HTC has told blogs most Android phones launched this year will get an upgrade to Android 2.2 in the second half of the year. This includes the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as upcoming phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. Meanwhile, the public has learned from Google's WebM VP8 codec Website that Android 2.3, the so-called Gingerbread build, could be ready as soon as the fourth quarter this tear.
HTC, whose Android-based smartphones
include the Hero, Nexus One, and the Droid Eris and Droid Incredible, has told
blogs most phones launched this year will get an upgrade to Android 2.2 in
the second half of the year.
"As we get closer to readiness, we'll reveal a full list, but for now
have started with the most popular models like Desire [in the U.K.] and Droid
Incredible [in the U.S.] as well as some of the hotly anticipated new
phones," HTC
told Pocket Lint.
Android Central learned from HTC that
Android phones launched this year will most likely offer an upgrade for it to
the Froyo version.
HTC told that blog:
"This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as
well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming
models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to
launching the upgrades."
HTC hasn't said whether Android 2.2 will
be pushed over the air to any Android handsets released prior to 2010.
The blogs got the news bite shortly after Google Vice President of
Engineering Vic Gundotra
unveiled Android 2.2 at Google I/O May 20. Android 2.2
appears to be blazingly fast.
Gundotra showed a demo of Android 2.1 and Android 2.2 running a game side by
side on two Nexus Ones and the speed difference, thanks to a new compiler and
refreshed Android browser, was noticeable.
Also of note was the increase in Microsoft Exchange-focused enterprise
capabilities for Android 2.2. Android as a platform has been knocked for
lacking enterprise-friendly features, such as complex passwords and remote
wipe.
Gartner research analyst Ken Dulaney has said he does not recommend Android
as a platform for the enterprise because it didn't include enough security and
manageability features.
Google answered those challenges with this build,
adding remote wipe to let Exchange administrators reset
the device to factory defaults in the case of a lost or stolen phone.
There are also numeric pin and alpha-numeric password options to unlock the
device. Exchange administrators can also now enforce password policy across
devices.
Also, users now need only their username and password to set up and sync an
Exchange account, and Exchange Calendars are now supported in the Calendar app.
eWEEK brought these features to Dulaney's attention May 20, and he noted the
improvements but pointed to Android's lack of encryption.
"I talked to Android today and need more details, but it looks like it
will be ready for minimum level support. They should be able to do stronger
management of the device image, which is a key feature of how they do
background processing and interprocess communication relative to Apple. Apple
has encryption whereas Android doesn't."
Meanwhile, the public has learned from Google's WebM VP8 codec Website that
Android 2.3, the so-called Gingerbread build, could be ready as soon as the
fourth quarter of this year.
"WebM support in Android is expected in the Gingerbread release [currently
planned for Q4 2010]," according to the
WebM FAQ.
"We expect many other Google products to adopt WebM and VP8 as they
prioritize it with their other product requirements."
The point is that Android development is making great progress in 2010.
Android has found its way onto 60 devices that we know of today; the number
could easily top 100 by the time the year is through.
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