Google Android 2.2 “Froyo” which is short for “Frozen yogurt” is the seventh platform release in the line of Android technology which launched in September of 2008. Google Android 2.2 has been hotly anticipated by consumers because unlike some earlier upgrades which were a bit pedestrian, Froyo is a significant upgrade in 5 key areas of performance and available services. While Google Android 2.2 was rumored for quite awhile, it was officially introduced to the public on may 20, 2010, and the following 5 areas were highlighted as the best Google Android 2.2 spec upgrades and services.
The Dalvik JIT compiler was the banner announcement as this greatly enhances performance. The cited improvement is on the magnitude of a 2-5X range over the performance of its predecessor Google Android 2.1 Éclair. The earliest demonstrations have held this claim to be accurate, but some tech gurus have cited that the 5x performance claim may be a bit ambitious when multiple applications are at work.
The browser is said to run 2-3x faster thanks to the V8 JavaScript engine that is now included as part of the 2.2 Android browser. That speed improvement estimate is again regarding comparison to Android 2.1, and is accurate, but again, not all techies are convinced that is going to be that big an improvement over rumored similar upgrades from different developers hinted at later in the year.
New enterprise capabilities have been added which include calendar sync, account auto-discovery, and API’s that are going to give developers the ability to write applications that enhance security features like lock screen timeouts, remote wipes, and minimum password. As security features are always a worry this is a big deal even if it is not the most highly touted upgrade to Google Android 2.2.
Google Android 2.2 will offer a great new set of API’s and services. With this upgrade, users can count on API’s that have great data backup and restore features, as well as the ability to allow apps to restore the last data it held when it was installed or the device was reset. You will be able to take advantage of features like Android Cloud, two way push synch functionality, and apps that can be stored internally or on a SD card if designated as such by their developers. You can also expect to have Skia bitmap access.
The final Google Android 2.2 upgrade that was highlighted at the official announcement was the wealth of new additions to the Android Market. There will now be Android Application error reports, and a bug reporting feature which is significant. Now rather than having to waste time figuring out where to make bug reports, there will be one central location which saves users time as well as developers and enables quicker resolutions to errors.
Other features user will enjoy include:
* Home screen tips widget which makes configuring the home screen with shortcuts and widgets easier and enables the use of multiple home screen configurations.
* Global address list look-up will allow auto-complete of of recipient names on your messages from any name stored in your directory.
* Camera Gallery allows users to zoom in on picture stacks
* New onscreen buttons allow for controlling camera features like flash, zoom, geo-tagging, focus, exposure, and white balance.
* The camcorder feature will no allow video/size quality defaults directly suited for YouTube and MMS.
* The LED Flash now allows for low-light nighttime video recording.
* Portable WiFi Hotspot allows for sharing of up to 8 devices
* Multiple keyboard languages in one touch
* A kernel Memory boost which allows for a 20x improvement in memory reclaim which allows for faster app switching.
* Stagefright will support local file playback and HTTP progressive streaming
* OpenCore support
* BlueTooth
* Cloud Messaging
Regardless of any worries that some may have that speed and performance estimates may be a bit over inflated, there is plenty going on with Google Android 2.2 Froyo to be pleased with. Granted it will be obsolete technology in some regards within a year compared to upcoming upgrades, but for most people these upgrades and added features will be more than sufficient to make this a must have platform that can be serviceable for a couple if not more depending on individual needs.
Sources:
Android Developers market
Google I/O release notes
