Wow, quite a bit of G1 news this evening! Well, it’s official, T-Mobile has started rolling out their Voice Plus Beta program for G1 owners. If you signed up for the beta, you should be receiving an e-mail very shortly to let you know that the program is now available to you. We should warn you, to install the application you will need to update the G1’s software and fully wipe the device, so make sure you back up your data! How many of you signed up for the beta? Are you excited to use it? Let us know in the comments below!
Call Divert: Carve out a little peace and quiet by sending selected numbers straight to voicemail without ringing your phone.
Call Defer: Let callers know you’re busy and schedule a convenient time for you to call them back. Send them a text message that acknowledges their call and that you will respond at a later time.
Visual Voicemail: Easily manage your voicemail! View a list of who left a voicemail, with the time of the message and its length. Choose which to listen to now and which to review later.
City ID: Get more information about the calls you receive. The city and state information of incoming calls is displayed.
Well, it looks like T-Mobile delivered on its promise of releasing an OTA(Over-The-Air) update for G1 users by their self-imposed deadline of March 15th. Even though this update only brings forth an improvement in call quality, it’s nice to see that is was able without issue; unlike the experience Motorola Cliq and Droid Eris users suffered. If you haven’t seen the update yet, you should be seeing it very soon. So, the next question is will the G1 get another update? Android 2.1, here we come? Time will tell, but we hope so!
Here is some news that will definitely excite those of you running an outdated version of the Android OS on your handset. The guys over at AndroidandMe are reporting that ALL U.S Android handsets will get an update to Android 2.1. But there’s a catch! Processor speeds will prevent all of them from receiving every single feature that is present on the Nexus One, such as live wallpapers. Nonetheless, the handset will have the Android 2.1 firmware.
Additionally, select Android phones will require a wipe when they are upgraded to Android 2.1, and some will have to do a PC install for the upgrade. U.S carriers and Android handset manufacturers are currently working out the details of the 2.1 upgrade and deciding whether or not to send out the update via an OTA or make users upgrade using a PC. If the update were to be installed from a PC, there would most likely be an application included to backup all the content on your Android handset. AndroidandMe also claims that all of this is set to take place in Q2 (April/May/June) of this year with the G1 and the myTouch the initial two first-gen handsets to get Android 2.1. Until we have further confirmation, this is going under the rumors column for now!
Let me just start off by saying that this is NOT the update G1 owners have been patiently waiting for. Instead, it’s a minor update exactly like the one the original myTouch 3G received earlier this month. The Android 1.6 update (DMD64) OTA is rolling out starting today, February 26th, and will gradually make it to the masses by March 15th. The update improves G1 user’s call performance and does not include any additional feature enhancements. To receive the update, G1 owners must have the required Android data plan added. G1 owners will receive a notification on their device giving them to choice to “Install Now” or “Install Later”. After you install the update, the handset will reboot and you’re done! Enjoy the improved call quality!
You know about that potential G1 update we told you about on Monday? Well its time now. T-Mobile needs your help! T-Mobile has now launched the software trial program for G1 owners called “Voice Plus Beta”. All the details after the jump! This program is on a first come first serve basis, so get it while you can!
T-Mobile will be doing a software trial for G1 users only. This will NOT be the rumored Eclair update, sorry to say. However, this trial will reflect features similar to Google Voice integrated into the stock dialer app. It will allow you to set numbers to be ignored, integrate Visual Voicemail, and and some other goodies. Once this software comes out of trial status, there will be other features, too, but we can’t talk about those just yet. So how about the cool part? Well, T-Mobile is actually looking for people to test out these new features on their phones (something to the tune of thousands of users!). Do we have your attention yet? Excellent, we’ll let you know as soon as we get the details on where you can sign up.
Edit: Yes, this will most likely look and function similar to what rooted users have had for a while now.
Ever since Google announced Android 2.0 on the Motorola Droid, everyone has eagerly wanted a piece of the scrumptious Eclair, but the future wasn’t looking too good for faithful G1 owners. There were a few rumors stating Android 2.0 for the G1 was coming, but no release date was specified. But now, according to an internal T-Mobile Forum, a Moderator states that Android 2.0 for the G1 is rumored to make its way to G1 handsets by the end of January. Of course this should be taken as a grain of salt, and until there is further confirmation, this is going under rumors column for now. Leave your thoughts and hopes in the comments!
Well the rumor wheel is a’turning. According to the guys over at AndroidSPIN, the G1, father of the Android device is set to get an over-the-air update to Éclair, 2.0 OR 2.1. Unfortunately, their “source” was unable to specify which version the G1 faithful would be getting. For the moment, we’re filing this firmly away in the rumor category as we’ve yet to hear anything official about upcoming Android updates from T-Mobile herself. We’re hoping for all involved, however, that this comes to pass as it seems likely that the G1 will get some sort of update being that its life cycle is on its way to a close. If nothing else, those good fellas at XDA-Developers will keep you hacking away to give you the most out of your faithful G1.
Hi, I’m Nicole aka @c0z, the Associate Editor of AndroidGuys. I’ve also been the Copy Editor of Tmonews for a while now, but that’s all behind the scenes stuff. I finally decided to post something, I hope you don’t hate it!
Please note: These opinions are mine and don’t reflect the opinions of Tmone–no wait, they actually do–so here we go…
Oh T-Mobile, you have so many loyal fans. This site alone is an attestation to that fact, for sure. However, there is one area in which your followers are very disappointed with your performance: the acquisition of new, awesome Android devices. Surely you have noticed that the Android community is expanding at an unremittingly fast rate, and hopefully you realize that many of your customers want options when it comes to smartphones. How about rounding up a whole new collection of those snazzy new Android devices for your oogly-eyed customer base? As mentioned in an earlier article, geek interest is paramount to your success!
I personally love my T-Mobile service but I must admit that the limitations of RAM on a stock G1 can be quite cumbersome (especially to anyone who loves to play with apps and isn’t advanced enough to use root access (not me!)). And that’s the point of having an Android device, right? To play with apps? When the myTouch 3G came along I was happy to welcome it (aside from it lacking a QWERTY, one of my personal requirements), but even that campaign is starting to grow a bit jaded. At least the mT3G’s physical form was a step in the right direction. The introduction of the Cliq is still something I’m trying to forget, and I’d have to say that the Behold II gets bundled with those same sentiments. After hearing the Xperia X10 might be going to another carrier, I started losing hope for T-Mobile’s ability to acquire the next big Android device. However, it looks like hope is making its way back to the horizon with the rumor of the Google Phone/Nexus One coming to T-Mobile. While that is definitely progress and will whet the appetites of the geeks,let’s not stop there, okay? T-Mobile, how about you make your New Year’s resolution to provide more top-end Android devices to your loyal fans? We’re counting on you…
What do you guys think? Is the Google Phone being on T-Mobile’s network enough for you? Do you think T-Mobile needs more game-changing Android handsets to keep up with other carriers?
Anyone who has been following the launch of the Verizon based Motorola Droid was bound to be envious of a major feature added in by Google. Google Navigation aka Google Maps on steroids, offers full navigation to help you find every In-N-Out Burger known to man, as pictured above. Originally thought to be offered to all Android devices sporting 2.0 and up, Google has gone and made some happy Android users by allowing those with “Donut” based Android to grab the app from the Android Market this very moment. We know the G1 has been “running” Google Navigation for the better half of two weeks now via a little hackery, but this time it’s a legit edition and available for your road tripping pleasure. Hit up the Android Market and sound off below after you take this for a spin!
