It looks like Google may be trying to get all of its Android devices in the hands of consumers upgraded to the latest release, 2.1. This should be welcome news to those who have a device with the older 1.6 or even 1.5 release. The bad news is that some devices will require a total wipe first, and that personal data and applications will have to be reloaded.Android and Me is reporting that more than 80% of its readers are on an outdated version of Android. Claiming insider sources, the article states that every Android device in the United States will be eligible for a bump to 2.1. Since 2.1 is larger than what some of the earlier phones were built for, such as the G1, not all features may work. Live Wallpapers is one example of a feature that you might not get on some devices.

The article also reports that some devices, and perhaps most devices, will require a wipe. The one notable exception is the Motorola Droid which shipped with 2.0.1.

Upgrades should start rolling out in the second quarter of 2010. Some will be over the air and some will require being tethered to your PC to perform the update.

While users will certainly enjoy getting the latest OS version on their devices, the biggest win here is for developers. They will be able to focus on one version of the platform rather than the four versions currently in the wild - 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.1.