Google's already made some big announcements at the first day of its I/O conference, including the unveiling of Ice Cream Sandwich, but there was one thing in particular that should excite just about every Android user around. El Goog announced that it would be partnering with a number of carriers and manufacturers to not only provide updates in a timely manner, but also guarantee that each device will get updates for up 18 months after its launch, hardware permitting. The companies on-board with the partnership include all four major U.S. carriers, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG, and Sony Ericsson.

There's no question that there have been some problems with Android updates in the past, including delayed updates (Galaxy S devices) as well as manufacturers that simply decide to scrap a device's update plans (Behold II). Today's news, alongside the "One OS Everywhere" Ice Cream Sandwich, should hopefully put an end to that nasty F-word that's been dogging Android and its users. Who's pumped?

UPDATE: Google touched on its update plans a bit more in a post-keynote Q&A session, saying that details like exactly how quickly updates will be released are still being worked out. There's also no word on how skins like MOTOBLUR will affect the update process, although I'm sure that Google and the manufacturers would like to push out updates as quickly as possible. Obviously there's still a lot of info up in the air, but we should be learning more soon. Stay tuned.

Via Engadget (1), (2)