Sprint posts Win Mo 6.5 update, plans Android 2.1 for April
updated 04:30 pm EDT, Fri March 19, 2010
Sprint Touch Pro2 gets new OS, Hero upgrades soon
(Update: confirmation of Android update) Sprint on Friday made available one phone OS upgrade and leaked another. The provider has posted a Windows Mobile 6.5 update for the HTC Touch Pro2 that gives it all the new features of the Microsoft OS, including the more touch-friendly interface and improved built-in web browser. It should also supply upgrades to HTC's own TouchFLO layer (incorrectly labeled as Sense UI by Sprint) and other minor fixes.
Along with the official release, a staff memo obtained by Android Central has revealed that it expects Android 2.1 for the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment soon. Publicly, staff are being told only to say that the upgrade will arrive in "coming weeks," but those within Sprint have been informed that more details about the update are due in April.
As of this afternoon, it wasn't clear whether the April news would include the actual release or just a more precise schedule. Android 2.1 on these devices may be less ambitious than on the Nexus One and Droid as they may not have the performace to support extras like animated backgrounds, but they should receive better browsers and faster overall performance as well as support for voice commands and newer apps that use the features.
Update: Sprint spokeswoman Caroline Semerdjian says the Android update should happen at the start of the second quarter of the year, which begins in April.
