Google June 28 began officially pushing its Android 2.2 operating system build over the air to the thousands of users who own the Google Nexus One smartphone.
The search engine turned phone provider in January by rolling out the Android 2.1-based Nexus One via a Webstore unlocked for $529 or with a two-year contract from T-Mobile for $179.
While that model failed and Verizon and Sprint backed out of support commitments, the device was an Android fan favorite.
This was particularly true among Google employees who appreciated a phone that, while designed by HTC, included software Googlers wanted on a high-end smartphone.
Android 2.2, or Froyo as it’s called, is the latest example of such software.
Google’s latest OS build features speed improvements, a Cloud-to-Device Messaging API, and enterprise and security controls for running Microsoft Exchange. Android 2.2 also allows handsets to become a WiFi hot spot and supports Adobe Flash within the browser.
See more Android 2.2 features here.
Motorola pledged June 23 that Android 2.2 would come to its new Android 2.1-based Motorola Droid X device, which launches July 15, later this summer.
Sprint followed that pledge by voicing its eventual support for Android 2.2 on the HTC Evo 4G, another Android 2.1-based device.
Now the Nexus One, which has been getting some sporadic Android 2.2 upgrades, is going live with Android 2.2 en masse. Here’s how it will happen, as Google explained:
“In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone’s notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set.”
Google said this update will be rolled out gradually to phones, with most users receiving the notification by the end of the week.