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]

While the jury's still out on its US name or release date, the HTC Magic is gearing up for its European debut by way of Vodafone. The pre-order page is now live with an irresistible price of zilch, provided you agree to a monthly plan of £30 or more. The company says it plans to ship out the Cupcake-powered phone by May 5th.

[Via Phandroid; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Well well well. Well. What do we have here? Apparently the cats and kittens over at T-Mobile have something special planned on Tuesday, April 21st. We've just gotten a very brief email letting us know that something was going down, but without any other detail. Obviously our gadget-alarms started clanging, and the way we see it we've only got a few things to get excited about. Will we see the launch of Cupcake? Could this be the official US unveiling of the Magic? Or perhaps we'll finally get to see the new Sidekick which just hit the FCC. Look -- anything is possible, but whatever happens, we'll be there. What do you guys think is in store?