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A Week With Google Android 2.2: Froyo
Google's new Android treat has been named "Froyo" after frozen yogurt, and it's nearly every bit as sweet as it sounds. I've been running a leaked Android 2.2 ROM on my Droid for a week now. Here's a few impressions and what VARs, SMBs and anyone in general using Android phones has to look forward to with the upcoming update...
Dave Courbanou
June 14, 2010
2 Min Read
Google’s new Android treat has been named “Froyo” after frozen yogurt, and it’s nearly every bit as sweet as it sounds. I’ve been running a leaked Android 2.2 ROM on my Droid for a week now. Here’s a few impressions and what VARs, SMBs and anyone in general using Android phones has to look forward to with the upcoming update…
You can check out Google’s official Android site, and watch their 3 minute video on Froyo, but here’s the upfront features I’ve found that really make 2.2 a polished version of Android.
Speed – Google introduced new compilers and javascript browser engines, overall resulting in a much snappier feel. It’s not on the same level of responsiveness as an iOS device, but it’s finally getting to that point.
Flash – Yes, Flash works great for almost everything with Flash video being the key exception. YouTube and Hulu (with tweaking) work in the browser, but YouTube has made the browser crash. But Flash games, or Flash animations work flawlessly. Now when you look up a restaurant’s menu and their site is in Flash, you won’t have an issue.
Marketplace And App Updates – Life is easier since you can click “update all apps” and not have to individually download them. You can set specific applications to update automatically, and you can now move apps natively to your SD card, eliminating the issue with on-board RAM limitations.
Tethering – You can now tether your Android device via USB or Wifi, without doing anything special. It’s built right into the OS.
The Home Screen – Froyo 2.2 introduces a modified home screen that
introduces built-in buttons for the browser and phone (two most used applications) which natively frees up two shortcut spots on your main home screen. It also introduces 5 home screens, along with representation dots for which screen you’re on. Press and hold the dots to get a live-view of each home screen. Tap and instantly transport to that screen.
Even though I’m running a leaked ROM, it’s very stable. I can only see this getting better. Whispers around the ‘net are that Google is going to slow down their releases of Android updates, and focus on some solid polish before unleashing 2.3 (Gingerbread) to the world. But coming from a Droid which once ran Android 2.0, with no multi-touch and an unresponsive home screen? Android 2.2 is a breath a fresh air, especially for those with iOS 4 envy.
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