Whenever Google releases a new version of its Android OS, questions about existing device upgrades immediately follow. Will my Android phone get the update? If so, when? If not, why?

It’s obvious that Android users want to see updates for their devices, but it’s also an unfortunate reality that not all devices get them. So, what’s the update situation vis-à-vis Android 2.3, the latest version of the popular mobile OS?

At this point, very murky.

The only Android device absolutely confirmed to be getting Android 2.3 (aka Gingerbread) is the upcoming Nexus S: it’ll ship running 2.3. After that, there’s almost no certainty at all.

Samsung, who also makes the Nexus S, has indicated that they expect to update their Galaxy S handsets (Epic 4G, Vibrant, Fascinate and Captivate) to Gingerbread. The question is when. Android 2.2 hasn’t even hit Galaxy S devices yet, though the first round of updates is expected soon. It’ll be well into 2011 before Samsung updates Galaxy S models with Gingerbread.

As for the Galaxy Tab, there’s been no word, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see the little guy get 2.3 in early-to-mid 2011. After all, Gingerbread does have native tablet support.

HTC, another popular Android hardware maker, will update some of their phones with Gingerbread, most likely the phones already running 2.2. No timeframe was given for the updates.

To date, Motorola has been completely tight-lipped about Gingerbread, though the company has a fairly descent track record of updating their Android devices (even if they came later than promised).

Of course, even if a device manufacturer makes an Android update available, it doesn’t guarantee a wireless carrier will make it available. Generally speaking we don’t expect the carriers to hold back, but you can be sure they’re already at work on hobbling some aspects of Gingerbread.

One final note: some have suggested that existing Android devices with sub-1GHz processors are technically incompatible with Gingerbread. This has been debated with some declaring that it’s simply not true, others that performance suffers but that there’s technically no speed requirement in the OS. Whatever the truth, if you have a phone whose CPU is slower than 1GHz, you shouldn’t hold your breath for 2.3.

Have additional information on Android 2.3 Gingerbread updates? Email us or share it in the comments section.

Android 2.3 was officially released today alongside the first device to run the new OS, the Samsung-built Nexus S. The Nexus S looks like a nice device, but it’s largely unremarkable other than the fact that it runs a clean version of Android 2.3 – a.k.a Gingerbread.

So what’s new with Android 2.3? First, there have been several UI changes, focused mainly on visual contrast and ease of use in the menu selections and navigation. There have also been changes under the hood to improve power management, with specific emphasis on background applications. It’s also easier in Android 2.3 to see what processes are using power.

There have been changes made to the system-wide input system. First, the onscreen keyboard has been redesigned with reshaped keys and tweaked key positioning. It’s also now easer to select text for copy and paste.

New VoIP features have been added which allow you to associate an SIP address with your contacts for easy over the internet calling.

Last, but not least, native support for larger, tablet-sized displays has been added.

All in all, the latest version of the Android OS is a relatively minor upgrade focused mainly on refinement; but the changes Google has made are certainly welcome ones. If you’d like to view a full list of new Android 2.3 features, check out the Platform Highlights page at the Android Developers site.

No word yet on when we can expect to see Gingerbread updates for existing Android devices, but we’ll keep you posted.

The Dell Venue Pro smartphones running Windows Phone 7 are now available for order in the U.S.  The phones operate on T-Mobile’s network and are locked, so they cannot be used with AT&T’s wireless service.

Available with two memory capacities, 8GB and 16GB, the Venue Pro does not have user-replaceable memory card expansion.  The price of the two models is $99 and $149, respectively, with a two-year T-Mobile service contract.  Without a new or re-upped contract, the prices jumps to $449 and $449. 

The full-price versions are also locked to T-Mobile service.

If you want to take a Venue Pro – which for many Windows Phone watchers is the most anticipated of the 2010 WP7 releases – for a spin, you’re out of luck: at this time you can only order a Venue Pro directly from Dell.  T-Mobile stores aren’t currently selling the new Windows Phone, nor are there any indications that it soon will.  That said, after the Nexus One direct-sale disappointment, we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see the new Dell phones in T-Mobile stores next year.

Just a few days after its release, the Windows Phone 7 “jailbreaking” tool ChevronWP7 is no more; the software utility has been 86ed, and is no longer available for download.

Why?  According to its developers, they were contacted by Microsoft Director of Developer Experience for Windows Phone 7 Brandon Watson regarding the tool.  After the conversation(s) an agreement was struck: ChevronWP7 would be pulled in order to “fast-track discussions” with Microsoft regarding “officially facilitating homebrew development on WP7.”

This explanation would seem to indicate an openness within Microsoft to making such tools available in a more official capacity, and if that’s the case, we applaud the move.  But, it’s also possible that this is simply a slapdown couched in public relations feelgoodism, and that we’ll never see anything like ChevronWP7 with any sort of Microsoft endorsement, tepid or otherwise.

For the majority of Windows Phone users – at present, anyway – this doesn’t matter all that much.  But how Microsoft handles situations like the release of ChevronWP7 specifically – and steps toward user freedom and open development in general – will indicate where on the spectrum between iOS and Android OS that Windows Phone will reside.

The fact that the Windows Phone 7 OS would be updated in 2011 has been known for months.  What has not been known is exactly what the update (or updates) would include – with the exception of copy and paste.

Now Chris Walsh (of ChevronWP7 fame) claims that a “massive” update to Windows Phone 7 is right around the corner, an update which will include new functionalities above and beyond copy and paste.  In fact, Walsh opines that the update is so substantial that Microsoft “could have called it Windows Phone 8” and that the company “took 3 months to do what Apple did in 3…”

We don’t know about all that, but this new information helps cement the rumors that Microsoft is hard at work on quickly bringing their fledgling mobile OS closer to its established rivals, iOS and Android.

And the faster, the better.

2011 additions to Windows Phone 7 are generally believed to include some form of multitasking, additional GPS utility like native turn-by-turn directions, custom ringtones,  SkyDrive support, Flash, HTML5 compatibility, and tethering.  Updates will be made available by Microsoft to users of Windows Phone smartphones, likely free of charge.

Microsoft is expected to announce the first update to Windows Phone 7 in early 2011. CDMA handsets running WP7 for use on Sprint and Verizon wireless networks are also expected to debut around the same time.

via PCWorld

The newest Droid, the Motorola Droid Pro, is now available free with a new or upgraded two-year service agreement at WireFly.com, no rebate required. 

There’s also no activation fee, and 2-day shipping is free.

The Verizon Wireless direct price for the Droid Pro is $179 after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Learn more about the Motorola Droid Pro Android Phone…

Like the iPhone, new Windows Phone 7 powered smartphones are locked down as far as app installation is concerned, meaning users can only install new applications via the Windows Marketplace. Google’s Android OS allows end-user app installation, but the functionality must be manually enabled in the Settings menu.

But just as the iPhone and iPad have been “jailbroken,” the colloquial term for bypassing various OS lockdowns, so too has Windows Phone 7.

The free software tool that makes this possible, ChevronWP7, was created by Windows enthusiasts Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh and Long Zheng, and each is prominently listed on the utility’s main screen (seen above).  There’s no reason to hide, of course, since jailbreaking is openly sanctioned by the U.S. government.

ChevronWP7 works over a USB cable and requires a PC running Windows XP SP2 (or higher), Windows Vista or Windows 7.  The unlocking process is also reversible using the same tool, should you wish to undo the procedure for whatever reason.

For the average Windows Phone user, this development doesn’t mean much today – but in the coming weeks and months, the ability of end users to freely install home brewed and third-party apps without going through Microsoft may prove as popular for Windows Phone users as it has for Android and the iOS – not to mention Windows Mobile.

via Engadget

Right on schedule, Verizon Wireless has added the Motorola Droid Pro Messenger-class smartphone to its considerable Android phone lineup.

The Droid Pro sells for $279 with a two-year service agreement, but its $100 mail-in rebate drops the final price to $179.

Third-party retailers like Amazon.com, LetsTalk.com and WireFly will have the Droid Pro in the next day or two, likely for a cost considerably lower than Verizon’s direct price.  Check these and other web retailers if you want to save some money on the newest Droid.

We’ll be posting our hands-on review of the Droid Pro in the last week of November.

If you missed out on Amazon’s $0.01 smartphone sale this weekend, fear not; you can still get your hands on a Windows Phone 7 handset for far less than the direct T-Mobile and AT&T prices.

Amazon.com now has three of the four currently-available Windows Phones (Samsung Focus, LG Quantum and HTC HD7) in stock and on sale for $49 with a new two-year service agreement with free two-day shipping and no mail-in rebates.  This is a due-at-checkout price.

Price(s) subject to change at any time.

Thanks to Brad C. for the tip.

If you missed out on Amazon’s $0.01 smartphone sale this weekend, fear not; you can still get your hands on a Windows Phone 7 handset for far less than the direct T-Mobile and AT&T prices.

Amazon.com now has three of the four currently-available Windows Phones (Samsung Focus, LG Quantum and HTC HD7) in stock and on sale for $49 with a new two-year service agreement with free two-day shipping and no mail-in rebates.  This is a due-at-checkout price.

Price(s) subject to change at any time.

Thanks to Brad C. for the tip.