It looks like we’ll have to wait quite a bit before we’ll be able to pick up the latest Android-powered devices from Acer. While the company has been showing a lot of them at various exhibitions, it seems that the earliest release date for these devices in the US will be 2010, thus missing the crucial holiday season. The delay is most likely due to complications with US carriers.

This pictured render of the “G1 v2” phone certainly looks attractive, especially with its sideway-sliding QWERTY keyboard. If the rumors are correct, such a device might be hitting the retail stores for about $150. The device will obviously be powered by Google’s Android. Based on the picture, we’re certainly looking forward to seeing this device in stores.

Can’t bear to wait for the Android 1.5 Cupcake update any longer? Well, it’s just a few more days, as the update will be hitting Android smartphones in the US next week. The software update should be sent OTA (over the air) to T-Mobile G1 users, and by the end of May, everybody in the US should have Android 1.5 running on their G1.

T-Mobile’s Android-powered G1 has been around for a while now, and it’s certainly been given enough time to gather some momentum. Fortunately for it, the results speak for itself, and it doesn’t disappoint. In a recent market research, the G1 managed to break into the top 5 in terms of smartphone rankings, which are topped by RIM’s BlackBerry Curve and Apple’s iPhone 3G. Beating Windows Mobile and Palm’s devices is certainly a good achievement in its first foray into the smartphone market.

An email from Eric Chu of the Android Market Support Team notifies developers of a few updates for the Android Market. One of the new features allows developers to target new countries for free apps, and local language support has also been added for more countries. Finally, all apps published in the market will need to indicate a minimum SDK version in the manifest file. It’s certainly good to see that Google’s Android Market is progressing nicely.

Pictures of the HTC Hero, also referred to as the G3, have surfaced online, and at a glance, the device looks fairly similar to the current HTC Magic that is being released. One thing that folks will notice almost immediately is the lack of a trackball, which actually seems a shame, as the trackball is a rather useful navigation tool. The good news is that there is a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, which addresses one of the major complaints of the G1. Stay tuned, and we’ll keep you posted on the updates regarding this phone!

Google has rolled out a new service for folks who own BlackBerry phones. Gmail and calendar items will be able to be pushed to the native client software on RIM’s devices, thus helping Google make more headway into the enterprise market. This service will be part of the Premier and Education editions of Google Apps, giving users no more excuses not to reply to their Gmail messages. Google even has plans to update the service over time, and it’s certainly exiting to imagine the kind of things that Google might offer in the future.

Lawsuits are never a fun thing, and Google is in the midst of another one. It seems that Erich Specht, who owns the trademark for Android Data Corporation, is suing Google (and anybody else who uses the Android name, including T-Mobile, Vodafone, Intel, Motorola and the rest) for using the name “Android”, as he had been granted the trademark for it back in October of 2002. To make matters worse, it seems that Google had filed a trademark application for Android in 2007, but the application was denied due to confusion with Mr. Specht’s. The fact that Google failed to get the trademark that it applied for and still went ahead of it certain doesn’t help Google’s cause. It certainly looks like there isn’t going to be an easy solution to this, so sit back and let’s see how things work out.

A leaked document from T-Mobile shows that a sequel to the T-Mobile G1 will be arriving this fall, dubbed Bigfoot. We’re not entirely sure whether the picture on the document is accurate or not, but with a name like Bigfoot, it certainly isn’t too hard to imagine the device as one that is rather chunky and has a sideways sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Gmail addicts who are using Apple’s iPhone or Google’s Android will most likely welcome the addition of the “mute” feature to Gmail mobile. The feature, which allows you to mute a conversation and keep the additional follow up emails for that conversation out of the inbox, is already available on the full (web) version of Gmail, and the addition of it in Gmail mobile is certainly a step forward in the right direction.

T-Mobile G1 users are busy reporting that the Android Cupcake 1.5 update has been pushed out by T-Mobile, so by now most G1 users are busy playing with the new virtual keyboard, along with other updates that are included. The bad news is that customized ROMs can hinder the G1’s ability to receive this update, so if you’re on a non-official ROM, then you’ll need to put it back to the original ROM (which shouldn’t be too hard), and you’re well on your way to getting the latest 1.5 update.

We’re all fairly used to the idea of having Android-powered devices from Vodafone, but there is a serious possibility of future Android-powered devices to have a little less Google influence on it, and more Vodafone. It seems that is what the carrier is looking to, as it is looking to ditch some of the more familiar Google services in favor of a more basic package, with Vodafone having its own client software instead.