I was aware that not everyone gets updates OTA at the same time but I was just too curious and excited (and, fine, impatient) that I wanted my update right now! So I researched on manual Gingerbread updates for the Nexus One. When Froyo came out I also updated my phone manually, so I wasn't really worried about doing the same thing for Gingerbread.
I found this post from dkszone.net and read the comments on the post before I proceeded with following the instructions. I didn't follow their instructions 100% so I'll share what I did for my manual update.
How to Manually Update the Nexus One to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
Disclaimer: Proceed at your own risk. I am not an expert on the Nexus One nor Android, I am merely sharing my experience in manually updating my Nexus One to Gingerbread. There is a risk of getting your device bricked if you proceed with this manual update. If you are unsure then wait for the OTA update instead.Additional Note: Before updating to 2.3.3 my Nexus One was running 2.2.2. Not sure if this is significant, but I thought it might be useful information in case anything happens.
- Download the official Android 2.3.3 update on to your computer or directly into your phone (I downloaded mine directly).
- Rename the zip file to "update.zip"
- If you downloaded the file onto your computer then transfer it to your Nexus One into the SD card's root level. If you downloaded the file directly into your phone then just move the file to the SD card's root level (I use ASTRO to manage my files). Note: If you're lazy, like me, and are reading and following these instructions on your phone's browser then you must start memorizing all instructions from this point forward.
- Turn off your phone.
- Reboot your phone in Recovery mode. To do this press and hold the trackball and the power button at the same time.
- When you are in Recovery mode, select the "Recovery" option by using the volume buttons to navigate up and down the menu. Press the power button to select the "Recovery" option.
- The Android mascot and an exclamation point in a triangle will appear on screen. When you see this hold the power button and then press the volume up button.
- In the recovery options, choose "apply update from /sdcard" option.
- Select the update file (update.zip) on your SD card and then press the power button to start the update.
- Patiently wait while your Nexus One gets updated to Gingerbread. Your phone will restart by itself and will take a while to boot, so just be patient and leave it alone first before going crazy.
So, now my beloved Hayate (my Nexus One) is running Gingerbread. Aesthetically, they've made the theme darker with black being the predominant color, and I especially like the orange as a highlight color. Status bar icons have changed, too. I noticed a new icon in the menu too, which is "Downloads". I'm not totally sure if it has always been there, but I only noticed it now. It basically shows you a list of files you've recently downloaded. Performance-wise, the phone feels less laggy (though, it might just be me). I got rid of aHome and am now using the native home screen and launcher. On Froyo, aHome performed significantly faster than the native home screen and launcher, but the opposite is true on Gingerbread. Oh! Don't forget to notice the way your phone goes into standby mode when you press the power button once. I find it really funny. =)
Are you already running Gingerbread on your Android device? What do you think and how is it going so far?