Wireless

T-Mobile will push out a major firmware update to users of the G1 Android handset in April, the mobile operator has said.

The update will introduce features such as virtual keyboards and stereo Bluetooth support, as well as an upgrade of the underlying Linux kernel. A number of bugs in the Android operating system will also be fixed. The browser enhancements include upgrades to the latest version of the Webkit core and the addition of cut-and-paste. The browser is also getting support for the new Squirrelfish Javascript engine.

T-Mobile G1

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

The contents of the update come from Cupcake, a read-only mirror of a private development branch within the wider Android development effort. According to the Android development Web site, the changes introduced in the Cupcake branch have now been merged into the master branch, as part of the gradual open-sourcing of what started out as a Google project.

A spokesperson for T-Mobile could not give a precise date for the release. "Google controls the update as to when it goes out. The only thing T-Mobile knows is (the update will come out) next month," the spokesperson told ZDNet UK on Thursday.

A Google spokesperson could not give a more specific release date. "We're not confirming the timing on when Cupcake will be ready," the spokesperson said. "We'll push it as soon as it's ready."

T-Mobile's G1 is the first, and currently the only, handset to use the Android mobile stack. The second is likely to be Vodafone's Magic handset, which is also manufactured by HTC.

David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.

The T-Mobile G1 midway through an update of the Android operating system.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)

Google has begun fixing a bug that would reboot T-Mobile's G1, the first Android-powered phone, any time a user typed the word "reboot."

According to the bug filed about the problem, "It would appear that Android is, at some level, interpreting specific text strings and acting as if they were local commands," according to user called mogphone.

Added another commenter, jdhorvat, "Funny story behind finding this: I was in the middle of a text conversation with my girl when she asked why I hadn't responded. I had just rebooted my phone and the first thing I typed was a response to her text which simply stated 'Reboot'--which, to my surprise, rebooted my phone."

Repairs are under way. "This is already fixed and is going out in the RC30 build which will be pushed to users very soon," added user morrildl.

Indeed, my Android phone got the RC30 patch over the weekend, and the problem doesn't occur. It's not clear what time frame other Android users will receive their patches; there was a multi-day lag between my G1's last update a week ago and the period in which some others got their updates.

Some more details on the problem are described at this Web site.

(Via ZDnet)

Google and T-Mobile have begun distributing a security patch for the first Android-powered phone, the G1 built by HTC. This is the update alert message.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)

Google has begun distributing a patch to its Android mobile phone operating system, an early test for how nimbly the company can respond and how well the infrastructure works to distribute and install updates.

For the Android test phone I'm using, a T-Mobile G1, the update was smoother than the process by which the software problem came to light publicly on October 24.

The handset I'm testing gave me a message Saturday afternoon: "A system update is available," and a choice to update now or later. When I clicked the button to begin the update, it downloaded new software, which took a few minutes, then installed it, then resumed working with no hitches.

The patch fixes the highly publicized security problem with Android's Web browser and makes a few other minor changes, according to a Google spokesman quoted in IT World on Friday.

The researchers--Charlie Miller, Mark Daniel, and Jake Honoroff of Independent Security Evaluators--called the Android Web browser flaw serious, but Google said its severity was mitigated by Android's design, which restricts each program to its own area.

Earlier, Google appealed for what it called "responsible disclosure" of security vulnerabilities--in other words, a grace period to fix problems before they're made public to reduce the likelihood an attacker will get a chance to exploit a vulnerability. There's an ages-old tension between companies that want to fix their products and security researchers who want to get the word out, in part because attackers also are trying to find the vulnerabilities.

Google didn't respond to a request for comment Saturday.

Here the G1 shows progress in downloading the update.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)

Once the patch is downloaded, the phone automatically installs it.

(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)

Several bloggers and readers are reporting that when they tried to update the firmware on their iPhones Friday, the devices were "bricked," or rendered unusable.

CNET Blog Network contributor Matt Asay reported around 7 a.m. PDT Friday that when he attempted to use iTunes to update his iPhone, he got an error message and his phone stopped working. He says he can't access contacts or make calls.

CNET News reader Peter8105 reported the same thing Friday morning. Blogger Dave Winer posted the error message he got to his Flickr page Friday morning, and complained of the same bricking phenomenon. He does report that he can still make emergency calls, however.

Just from the few reports trickling in, it appears this is only happening to people who tried to update their firmware Friday. There were no such reports when many iPhone owners were able to update their devices Thursday.

Apple has not responded to requests for comment yet, but at first glance the problem appears to be stemming from the severe overload Apple's iTunes servers experienced Friday as people across the world came out to buy the iPhone 3G.

We'll keep updating the story, but let us know in the comments section if you're having similar problems with the 2.0 firmware update Friday.

Update 11:20 a.m. PDT: A reader added the text of a note he received from Apple in the comments. Apple blames the problem on "network congestion on the iTunes server," but says you should be able to update or restore the firmware once the traffic dies down.

Update 2:20 p.m. PDT: Many readers are reporting that they have been able to restore or update their iPhones now.