neon technology on the Arm site.

Rumor 4: The Motorola “Sholes” will launch on Verizon as the Motorola Tao.

Comment: I’ve seen some internal documents from Motorola that had the phone name blocked out and it was only three letters, so Tao is a definite possibility. Give me a couple hours and I should be able to confirm this with another source.

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