Google Releases Android 2.3

Today is a big day for Google as it launched their eBookstore and Google Books apps for Android, iPhone, and iPad, released the Android 2.3 (aka Gingerbread) Software Development Kit (SDK), and formally announced the Nexus S phone, which is the next edition of the Nexus line of Google phones. If previous major Android upgrades are an indication, the release of the Android 2.3 SDK is a prelude the upgrade being released for installation on phones. Nexus One owners will be the first get the new version of Android when it is released by Google some time during the next couple of weeks. The SDK allows Android 2.3 to run in an emulator on a PC so we now have a better understanding of what the upgrade includes. The over all Android UI continues to evolve with more consistency in colors and function. Perhaps the most noticeable change is to the on-screen keyboard and text selection tools. The on-screen keyboard has more space between keys and the keys are slightly re-shaped to improve typing accuracy. Word suggestions are going to be more accurate, and correcting mistakes is improved so that you can simply tap a word to display a list of alternates for you to select. Selecting text to copy and paste is simpler. You simply press and hold to turn on text selection and then slide text selection handles to the beginning and end of the text selection. The text selection handles appear to be large enough to easy tap and slide for a precise selection of text. I find how Google decided to add Voice over IP (VoIP) support to Android interesting. Rather than providing an upgrade to Google Voice to support VoIP calls, Android 2.3 will support VoIP directly within the native phone dialer. Android's VoIP support appears to be strictly for providers that provide SIP accounts, like sipgate. Right now Google Voice does not support SIP access, but perhaps it will in the future. Android 2.3's support for VoIP means that you will have the ability to send and receive calls using a WiFi connection to the Internet. Other additions to Android 2.3 are to support new hardware features. One such addition is native support for front facing cameras, like the one on the HTC EVO and the one that will be included in the Nexus S. I think the inclusion of native support will increase the number of new Android phones with front facing cameras in 2011. Of course, another inclusion is support for Near Field Communication, which we knew about a few weeks ago. In addition to all of the visible changes that I have highlighted, Google has made many more improvements to Android to improve performance. I expect Android 2.3 to be faster than Android 2.2, and hopefully have even better battery life. Android 2.3 will provide more ways to see what apps are causing the battery to drain. Early rumors where that Google was releasing Android 2.3 to Nexus One phones today, but that proved to be incorrect. Android has said that Android 2.3 will be released in the next two weeks. Most likely Nexus One owners will see an upgrade on December 16, which is when Best Buy will begin selling the Nexus S in the United States.

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Google Releases Android 2.3

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