HTC: ''Some'' phones will get Gingerbread update

It seems the Android upgrade lottery has begun again following Tuesday's announcement of Android ''Gingerbread'' 2.3.

Within hours of Google's launch event, TechRadar got in touch with HTC regarding the latest and greatest iteration of the dessert-themed mobile OS. The mobile maker's response was less than illuminating for those wondering when their handset will get a taste of Gingerbread.

''We are excited about the OS update coming for Android, and while HTC will definitely have some phones running this OS, we do not have a specific timeframe for new phones or updates at this time. Please stay tuned for more details,'' a spokesperson said.

TechRadar wasted little time in declaring that HTC's flagship handset, the Desire HD, would be first in line to receive the 2.3 update. Yet it may be worth remembering that the original HTC Desire did not receive the Froyo (Android 2.2) treatment for three months following Google's announcement of that update. Unlocked HTC Legend owners only today received the Froyo update.

HTC's statement about the Gingerbread update followed confusion among LG Optimus handset owners about the likelihood of an Android update. On Tuesday, it appeared Optimus users would be left high and dry when it came to Gingerbread compatibility, after an LG staff member posted on the company's Facebook page that the Optimus line of handsets fell short of a 1GHz processor requirement for Gingerbread.

Android lead developer Dan Morrill stepped in to save the day within hours and dismissed any talk of a processor ''hard minimum'' via Twitter.

''Random note: there's no hard minimum processor requirement for Gingerbread. Trust me, if there were I'd know. ;),'' he tweeted. In a later tweet, Mr Morrill said hardware requirements for Gingerbread were similar to those for Froyo, though he admitted there were ''practical limits'' that may result in older devices missing out on the update.

By Wednesday, LG had removed the Facebook post and issued a statement via its website apologising for the confusion and promising to ''evaluate the upgradability of the Optimus Series'' once compatibility documents and final code for the Gingerbread update were made available.

Samsung users have also received mixed signals from their handset maker. Pocket-lint on Wednesday published a vague statement from Samsung that neither confirmed or denied the handset maker would bring Gingerbread to its devices. The waters became somewhat clearer later that day when Samsung's Indian arm tweeted that Galaxy S handsets would receive the Gingerbread update. Whether or not the tweet represented official Samsung policy remains to be seen.

The mixed Gingerbread update signals came as Google vice president of engineering Andy Rubin claimed, via his second-ever tweet, that more than 300,000 Android phones are activated each day. Various online news outlets have claimed the tweet was a response to reports earlier this week that Android activations were slowing down and could soon plateau.