Google officially releases v2.2 of its Android OS

by Stevie Smith - Jun 30 2010, 06:14

The evolution of Android continues this week after online search giant Google Inc. officially released version 2.2 (a.k.a. ‘Froyo’) of its increasingly popular mobile operating system for general consumption.

Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly – especially given the connection between Android and Google – the latest Android platform is initially being rolled out this week on Google’s sassy Nexus One smartphone handset.

That being said, over-the-air (OTA) updates for other Android-equipped smartphone devices will likely gather momentum over the next couple of weeks.

In terms of mainline upgrades associated with v2.2, the most obvious is related to improved performance speed, which, according to some benchmark appraisals, reaches as high as 450 percent when gauged against v2.1.

New features crammed into v2.2 include native support for Adobe Flash 10.1, better browser performance via the V8 engine, the ability to turn handsets into mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, improved security for Exchange, and enhanced Javascript.

Other contributing elements include a new UI for controlling camera features, an enabled LED flash for the Camcorder, multiple keyboard languages, dedicated shortcuts for the Home screen’s Phone, Launcher and Browser options, and user assistance via handy and helpful ‘tips widgets’.

According to online tech reports, Google isn’t resting on its laurels where Android is concerned and is already hard at work on v2.3 of its mobile OS, which is apparently being developed under the moniker of ‘codename Gingerbread’. 

Want to learn more about Android v2.2? Click below to watch a brief video explaining all the new features.

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