Android 2.2 Froyo officially announced
posted May 20th 2010 11:48AM




No huge surprises here, but Google just announced Android 2.2 "Froyo" at I/O, and the big addition is a just-in-time compiler, which brings a 2-5x speed boost to the system. There are also 20 new enterprise features, including better Exchange integration and device administration APIs, as well as a new device backup app that'll let you transfer personal data to a new device. Android 2.2 also features a new cloud-to-device messaging API that Google called "much more than a push notification service designed to make up for a lack of basic features like multitasking," and of course, WiFi tethering -- which was used to get a WiFi iPad online during the demo to great cheers. Google also demoed a new JavaScript engine in the Android browser, which is billed as "the world's fastest web browser," and a Chrome browser plugin that allows you to send directions from Maps on your desktop directly to your phone.

izvor

Flash Player 10.1 on Android 2.2 “Froyo”


Preview of Flash Player 10.1 running on Android 2.2 powered devices. Available in Public beta from the Android Market on devices running the latest version of the OS.





izvor

Froyo coming to most 2010 HTC handsets by years end



The headline tells most of the tale here, but HTC has stated that most of their Android devices released in 2010 will be getting an upgrade to Android 2.2 sometime in the second half of the year.

Currently available or soon to be available devices that get a specific mention:

-HTC Desire
-Droid Incredible
-Evo 4G
-MyTouch Slide

“Upcoming models” are also in line for the upgrade, but whether that means all upcoming devices or just some of them is a little unclear. If your device is not on that list I wouldn’t smash it quite yet as HTC will be getting a complete device list out later along with a more concrete timetable.  If we use the Android 2.1 announcement to release timeframe as a guide that would place the target somewhere around late September to early October.

Nexus owners we all know that you are expecting your update in early June so please keep your gloating to a minimum.

The relevant portion of the HTC statement is below.

…if your phone was launched this year, we will most likely offer an upgrade for it to the Froyo version. This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to launching the upgrades. We are working closely with Google and our other partners to ensure we have the earliest access to everything we need to provide a complete and solid Sense experience on Froyo. We expect to release all updates in the second half of this year but can’t be more specific yet.

Izvor

For what it's worth: Motorola says Droid getting Froyo 'in the near future'



OMG! The Motorola Droid's getting the Android 2.2 Froyo update "in the near future." Which makes sense, because we don't have it at the moment, and we can't get it in the past. So the future makes sense, right? As for the "near future?" Heh. We've heard that before, right? Here's the actual quote from Moto:

“We’re excited to see Google’s news of the next version of the Android operating system and look forward to integrating it on our Android-based devices as it’s made available to the open source community.”

While I can’t comment on specifics, we do expect DROID by Motorola users will receive Android 2.2 as a software upgrade in the near future.”

Thanks, everybody, for blowing up our inbox over this. And not to be a Debby Downer (though technically its in our job description), but this doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know. Yes, it's coming. No, we don't know when.

Izvor

Chrome to Phone for Android 2.2 (Froyo)




One of the promises of Froyo was that you could install a little browser extension that would magically beam website URLs directly to your phone without you having to email them to yourself. This is a super useful feature and can save a lot of time if you're running out the door and want to continue reading a webpage on your phone. In this video, we give a demo on how it works. To get it up and running, you'll need to install the APK app file on your Android, and you'll also need to grab the Chrome  or Firefox  extension. Then, you enter your Google account into the app to register your device, and bam, it works!

izvor

Froyo Feature: New security lock options



For those of you who worry about locking down your phone -- just in case it gets lost or stolen or your wife likes to check up on your calling and browsing habits -- you now have a couple of new options in Android 2.2 Froyo.

The old pattern unlock is still there, and works as before. But new are the option for a numerical PIN unlock, or a password unlock. the PIN and password unlocks have to use at least four characters. Of course, using more than that will help keep your dirty secrets away from prying eyes for a little while longer. Check out the screen shots after the break.




Izvor

Nova running on Samsung Galaxy S

This is a demo of the game NOVA running on the Android phone Samsung Galaxy S. The game runs as smooth on the Samsung Galaxy S as it does on the iPhone 3GS. Impressive!!

izvor

Google: Android will ‘blow your mind’ in the next six months



In a long-ranging interview with Gizmodo, Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s Andy Rubin said the next six months of Android will “blow your mind.”

This bold proclamation comes a few days after Google introduced 2.2, or Froyo, which added significant performance improvements, a host of new tools for developers, support for Adobe’s Flash and AIR, and native tethering capabilities. We also saw indications that the little, green robot will also be getting over-the-air app installations and streaming music, but Rubin seems to hint at more goodies.

“If you look at where we were 18 months ago and where we are today, that just makes the future brighter. Because the rate which we went from that kind of 0.8 to 2.2 was so fast that we’re just kind of learning how to master that type of engineering, that type of iterative engineering—and all of the innovation, I mean it’s game on,” Rubin said. “There is going to be stuff that’s just going to blow your mind. In 6 months. Before it was 18 months, now it’s 6 months.”

Another interesting point is that Rubin said the company doesn’t really plan out Android in two or five-year plans, as it concentrates one release at a time. “It’s more run like an Internet company would run it, so there’s a lot of iteration and what we are finding is innovation comes from all over the place,” Rubin said.

I’m sure Rubin is exaggerating a bit here as I would hope that Google does have a coherent long-term plan for the platform. I know it’s open source but let’s not ignore the reality of the situation: Google is in charge of Android and its updates, and this will be consistent for the foreseeable future of the OS.

It’s a fascinating interview that also touches upon how HTC’s patent agreement with Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) could impact future Android phones. Hit up the “via” link below for the full interview.

[Via Gizmodo]

Izvor

Android Benchmark Test

Phil takes a quick look at benchmark numbers on Android 2.2 (Froyo) on the Nexus One, and Android 2.1 (Eclair) on the HTC Evo 4G and Motorola Droid.