Google has announced a new coalition of Android device makers and mobile phone carriers who are committing to releasing regular software updates for their products for at least 18 months. That means if you buy an HTC phone next month from AT&T, you can be pretty sure that when Google releases a new version of Android next summer you’ll be able to upgrade the operating system.

There are a few caveats. First, Google said this deal is only good as long as the hardware supports the new software. That may seem obvious, but since it’s hard to tell whether a phone released tomorrow will be able to support software released in 18 months, it means that you could still end up with an outdated phone.

Google also didn’t say how quickly the updates would roll out. Just because Samsung says it will continue offering updates for 18 months doesn’t mean that you’ll get Android 4.x the very same day it’s released.

Still, it’s nice to see these companies commit to supporting their hardware with regular software updates for almost the length of a standard 2-year service plan.

Companies that are already part of the alliance including AT&T, Google, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone.

image credit: Android Central

Apple has released a minor update for iOS, fixing a few bugs and bringing some security updates. You can download iOS 4.3.2 by connecting your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to a computer, clicking on the Devices tab, and then selecting “Check for Updates.”

The software update fixes a problem that would sometimes cause FaceTime video calls to freeze or fail to show video, and an issue that prevnted some iPad users from connecting to 3G networks.

Apple has also released iOS 4.2.7 for the Verizon iPhone, with security updates.

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Microsoft unveiled its plans for the next major update to Windows Phone 7 as the MIX11 developer conference. The so-called Mango update will be available this fall, and it will add support for multitasking and running apps in the background. But before that, Microsoft will issue new tools which will let developers write apps that have tighter access to core operating system functions.

For example, there will be support for apps with phone integration, and developers will be able to use the Motion Sensor library and camera in their apps.

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Microsoft recently started pushing out software updates for Windows Phone 7 handsets adding support for copy and paste, faster app launching and better Facebook synchronization, among other things. But the so-called NoDo update isn’t yet available for all phones… unless you’re willing to through caution to the wind and use an unofficial utility that lets you upgrade your Windows Phone 7 phone to NoDo.

The tool comes from the same folks who brought us the Chevron WP7 tool for installing homebrew apps last year.

In order to install the software update, you’ll need to run the installer from a desktop computer with your phone plugged in.

There’s currently no way to roll back the update, so if you’re nervous, you might want to wait until an official NoDo update is available for your phone. But it’s nice to have the option to be impatient and a little reckless.

Update: The download link has been pulled for now.

via Download Squad

Microsoft has been promising to add support for copy and paste to Windows Phone 7 since before the operating system was even officially launched. Now the company is explaining how the new feature will work, as well as some other improvements that are in store for the mobile OS.

Copy and paste functionality will work system-wide, allowing you to copy text from a web page, for instance, and paste it into an email or text message. You’ll be able to select text by tapping a word and sliding your finger if you want to add more words before hitting the copy button.

Microsoft says a software update will also reduce the time it takes to launch or resume applications and the ability to search for just games or apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

There’s no official word on when these updates will be available, but it sounds like we might not have to wait much longer.

via SlashGear

As expected, Verizon has started rolling out the second over the air update for Motorola Droid handsets this month. The first update brought Android 2.2 Froyo to the Droid. This update patches a few security issues, but the most noticeable change is that it adds support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1.

That means after you install the FRG22D update, you should be able to visit the Android Market, download Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Android and view web pages with Flash content to your heart’s content. Well, as long as your heart has realistic expectations, anyway. Not every web site with Flash is optimized for viewing on a mobile device. But the update should still dramatically increase the amount of web content you can display properly on a Motorola Droid.

You can find more details about the update, plus step by step instructions for installing the update once it’s pushed to your phone, at Verizon’s Droid support page.

via Droid Life

Sprint customers with Palm Pre and Pixi phones are starting to report that the carrier is pushing out a minor software update. WebOS 1.4.5 doesn’t include any major new features, but it does have a number of tweaks, bug fixes, and other updates, including:

• Web podcasts should now download correctly
• Power use and battery optimization
• Send video via multimedia messaging fromt he video app
• Video trim feautre now works to send in a message
• SprintTV upgrade with enhanced parental controls
• Correct entry of text on the web
• Security updates

Pixi users will also now be able to run games and apps developed using the WebOS PDK.

It sounds like not all users experienced problems entering text or download podcasts all the time, but the update should address issues that were causing those errors under some conditions.

There’s no word on when WebOS 1.4.5 will be available for Verizon or AT&T customers.

via PreCentral

Microsoft’s next-generation operating system for mobile phones isn’t expected to launch for at least a few more months. But the company has started sending out demo units to a handful of reviewers. And the results are… interesting. Engadget and Gizmodo have both written up fairly lengthy articles about the phones they’ve received with a pre-release version of Windows Phone 7. Neither seems all that impressed. Here are some of the highlights:

Engadget:

• The user interface is speedy and responsive to touch.
• The UI is divided between homepage tiles, an app list, and hub pages .
• There’s a drop-down menu for notifications (like Android) instead of pop up alerts (like iOS).
• There’s no copy and paste.
• Third party apps don’t support multitasking (like playing music in the background).
• The on-screen keyboard rocks.
• The People app is a mess, which adds social networking data to your contact list whether you want it or not.
• The web browser includes desktop browser code, and is almost as fast as Safari on an iPhone 4.
• There’s no support for Adobe Flash or Silverlight in the browser.
• Mobile Office has some handy social features, but not a lot of editing features — you can’t change fonts, for instance.

Gizmodo:

• Windows Phone 7′s biggest strength is probably integration of Microsoft services including Bing, Zune, Xbox Live, and Office.
• The “hubs” are sort of like multi-page, multi-faceted apps. For instance, the people hub has a screen for contacts, flick to see  a news feed, flick again to see recent contacts, and so forth.
• There’s no support for widgets, but the Live Tiles on the home screen show live updates of things like incoming email messages.
• The keyboard looks like it should suck… but like Engadget, Gizmodo seems to really like it.
• “The Outlook app might be the best mail app on any phone.”

You can check out a hands-on video with the prototype from Engadget after the break.

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