Motorola Droid (sans yogurt)

Sure, a handful of Google Nexus One users have been rocking Android 2.2 Froyo on their handsets for a few months, but that’s a pretty small percentage of Android users overall. But it looks like the wider Android world is about get a cup full of frozen yogurt soon.

Engadget reports that Verizon will be rolling out Android 2.2 for the Motorola Droid next week. And Samsung UK reports that it will be rolling out Froyo updates for its phones in September.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also evidence that the HTC Evo, HTC Desire, and other phones are getting updates soon.

Among other updates, Google Android 2.2 Froyo brings a new Java compiler which should significantly improve the speed of third party apps on most phones. There are also home screen changes, with persistent buttons for launching the web browser and phone app. And some carriers will allow you to take advantage of another killer Froyo feature: support for tethering your phone to a computer to share the 3G internet connection.

Google has been pushing out test builds of Android 2.2 Froyo to a small group of users with Google Nexus One phones for the past month or so. But as we’ve repeatedly been told, those early builds weren’t the official release that would be made available to the general public — so if you somehow managed to find and download the updates through some link you found on the web, you weren’t necessarily running the final version of Froyo on your Nexus One.

Starting today, that all changes. Google has announced that it has begun rolling out Android 2.2 for Nexus One handsets. Some users have already received notifications that the update is available, and Google promises that most users should get the update by the end of the week. I guess that means the build that leaked last night really was the final build — and if you’re the impatient sort, you can probably download it now by following one of the links from the xda-developers forum.

The Google Nexus One is the first phone to receive the Android 2.2 update because it’s the phone Google has the closest connection to. Up until recently the company had been selling the phone directly to consumers through its web site. But now that Froyo is available for one phone, I suspect it won’t be too long before we start to see other phone makers and wireless carriers start to offer updates for other devices.

Some of the new features in Android 2.2 Froyo include a major speed boost — particularly for third party applications, support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, USB tethering and WiFi hotspot capabilities, and a new Home Screen design featuring phone and web browser buttons that show up at the bottom of all five home screens.

Another leaked build of Google Android 2.2 Froyo for the Google Nexus One has been leaked. It’s not entirely clear what if any changes there are between this build and the one leaked a few weeks ago, but it appears likely that this is just a bug fix update, since the update is quite small (under 2MB).

In order to install the update, you’ll want to download the file from Google or a mirror site, rename it to update.zip and copy it to your SD card and then follow the steps below. But bear in mind, this will only work if you have a Google Nexus One that’s running the FRF50 build that was leaked recently and you haven’t rooted your phone.

OK, so here’s how to apply the update:

1. Turn off your phone.
2. Hold down the power button and the trackball at the same time until a white screen with three Androids on skateboards pops up.
3. Use the volume buttons to select “bootloader,” and then press the power button.
4. On the next screen, select “recovery.”
5. The phone will reboot to show you an Android and an exclamation point.
6. Use the trackball to select “apply sdcard:update.zip.”
7. Once the installation is complete, select “reboot system now”

Note that it will probably take longer than usual for your phone to reboot. This is normal.

If you notice anything new in the FRF72 build, let us know in the comments!

via xda-developers

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Google Android 2.2 Froyo should be available to the general public any day now, but it might be weeks, months, or never before you actually get the update on some phones. That’s largely because manufacturers and wireless carriers that customize Android by installing custom user interfaces such as Motorola Motoblur or HTC Sense. When a phone has this kind of custom UI, updating from Android 1.6 or 2.1 to Android 2.2 isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. The folks who designed the custom software need to retool the whole thing incorporating updates from Google, HTC, Motorola, or other companies.

There’s no doubt Google Android is getting prettier with each release, reducing the need for these custom user interfaces. But the truth of the matter is that most of the updates Google has pushed into each successive release of Android have been under the hood. Now that Android 2.2 Froyo has most of the features that Google wants to focus on, TechCrunch reports the company plans to focus on the overall user experience for the next release, codenamed “Gingerbread.”

The idea is to make the default UI so attractive and easy to use that companies won’t feel the need to cover it up with Motoblur or HTC Sense. Because Google Android is a much more open platform than Apple iOS or Microsoft Windows Phone 7, I don’t think Google would ever tell handset makers that they can’t use custom user interfaces. And I suspect that even if Google developed the best UI in the known universe, some companies would still tweak things to include links to partner sites for various reasons.

I’m actually pretty happy with the default UI on my Google Nexus One. But I definitely look forward to seeing what Google has in store for the next major release.

If it seems like every few months Google launches a new version of Android, thus rendering your 6-month old phone at least partially obsolete, that’s because that’s exactly what’s been happening since Android first hit the scene in late 2008. In less than 2 years, we’ve gone from Android 1.5 to 1.6 to 2.1, and Android 2.2 is just around the corner.

Of course, we’ve seen some pretty stellar improvements in that time. The newer versions of Android are prettier, faster, and more stable. New features like USB tethering and portable WiFi hotspot are coming in Android 2.2, and I wouldn’t really recommend we go backward. But it’s a bit tough to be happy with your purchase when you buy an Android handset only to find out that it will be months before it can run the latest updates — if your mobile phone company or hardware maker ever offers them.

Eventually Google hopes to do away with that pain. Andy Rubin is the Google vice president in charge of Android, and he recently told the folks at the Silicon Valley Mercury News that instead of releasing 2 major updates per year, Google eventually hopes to move to one major release per year.

That should cut back on the fragmented nature of the Android platform a bit. Right now you can walk into a store and buy a device running Android 1.5, 1.6, or 2.1 Hopefully moving updates to an annual schedule will result in older devices fading gracefully away and giving new ones time to shine in the spotlight without too many agitated users complaining that the latest software won’t run on the device they bought just this year.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll only get new features and apps from Google once a year. Google has already described plans to separate some core apps from the operating system so that you’ll be able to download updates to apps like the contact manager or gallery app from the Android Market as soon as they’re available.

via TechCrunch

Yesterday I took a quick look at Android 2.2 Froyo and found that third party apps ran faster, flash Player 10.1 worked, but was a bit sluggish at times, and a few third party calendar apps stopped working. Today I wanted to take a more detailed look at some of the things that have changed in Android 2.2 Froyo.

You can find a video overview after the break, but here are some of the highlights:

User interface

1. There are phone and browser icons on every page of the home screen.
2. The Recent apps menu now shows 8 recent apps, and has no border around the edge.
3. You can press and hold the program launcher box to show previews of all 5 home screens.
4. Swipe up on the keyboard to bring up a numeric keypad (which disappears when you lift your finger).
5. You can rotate the display to the left or right to enable landscape mode.

Settings

1. There’s support for USB tethering and turning your phone into a WiFi hot spot.
2. Display and brightness settings have been moved closer to the top of the settings menu.
3. The Power widget for the home screen now lets you select auto-brightness.
4. The Running Services menu now lets you kill some services and apps.
5. Android 2.2 theoretically supports installing apps to the SD card, but developers need to enable this in their apps.
6. There’s an Update All option in the Android Market.
7. You can set apps to automatically install the latest updates on an app by app basis in the Android Market.
8. There’s an accessibility option to have the power button end phone calls.
9. The voice input settings let you specify your regional accent (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Generic).
10. Vibration can be set to always, never, only in silent mode, and only when not in silent mode.
11. There’s a warning when you enable USB storage mode than apps installed on the SD card won’t work.

Applications

1. Google Talk and Messaging have a new, lighter color scheme.
2. Google Messaging now shows icons for your contacts.
3. Gmail has forward and previous buttons to make navigating through messages easier.
4. There are new search widgets that let you search just apps, contacts, web, or all.
5. The Camera app makes it easier to adjust settings without swiping the side of the screen to bring up a menu.
6. In the video camera mode you can turn on the LED and leave it on (hello Flashlight!)
7. Voice input now recognizes swear words.
8. YouTube now supports HQ videos.
9. The Car Home user interface has been redesigned, making room for more apps.
10. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 is now available in the Android Market.

Some users have also found that the trackball can light up in different colors, but it’s up to app developers to take advantage of this feature. The gallery also apparently loads pictures faster, but I don’t have a lot of pictures so I haven’t spent a lot of time testing this.

As with any operating system upgrade, it’s inevitable that some third party apps are going to stop working. Yesterday I noticed that calendar widgets stopped displaying information. Today, the folks behind Calendar Pad issued an update to support Froyo. I suspect other calendar app makers will do the same soon.

I’ve also had problems streaming radio stations with Android Online Radio, but I’ve found that StreamFurious and AntPlayer both work. I still like the AOR interface better, so I’m hoping the developer issues an update soon.

One of the scariest app problems is that HelixLauncher apparently goes into a “Force Close loop,” which means you’ll need to do a factory restore in order to get your phone working again if you have HelixLauncher enabled when you upgrade from Android 2.1 to Froyo.

You can check out a hands-on video with more than 20 of these new features after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been playing around with Google Android 2.2 Froyo on my Nexus One for the last hour or so. While Google is slowly rolling out the over the air update to Nexus One users, there’s a way to download the update and install it manually if you’re the impatient type.

Overall, I like Froyo so far. Third party apps definitely feel a little faster. Fennec is actually pretty usable now, even though the mobile version of Firefox is still pre-Alpha software. And the ability to turn my phone into a portable WiFi hotspot is absolutely awesome — or it would be if I weren’t getting inconsistent 3G service today.

But if you were hoping Froyo would turn the Nexus One into a superphone, it won’t. The overall user interface isn’t any faster than it was with Android 2.1. Sure,the phone is still pretty zippy when flipping between home screens and opening the program launcher. But switching from one app to another isn’t any faster than it used to be. And every now and again you’ll find yourself waiting for the home screen to reappear for several seconds after you hit the home button.

Some of the changes are merely cosmetic. For instance, Google has removed the border that appears when you press and hold the home button to see the list of recently run apps. And when you enable debugging, the icon that appears in the notification area looks like an Android-bug instead of an exclamation point.

Other features just aren’t really widely available yet. When you open the Applications menu in the system settings, you’ll see an SD card option, because eventually you’ll be able to install apps to the SD card or move apps that are already installed on your phone’s main storage to the SD card. But we’re going to have to wait for developers to update their apps to support this feature before we can actually put apps on our SD cards.

The new web-based Android Market, which will allow you to install apps directly to your phone simply by clicking a button on your desktop web browser isn’t active yet.

But there are still some nice touches. The mobile version of the Android Market now has an “update all” button, which makes it much easier to keep all of your third party apps up to date. And there are now browser and phone buttons that hang out in a persistent dock that shows up at the bottom of every home screen — freeing up space for you to install widgets, shortcuts, and other icons on your home screen.

Support for Adobe Flash is a mixed bag. On the one hand, you can play some Flash video in the Android browser using Adobe Flash Player 10.1. And some Flash-based games, like Bookworm work as well. But for the most part, playback is a bit choppy and I found that some videos seemed to have audio issues — while I was watching choppy video of The Daily Show, it sounded like Jon Stewart was saying everything twice.

It’s very possible these Flash issues will be resolved in the future. Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Android is still in beta, and the software doesn’t support hardware graphics acceleration yet — but future versions will.

You can check out my hands-on video with Google Android 2.2 Froyo on the Nexus One, and some screengrabs after the break.

Update: OK, I’m starting to notice a few problems with the new build — or at least with the way it interacts with third party apps. Google must have changed the way the Google Calendar app works, because I’ve noticed that several home screen calendar widgets I’ve used in the past no longer work properly . Smooth Calendar and Calendar Pad simply don’t show any upcoming appointments anymore.

I’ve also noticed that some streaming audio apps are broken. While Pandora still works, Android Online Radio has trouble streaming most online radio stations, and the NPR News app can play individual stories, but not live streams from public radio stations.

Froyo also turns eMobile Task Manager into a glorified task switcher. It can no longer actually terminate apps or services.

Have you had any problems with Android 2.2 Froyo and third party apps? Let us know in the comments.

Update 2: I’ve put together a second video which looks at more than 20 new features in Android 2.2.

Read the rest of this entry »

The good news is that Google Android 2.2 Froyo will include a built in utility that lets you turn your Android phone into a WiFi hot spot or share an internet connection by tethering your phone to a computer via a USB cable. The bad news is that your wireless carrier gets to decide if and how you’ll use the feature.

TechCrunch reports that Google is making it easy for carriers to either disable tethering completely in the phones they offer, or charge extra for tethering capabilities.

So it looks like there may still be demand for third party tethering apps like PDANet after all.

Google has officially unveiled the next generation of its Android operating system for mobile devices today at the Google I/O developer conference. The SDK is available for developers today, and Google says Android 2.2 Froyo will be available to OEMs in the next few weeks.

There are a ton of changes in Froyo, but here are some of the most exciting new features:

Tethering and WiFi hot spot

As expected, you’ll be able to tether your Android phone to a computer or other device, allowing you to share a 3G wireless connection without paying separate bills for your phone and laptop connection — assuming your carrier lets you do that.

Users will have the choice of turning your phone into a portable Wifi hot spot or sharing your connection over a USB connection.

Faster app performance

Google has added a new just-in-time Javascript compiler, which increases the speed of 3rd party apps by 200% to 500%. This is also something we’d heard about previously, but Google showed off a few demos making it clear just how much faster apps will run.

Support for Adobe Flash and AIR

There’s not much more to say about this one. We knew it was coming, and it looks like Flash and AIR will both be supported under Android 2.2, making this one of the biggest things separating the Android platform from Apple’s iPhone platform.

Install apps on the SD card

Google says that people are regularly installing more than 40 apps on a device. Google has made it easier to install apps on an SD card, expanding the phone’s memory. Froyo will also automatically install apps to the SD card if it determines that would be helpful. But users will also be able to manually move apps from the main memory to an SD card.

Google has also made it easier to find apps by creating an App search tool. Developers can also plug into the search API so that you can put a widget on the home screen that lets you search within an app. For instance, if you use Mint for your personal finances, you can search your Mint data on the home screen.

You can find more new features, a ton of photos, and the official Google video introducing Android 2.2 after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

Google has revamped the Android Market web site. It’s no easier get a quick look at some of the top free, top paid, and featured applications, just like you would if you were using the Android Market on a mobile phone.

But there’s one major feature that’s missing from the web site: Search.

You’d think a company that made its name in the search engine space would put a little time into adding a search box to the Android Market web site. After all, there are more than 50,000 apps available for Android phones at this point. But you can only see a few dozen on Google’s official web portal for the Android Market.

Of course you can search the Android Market on a mobile device if you have an Android powered phone. And arguably that’s a lot more important than being able to search for apps on the web. But Google wants people to think about purchasing Android smartphones, the company’s going to have to make it easier to find out what kind of apps you can run without first plunking down the cash for a phone.

Fortunately there are plenty of third party web sites that are taking up the slack, including Cyket, AppsLib, and AppBrain.

via TechCrunch