Android
Right at the heels of Android 1.6, codenamed Doughnut, Google and the Android team announced the availability of Android 2.0 codenamed Eclair to developers with a new phone to be released in a few days, Motorola’s Droid, already running Android 2.0 if i am not mistaken. Android has really gone a long way from the 1.1 version loaded on the very first phone , the T-Mobile G1, to run it. Android 1.6 has been deployed on current Android devices including the G1 and one of its features is support for different screen sizes for phones and support for not only phones that run the GSM radio frequency but also CDM like the Droid on Verizon’s network. It also made the search box on Android more flexible. Users can now extend the search not only on the web but also on phone apps that manage data like calendar and contacts. There were rumors that Android 1.6 will not be released on first generation Android devices like the G1, but that turned out false. I hope Google and T-Mobile also make available Android 2.0 for the G1. I am excited with Android 2.0 because it finally adds Exchange and multiple accounts support to the platform. It took awhile, but it seems that Google’s commitment to Android and phone manufacturers like HTC and now Motorola embracing the platform has made Android a viable and fast-growing phone OS. There is even a move towards developing Android as a netbook OS with Acer releasing a dual-boot Acer Aspire One with Android and Windows XP. At one time it looks like that the only Android phone is the G1, but now with HTC releasing different models like the My Touch and Droid Eris, and Motorola with the Cliq and the Droid there will be more phone choices and a more active developer and enthusiast community. At this rate, I expect more good news about Android and Android phones in the horizon.
Check out these two videos from the the Android site on the feature sets of Doughnut and Eclair. Visit the site also for wallpapers of that little green droid.
