"One of the things that attracted me to the T-Mobile G1 when it first came out," writes Bill, "was that Android was touted as an open source operating system that would continue to improve. So far, that part seems true: Android 2.0 has features that are not in Android 1.x -- most notably, from my perspective, ActiveSync support. I recently learned, though, that the OS upgrades are to be left to each carrier, and that T-Mobile does not plan on upgrading the G1 beyond Android 1.5."
Bill was pretty certain his was a gripe without a solution -- and he may be right. But I'm not entirely convinced.
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As Bill points out, there are reports that T-Mobile has no plans to upgrade the OS on the G1 to the "Eclair"-code-named version 2.0 (or 2.1), but I could not get T-Mobile to confirm this. When I posed this question to T-Mobile, the spokesperson replied, "We will let you know when we have more details to share." All my subsequent pestering has received only a tantalizing silence. (Google declined to comment and suggested I'd best ask T-Mobile.)
But there are conflicting rumors on this issue all over the Internet. Many of these rumors state unequivocally that it would be impossible to upgrade the G1 to Android 2.0 because the device simply doesn't have the memory capacity for the new operating system.
But others are more optimistic. In fact, Engadget reported last month that credible rumors are circulating that the G1 will, in fact, get the 2.0 upgrade -- somehow.
"We don't know where this is coming from," reads the Engadget report, "so take it with a grain of salt, but rumor has it from AndroidSpin that the progenitor Android device, the T-Mobile G1, is destined to officially get an over-the-air update for an Eclair build."
This week, AndroidSpin reported, "It now appears that more information is coming out, this time from an internal T-Mobile forum. A Moderator stated that Android 2.0 for the G1 is rumored to make its way to G1 handsets by the end of January."
So keep your hopes up, Bill. It's not over till it's over.
Got gripes? Send them to christina_tynan-wood@infoworld.com.
This story, "T-Mobile G1 owners left in Android 2.0 limbo," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in mobile computing and Google Android at InfoWorld.com.