We've got some good and bad news... mostly bad, though. First, the good news: HTC is looking into finding a way to bring its new Sense UI -- the one featured prominently in the new Hero -- to its non-Google branded Android devices, such as Canadian carrier Roger Wireless' Magic. Unfortunately, and this is the bad news, even that's not a sure thing, and as you can probably guess from the wording, any phone that's got the "with Google" branding, like T-Mobile USA's G1 and myTouch 3G, won't be getting a chance at all due to the same licensing terms that prevented Microsoft Exchange clients on those same phones. Them's the breaks, folks, but we're sure some hacker with enough know-how will bypass the silly restrictions and do it anyway.

Unless the box art's been scrapped at the last minute, we're still expecting T-Mobile USA to use the myTouch 3G branding for its version of the HTC Magic in the US -- but over in the UK, the local division just dropped some knowledge that its second Android device will be known as the G1 Touch. We already had a hint of this from a Dutch rumor, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise; problem is, we still don't know what the G1 Touch is. We're thinking it's likely not the Magic since Vodafone already stole its thunder there -- T-Mobile's going to be looking for some attention with this one -- and this lines up nicely with the fact that there's a big HTC event in London next week. A totally new HTC set running Android on T-Mobile? Count us in.

[Via SlashGear]

The process for getting HTC's Hero ROM with the so-called Rosie UI onto your G1 isn't necessarily for the faint of heart, so for those looking for a slightly more hands-off experience until HTC gets around to introducing this stuff officially, an installer went ahead and threw together a convenient little demo of some of the Android skin's capabilities. Everything we see here reinforces the understanding that this is a thorough, deep customization of Android, taking UI polish and functionality to the next level -- and happily, HTC appears to have really tailored the experience to Android rather than simply taking TouchFLO and retooling it for another platform. A good example of that is widget support -- we see weather and Twitter widgets demoed here, and there appear to be plenty of others available in the list. There's no telling whether we'll see this skin come to Dreams, Magics, and G1s, but it's at least heartening to know that the G1 has enough horsepower to effectively run the stuff. Follow the break for the video.

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]

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.

Sigh. Where to begin? It looks like a Magic, it smells like a Magic, but the perfectionist in us fully understands that it's absolutely not a Magic. The self-proclaimed followup to HTC's G1 has itself an impostor, and that very shammer is parading around on eBay for the low, low price of $122.99. Granted, that doesn't buy you an HTC logo, Android or 3G, but hey, it just might fool a few folks on the subway. Take it from us, though, it's totally not worth the risk of embarrassment.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

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]

If this looks vaguely familiar, that's because it likely is -- we suspect this image out of Boy Genius Report is a newer (or older) render of the "G1 v2" called out on the recently-leaked Android roadmap out of T-Mobile. It'd make sense -- by October, when this is allegedly hitting retail for $150-ish, the G1 will be getting long in the tooth. What's more, this sucker's clearly running Android, and it's a whole hell of a lot better-looking. More on this as it develops, of course, but in the meantime, that myTouch is looking just a bit less appealing, isn't it?

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

The handset might've been surpassed in functionality and looks by its Curve 8900 successor, but nothing's got an edge on the BlackBerry Curve 83XX series in smartphone sales. According to NPD, the handset overtook the erstwhile champ iPhone 3G in the category for the first quarter of 2009, while BlackBerry's own Storm and Pearl handsets took the third and fourth slots, with the T-Mobile G1 rounding out the ranks in fifth place. Overall the smartphone market has grown from 17 percent of handset sales in Q1 2008 to 23 percent in Q1 2009. Compared to the previous quarter, RIM's gained a whopping 15 percent share of the US market -- owning nearly half of the entire scene -- while Apple and Palm both dropped 10 percent as they prep for their heroic mid-year launches.

Ready for some totally prototypical corporate non-answers regarding the alleged release of Android 1.5 on T-Mobile USA's G1s? Good. Here you go:

"T-Mobile USA will confirm details of Android 1.5 availability for our T-Mobile G1 customers in the near future."

Doesn't mean much to us -- and it's hard to tell from that alone whether 1.5's actually begun over-the-air distribution -- but at any rate, it seems like they're not ready to talk about it yet. Don't keep us waiting long, guys.

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.