So What’s New In Froyo – Android 2.2

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Today Google announced Froyo, Android 2.2 the latest update to their smartphone operating system. We knew it was coming, and we knew flash was coming but that was it. So let’s have a look at what we got.

Well to look at it’s not a whole lot different, you get a new boot logo, slightly different widget and the transitions and animations seem to be smoother.

WiFi Hotspot

Yes, you can now use your Android 2.2 device as a WiFi hotspot, which I have to admit is pretty cool. Froyo also comes with built in tethering support but we have no word on carrier support as of yet.

Speed

Google are all about speed these days and there were rumors circulating that Froyo 2.2 was light years faster than the current 2.1 version of Android, and it appears these claims are true. Froyo is up to 5x faster than Eclair, thanks to a just-in-time compiler.And there’s more, Google are saying that the mobile browser is the fast in the world, period!

The lower the figure the better

Flash

We knew this was coming, and as much as Steve Jobs hates flash, we want it, so Google are giving us it. Android 2.2 will support full flash10.1 giving you the full desktop experience when browsing the web. Something which you can’t get on the iPhone.

OTA Updates And Syncing

This will be a great feature if it turns out to be as good as it sounds and definitely distinguish Android from the iPhone.

Now when you download an app to your computer you don’t need to tether your phone. Instead, the update will automatically be installed over-the-air to your device. You can also do the same with music and manage your whole library on the web with multiple devices, not to mention streaming music as well. This is something I can’t wait to have, a proper sync solution for my HTC Desire.

App Storage On SD Cards

One of the things restricting Android users up to now is that applications installed have been limited to the devices internal memory. With Froyo however you will now be able to move applications to SD Cards, giving you a lot more room to install applications. Something we’ve been waiting for a while.

And The Rest

Froyo gives hardware compass access to the browser, handy for orienting maps according to which direction you’re facing.

You’ll also be able to access the camera from the browser, and camera controls are now more streamlined within the viewing window and more suited to one hand use.

Support for background updating and updating multiple apps at once is now around and there is also new options for voice recognition so you don’t have to put on an American accent the whole time.

A new YouTube HQ option, which apparently isn’t too much different from the current YouTube quality has also found it’s way in.

So overall it’s looking pretty good and if I were Apple I would be seriously concerened about the Android operating system as it’s really beginning to take off and is a viable contender in the smartphone market.

Froyo 2.2 should be available this summer and will be coming to the Nexus One first, HTC have said that smartphones they’be launched this year like the Incredible, Desire, Droid etc… should be getting the update in the second half of the year.

Let me know what you think about Froyo in the comments below

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