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October 27, 2009 12:15 PM PDT
Google releases Android 2.0 SDK
We love the unified in-box.
(Credit: Google)As Verizon Wireless prepares to unveil its new Motorola Droid smartphone tomorrow, Google today released the SDK for the much-anticipated 2.0 update to the operating system. Code-named Eclair, Android 2.0 offers a number of feature improvements and interface tweaks. As expected, we will get multitouch support (yay!), but Google has some surprises up its sleeve. Here are the highlights that users should see.
- Syncing for multiple e-mail accounts, including Exchange accounts and contacts. According to the small print, however, "handset manufacturers can choose whether to include Exchange support in their devices." Ick.
- Developers can create sync adapters for additional data sources.
- The capability to e-mail, text, or call a contact by tapping their photo. What's more, this "Quick Contact widget" can reside in multiple apps such as such as e-mail, Messaging, and the calendar.
- A combined e-mail in-box
- Improved camera controls with digital zoom, a scene mode, white balance controls, color effects, and a macro focus
- A revamped Android virtual keyboard layout for faster, more accurate typing. Also, as Google puts it, "the multitouch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers."
- A smarter dictionary that will include contact names
- Bluetooth 2.1 with object push and phone book access profiles
- Refurbished browser user interface with improved search and navigation, bookmarks with Web page thumbnail support for HTML5, and support for double-tap zoom
- Text and multimedia message search
- In the calendar app, the agenda view has infinite scrolling. Events indicate the attending status for each invitee and you can invite new guests to events.
Verizon's Droid will offer the new OS, but it's unknown at this time when, and if, it will push out to existing Google Android devices. Once we get a Droid review model, we'll consume Eclair and report back on how good it tastes.
Kent German is a senior editor for cell phone reviews at CNET. When he's not testing the newest handsets on the market, he's blogging about cell phone news for Crave. In his On Call column, he answers reader questions and gives his take on the rapidly changing mobile industry. E-mail Kent.
my G1 is running a modded version of android 1.5 with a little bit of 1.6 mixed in. It came with 1.1 and I flashed 1.5 before it was released, without rooting. Once I did root though, I flashed about 10 different versions of android(including the Hero's Sense UI) before finding the one I am using.
Oh and on top of that, I have flashed several different SPL's, and the Recovery Image multiple times as well.
If WinMo development is a glacier , Android is a speeding bullet. My God !
Contacts and accounts
- Multiple accounts can be added to a device for email and contact synchronization, including Exchange accounts. (Handset manufacturers can choose whether to include Exchange support in their devices.)
- Developers can create sync adapters that provide synchronization with additional data sources.
- Quick Contact for Android provides instant access to a contact's information and communication modes. For example, a user can tap a contact photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person. Other applications such as Email, Messaging, and Calendar can also reveal the Quick Contact widget when you touch a contact photo or status icon.
Email
- Exchange support.
- Combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page.
Messaging
- Search functionality for all saved SMS and MMS messages.
- Auto delete the oldest messages in a conversation when a defined limit is reached.
Camera
- Built-in flash support, Digital zoom, Scene mode, White balance, Color effect and Macro focus
Android virtual keyboard
- An improved keyboard layout to makes it easier to hit the correct characters and improve typing speed.
- The framework's multi-touch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers.
- A smarter dictionary learns from word usage and automatically includes contact names as suggestions.
Browser
- Refreshed UI with actionable browser URL bar enables users to directly tap the address bar for instant searches and navigation.
- Bookmarks with web page thumbnails.
- Support for double-tap zoom.
- Support for HTML5
Calendar
- Agenda view provides infinite scrolling.
- Events indicate the attending status for each invitee.
- Invite new guests to events.
Media Framework
- Revamped graphics architecture for improved performance that enables better hardware acceleration.
Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 2.1
- New BT profiles: Object Push Profile (OPP) and Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP)
If it was Apple , we would get ALL the improvements for sure...right Cnet ?
So Android not being fully developed is actually MORE developed than iPhone`s OS.
I personally am very excited, as a dev, about a lot of things that came out with 1.6(about a month ago) and definitely the things that have come out with 2.0. I've been reading through the SDK changes and there is a lot to get excited about.
October 27, 2009 03:22 PM
I think the number of Android apps will skyrocket and surpass the number in apple's app store within a year. Android is a pretty compelling OS to write to, especially for an independent developer. It's open source, it'll not only run on multiple phones but multiple devices (Barnes&Noble's newly announced nook runs on Android), and there is no fear that google will reject an app from being in their store.
A developer can spend a substantial amount of effort on an app but still have it rejected by apple for any (or no) reason.
Also there is a much bigger pool of java/linux programmers than objective-c programmers so the learning curve for android isn't that steep.
So developing for an open platform, which multiple devices from multiple vendors will run on vs a platform that has one phone model from one company (that may reject your app) may be a no-brainer for alot of developers.
Ouch ! That`s gotta hurt Apple.No wonder Jobs divorced Schmidt.
Open , one app runs on multiple devices...no brainer Google will win !
Will my software run on the Sprint Android OS? Will the Samsung phone run my application for the verizon android OS.
How do I reboot?
Will Tmobile Android work on my HTC hardware? Which hard ware can I use to load the Motorola Android OS? OMG TOO MANY DISTRIBUTIONS AND HARDWARE COMBINATIONS.
This is why it is taking off so fast and will surpass Apple`s one-phone , closed model.
A gamer for example may be looking for better peripherals or even to do his or her grocery shopping without having to flip around and waste more time they may also be looking to package their purchases to get a better deal relative to supply. It is the online addict of the calibre who is more lightly to adopt more advanced styles of shopping that your average tele addict and not only an ideal testing ground but also a good place earn more revenue for the games industry and opportunity for them to advance on online sales model worked on in the console market. To expand this further simple office worker games could also be capitalised on more in this way as to attempt to save buying time and maximise sales and bargains alike for the workforce. The diversity is high and the disparity of sales just as high does that today equal good profits for growth or a smaller part of a crumbly pie looking for more subsidy than is wise.
Google has some very talented people.
The Droid has a shot at being an option equal to the iPhone where it could be hard to choose between the two. I'm scared to say it will without seeing it first. I'd hate to make the same mistake I did with the Storm. I'm just glad more is coming to Verizon. Until the US stops with this stupid 2-year contract BS, we're going to always be in this "But AT&T has that awesome phone I want..." deal. Sure it's good for business, but it sucks for the consumer...
Anyway. I'm excited and you should be too.
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by AppleSuxLeo
October 27, 2009 4:44 PM PDT
- Codenamed Eclair -- in keeping with Google (NSDQ:GOOG)'s pastry-themed naming scheme for Android SDK versions, a la Donut and Cupcake -- version 2.0 adds new developer APIs for the Linux-based mobile operating system, as well as support for Apple (NSDQ:AAPL)'s Mac OS X 10.6, also known as Snow Leopard.
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (51 Comments)Google is letting Mac users get in on the Android goodness ; )