Keeping track of which device has what Android update can be crucial when considering an app development schedule or for determining preferred devices for a post-PC workforce.

It’s a bit complex, considering the differing schedules that the manufacturers have for each device that they carry.  Google has been trying to standardize the update process. At Google I/O this year they announced the Android Update Alliance. It is an attempt to establish some standards about updates.

But there has been little information from Google about the alliance or how it works. The team at Android and Me decided they did not want to guess anymore. They did some critical analysis and created some charts that shows the update of each phone available from Alliance participants.

The first gives an overview of the number of phones running 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 grouped according to manufacturer. The most up to date Android phones are made by HTC with 13 devices on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).  Samsung and Sony Ericsson follow in second and third place. Motorola follows with LG taking the last place of all device manufacturers part of the Alliance.

Android and Me provides some perspective:

We could see it’s kind of a mixed bag when it comes to updating devices that were already out at the time of the announcement. For instance, the oldest phone available for purchase (the HTC EVO 4G) has been able to jump from 2.1 to 2.3, and the HTC MyTouch 3G Slide, which is around the same age, has only taken one step up from 2.1 to 2.2 so far. Of those manufacturers participating in the Alliance, HTC has been the most successful in updating their preexisting devices. LG, Motorola and Samsung have some work to do here.

Most carriers’ devices are out of date. In the US, Sprint is carrying the most updated devices. Vodafone leads in Europe. AT&T has promised that it would update all of its 2011 line to 2.3. T-Mobile and Verizon have some work to do to catch up.

Click image to enlarge

Finally, here’s a great list of devices by manufacturer with update status. This is a great use of data to show the status of devices. The only issue is its shelf life. This graphic will be out of date pretty soon.

Services Angle

I am reminded of last week’s VMworld when looking at these charts. VMware put a lot of emphasis on the post-PC era. The company is now actively pushing mobile virtualization. Its challenge will be attracting new OEMs to adopt its technology. HTC would undoubtedly be a prize partner.