MyTouch 3G Fires Up Android 2.2 Upgrade

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T-Mobile myTouch 3G

Android 2.2 Froyo will be made available to customers of T-Mobile's original HTC MyTouch 3G via an over-the-air update in "staggered waves" from Google beginning Wednesday.

The updates will give users "a new home screen experience," and new Exchange email integration and the Faves Gallery, according to the blog site TmoNews.

MyTouch 3G customers will be reminded about the update every half hour until they have downloaded it, and they cannot opt out. All MyTouch 3G customers are expected to receive the update by Oct. 25. The update will come in two parts over the air and a fully charged device is necessary before the download begins.

The fully integrated Exchange client will give customers improved security through the addition of a numeric pin and alpha-numeric password options to unlock the handset, as well as password policy enforcement across devices for Exchange administrators. If a device is lost or stolen, it can be remotely reset to the factory defaults by the Exchange administrator to protect data.

Another enhancement is support for Exchange calendars in the Calendar application, and the ability to set up and/or sync an Exchange (2007 or higher) account with a user name and password. The upgrade also provides a global address list look-up feature in the email application so users can complete names of recipients automatically from an entire directory.

The inclusion of Faves Gallery lets users have quick access to 20 people and see the most recent communications from them instantly, including texts, emails, calls, instant messaging, and social networking updates.

New home screen features include a tips widget that shows users how to configure the home screen with shortcuts and widgets, and how to better leverage multiple home screens. A new Android Market widget shows updates, featured apps, and live wallpapers on the home screen. The home screen now also has dedicated shortcuts to the phone, all apps, the browser, and panels.

The upgrade also includes support for multiple Google and Exchange accounts in the calendar app; a search key to let users find buddies in Google Talk; inbox synchronization for quicker access to new messages in Google Voice; and the availability of Quickcontact in Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Voice so users can contact someone through different delivery methods such as call, SMS, or email by tapping on a contact's image.

The upgrade will also provide improvements to the MyTouch 3G's camera and camcorder, as well as the ability to add multiple languages to the keyboard. Customers will also see updates to Google Maps and the apps for YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

Customers who do not automatically receive the update can contact T-Mobile beginning Oct. 26.