You may have seen about 2.2 Froyo and how the update has begun to reach Nexus One owners, well, the rumour mill has been running in overdrive for Android recently and has now churned out another, juicy rumour: Android 3.0 Gingerbread.
According to a podcast from Eldar Murtazin, Gingerbread brings with it imposed minimum requirements for hardware. These being a 1GHz processor, 512 MB RAM and a 3.5″ diagonal screen (Good news for , and owners) which really sets the scene for where Android is heading in the future and pretty much lays to rest any doubt that we’ll soon be seeing phones with 1.5+ GHz processors any time soon, given that it’s been reported that we’ll be getting our teeth sunk into some tasty Gingerbread goodness as early as October.
What will become of phones running a spec lower than this? Well, this is potentially where the problems could start get worse. As you are probably aware, fragmentation is one of the biggest issues currently faced by Google and it’s Android OS, by this we mean the fact that there are several versions of currently in active use on the market, making it difficult for developers to roll out applications and updates which are compatible with all devices. Android 2.1 Eclair and 2.2 Froyo have essentially formed what will become the low/mid-range Android OS (, , ), whilst the full shebang (Gingerbread) will be the flagship OS found on tablets and the future high-end .
Gingerbread is also said to remove the need for proprietary bootloaders/skins such as Sense UI and Timescape offered by and , since the new Android will seek to further develop it’s own UI (found on the Nexus One currently) to create a viable User Interface to be found on all future Android 3.0 touting handsets. The universal UI is quite possibly our most anticipated part of this rumour given that essentially, the future of Android lies with it. If, right now, you were to pick up a Samsung Galaxy S, a HTC Desire and a , the actual navigation, menus and appearance are very different which creates a problem when you consider a product such as the and it’s incredibly simplistic UI; any owner of an could simply pick up an iPhone 4 and use it, there are quite significant differences between the two phones, but the user experience remains the same (albeit tweaked) and this is probably the biggest obstacle standing in the way of Android becoming a dominant force in the mainstream market.
Android Google really does need to get this absolutely spot on, if it is to be in with a chance of actually dethroning the iPhone. Google need to go back to basics, applying the ‘Mum’ test to it’s UI and creating a ’straight-out-of-the-box’ experience that even you’re Mum could use, whilst retaining the deep levels of customisation that the tech-lovers around the world have fallen in love with; which is no easy feat, even for Google. Early suggestions are that the UI will be based on the for the Nexus One, offering seamless transitions, speed and considerable ease of use; a very good start and a step in the right direction already.
Gingerbread is said to be due for release in October, of course, we’ll wait for Google’s official statement before getting too excited but in the meantime, lets us know what like from the above and what else you’d like to see from Android 3.0 in the commenst section below.
Google has only recently released it’s source code for 2.2 Froyo (for Frozen Yoghurt), which now means that carriers and manufacturers can begin their work on updating software and skins to be compatible with Android 2.2; which has resulted in huge amounts of speculation and angst, especially amongst owners, surrounding the likely date that an OTA (over-the-air) update to Android 2.2 can be expected.
The main concern from the HTC owners camp, is that they could in fact be faced with a similar dilemma to those that own(ed) a , in that, despite running Android 1.5 (Donut), an update to 2.1 Eclair has only just become available now that version 2.2 is also. This doesn’t bode well at all for Desire owners or indeed owners, although there is still optimism and hope in abundance amongst the online blog-osphere and indeed here with us at .
Early rumours suggested that the update would be available from the 23rd June for HTC Desire owners; a rumour which sadly didn’t come to fruition and wasn’t actually ever confirmed by themselves. However, we can now report that HTC have actually released a date (albeit quite vague) that Desire, Wildfire and Legend owners can expect to be on the receiving end of some frozen goodness (like that currently being enjoyed by Google Nexus One owners); the update is expected to be rolled out “beginning Q3″ which if our calendars and our maths are correct, could see the update rolling out as early as next month, although, realistically, we expect this to be mid-late Q3 given that the manufacturers have barely had their hands on the source code for a week.
Why all the hype for Froyo i hear you ask? Well, probably the biggest improvement brought by 2.2 (from the perspective of a Desire owner) is that 2.2 brings ‘Apps2SD’ which, in essence, is the ability to save applications to the SD card; functionality sorely lacking (and our only issue) on the . With Froyo also comes Flash 10.1 support, bringing the ability to watch iPlayer and embedded Flash videos without the need for a seperate media player. Android 2.2 Froyo is also proven to be faster than 2.1, not just a little bit, we’re talking up to 5x faster, thanks to the ‘Just In Time Compiler’ found lurking within. There’s also a multitude of other functionality beng added: the ability to turn your Android device into a Wi-Fi hotspot, USB tethering and much more.
Let us know what you think below and keep an eye on the blog for updates. Better yet, to take a look at our range of Android handsets and get involved in the action.
For all the owners out there pining for an update, your long wait is finally over. Currently the HTC Hero runs on Android 1.5, or Cupcake, which offers users browser updates including the latest Webkit browser & Squirrelfish Javascript engines, Copy ‘n paste in browser and search within a page and also updates to the widgets found on the homepage.
The Android ?clair update for the Hero is very much welcomed, however HTC have pushed out the following warning to all HTC Hero uses who want to take full advantage of this update:
HTC statement: “Android ?clair update for HTC Hero will be released by the end of June. The upgrade will come in two parts, the first of which will roll out from this week and will be detected when the Hero next automatically checks for software updates. The second part of the update will follow towards the end of the month. As the second part of the upgrade will wipe all data on the handset, Hero users should ensure any important data has been backed up before proceeding with the installation. Due to the size of the update, wherever possible, we would advise using a WiFi connection for this download to avoid additional data charges.”
So in order to carry on enjoying the HTC Hero to the full, we recommend you follow the above rules, and to find out more info on the Hero and the deals we offer, then .
have officially lifted the lid on their next powered smart phone with the announcement of the . Best described as the little brother to the all conquering , the name will be familiar to eagle eyed HTC fans; Wildfire featured in and subsequently won a Facebook poll to choose the name of the next HTC release.
It’s not just the name that will be familiar; the Wildfire bears a striking resemblance to its bigger brother in the design stakes, again opting for a combination of brushed metal, matte plastics and an optical trackpad. Of course, the Wildfire wouldn’t be much of a Desire Lite if it didn’t shed any of the weight and so have cut down on the screen dimensions and fit the Wildfire with a 3.2 inch capacitive touchscreen display. On the inside, the Wildfire is a capable Android running version 2.1 and accompanied by HTC’s Sense UI.
New to Android is the Wildfire’s App sharing capabilities. Found an app that you just can’t put down and want to share it with friends? Simply tap on the App Sharing widget and recommend an application by Email, Text or your favourite social networking site. Social networking is key with the Wildfire and the once again includes Friend Stream which gathers and displays content from Facebook, Twitter and Flickr in one centralised location. The social networking integration doesn’t stop there either; the Wildfire’s address book also plays nice with Facebook and co. pulling in profile pictures for caller ID and adding friends birthdays to your calender.
Florian Seiche, Vice President, HTC EMEA stated “Today’s social networks provide an essential forum for friendship with more than 400 million users - many of whom are young adults - actively sharing their lives with their friends through Facebook. HTC Wildfire makes the HTC Sense experience available to young mobile users for the first time. It brings all your communications into one place, whether it’s through Facebook, Twitter, text messages, images or email, ensuring that you are never far away from the conversation and always close to your friends.”
Away from the software, the Wildfire boasts a 5.0 Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS and expandable memory and is powered by a 528 MHz processor and 348 MB of RAM. Can you say HTC Desire for the masses? Expected to launch in June, to register for updates and keep an eye on the for more news as and when we get it.
have confirmed that an update of Apple-like proportions will bring all new functionality to their flagship Android , chief amongst these an upgrade to 720p ! Not too long ago, we were told by a Sony Ericsson rep that a “” would be hitting the X10 in the second half of the year, bringing with it Android v2.1 and support for multi-touch. This latest news, which comes courtesy of , reveals that Android 2.1has also been confirmed for later this year though unfortunately there is no mention of multi-touch for the touchscreen.
The big news is of course the addition of HD video to what is already the best camera phone on the market. 720p HD video capture joins the excellent still camera re-affirming the X10 as the premiere Android camera phone. The update will also enable DLNA connectivity allowing you to connect wirelessly to a compatible DLNA TV or other device and stream content. Got tons of movies on your X10 and want to watch them on the big screen? Pretty soon, you’ll be able to do just that. Combine this with significant upgrades to Sony Ericsson’s own Timescape and Mediascape UI’s and the update should be well worth the wait.
Sony Ericsson have also confirmed that the software update will be rolled out to the and in Q4 2010. We’ll keep you up to date on any developments so you’ll know when to expect the software update to land but in the mean time, if we all ask really nicely, maybe, just maybe, Sony Ericsson will throw in Multi-touch support and propel the X10 to the top of the Android pile.
Google have officially announced the launch of Gesture Search, which is a new way of searching your content by simply writing letters on the screen with your finger.
Below is an explanation from Google themselves.
“Say you want to call your friend Anne. Just open Gesture Search and draw letter “A”, and Gesture Search returns a list of items that have words starting with “A”. If your handwriting isn’t all that neat, that’s okay. If the “A” you draw looks a bit like an “H”, as seen in the bottom left corner of the screenshot, “H” results will be brought up as well. If needed, you can also erase a query by crossing it horizontally: left to right erases the entire query, and right to left removes the last letter or space in the query. Now you can either scroll down the list to find Anne or write more letters to refine the search.”
Sounds like a pretty good and simple tool to use, and definitely a lot more convenient to use in public rather than voice search. If you fancy trying out the Gesture Search for yourself, search for it in the Android Market; it will only appear and be available to download for handsets running on Android 2.0 or higher. If recent rumours are correct, all Android phones will be upgrading to 2.1 meaning all Android users will be able to take advantage of the new Gesture Search tool.
Keep an for new Android releases which will be sporting Gesture Search.
