By now you should be familiar with Google's confectionary codenames for its Google Android OS: version 1.5 (Cupcake), 1.6 (Donut), 2.0 (Eclair) and version x.x (Flan). What you probably didn't know is that Google honors each release by dropping a steaming hot foam facsimile onto its front lawn. Historically, the arrival of the giant Donut at the GooglePlex was followed by the 1.6 developer release of Android just a few days later. Don't get too excited though, last we heard Eclair wouldn't arrive until Q2 of 2010 for consumers. Video and another view of the nerds "gone wild" just after the break.

[Via TechCrunch]

Pioneering T-Mobile G1 owners have been enjoying the spoils of Android 1.5 (or Cupcake, as it's known 'round these parts) for months now, but it looks as if that very treat will be the last taste of confectionery goodness that the smartphone gets. According to Android software engineer Dave Sparks, a time is soon coming when devs "wont be able to fit the latest [Android] release on the G1's internal flash," and yet another engineer has chimed in via Twitter to say that he "can't promise" that any update after 1.5 will fit. For whatever reason, HTC gifted the G1 with an incredibly meager amount of internal flash, and considering that no Android phone will support app storage / loading from a microSD card, there's no way to free up room for Donut, Eclair or Flan. You've been a real champ, G1, but without 2.0+, we just can't give you the love and devotion you truly need. Go on, call us fickle -- we deserve it.

[Via Electronista and jkOnTheRun]

Update: We've received a statement directly from T-Mobile on the matter, saying "We plan to continue working with Google to introduce future software updates to the T-Mobile G1. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate." It's unclear whether those are just going to be security and stability updates to 1.5 or whether we'll see wholesale new versions like Donut and beyond, but for the sake of G1 owners everywhere, we're hoping it's the latter.

While speaking at Fortune's Brainstorm: Tech event in Pasadena on Friday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse apparently got all kinds of verbal when it came to Android and his carrier. The honcho (and TV commercial star) remarked at the industry conference that he was "Glad we waited on Android," adding "The reviews say now it's ready for prime time. It wasn't when it first came out." While we knew Sprint had interest in Android phones (and potentially some forthcoming models), we hadn't heard a peep about timeframes, and the last thing Dan had to say was that he thought Googlephones weren't quite ready for prime-time. That's all changed now with the appearance of Android 1.5, it seems, as Hesse stated that the carrier will ship at least one model with the OS onboard this year. We don't want to be zany conspiracy theorists, but the timing of this seems to dovetail nicely with the very public launch of HTC's heavily modified Hero and Sense UI... a device which has been rumored to be making its way to Sprint sometime this year. The carrier obviously has a storied history of partnering with HTC on phones, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to see it land on Sprint (we certainly haven't seen any other carriers pipe up). Regardless, it looks like Sprint won't be putting all of its eggs in the Palm basket for long. It's going to be a very interesting holiday season.

Can't wait until July to check out every nook and cranny of T-Mobile's version of the Ion / Magic? A couple of tipsters, including one anonymously, have lent us a hand in that department with pictures of an apparent myTouch 3G unboxing, as well as an entire user guide dating back to May 19th. We're still rummaging through it ourselves, but so far we're not seeing anything we didn't already know or see for ourselves with the phone's many other releases. Completionists can hit up the 113-page manual in the gallery below.


[Thanks, Derek]

The process isn't for the faint of heart, but considering the reward here, the trials and tribulations of hacking the hell out of your G1 might just be worth it. As usual, the bright chaps over at xda-developers have managed to obtain the HTC Hero's heavily-skinned Android ROM and port it to the G1, offering a totally unique look and feel with all manner of enhancements and customizations not found on a stock Android 1.5 build. Getting it all going involves flashing your device, connecting to it with the Android debugger while it's stuck in an endless boot loop, and messing around with some other stuff, so yeah -- if you're a greenhorn you might want to get a pro to take care of this for you and make sure that you're comfortable with the very real possibility of bricking your baby. Hey, it's just a phone, right? What's the worst that can happen?

[Thanks, Ash]

Koolu was showing a very, very early build of Cupcake running on OpenMoko's FreeRunner way back at CES, and it seems that the Canadian company is now just a stone's throw away from shipping. Beta versions of the EDGE- and WiFi-equipped handset are said to be just a few days' away from being sent out to buyers, with a "full consumer" version being readied for later in the summer. How OpenMoko's slowdown factors into this is unclear, but seeing how the FreeRunner's design and components have been open sourced, we imagine there's nothing stopping from Koolu (or anyone else) from firing up their own production run should the need arise.

[Via CNET, thanks Shawn]

There have been a whole bunch of false starts on this, but honestly, folks -- for real, we're not messing around -- T-Mobile has finally started distributing Android 1.5 over-the-air to American G1 owners. This means that anyone who hasn't taken the time to install the update of their own accord is just about to get hooked up without any intervention whatsoever, bringing third-party widget support, a virtual keyboard, email and messaging improvements, a revised UI, and of course, an endless font of delicious pastries that will make you morbidly obese if you eat enough of them over time. Honestly, while you're waiting for the update to arrive, hop on the Bowflex for a few minutes. It's not going to kill you.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

After delays, multiple false alarms, and staggered launches, we'll admit: our patience is being tested with this whole Android 1.5 situation on T-Mobile USA's G1, and we imagine there are plenty of users who feel the same way. Previously, it took root access -- a process many lay users would rather not undertake -- to shoehorn 1.5 onto an official carrier-branded unit, but we now finally have a legit, signed build that'll install without any hackery whatsoever. This release will give you all the splendors 1.5 has to offer, preserve myFaves access, and requires little more than a file copy to your microSD card plus a couple key combinations to install, so it's pretty much a must-have if you're tired of waiting for T-Mob to do its thing. Now on to Donut, eh?

[Via Phandroid]

That delay wasn't too painful, we suppose. After slipping the US release of the Cupcake-rich Android 1.5 by just a handful of days, T-Mobile USA is starting to push it out to G1 users in the field. The company estimates everyone will have it by early June, so if you haven't gotten the notification yet, hang tight, shake your fist at the sky, and scream a few choice obscenities for us. One more screencap is after the break, and it's a real treat for the anti-Apple crowd.

[Thanks, Raymond and Jamie]

Update: We're aware that the screen shot here shows a UK build -- we're currently awaiting official comment from T-Mobile USA on how the rollout is progressing over here. Stay tuned!

Update 2: So far, it seems like the only folks getting updates are those who'd previously installed a UK build on their US-spec G1, which means the good people playing by the rules and avoiding any firmware tomfoolery are still update-less. We're still waiting on official comment from T-Mobile, but it's not looking good.

Update 3: Indeed, the push hasn't started. T-Mobile tells us that "nothing has changed... plans are still to roll it out this week" -- so if you're crazy anxious to get this installed, your best bet is probably still to install the ADP or UK build.

We knew it was too good to be true, eternal curmudgeonly pessimists that we are -- and sure enough, T-Mobile USA has put the kibosh on the start of its Android 1.5 rollout to G1 users. It seems that the build is still being "optimized" to "ensure optimal functionality and smooth delivery," which doesn't necessarily explain why T-Mobile UK users are already enjoying this stuff -- but then again, we're not the engineers and tech support folks that have to put up with the fallout from a failed launch. The carrier thinks everything will be delayed by about a week, which means that we're now looking at early June before everyone gets it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

This one's a bit of a mystery, but it's certainly a tantalizing one: Haykuro of xdadevelopers fame has posted video of what purports to be the Android build off of HTC's upcoming Hero device. What's special about it is a reworked interface, which shows a lot of polish from icons to built-in apps to general interface elements... and maybe just a bit of TouchFLO flair. There are also new features like a login / logout menu for "social networks" in the settings menu. While the device lists the firmware as 1.5, there's a small possibility that some of this new look and feel could be headed for Android 2.0 "Donut," or perhaps HTC just feels like it needs to diverge from the pack a bit now that other manufacturers are starting to drop their own Android handsets. Check out the incredibly epic video after the break.

[Via Android Central]

And so it's finally confirmed: no consumers on un-hacked T-Mobile G1s in the US have this yet, but Android 1.5 and all its gooey, chocolatey Cupcake goodness will finally be hitting American units come late next week. Of course, you know how Android updates go -- they "roll" -- and not everyone is expected to get hooked up until the end of the month. Meanwhile, British G1 owners are getting updated as we speak -- so you might say they're getting back their American counterparts for launching the hardware afterwards. You know, what goes around, comes around.

[Thanks, Shawn and David]

Update: The 1.5 update includes Picasa and YouTube uploads (you didn't forget about video capability, did you?) straight from your device, which is pretty cool.

Read - T-Mobile USA announcement
Read - Android 1.5 now available in UK

We'd kinda gotten used to the cold, hard reality of being teased with the promise of a Cupcake build on our retail G1s out in some distant, nondeterministic future that we may or may not be a part of -- but all of a sudden, it looks like we might've vaulted right past Cupcake. We've now received multiple tips this evening suggesting that T-Mobile may have started distributing Android 1.5 as an over-the-air update to G1 owners, which would bring customizable widgets, messaging enhancements, virtual keyboards, and UI tweaks (among many other goodies) to an eager public. Anyone out there seeing this?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

P.S. - No, your eyes aren't deceiving you: these are little green pastries baked by T-Mobile. "We heard people wanted cupcakes," one representative told us.

While mere mortals will most likely have to wait until May to get at Cupcake (probably even stooping so low as to refer to it as Android 1.5, those commoners), the proud, good-looking possessors of Android Dev Phones can get at the update right this instant from HTC's website. Naturally, we'd assume somebody's going to figure out how to get these images onto rooted G1s before long, but we wouldn't want to over estimate the intelligence or temerity of the proletariat.

[Via Talk Android]