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Froyo: Android 2.2 gets Official

Today during the Google I/O event, the company announced the latest release of their Android platform called Froyo (v2.2). The update introduced several improvements including a much better speed and performance.

Here are some of the highlights of the update:

Performance & Speed: The new Dalvik JIT compiler in Android 2.2 delivers between a 2-5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code vs. Android 2.1 according to various benchmarks.

Faster, more Powerful Browser: We have brought the V8 JavaScript engine to the Android browser as part of 2.2. This has resulted in a 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance vs. 2.1.

Rich set of new APIs and Services: New data backup APIs enable apps to participate in data backup and restore, allowing an application’s last data to be restored when installed on a new or a reset device. Apps can utilize Android Cloud to Device Messaging to enable mobile alert, send to phone, and two-way push sync functionality. Developers can now declare whether their app should be installed on internal memory or an SD card. They can also let the system automatically determine the install location. On the native side, a new API now gives access to Skia bitmaps.

Additions to Android Market: Android Market provides Android Application Error Reports, a new bug reporting feature, giving developers access to crash and freeze reports from users. Developers will be able to access these reports via their account on the Android Market publisher website.

To give you a better understanding of Froyo, check out the official video below:

The update also fixes the problem of limited app installs to internal memory by adding support to an external SD card. Users will be able to choose where they want their Android apps installed so storage is no longer a problem.

Google didn’t give an exact date but they hinted it will be just a matter of weeks. They will also announce which mobile devices will be capable for upgrade to Android 2.2.

I’m hoping a lot of the entry-level Android handsets will be capable of the upgrade (possibly the Spica and the Hero). Should be pretty exciting.

Abe Olandres
Abe Olandres
Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.
  1. JBlaze says:

    Just updated my N1! cool thing about is it didnt format my phone, meaning I still have all my apps from 2.1update-1 version.

  2. Borg says:

    For Manila peeps who have the N1, you can manually update to Froyo using this method: http://www.theborgcollectives.com/2010/05/update-to-android-22-with-your-nexus.html

    I also have a demo of the nexus one running flash on the browser, and i have to say it’s much better than i expected ( i didn’t expect much from it, after reading the Adobe hate letter of Steve Jobs).

    just make sure that your N1 is on stock status, meaning you didn’t root it, or in iPhone terms: you didn’t jailbreak it.

  3. John_P says:

    Yuga, will the Samsung Galaxy S be upgradable from Android Eclaire to Android Froyo?

  4. Mik says:

    How can I update the N1?

  5. tina says:

    will samsung galaxy s get this OS?

  6. lolipown says:

    ^
    Computex is around the corner AFAIK

  7. Jon says:

    @mike

    If you can wait a couple of years, and not bothered by the phone’s age, then yes, you can surely find “affordable” phones that fit your criteria.

  8. lolipown says:

    ^
    Affordable? Sure, just cough up for a post paid plan and you’ll get that dream phone for cheap… subsidized of course.

  9. MIKE says:

    Smartphone OS is no longer an issue for me since every OS now abled to catch up. Main criteria for selecting smartphone now is hardware specs. It must be at least 12mp cam, 1080p HD video, super amoled, bluetooth 3.0, at least 1.0 ghz processor. 1GB ram and still @ affordable price range.

  10. Euan says:

    Sir yuga, naalala ko na bumili ka ng Nexus One. Nakareceive ka na ba ng OTA update ng Froyo? I read some blog sites and they said naka-receive na daw sila

    http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/22/android-2-2s-froyo-goodness-hitting-the-nexus-one-already/

    hayz, sana meron din yung Samsung Spica. Kaya ko lang naman pinili yung Spica kasi dahil sa Product Warranty. Sabi daw kasi kapag Nexus One binili ko yung terms nung warranty di applicable sa ibang bansa na hindi officially released ang Nexus One. :(

  11. lolipown says:

    @rye
    Google will be announcing that list when Froyo gets released.

  12. Teknisyan says:

    This should give Apple a run for it’s money, considering Android is open source, this means even that person living in the basement can contribute a feature that it want’s to the OS, of course… he still needs to consider the hardware. With rate that Google updates/innovate Android, it can even surpase Iphone OS, WinMo, Symbian and BB OS as the widely used OS on Phones/smartphones.

    Only time will tell which OS is the best.. like what they say.. “Competition promotes innovation and even law suits!”

    j/k

  13. Teknisyan says:

    This should give Apple a run for it’s money, considering Android is open source, this means even that person living in the basement can contribute a feature that it want’s to the OS, of course… he still needs to consider the hardware. With rate that Google updates/innovate Android, it can even surpase Iphone OS, WinMo, Symbian and BB OS as the widely used OS on Phones/smartphones.

    Only time will tell which OS is the best.. like what they say.. “Competition promotes innovation and even law suits!”

    http://teknisyan.blogspot.com

    j/k

  14. rye says:

    nabasa ko kanina ung topic sa gsmarena.com kaninang umaga. ganda pala. anong mga android phones ba ang upgadable sa 2.2?

  15. sylv3rblade says:

    @Jon
    I guess we’re in accord :)

  16. snpklsdmbldr says:

    Apple fanboys are turning green. TEEHEE!

  17. Jon says:

    @sylv3rblade

    Lol. Well, I wasn’t referring to the G1 only. There are still several phones stuck to pre-2.0 of Android.

    Anyway, maybe Google should make an extra effort not to alienate people using older phones like:
    1. Assemble a team to deal with backward compatibility with their new OS release, it may not be as good as Froyo or whatnot, just something like a compromise. They may even work with our dear android hackers/developers to come up with that. After all, Android is supposed to be “open source”.
    2. Communicate with carriers and allow upgrade optionis at affordable or reasonable prices.

    On the other hand, I guess it would be ideal for manufacturers to keep tabs, but it isn’t realistic. They are a business after all, and by doing that, they are probably reducing their sales by giving their customers less reason to buy a new phone they release.

  18. lolipown says:

    @blitzkrieg
    Adrian probably posted that comment on his iPhone feeling all smug about it.

  19. sylv3rblade says:

    For the laptop analogy, I think it won’t be applicable to the android – G1 problem since it’s comparing apples and oranges (but I’ll admit you got me on that one lol).

    Ah well I think the second one’s answer would be playing safe :)
    On the bad side, they’ll be liable if it doesn’t work on one device that they advertised it’s going to work on.
    On the good side, it’ll allow manufacturer’s to tinker with the core os and add abit of their own (like HTC’s Sense UI).

    On the course of the discussion, I think we can narrow down our arguments to:

    a.) Should Google release a version of the core OS that’s compatible with all known hardware
    or
    b.) Should Manufacturer’s ensure that they’ll be keeping tabs with Google’s updates and update their firmwares respectively.

  20. blitzkrieg says:

    @Adrian

    Ok, so it “sounds like” Frodo. What’s your point? Should that be a basis for anything? How is the iPhone superior when it comes to mobile web browsing? Can the iPhone go to a website using voice recognition? Does it have flash?

  21. Jon says:

    Let me clarify again that it is not entirely Google’s fault. I guess it is inevitable to leave some (or dozen) “old” devices behind.

    I guess my only point would be, if some part-time hackers and developers can come up with good (if not better) results with their custom ROMs, why can’t Google, or even phone manufacturers do the same?

  22. Jon says:

    Okay, okay, let me rephrase ;)

    First, I should have clarified that I was talking about phones (android phones) already in the market prior to the release of a new version of the OS. So maybe we can blame Samsung if they did not release a 2.1 update and stuck to 1.6 (or was that 1.5?) since 2.1 was available already prior to their release. Good thing they released 2.1 after some time.

    So my analogy with the laptop would be something like laptop is fairly new, like a couple of years old, runs the previous OS like a well-oiled machine, then suddenly, a new OS is released but you can’t run it on your laptop since it isn’t supported.

    Will you jump to my ship now? :P

  23. sylv3rblade says:

    Would you blame your laptop manufacturer if your unit cannot run Windows 7? -> Umm yes? So long as it’s not a Smartbook :). Anyway:

    Doesn’t Android’s release go like:

    1. Google releases New OS version
    2. New OS version gets released to manufacturers
    3. Manufacturer’s tinker with OS
    4. Manufacturer release version of OS specific to phone model
    5. People download #4.

    because that’s the crux of my argument. We’re basically paying for the phone and the company’s (samsung, htc, et all) efforts to release a specified firmware for our phones.

    If my analogy of the cycle for android OS releases is wrong then I’mma jump over to your ship now. :)

  24. Jon says:

    I won’t mind if you defend Google. :) I love Google too. I get your point, but you have to realize that there are a couple of phones marked and marketed as “Google Phones”. There is a slight difference between a Google Phone and an Android phone. Like the G1 and the Nexus 1 are Google phones, and the Moto Droid, SE X10, and in your case, your Samsung i7500.

    Anyway, it is not entirely Google’s fault for the fragmentation of the Google Market. Technology improves exponentially. But, Android and Google are almost synonymous, so I guess it is understandable such issue may be directed at them. I dunno, IMO, it seems like when Google gets tired with their new toy, back then, the G1, (now the N1), it seems they forget about it.

    I don’t quite agree it should be directed at the phone manufacturers, since after all, they make the hardware. After all, I bet they would want the latest and greatest version in their phones, but they just can’t because of certain incompatibilities in terms of hardware specs.

    Would you blame your laptop manufacturer if your unit cannot run Windows 7? ;)

    Yep, I know, that’s why I’d probably still root, even if I have the latest phone that can support Froyo. I just love the adventure of almost bricking a phone, but end up with a phone slightly better than the rest :D

  25. sylv3rblade says:

    ^
    I think that complaint should be directed at the phone manufacturers, not Google since (since you’re using the G1 as example.. no pun intended though) you can have 2.1 on the G1 albeit via cynogen’s mod. Same complaint with Samsung on the i7500. Why is the lowerend model getting the 2.1 update while the higher end is still stuck at 1.6?

    Take note that I’m not defending Google against your argument since I have had to install 2.1 on my Spica via unofficial means (nearly bricked it too cause I installed the firmware for a different region), just pointing out that there’s more players than just you, me and google :).

  26. Jon says:

    “that’s out of Google’s hands though”

    Well, sort of. But still, how old is the first Android phone, the G1? It has only been roughly a year, and it is stuck with 1.5 or 1.6 officially. How about the other Android phones that came after it like the Magic, Hero, etc.? Sadly, the only issue remaining is the fragmentation of the Android market.

    In fairness to Google, that is kind of hard to balance though. Yes, they fix issues right away, but in the process, leave people who own “older phones” behind. Take note that most of these people got their phones through their carrier, meaning they are tied for a couple of years, unless offered an upgrade plan of sorts.

    It would be easy to say “just buy a new one”. Easy to do, if you have the money, but there might be some people who might feel alienated by such move. I hope not.

  27. sylv3rblade says:

    “The only reason left to root now is if your device (sadly) isn’t supported for the update.” -> that’s out of Google’s hands though

  28. Jon says:

    Google has made it almost not necessary to root. They solved the nagging issues of Android in just a few months, unlike *ahem* Apple.

    The first issue was the inability to install apps into the SDcard, then the lack of Flash support, wireless /wired tethering, and a sometimes sluggish browsing experience. All of these issues were somehow resolved by custom ROMs, thanks to the likes of Cyanogen et al, save for the Flash support.

    But Google didn’t just stop at fixing / solving those issues with this Froyo release. Even those little things that may bother you just a bit, they fixed. I used to hate updating one by one every app I have when updates are available. Now there’s update all. What a time saver!

    The only reason left to root now is if your device (sadly) isn’t supported for the update. Oh well, hats down to Google.

  29. one_piece says:

    google is amazing. Dont have the chance to disappoint customers specially me LOL. Well I’ll just wait for it to be available on spica phone.

  30. wii says:

    Android Froyo rocks!

  31. brian says:

    now this could be the clincher between getting the samsung wave or galaxy s ..

  32. snpklsdmbldr says:

    another reason to love Android! Google never fails to amaze me! WOOHOO!!! they are about to release Froyo and in December, Gingerbread! they are on a roll! i love Google! <3

  33. Jon Valjon says:

    Wow, I can’t wait!!! I almost bricked my phone last night trying to root. And the only reason I want it is to allow app installs on the SD card. I hope my puny i5700 makes the cut when it comes to upgrading.

  34. simplynice93 says:

    ASTIG! Hats off to Google! Froyo will make Apple eat the dust.

  35. anonymous23 says:

    Android phones have very nice and capable browsers comparable to that of the iphone. I have a nexus one and 3g, both browsers perform practically the same. But with the froyo update, looks like the android browser is going to take a leap forward… google says its 2x-3x faster due to v8 :-)

  36. sylv3rblade says:

    Will be waiting for a port for the Spica :)

  37. TheMerovingian says:

    I guess I’ll get an iphone if I wanted somebody to dictate me what to do.

    I’ll get an android if I want the device to do what I wanted it to do.

    iphone OS 4.0 newest feature: multi-tasking.

    come on give me a break. multi-tasking is used in the computing world for ages.

  38. Jon says:

    WOOHOO. iPhone OS is getting left behind, in terms of features available to users. Oh Android, you just keep getting better.

    Even if there would be some devices not officially getting Froyo, I’m quite sure there would be a lot of ports or unofficial / custom Froyo ROMs soon :D

  39. Adrian says:

    I still prefer iPhone. Mas ok yung browsing. Froyo sounds like Frodo.

  40. Carlo says:

    Froyo? Frozen yogurt!

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