It seems like it's a bit early to start hearing rumblings of the "H" nickname for Android. After all, it was just a few short weeks ago that we learned "F" was for Froyo -- frozen yougurt -- which follows Eclair, Donut and Cupcake.

But that didn't stop Google's Brian Swetland, who works on the Linux kernel for the Big G, from just dropping the following on the LWN.net boards:

We maintain a set of patches on top of Linux, which we periodically rebase to the latest released Linux kernel. We've been doing this roughly every other kernel release since about 2.6.14. This week we're finalizing our move to 2.6.32 for the Android "Froyo" release, and we'll likely be on .33 or .34 for "Gingerbread".

That said, Froyo's not even available on phones yet, so "Gingerbread" may just be an internal nickname at this point. A nickname for a nickname, if you will. [LWN.net via AndroidAndMe]

By now everyone should have seen the Google Nexus One update (called 2.1-update1) pushed out to their phones. (If not, you can always update manually.) Aside from pinch-to-zoom being turned on in a handful of apps, the update contained a fix for the apparent problems the phone was having keeping a 3G connection on T-Mobile.

However, our pals at JKOnTheRun still saw issue after the update, and there are other reports, as well. And so we put it to you, gentle folk. How's your T-Mobile 3G reception after last week's update?

Looks like Google's Phone Support for the Nexus One just went live. You can ask for help regarding your Nexus One's problems by calling 1 (888) 48-NEXUS which is 1-888-486-3987 in simple numeric form. The line is open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM PST so hopefully you can get some answers to your questions, solutions to your problems, or just a nice person to talk to on the other end.

[google support via tmonews]

Google, creator of so many things cool, may have another awesome app in the works. Google is reportedly working on a new voice-to-voice translation that will be available to mobile phones. Meaning if you're stuck in Japan, you'll be able to speak an English phrase into your phone and have it pump out the corresponding Japanese phrase for everyone (or just yourself) to hear. To quote:

“We think speech-to-speech translation should be possible and work reasonably well in a few years’ time,” said Franz Och, Google’s head of translation services. “Clearly, for it to work smoothly, you need a combination of high-accuracy machine translation and high-accuracy voice recognition, and that’s what we’re working on."

If you're in the market for a myTouch 3G, our advice would be to wait until the myTouch 3G 1.2 becomes official and then decide which one to buy. Even though T-Mobile is going to drop the price of the original myTouch 3G to $99.99 on February 10th, the myTouch 3G 1.2 might be a better option in the long run.

The rumored updates for the myTouch 3G 1.2 are the 3.5mm headphone jack, Swype keyboard, and increased memory. The first two upgrades might not affect you but having increased memory may give a performance boost to the myTouch and maybe even allow it to cleanly run something like HTC Sense. And plus, $99 for a myTouch 3G is hardly the best deal in town.

[via tmonews]

With so many phones getting delayed these days, it's refreshing to see a phone manufacturer actually try and beat their release date. The Motorola Devour is rumored to do just that. Originally expected to hit stores sometime in March, the Devour might actually launch a couple of days earlier and be available on February 25th through Verizon's Indirect Channel. The Devour is also expected to be widely available by March 15th, at the latest.

Hey Moto, we wouldn't mind a couple more Megan Fox Devour commercials from now until then. Just letting you know.

[via phonearena]

We learned this morning what we'll likely see once the Motorola Droid gets the update to Android 2.1. Now we have have a time frame. Motorola, on its official Facebook page, dropped the following (emphasis ours):

Hi all-- we know you are frustrated with the lack of details regarding Android software upgrades and we sincerely apologize for not being able to share info sooner. We're happy to relay the 2.1 upgrade to DROID will start to roll out this week, and we will have more information to share on other device upgrades later ...this week as well. Thanks for your patience and continued support.

So let's all keep our eyes peeled this week. Next question is what other updates does Moto have up its sleeve? Stay tuned, folks. [Facebook via Engadget] Thanks, Tyler!

Here's a little bit of "good" news for anybody who bought a Nexus One on contract with T-Mobile and is thinking of getting out early. Remember how Google was charging a $350 "Equipment recovery fee" in addition to T-Mobile's $200 early termination fee? The Big G's just lowered that to $150 if you cancel in the first 120 days.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

A Google representative said the company had been working with T-Mobile to lower the equipment fee.

"Google's overall financial philosophy with regard to operator service plans remains unchanged: We make no profit from commissions from operators or from equipment recovery fees, and our recovery fees are based on operator charges to Google for early termination of service," the company said in a statement.

Whether that has anything to do with the FCC's inquiry into early termination fees, or out of the kindness of its not-evil heart, it's a welcome move from Google. [WSJ via Phonescoop]

From the Forums is a great way for you, our readers, to see the hottest topics being discussed. But you must be a registered member and becoming a member is a simple process. So if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now!

• Ever since the Nexus One was released there have been many who said it was not the super phone they expected. What's up with all of the Nexus One hate?
• The proximity sensor on the Motorola Droid seems to giving its owners a difficult time as of late. Some forum members are reporting pretty odd behavior with their screens turning off or on at odd times. How is that proximity sensor working for you?
• Need some help rooting your Android device or just want to pick up some new tricks in the hacking world? If this is the case, be sure to stop by our dedicated Android Hacking forum.
• Are there some applications for the Android platform that are missing that you are growing impatient to get your hands on? Let us know in the following thread: Applications I am growing impatient for...

See you on the forums!

The fifth part in Google's YouTube series chronicling the birth (and now life) of the Nexus One is now available. In it we get a look at the Nexus One being used throughout the day (and a guy whose apartment is badly in need of a non-Google decorator). But we also get another brief look at the car dock.

At about 1:08 in we see our hero place his Nexus One in the car dock, which has kind of a dual ball-and-socket joint system for multiple angles. Why dude's using a car dock in a taxi is an interesting question, but we won't look a gift horse in the mouth here. Check out the latest video after the break. [Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4]