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Android 3.0 Test Build Already Running in the Wild?

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I have been sitting on this picture for a few days debating on whether or not to post it. I’m no custom ROM expert, but I’m pretty sure there must be some way to fake the version number of the Android software, even if it is something as simple as clever Photoshop trickery. The questionable concealment of the top and bottom of the device that is supposedly a Nexus One also raises some red flags.

At this point in time the only people who should have any true build of Android 3.0 running on their device would be Google’s Android engineers, and as this picture was passed along with no information other than a promised “more to come” we can’t quite say where it originates. I have decided to run it after reading a story over on Droid-Dog that reports instances of Android 3.0 (and even 3.0.1 and 3.2) have started to show up in the logs of popular benchmark software Linpack for Android.

nexusonegingerbread

Just a little something to pique your curiosity on this Monday morning. It could be that the Android Team has begun testing builds of Gingerbread (Android 3.0) in the wild, and one Googler was brave enough to send this picture along. It could be that this is totally fake and that the benchmark data was also faked. For now take this with a big (and when I say big, I mean HUGE) grain of salt and just enjoy the possibility.

Kevin Krause
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59 Comments

  1. Please… I just want Froyo for my desire…

  2. Its got to be a fake…that is not a Nexus One. It looks more like an incredible. If it was the N1, there would be gray on the sides, rather than just all black.

  3. disregard…crappy monitor. I see the gray now.

  4. You’d think whoever took the picture (knowing how “valuable” it is) would clean the pen marks off their hand first…

    Did they use a 3.0 phone to take the picture? LoL

  5. what good does this do anyone when t-mobile wont even upgrade its mytouch customers to 2.2 let alone 2.1 its horrible that all there is to it

  6. @6 Assuming what you wrote was intended to be a question(questions end with question marks and being on the internet doesn’t mean you should make any less effort when attempting to communicate) it benefits a lot of people. The faster Google can finish Gingerbread, the faster people like me get it on their Nexus One and the faster your Mytouch will eventually get it.

  7. you can just edit the build.prop guys :D

    you can easily fake this

  8. you beat me to it but yeah there should be a grey trim around the screen.

  9. Will get first Handset with 3.0, screw FROYO

  10. Yeah, even with the little you can see of the physical phone, it is clearly not a N1.

  11. Well I guess you could quickly build an app that mimics that screen and put whatever you want on it. But honestly what would be the purpose. Now I’d they start leaking more UI changes then I think you’d know.

  12. As Nate said, you can edit system/build.prop and system/default.prop… btw, I upgraded my Milestone using this method. :)http://youtu.be/rhbw63U2nfA

  13. I’m looking at my Nexus One right now. I don’t see anything inconsistent with it being a nexus one. The only thing that makes it look a bit the color around the edges. It looks kind of black (but not quite), but that could be a function of the lighting and my monitor.

  14. could be a new color scheme for ADP3(nexus)when its released

  15. Yeah, Gingerbread will very likely be a very, very different beast from FroYo. I would imagine a lot of things are being built up from scratch again on their own tag and that we won’t see it for a long time to come.

    Also consider that the Nexus hits the MINIMUM specs for Gingerbread, so it may not even perform well. Gingerbread is a new generation OS for a new generation of devices and those of us with non-Nexus devices should be getting 2.2 soonish. I have a Desire and can’t wait for FroYo, but seeing as Google have finished it I’m not blaming them for getting on with Gingerbread. I’m waiting on HTC and I don’t mind that either because I trust them to do a good job of tailoring it for the hardware.

  16. i have a feeling this is fake, and whats with the piece of paper at the top of the phone? also this doesnt look like a nexus one it looks like a motorola droid

  17. if that was 3.0 the side scroll bar would have faded away by the time he picked up the camera. the fading side scroll bad was added in 2.2 and it fades away pretty fast when the screen idles.

  18. fuuny, he covers the phone so you can’t see it, but the screen tells us it’s a Nexus 1……. lol

  19. but judging by the what’s visible It look like Desire?

  20. I don’t see how it could possibly be a fake. If Google intends on releasing Gingerbread in Q4 of this year (and all reports have stated they do), then it only makes sense for them to put it out into the wild for testing around now.

  21. I think it’s a legit picture.
    They have been working on Gingerbread for some time now.
    I don’t see why people think it is not a nexus one.
    I am comparing with my nexus one, but it’s exactly the same.
    I think he screened the top and the bottom of the phone to hide some UI changes.

  22. Those edges belong to the G1 Blaze!

  23. sure, there’s a 50-50 chance that this is fake… however i hope it is real. if the nexus one is capable of running 3.0, then i’m sure the galaxy s(vibrant) will be more than capable of running 3.0 as well. i know the behold2 has built a bad rep for samsung, however i believe they will support their galaxy s line of phones. with all the galaxy s phones being for the most part the exact same as far as hardware and OS they shouldn’t have any trouble creating one firmware update for all, each with minor tweaks for set carrier.

  24. I call shens on the while thing. Not a Nexus One, and the build file was altered. Nothing to see here, move along.

  25. @nemesys06 i highly doubt samsung will actually go through the trouble to port their FAIL of a UI to a completely new android UI

  26. that most definitely is a nexus one people. as far as the android version being 3.0 im not so sure.

  27. Real or not, we’re not going to see Gingerbread code release until the end of the year, so it means nothing. If it’s real, it proves they’re working on version 3.0, which we already knew; if it’s fake, then someone is getting a laugh for exerting some influence on what people are talking about. It’s non-news either way.

  28. Wow….another idiot that learned to edit the build.prop. Phandroid….can you please stop posting this garbage. Every picture you receive from your “sources” are not real.

  29. Size wise looks like the N1 but why put that piece of paper on top? What is there to hide? Even if it is genuine, so what. We know that Google is saying that 3.0 will be out by the end of the year. This is not a story unless there’s something about the features that have leaked.

  30. Shouldn’t it say android version not firmware?

  31. that is a nexus im holding mine right next to the pic its deffinatly a nexus one the top is covered to hide carrier info and maybe a secret icon in the status bar like the the fact they hid the tethering icon till drop date

  32. probably a fake but it is a nexus one.you can see the gray on the left side of the phone

  33. oh and a buddy of mine just realized it says firmware version instead of android version

  34. I totaly agree with @moises I think its fake because it should say Android Version if it was a nexus one not firmware version because other phones say firmware. So its either not a nexus one or his phone is rooted with Cyangeon mod 5 and he edited the build.prop file. And @nub is right!

  35. Isn’t 3.0 supposed to revamp the ui? All I see is the same old ui…

  36. seems quite bogus and not worth speculation. pass

  37. Pic looks fake to me. Notice how he has the top of the phone covered and the bottom of the phone covered as well.

    I call shens on this picture. Not saying a test build may be out there, but this pic looks totally fake.

  38. Looks like an HD2 to me. Would explain hiding the baseband version at the bottom.

    Sent from my HD2 running FroYo

  39. It’s clearly a nexus one. I have one and it’s exactly the same…

  40. He’s also covering the baseband version since you can’t fake that….

  41. All the people saying its not a Nexus One most not have one because it’s clearly a Nexus One. As for the paper at the top its probably to hind a redesigned notification bar and his finger is hiding the phone info. Personally I was hoping for a complete redesign including the menus but that doesn’t look like the case from this screen but its still early so I’m guessing things could change.

  42. The only thing I’m hoping for is that the date it is scheduled to be released is the date that it is released. 2.2 was a pain constantly waiting for an update, and getting fed multiple updates on top of that. Test it, advertise it, then nail it down properly.

  43. photo of this mobile just like mileston

  44. UI revamp…it looks like the menus are staying the same

  45. its samsung galaxy you fools

  46. Meh, fake stuff…and people, stop making it a big news and a hot topic for discussion…it will be officially announced when it’s ready

  47. Fake. You can edit this from your phone in 3 easy steps.

    1) Use root explorer to copy “build.prop” from “/system” to “/sdcard”
    2) Edit in a txt editor (Astro File Manager can do this).
    3) copy edited build.prop back to system overwriting it.

    Fake. Can’t believe you all fell for that!

  48. because it is not android 3

  49. so that whole ruckus about slowing down the pace of firmware updates to help keep fragmentation to a minimum is ringing pretty hollow in my ears right now. shouldn’t we be getting froyo first?

  50. http://phandroid.com/2010/07/27/get-android-2-2-running-on-a-motorola-milestone/

    Notice how it says N1 even though we know its a Milestone, now take a look at the picture above, it says N1 even though it surely does not look like one, and hes covering up the Baseband version for what reasons? probably because its a fake. Thered be no reason to hide baseband, it gives away nothing.

  51. I can’t believe this was actually spread around… wow..

    If you want another shot… here’s my Droid with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream).

    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/4834846610_11a909a4d8.jpg

    – AdamZ

  52. It is a N1 u can see the gray on the left side of the phone
    its just dark on the right

  53. 100% fake. Nothing to see here.

  54. You like how his fingers. Just so happen to cover the baseband and kernal info

  55. By all means that looks like my Evo.

  56. It really looks like an SE Xperia X10i.

  57. when I can have Android 3 on my phone

  58. Google anounced Gingerbread to be released in the coming weeks. Of course, Nexus One users will be the first ones to get that update. Can’t Wait! (Android 2.3)

    P.S. Nexus S (Samsung) will be released with Android 2.3 as well.

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