The download is live in the App Market—just grab the newest version of Maps, and Nav is included—and Google's free turn-by-turn navigation software is mostly identical to the version found on the Droid. Mostly:

Some features of Android 2.0 are not available on Android 1.6, for example, the ability to use the "navigate to" voice command as shown in our demo video. However, you can still create a shortcut that will allow you to launch Navigation and start getting directions to a specific place from your current location with just a single touch from your home screen. For example, you can create a "Home" shortcut to quickly navigate home, no matter where you are. Just use the "Add" menu item from the home screen, then choose "Shortcuts", then "Directions." Please visit our forum to give us feedback, or our Help Center to get help using Google Maps Navigation.

Still though, free turn-by-turn for all, unless you have a Hero or one of Samsung's ditties, for which you are permitted to make one (1) extremely sad face. Let us know how it works in the comments. [Google]

Google Maps Navigation will be part of Android 2.0, and Android 2.0 is expected to come to most—if not all—Android handsets on the market eventually, so given how complicated this hack is (fairly!), and that it requires a rooted phone, it'd be prudent for most folks to just wait this out. That said, there's no saying how long it'll be until Eclair seeds out to older handsets, and there's no guarantee that the G1—and old fart in its little corner of the universe—will ever get it. Anyhow, here's what you need to do, from XDA:

Download here

Make sure you have CyanogenMod 4.2.3.1, by the way.

1) Unzip zip to desktop
2) Run Part 1.bat
3) When prompted to press any key, do so; the phone will reboot
4) When your phone is running again, run Part 2.bat
5) When prompted to press any key, the installation process is done.
6) Make sure GPS is enabled
7) Open Maps and press OK
8) Press Menu
9) Press Directions
10) Enter an end point
11) Click Go
12) Just under "Show on map", click Navigate.
13) When prompted to install the voice codec, do so.

And there you have it: Free, not terrible turn-by-turn navigation for your G1, without Android 2.0. Early reports say it runs well; let us know how it goes for you in the comments. [XDA via
Engadget Mobile via IntoMobile]

Props go to coder, Akira Harada, for the port, but it's just a sluggish preview at this point. If you're super keen, you can download the code for your G1 here, but you're probably better off just watching the video below and waiting for Cyanogen to cook up a fully functional Android 2.0 Éclair ROM. [HDBlog.it (translated) via SlashGear]

• Universal-ish search with an updated "Quick Search" box

• Much fast camera performance, with a refreshed interface, and easier switching between video/still modes

• Support for VPNs, corporate or otherwise

• A battery monitoring center that lets you see what apps are sucking inordinate amounts of power, and also lets you kill them.

• Multiple resolution support, for all the wild'n'crazy Android devices coming down the pike

• A new Market UI, with app screenshots

• Text-to-speech for any app that wants it, built into the main search widget by default

• A gesture framework for developers

• CDMA support, because, you know, Hero.

Let us know when your updates hit in the comments; reports are thin for now, but I have a feeling the floodgates are about to open. [CNET]

RyeBrye has pieced together an Android app that does all the rooting legwork, a process that used to range from mildly intimidating to headache-inducing. In either case, the prospect was always daunting for the mainstream, which kept the joys of an unbound Android from most G1 and MyTouch owners. With this app, here's the new, streamlined procedure:

• Download "Recovery Flasher" From the Android Market (or sideload it)
• Run it
• Tap "Back up recovery image"
• Tap "Flash Cyanogen Recovery 1.4"

Seriously, that's it. Now your Android phone is splayed wide open, and ready for you to have your way with it. But, uh, what does that mean, exactly?

Plenty of things! The biggest draw to rooting is the ability to install a new ROM—in other words, replace the operating system on your phone. There are two ways to go with this, both equally awesome. The first is to go with a super-customized community ROM. These are tweaked and enhanced versions of the phone's default software, often grafted with pieces of Google's forthcoming updates to Android, some near, some far, and all dessert-themed. Practically, this means multitouch—since the G1 and MyTouch already support this on the hardware side—app storage on SD cards, tethering, more home screens, new system keyboards, and perhaps most importantly, vastly improved performance. A lot of users say using one of these is a night-and-day difference, and given the kinds of things the HTC ROM community has done with Windows Mobile phones, I'm inclined to believe them.

Your second path is to go full Hero—in other words, to install the HTC Hero's heavily customized OS, which is nothing short of fantastic, and about to get even better. This is a full phone conversion, and even in its current, slightly precarious state, well worth it.

In either case, you're going to need to choose a ROM, download it, and put it on your phone's SD card. You can select from an expansive list here—for reference, the MyTouch 3G is also known as the Magic 32B—but as far as non-Hero ROMs go, your best bet is the near-legendary, well-supported CyanogenMod. The newest release, out just two days ago, is fully compatible with the G1 and MyTouch. But don't stress too much over which ROM to choose, since changing them over is a breeze now that you're fully unlocked. An overview from Android and Me:

• Power off your phone.
• Boot into recovery mode. Press and hold the Home key, then hit the power button.
• Before you flash a rom file, perform a wipe. Press Alt+W to wipe the data and cache folders. You must wipe when going form different builds of Android.
• Wait for the wipe to finish and the recovery image to display again, then select "apply any zip from sd". Flash the zip file of your choice.
• After flashing any zip you should be able to reboot your system and watch it load to the home screen.

You'll want to read their full rooting and flashing guide for caveats, but that easy little list there is about the size of it.

A few more reasons to root that don't involve totally flashing your phone:

• Full backups to SD cards
• Wi-Fi tethering!
• Autorotation for all apps
• Install apps to an SD card

This alongside a treasure trove of smaller tweaks and tricks you can find at the every-active XDA forums. And of course, it should go without saying: this is potentially risky, and could brick your phone. The rooting process is almost foolproof, but before you jump in, make sure you've got the right hardware (American MyTouch 3Gs and G1s only) and have backed up any important data. Happy hacking! [RyeBrye, AndroidAndMe]

The ClearPad 3000 is Synaptics' new top-of-the-line capacitive touchscreen, designed for high-end phones, gaming systems (PSP GoFaster?) and other fancy mobile gear. It has 48 sensing channels, so it'll pick up 10 fingers at once, and it scales up to 8-inch screens with narrower borders than their current ClearPad 2000 touchscreens (which senses two fingers and is used in HTC's Android handsets like the G1, among other phones).

Their other new touchscreen is the ClearPad 1000, a cheap capacitive designed to destroy crappy resistive touchscreens once and for all (read here for the difference between various kinds of touchscreens, though as a shorthand, phones with good touchscreens like the Pre, iPhone, Storm and G1 use capacitive). It only supports one finger, but it's supposed to be more accurate and work better with OLED screens.

Bottom line, touchscreens should get even better over the next year. [Synaptics]

The phone will also supposedly launch in October for $150, so hold out if you want an Android phone on T-Mobile, but don't like the T-Mobile G2's lack of a physical keyboard. [Boy Genius Report]

As you can see, it's not final final yet, as the video recording is still a bit buggy, but overall the improvements look nice.

This is an official development build issued by HTC yesterday we're seeing. It's for dev phones only, technically, but if you have a rooted G1 you can install this just like any other "update.zip" recovery image. See our how-to guide as well as this XDA developers thread for more guidance on upgrading your G1 if you so dare. We're still looking at a non-specific May release date for the official OTA update.

Even though there's only one playoffs spot currently left somewhat up for grabs (hold on, Bulls!), you can use the app to keep track of standings. It'll deliver individual player stats for each completed game, and will tell you where to watch upcoming games on the schedule.

And best of all is the live score tracking, when you're away from your TV. And, it's free. Man, I've missed my Playoff night caps with Kenny, Ernie and Charles. Can't wait. Thanks, T-Mobile and the NBA, for keeping your mutual love going.

Our money is on the successor to the T-Mobile G1 (also announced in NYC at a T-Mo event), which will almost certainly be the HTC Magic we've seen announced in Europe.

We can also expect that a major Android update will come along with it, since the only place we've seen a soft keyboard, which is necessary for the touchscreen-only Magic, is in the Cupcake development distribution. We'll keep you posted as we know more.

It moves a lot faster between pages that don't require fresh data because it uses database storage on the iPhone and Android's built-in Google Gears implementation, which supposedly makes it work better on a slow connection besides giving it some offline powers. Search and loading emails from the main screen isn't necessarily quicker, but picking contacts and opening particular messages within a thread—yes, threaded conversations work just like real Gmail now—is definitely quicker. You can also get to other Google apps (like your calendar, which is improved now too) in a snap.

It feels more like an app with the sunburst style progress spinner anytime you need to load stuff, and a button for "load more messages" at the bottom that responds nearly instantly, rather than having to load a whole new web page. Search is no longer shoved at the bottom of the window, there's an actual button for it on top (which is great since the reason I fired up the Gmail site was for search). There's a "floaty bar" that follows you down as you scroll with functions like delete, archive and report spam. The new UI feels a bit more finger friendly, and it uses Gmail's newer color scheme, with a grayer blue and more subtle colors that makes it more readable, too.

If you don't like it, you can always go back to the old site, too. [Gmail Blog]

If you don't have GV on an Android phone, Google Voice must first call your cellphone and then connect you to the outgoing call that way. GV saves you this go-between by dialing out directly to your contacts' phone numbers using the Google Voice switchboard. Just set it to "Dial out" instead of "Call back" and you can more easily use your consolidated number for outgoing calls.

Sending text messages works in a similar fashion, only

GV is developed by a third party, so if Google changes up the way the system works, the app may break. But until then, it's a convenient setup for those hoping to consolidate lots of phone numbers into a single Google Voice number.

[Thanks to Gina at Smarterware / Lifehacker for the test!]

This week's Android news on Giz:

• Google's G1 Tethering Move Sets Precedent For Carrier-Specific Android App Markets

• HP Tests Android For Netbooks, Says WSJ

• Reports: Google Pulling Tethering Apps From Android Marketplace

• Reports: Google Pulling Tethering Apps From Android Marketplace

• Next Android Device (G2?) Gets Flash Support
• ShopSavvy Android App Now Displays Local Store Inventory in Real Time

• Every Smartphone OS Endures Pwn2Own Unhacked

• 'My Account' Android App Manages Your T-Mobile Affairs, Stimulates Your Miserliness

By popular demand, we're beginning to highlight a particularly great Android app (or apps) every week. If you have any brand new apps you've tried and love, please let us know in the comments! Thanks.

What this means is that means that listed apps can be defined as carrier specific, by Google. A tethering app that violates T-Mobile's ToS will be either invisible or inaccessible to US users, while available to someone on a tethering-friendly network elsewhere. This has the effect of creating carrier-specific App Markets, and an uneven Android experience from company to company.

Of course, you can still install whatever apps you want if you're willing to get your hands a little dirty, but removing a category of app from the Marketplace will make it effectively off limits for most. [Android Community]

We haven't seen a list of supported retailers, but the service tie-in comes from the folks at Krillion, who seem to have lots of larger partners. Cool addition to an already great app, with the main intent of saving you money. [jkOnTheRun]

My Account is a simple, obvious app, but one that could only ever come from the carrier itself. Luckily, T-Mobile had the sense and/or generosity to go ahead and make it, giving G1 owners full control over their T-Mo accounts through their handset. The app doesn't provide much information that you couldn't already access on the company's website, but this app makes it pretty and puts it where it should be: on the handset. My Account is available for free in the Android Marketplace. [AndroidandMe]

Now, the Dev Phone 1 will be able to access the Paid apps in the store, although according to Developer Advocate Dan Morrill, people with this kind of G1s won't be able to install copy-protected apps. The update fixes the alarm clock, Gmail, pop3 email accounts, mail notifications, and maps, as well as adding support for search by voice. [Phandroid]

The problem lies in the phone's full software permissions. Consumer Android phones download paid content to a private, hidden apps folder, inaccessible to the user. Thing is, as is stands, this normally inaccessible folder is accessible on the dev phones. Not only does this let people flat out copy and redistribute apps—it enables a sort of app laundering scam, in which someone buys an app, copies it to another location, and gets a refund for the app (as per the Marketplace's 24-hour return policy), only to reinstall the copied version later.

Right, so Google sort of screwed up on that one. But the consequences will be felt most by the poor saps with the Developer G1s, and even though many of them weren't ever intended to use a dev model, it's a shame. Think about it: the non-developers who paid $400 plus a $25 developer fee just to get their hands on an unlocked G1 are (or, really, were) probably the most loyal devotees that Android has—and now, if they want paid apps, they pretty much have to pirate them. [Macworld]