Next month, AdMob plans on changing the monthly analytical report that it has been famous for. The company wants to make the report “more useful going forward” to focus on the industry’s long term trends. The last report of its kind shows that Android is closing on a little more on Apple thanks to a multitude of new devices. The company, recently acquired by Google, reported in its latest survey, dated May 2010, that about 40% of the worldwide OS marketshare belonged to Apple while Google’s open source OS owned a 26% share. Symbian was third with a 24% piece of the pie. In North America, the results for May had Apple with 54%, Android 33% and Symbian with 7%. As of May, 7 out of the top 10 smartphones were Android models. The iPhone was number one with 39.9% with the Motorola DROID a distant second with 6.8% of the market. In third was the HTC Magic with a 2.9% followed by the Nokia N70 with a 2.3% slice of the pie. In firth place was the 2.4% share of the HTC Hero. Besides the DROID, the Magic and the Hero, the other Android devices in the top ten included the HTC Dream (7th, 2.1%), Motorola CLIQ (8th, 1.8%), HTC Droid Eris (T-8th, 1.8%) and the Samsung Moment (10th, 1.5%). As a comparison, in the May 2009 top ten, 7 of the phones were Symbian powered with only the third place Samsung Dream representing Android.
source: Admob via Read, Write, Web

With each passing day, the fragmentation problem that seemed to plague Android is slowly dissipating and is now showing that half of all Android handsets are running version 2.1. It was only two weeks ago when the figures showed that Android was nearing the halfway mark, but now it’s finally hit the spot – it actually went from 45.1 percent a couple weeks ago to 50 percent now. Inevitably Android 2.1 will continue to grow as we’re going to start seeing Q3 come around very shortly with a good amount of handsets scheduled to get the Android 2.1 treatment. We’ve already heard about HTC’s commitment in bringing up the European HTC Hero up to par with Android 2.1 by the end of June – which should boost figures the next time around. However, there are still devices out there running on Android 1.5 and 1.6. We’d imagine that Android 1.6 might be sticking around longer due to the fact that it looks like the Samsung Behold II won’t be in the loop of getting their share of an eclair dessert.
via Engadget

It’s almost hard to imagine it, but some thought that the HTC Hero’s saga over Android 2.1 was winding down as there were reports that the GSM version of the phone started to trickle into Asia first with an eventual roll out to Europe. However, the case is not so as European owners of the beloved Android handset that set the ball rolling for the Sense UI. They’re actually still waiting to see specific carrier versions of the update to officially come around, but thankfully they won’t have to look much further down the road. HTC is intent on delivering the Android 2.1 update by the end of June to both SIM-free Orange and T-Mobile subscribers. It’s almost ironic to see this happen as the US market was the last to see a version of the HTC Hero, but they were also the first to receive an Android 2.1 update. On the other hand, the HTC Hero first made waves in Europe and is still yet to see anything regarding it. Even though it looks like HTC will be expediting the entire release, the update is going to be a two part process where the second half of it will completely wipe out all data on the handset – so owners will need to backup all data before proceeding with the install. Now that things are starting to come around, we wonder if handset owners are concerned with the announcements regarding Froyo.
via Electronista

Even though the GSM version of the HTC Hero was released way ahead of the one offered by Sprint in the US, the original Sense UI handset has been on the back burner for quite some time in receiving the Android 2.1 update. Thankfully the time is finally here after so much waiting done as owners in Asia are the first see the update roll out for the GSM version of the HTC Hero. There was a statement made by HTC through its Chinese Plurk account which confirmed the reality for all these long time HTC Hero owners. As for those European owners, it shouldn’t be long before they get in the game with Android 2.1. When you think closely at it, the HTC Hero became the biggest draw for HTC’s Sense UI which still manages to be a big attraction for customers; now more than ever with Android 2.1
via MoDaCo

Android’s fragmentation will surely lessen over the course of the next few months as a handful of handsets are expected to move forward with Android 2.1 Eclair. Currently that specific build of the platform is beginning to build some momentum as the latest figures surrounding the Android platform percentages have been revealed. Android 2.1 is taking a commanding lead at 45.1 percent of all Android phones running the platform for the two weeks ending June 1 – that figure is up from the 32.4 percent from what was seen for the two weeks ending May 17. Both Android 1.5 Cupcake and 1.6 Donut are slowly receding as we’ve seen the HTC Hero and Droid Eris being the biggest contributors to the cause. Now that news about major Android updates are expected to happen on a yearly basis way down the road, we can soon imagine a world where Android’s fragmentation will become nothing but a memory.
source: Android Developer Blog via Android Central

AdMob, a mobile advertising company that is in the midst of being acquired by Google, uses requests to see mobile ads as a way to measure traffic in the smartphone market. Based on data from March, Android traffic in the U.S. surpassed that of the iPhone for the first time. AdMob’s metrics showed that Google’s open source operating system owned a 46% share vs, a slumping 39% for Apple’s touchscreen device. Android is really becoming a broad segment of different handsets. In September 2009, the HTC Dream and Magic represented 96% of the Android landscape. Seven months later, 11 devices added up to count for the same 96% share. As of last month, Android 1.5 and 2.1 represented 38% and 35% respectively of the Android pie. Also as of March, Motorola was the leading manufacturer of Android handsets with 44% of the market. With 43% is HTC and Samsung is a distant third with 9%. That will probably change in HTC’s favor with the launch of the super sexy Droid Incredible on April 29th and the June release of the EVO 4G for Sprint. In the U.S., the top three Android devices as of March were the Motorola DROID, HTC Dream and Motorola CLIQ. In the U.K., the top three were all HTC manufactured phones-the Hero, the Dream and the Magic.
source: AdMob

This shouldn’t come to be any surprise for those non-Android 2.1 owners out there, but owners of the European version of the HTC Hero are getting another blow now that the expected Android 2.1 update won’t be available until June. The frustrations are surely mounting at this point with each false alarm owners are being put through just waiting around for this thing to happen. There were speculations that it would arrive in March, then word came that April 16 would be the day, and ultimately the results were nothing short of being the same – no Android 2.1 whatsoever. With all those dates coming and going, Pocket-lint received an email directly from HTC saying, “HTC will be providing a free update to Éclair for European HTC Hero variants. Starting in June, anyone owning an HTC Hero will receive an initial preparatory update, shortly followed by the full Éclair update. For the full update, we would recommend using a free wi-fi hotspot or an unlimited data plan, otherwise standard data charges may apply.”Aside from the HTC Hero, it looks like a majority of current Android smartphones will be seeing Android 2.1 coming their way this summer. Although it may not be the best news, there is still hope for those who have been waiting this long.
source: Pocket-lint

Time sure does go by quick because it was roughly a year ago when the European version of HTC Hero rolled onto the scene and breathed in a fresh air for Android thanks to its Sense loving Ui. Now things are yet again looking rosy for this original starter as Android 2.1 is nearing for sure thanks to a confirmation from HTC themselves. HTC said, “Some of the phones in our Android line up including your Hero are due to receive an upgrade, and it is scheduled to be released starting at the end of April. Your phone should be upgraded Over-The-Air. You can expect a pop-up message on your phone when connected to the internet once it is ready. When the upgrade is ready, we will notify you via our website and on various social media networks including Twitter and Facebook.” We’ve been witnessing the rush of news regarding current Android smartphones being upgraded to the latest version of the platform – it’s quite refreshing to see most devices getting the much needed treatment. There might  soon become a day when fragmentation will no longer pose any serious threat to any potential Android buyers out there. So for those who managed to repel the temptations being offered by something like the Nexus One or Motorola DROID, owners of the European version of the HTC Hero can look to play on the same level shortly.
via EuroDroid

One of the biggest factors that comes into play when it comes to the purchase of an Android handset is which one is running the latest version of the platform. Some are torn by the fact that there are a limited few that run the latest version while other handsets entice people with their customized experience that may play to needs of potential buyers. Now that the Motorola DROID has finally received the Android 2.1 update, the fragmentation that seemingly continued to plague Android is slowly diminishing. Recently the device dashboard over at the official Android Developers site got updated with now 3 major builds in play – Android 1.5, 1.6, and 2.1. Offering some kind of solace now, we were recently treated to news about Motorola’s intentions to get all of their existing line of Android handsets up to par with Android 2.1 before the end of the year – which will alleviate the worry of buyers who are interested in MOTOBLUR but want to be graced with Android 2.1. In addition, Sprint is also ramping up in getting both the HTC Hero and Samsung Moment into the mix of things by Q3 – overall, things are looking a bit more prosperous for Android.
source: Android Developers via Android Guys

Owners of the original HTC device that showcased to the world the Sense UI might be feeling a bit envious of the just launched HTC Legend – especially when it gleams strongly with Android 2.1. The HTC Hero has been waiting extremely patiently to get its hands on the latest version of the platform to appease owners that might be consider abandoning the pioneer in favor for its successor. Even though the official date for Android 2.1 for the European version of the HTC Hero is still up in the air, there was an a HTC Club user that allegedly received an email from the Taiwan based company that confirmed a ROM release date scheduled for April 16th. Although not every region will see the light of the ROM update, it’s expected to come shortly after the initial rush – hopefully it will ultimately be soon before HTC Hero owners think about jumping ship and look to the HTC Legend for their needs.
source: HTC Club via GSMDome