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Since Google unveiled Android 2.2 in May, owners of the 60 or so smartphones based on Google’s Android operating system have wondered when and if their device will get the long-anticipated upgrade.
Some Google Nexus One owners have been upgraded in the last month and now Sprint said its HTC Evo 4G will get the upgrade, following Verizon Wireless and Motorola’s admittance that the new Droid X will get an over-the-air upgrade to Android 2.2 later this summer.
Sprint blasted out a note that it is finalizing the software and expects to launch Android 2.2 soon.
“It will also be available as an upgrade on the recently launched HTC EVO 4G. With the Android 2.2 upgrade, customers can expect improvements to include the following benefits among others: updates to user interface, improved EAS Support, improved Browser Performance including Flash 10 Support, voice dialing over Bluetooth and application storage on external memory,” a spokesperson told eWEEK.
Android 2.2 will not be available for HTC Hero and Samsung Moment, the spokesperson confirmed.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that Android 2.2 is being rolled out to high-end smartphones first. The Nexus One, Droid X and Evo 4G are all top of their class, as far as Android devices, launching with Android 2.1 support.
The light turned green for Android 2.2 to roll out on these devices when Google released Android 2.2 to open source June 23, concurrent with the launch of the Droid X.
Android 2.2 boasts significant speed improvements to CPU-bound code and Android Web browser, along with support for Microsoft Exchange and an Android Cloud to Device Messaging API, which provides a mechanism servers can use to tell mobile applications to contact the server directly to fetch application or user data.
The Droid X is a snazzy new device from Motorola that is a multimedia workhorse of sorts, sporting a 4.3-inch display, 720p video with HD capture and play back and preinstalled mobile applications such as Blockbuster, Skype and Swype.
In many ways, it’s like the Evo 4G, but with a stronger battery that doesn’t burn down as fast.
For anyone deciding between the Evo 4G and the Droid X, first consider the network. Do you want to be on No. 1 Verizon or No. 3 Sprint?
Beyond that, the differences are largely in the phone designs, and both are bound for the Android 2.2 upgrade that should make the devices hum even faster.
eWEEK will post a review of the Droid X soon.