Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.2 Upgrade, Android 3.0 Loom

Update: Samsung Electronics delayed the upgrade to Android 2.2, or Froyo, for its popular Samsung Galaxy S smartphone series.

Android 2.2 was slated to be available via Samsung's Kies software upgrade program for the Verizon Wireless Samsung Fascinate, AT&T Samsung Captivate, Sprint Samsung Epic 4G and T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant handsets, all of which were launched with Android 2.1 this past summer.

The Android 2.2 upgrade will come first in the Nordic region and roll out to other European markets, Southeast Asia, the Middle East Asia, North America and Africa, according to this Samsung mobile press release. No new word has come on the release schedule for Froyo on these devices.

Android 2.2, which Google Android creator Andy Rubin launched to open source June 23 at Verizon Wireless' Motorola Droid X introduction, sports voice-controlled GPS through Google Maps Navigation and faster performance thanks to a JIT compiler.

Android 2.2 also supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and greater enterprise functionality thanks to enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange, as well as the ability to search Google, Translate, Wikipedia and Dictionary within the browser.

A cloud-to-device messaging API lets developers write apps that sync the phone with Google's servers to help transmit data for browser extensions such as Google Chrome to Phone.

Samsung's Galaxy S line has shipped more than 5 million units to date, thanks largely to the sleek design, which includes a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen that provides quality viewing and access in light or dark environments.

eWEEK tested them all and found them enjoyable, albeit with some interesting carrier choices, such as Verizon's choice to preload the Fascinate with Microsoft's Bing search engine.

The Samsung Galaxy S line is the last batch of major Android smartphones to get Android 2.2 as Google prepares to launch Android 3.0 to open source soon.

That could come any day; Google has optimized Android 3.0, or Gingerbread, for tablet computers. While tablets from Archos and the Samsung Galaxy Tab are loaded with Android 2.2, they will get the Android 3.0 bump when it is available.

Expect tablets from Dell, Motorola and LG to come with Gingerbread, whose minimum hardware requirements call for a 1GHZ CPU, 512MB of RAM, and displays from 3.5 inches and larger.

Gingerbread will offer 1,280-by-760 resolution for devices with displays of 4 inches or more.