Next build of Android code-named Gingerbread

As we heard last October, it appears that the next build of Google Android will be called "Gingerbread."

The outing of Gingerbread comes courtesy of a post by Brian Swetland over at LWN.com. "This week we're finalizing our move to 2.6.32 for the Android "Froyo" release, and we'll likely be on .33 or .34 for 'Gingerbread'," he wrote.

As of right now, the enhancements and improvements have yet to be announced. While another Android build sounds great in theory, I'd prefer to see current and forthcoming handsets get on the same page. Between the Motorola Cliq's Android 1.5 and the Nexus One's Android 2.1, there are far too many handsets out there with varying operating systems. Let's hope handset makers can address fragmentation as quickly as Google can push out new features.

Gingerbread follows the tradition of other Android kernels named after desserts and pastries. Previous updates such as Cupcake, Donut, and Eclair went on to be commonly referred to as Android 1.5, 1.6, and 2.0 respectively. That means that Froyo (frozen yogurt) will appear before Gingerbread.