It’s been less than a week since Google took FroYo off ice and shipped it ’round the world to a small number of Nexus One users (and the firmware happy), but a big question remains: what phones will make the cut, and when will it happen?
HTC
HTC Corp. was the first to make public their plans for Android’s latest and greatest release. The company confirmed they will “most likely” release Android 2.2 for any handset they’ve launched this year:
[. . .] if your phone was launched this year, we will most likely offer an upgrade for it to the Froyo version. This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to launching the upgrades. We are working closely with Google and our other partners to ensure we have the earliest access to everything we need to provide a complete and solid Sense experience on Froyo. We expect to release all updates in the second half of this year but can’t be more specific yet.
Phones that make the grade
- EVO 4G (Qualcomm Snapdragon)
- Incredible (Qualcomm Snapdragon)
- Desire (Qualcomm Snapdragon)
- Nexus One (Qualcomm Snapdragon)
- Legend (Qualcomm MSM7227)
- myTouch 3G Slide (Qualcomm MSM7227)
Motorola
Daddy to the Droid, Motorola just confirmed today that its QWERTY-toting offspring will soon be making the jump as well:
We’re excited to see Google’s news of the next version of the Android operating system and look forward to integrating it on our Android-based devices as it’s made available to the open source community.
While I can’t comment on specifics, we do expect DROID by Motorola users will receive Android 2.2 as a software upgrade in the near future.
Some have noted that Motorola’s use of “devices” suggests that mid-range phones like the CLIQ or DEVOUR will follow in the Droid’s footsteps, but we wouldn’t place one red cent on that bet.
Phones that make the grade
- Droid (Texas Instruments OMAP3430)
Samsung
A perennial also-ran in the Android ecosystem, Samsung has only strengthened their position in this respect by maintaining a stony silence about any upgrade plans they might have.
Sony
Troubled by failures (or an unwillingness; you never know with Sony) to crack the North America’s subsidized phone market, Sony has moved at a glacial pace with their Android handsets. Even though retired models like the Droid Eris have already received Android 2.1, Sony Ericsson said on May 5 that 2.1 won’t hit their flagship XPERIA X10 until the end of this year. That doesn’t leave much hope for Sony customers looking to get a taste of FroYo, but stranger things have happened.
Phones that don’t make the grade
Throughout this article, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that three particular processors keep cropping up: the TI OMAP3430, the Qualcomm Snapdragon and the Qualcomm MSM7227. This list will also include the Qualcomm MSM7230 by the end of the year. Of all the many processors featured in the market’s Android phones to date, only these chips are quick enough to run the Flash 10.1 experience available to Android 2.2.
That means phones like the HTC Droid Eris, T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic, HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment–popular phones all–have more than likely seen their last official firmware update.
Not all is lost, however. The Android community is overflowing with resourceful and dedicated individuals, like Paul “MoDaCo” O’Brien and Steve “Cyanogen” Kondik, who are determined to bring all of Google’s updates to every phone, retired or otherwise. Crafting these unofficial updates takes time, but even venerable devices like the G1 will eventually have their day in FroYo’s sun–if you’re handy with an SD card, that is.
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