Google today introduced the latest version of their Android software (Android 2.3), called Gingerbread.
Google says the new software features faster, more intuitive text input, Improved power management, easier Internet calling, Near-field communications (which acts like swiping a credit card), improved gaming and other features. For developers, the Android 2.3 platform is available as a downloadable component for the Android SDK. The downloadable platform includes an Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator skins. The Android SDK now includes a new resource qualifier, “xlarge,” to let applications utilize tablet-sized screens.
It also unveiled the next Android device from Google’s Nexus line of mobile products – the Samsung Nexus S. It is the lead device for the Gingerbread/Android 2.3 software and is the first Android device to ship with the new version of the Android platform.
The new Nexus S features a 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor, Wi-Fi 802.11 n/b/g, a 4″ (480×800) screen, Near Field Communication (NFC), HSDPA (7.2Mbps) two cameras and 720 x 480 video resolution. It will also include 16GB of internal memory, and a gyroscope that will allow users to tilt the device to provide a better gaming experience.
As part of the Nexus brand, Nexus S delivers what Google calls a “pure Google” experience: unlocked, unfiltered access and the latest Android software. The Nexus S is priced at US$529, and for $199 with a two-year contract with T-Mobile, retailer Best Buy said in a statement. It will be available after Dec. 16.
Google will not be selling this phone directly to consumers, says TechCrunch. That experiment is over, and this phone will be available initially at Best Buy in the U.S. (on T-Mobile) and Carphone Warehouse in the U.K.
After Gingerbread, the next anticipated Android release may be the tablet-minded Honeycomb (sometimes called Android 3.0). Honeycomb may be the Operating System of choice for tablets since it is designed to scale applications to different sizes. Google has planned for its Chrome OS to become the operating system of choice for tablets and net books, but people want Android, not something new like Chrome OS, so both approaches seem likely.
Android Honeycomb tablets are expected in the first quarter of 2011. Dozens of new Android Tablets are expected to be announced in the next month or two.
