We could scarcely believe our eyes when we read in HTC's press release last night that both the HTC Salsa and ChaCha "Facebook phones" will run Android 2.4, Gingerbread's successor.
Android 2.4? That at first seemed unlikely given several factors--the fact that Android developers are just starting to roll out Gingerbread 2.3 phones at this show and elsewhere, the fact that Google just finished a substantial effort to educate developers about Gingerbread, and the fact that Google has stated that it's trying to consolidate its Android release cycles. That adds up to what could very well be a simple typo that missed its author's tired eyes.
Indeed, that's what it was. HTC has since corrected its online press release, changing the stated OS of the HTC Salsa, ChaCha, and Flyer tablet from Android 2.4 to Android 2.3.
HTC's typo was a small but significant. Albeit accidentally for HTC, the handset manufacturer wasn't the first to in one way or another presuppose Google's plans. Tablet maker ViewSonic allegedly suggested earlier this month that its ViewPad 4 device would also run Android 2.4. That, too, has proven false, since the company announced in Barcelona, Spain, that its forthcoming ViewPad 4 will currently deliver Android 2.2 Froyo, promising an upgrade to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
At this point, Android 2.4's true identity is still the subject of rumor--will it be Gingerbread, Honeycomb for phones, or Ice Cream Sandwich on the eve of Google's future official announcement?
Article updated at 12:45 a.m. PT and 8:20 a.m. PT with news that HTC had indeed erred.