The G1 from HTC and offered by T-Mobile will get an update in January 2009 to finally allow it to record video, stereo Bluetooth support, an onscreen keyboard and other improvements.
These improvements will come from Android‘s Cupcake development branch.
“The cupcake branch will be merged into the master branch… Due to the United States’ holiday season, though, this may not be finished until early January.”
Other notable features include:
- Ability to save attachments and pictures from text messages
- Ability to view what applications and processes are running
- Updated Webkit browser
- You can copy and paste text within the browser by holding the SHIFT key and sliding your finger across the text you want to copy
- You can now search for text within the browser using a FIND feature
- New SquirrelFish JavaScript engine
- New kernel based on Linux 2.6.27
- Many bug fixes
- Interesting change as the dial pad can no longer be single tapped open but needs a finger slide – people’s faces when talking were accidentally opening this
- With Video recording there will be Video thumbnails and the ability to play them back
- Stereo Bluetooth support
- Ability to have an onscreen keyboard for typing
*** Also tucked away in the code is a filesystem that supports users and encryption which is the foundation for the FUTURE ability to run apps off the SD card according to GotOnTheInter.net ***
More information on this can be seen at the Android road map following the Cupcake branch – http://source.android.com/roadmap/cupcake
79 comments… read them below or add one
This is great news! Thanks Michael for keeping us informed.
Feels like another “Take that iPhone” moment…
AndroidTapp.coms last blog post..Visa Mobile for Android
@AndroidTapp.com, When in january can we expect this app tp come out.
Great I can’t wait! I jus hope the keyboard swivles on screen and we get better games 2!
I hope the browser allows better zoom control
Well can the phone also support FLASH! cause thats reaaaalllly all i care about to be honestt
@ Cali
Adobe demoed FLASH working on the G1 in November
I believe it will come out publicly for the G1 in early 2009.
I noticed they cut out the chapter that it will come out in January. What is that supposed to mean?
@Robert,
Where did you see FLASH being included in the January OTA?
I saw that they have now taken off the paragraph that says they will release it in January OTA. What does that mean now?
Will the camera be better? If not having a video player will be pointless! I hope they fix that first!
@stanley
software updates and not upgrade software. That would be pretty cool. The only way the g1 would be able to record video would be if the camera could record, and you would have to capture at least 20 fps for it to be watchable. anything less is basically a flip book
Finally stereo bluetooth!!!! Corded headphones break in 1 to 2 months. Wooooo hooooo polish up the headset!!!!
Any camera can record with the right software. That’s what motion jpeg is for.
the iphone is so finished!
Hey do you guys think thatbluetooth headsetts will kill the batt even faster? I mean bluetooth has to be turned on right?
@Jeffrey
course it will, but the convenience is…its just…oh god…OH GOD… lol I don’t care about a loss in battery life, I finally can use my bluetooth hphones
Its about dam time they put this on our g1! Haha in your face iphone loser G =p lol! Now all I want is a date when we can download it?
That vid is a bit jumpy, do we think that the g1 can handle the processing? i already have small problems with mine when pulling rss and reading mail at the same time…
1…hope tha video update won’t b like tha weak ass 20sec tha sidekick lx/08 got last year G.M.B in DAT ORDA
How will we know when the update is availabe? Will it be on the Android Marketplace? Im sorta lost on how an over-the-air update will be available and announced.
@ Cameron,
There will be a pop up on your G1 notifying you there is an update and you simply allow it to upgrade.
I will clarify that as well in the latest post that the update could be happening as early as this Sunday January 11th, 2009 – http://www.andgeeks.com/g1-cupcake-update-released/3612/
this is great but will i find this in the market when its released? also does anybody have info about our flash player and when that will be available
Hey uh its the 11th did any1 get the upgrade… just wondering.. hit me on aim macanbyrd with answers
I didn’t get my update yet…hopefully it comes SOON. And we need to get flash player on this damn phone. And a camera wit a flash and video that’s records for a long amount of time.
Someone hit me up on gtalk…
My gtalk name is: Lady.B.Millie
Soo wait how do you get the video player again I’m lost…and just curious does any1s phone slide in more than 1 way cuz seen sombody like turn the screen the other way…idk maybe iwas high but sum1 try n tell me how it goes lol
We need users a password file, bash and anything else that you would normally find in a nix distro, at least add JF’s busybox build.
Id also like a bash shell so my shell can be customized like I would any *nix shell (ie: .bashrc to set path variables and aliases, I haven’t poked around that much but the shell doesn’t seem complete…
Bhang
IM SO EXCITED! THESE R EXACTLY THE KIND OF UPDATES I’VE BEEN LONGING FOR! I WAS LITERALLY SITTING ON MY COUCH 4 30 MIN LAST NITE TRYIN 2 FIG OUT HOW 2 SAVE A PIC I GOT IN A TXT.. I CANT WAIT!
@LEILANI,
There is a app in the android market called ‘Save MMS’ under the ‘Tools’ category. Developed by Andrew Schwimmer (The Best App Developer on The Market). It allows u to save pics, vids, audio and other attachments from your txt messages. Awesome and very useful app. It works real good too.
Look up his other apps. They’re really useful.
Look, I’m going to be real about the g1. I’m really disappointed with this phone. I thought it was going to be the iphone competition , but the iphone def. Blows the g1 away. G1 apps suck, the phone is not multi-touch, and the games really suck.
Maybe I’m just impatient. Hopefully the things I talked about are just thing yet to come. But I know I’m not the only person feeling this way about this phone. Just had to get that off my chest lol anyone else?
@scott, multitouch is software based. Give it some time. The phone and apps still need some updating. As well as the frosting on this cupcake update. True… they could have waited and polished everything up before releasing the phone. But what better way to test and gather ideas and improvements could you do other than by releasing it when they did. Patience, haha
Software support is required, but multitouch is not just software based. Keep in mind, it depends on the hardware powering the touchscreen, and whether that hardware can relay multiple simultaneous touch events to the system. Older, more primitive touch displays averaged all the touches on the screen and relayed the one point. I’m not saying the G1 can’t do multi-touch, but until it is actually implimented, I remain skeptical.
Yeah I’m with Scott. The apps really suck. It seems like everyone keeps making the same apps over and over. We need more things that are useful like the ability to run and save apps on the sd card, or even using some of the memory from the sd card to ram for the phone. Things that help improve the phone not these stupid fart apps that seem to pop up on the market every week.
@Eric,
Hey eric, just letting u know. Look up the info on how to ‘hack’ your g1 to get ‘root access’ modification(its real easy to do). It really might accommodate your needs as to what u want ur g1 to do. For example it will be able to let u save apps to ur sd card and run them. It will also allow u to run an app called ‘Droidsans Tweak Tools(not Tweak Tools Lite)’ from Market that only runs on root accessed g1′s. This app allows u to auto-rotate ur phone during any operation. And root accessed g1′s can do SO much more. Look into it. U might be suprised to see what the g1 is capable of.
(‘Droidsans Tweak Tools Lite’ is an awesome app too. And u don’t need a root access g1 to run it. Just make sure u set the animation and transition to 5x. Any higher will be too slow for ur phone. Any1 who doesn’t have this app yet-GET IT! Trust me.)
@BiLLybOi, hey what can I do if I hack my g1 … I don’t want to void warantee but if its worth it…. plz wb soon
G1 We Go Hard We Go Hard! G1 We Go Hard We Go Hard!
is there going to be bluetooth file transfer support for Mac???
I WANT MY CUPCAKE DAMN IT!!!! “By” mid-January my ASS!!!
Where is that update!? I heard as soon as jan. 11th then by midnight jan. 15th? Just come out with it already or give a specific date so we stop running around like headless chickens!
I want my ****** update!
Where’s my update!
I’m usually not the guy that stays up on news but I am super interested in this “cupcake” update. Right now my G1 blows but I think this will help a lot. Please keep me posted with any news on updates or G1 mods or apps that improve the phone. Its appreciated. By the way what are some good websites to stay up on this info?
Apparantly the update will not be coming out until late january now.
I am not sure if ya all have tried browser application” Steel ” it comes with on screen key board. Downloaded from the Application site on G1. Give it a try and let me know if ya all like it.
I think this is the best phone T-Mobile has come out with, but if this phone got into a fight with the iphone the iphone would kick the g1′s a**.They should not have dropped the G1 until it was truly ready…come on cupcake!
Can anyone help me hack my G1 to get root access? If you could it would be much appreciated. I tried to look up how to hack it, but I didn’t understand it at all.
They should also add the ability to change the sensitivity of the touch screen, and the falsh would be great for the phone and also the ability to transfer files through bluetooth.
If I buy a G1 AFTER the cupcake update is released, will it automatically be on the phone or will the update still pop-up?
@Mikey,
The update will pop up over time if its not already installed.
Has anyone received the updates. I put my phone on charge last nite and wheni woke up this morning it was just a bright screen, it was not turning off or on so i thought may be the updates are running. After waiting for couple of hourse i pull the battery and dang it still shows RC 30.
Is there a specific app I need to have to receive an update for the video player. If so which one. And will someone please give me some kinda instructions on how to hack my G1. I wud luv to have auto- rotate. cherry2dream@yahoo.com
Sorry I meant video recorder
hey all we can do is sit and wait. no need to rush it because an update wont be worth shit if its rushed
But ummm in the meantime….that cupcake @ the top of this page is lookin kind of good right about now lol
You guys, add me to your Google Talk so we can share our experiences with new android apps. There r tons out there and I would love to hear from you about the best apps. Kcamon@gmail.com
What is the site for google apps?
@Faz,
Do you mean the Android Market?
You can view it directly on your G1 or if on a computer go to http://www.android.com/market/ or http://www.cyrket.com/
When is the update coming out.
i bet we get it Sunday the 1st there is alot of screen shots leaking out now so its probably nearly done http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/01/30/234528/video-google-releases-android-cupcake-update-for-g1.htm
Is there particular setting for GPS on G1. My google maps GPS never locate my correct location. Any clue?
when will we be receiving the cupcake update, please keep me posted?
I get my phone in the mail tomorrow. Do I need to download Cupcake or will it already be on it?
@Matt,
Neither, it still hasn’t come out.
They have an app already for video recording .. it about a 3 1/2 stars in my book .. but it does record but no sound .. corny or what .. what it lets u play it back and does have thumbnails to know which u want to look at .. but a bit slow and like i said NO SOUND!
Friday night around 8 pm , msg poped up on my G1 for an update available. i clicked on update now, it downloaded and i now see firmware 1.1 instead of 1.0 and RC 33. The only new feature i see is voice activated search. No video recording, no on screen key board. Is this something that everybody received?
not sure if my previous comment are to be posted which were in detail. FYI, i have received update pop up last nite around 8 and i now have rc33 firmware 1.1, but no video recording or stero bluetooth or on screen keyboard all the feature that were discussed in cupcakes. Anyone received such update?
Same here received update today and I do not see any differences except for latitudes.
Faz, I received the same update… I just got voice activated search? I wnt the touch screen keyboard but do you know if the key will be horizontal, like the iphone when it senses it?
When does the Cupcake come out??
Robert, From the videos out there it looks like it is vertical only. If you want to experience the on screen keyboard with the browser than download browser call Steel from the Market. Try that, hopefully you will like it. I have just lost hope about this cupcake. I am just going to eat it, can’t wait for it no more;’;).
Now the 2nd of march….no updates. Gettin slightly impatient now. I bought this g1 because of the internet (had my broqadband cut off at home), and was hoping 2 update my facebook, bebo etc…I can’t upload pictures because I need adobe flash player. I just need an approximate date when this “update” is gonna happen. I’ve heard it was january 09, early 09, and late 09…I have this fone for about 17 months contract now, I at least want to make the most of this “great” fone. If its gonna be late 09, I might as well get a new laptop and broadband put back on!
It should be out before april for sure. Because thats when the new g2 is out on vodafone uk – see the website for that. So its more than likely that they will send out the updates before release rather than sending it out to all the g1 AND g2′s.
soo i called tmobile a couple of weeks ago due to a saving picture problem, and i asked the the technician/reptesentative whom i was speaking with about this soo “long waited cupcake update”. she told me that it’s not gonna happen at any time soon. whatever they were working on didn’t quite come out the way they expected and that she’s not even sure if its gonna happen at all…
April 1st and still no cupcake. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.
I hope they hurry up they kept putting the dates back! Oh well this is the best phone on the market but I hope we get a new flash player x
I have read on a G1 site that Cupcake is due out in early June of 2009.
Woke up today and my fone updated the cupcake thingamabop! Holla at ur video!
How do I accses the cupcake thing. I can’t find.
You can get it directly from Google at https://android.clients.google.com/updates/partner/signed-kila-ota-148830.de6a94ca.zip
*** Currently it has a 503 server error which should be resolved shortly ***
Then rename the file to update.zip
Connect your G1 via USB to your computer
Select MOUNT on your G1
Once you see the G1 drive on your computer put the update.zip on the main root directory
Shut Off the phone
Reboot holding the HOME button
Once you get the Triangle ! screen hold ALT and press L then S
Then Reboot when prompted
I got my update sry 4 the who didit have the up