Google reveals Android 2.0 features, updates

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Details were released Tuesday on the Android 2.0 platform, adding features and support to Google's open-source mobile operating system.



Google announced that version 2.0 support would be added in the software development kit for Android, so application developers can begin to use the system on their latest builds. The Android 2.0 platform contains many notable upgrades and updates in several categories.



Contact and account management seem to have seen the brunt of the updates. Multiple accounts can now be added to Android devices for email and contact synchronization, including optional Exchange support. Another added feature is called Quick Contact, which provides instant one-touch access to multiple ways of interacting with a contact including call, text, and email.



Other features include:



Searchable SMS and MMS messages



Updated camera support for built-in flash, digital zoom, white balance, and

macro focus



Improved keyboard layout with smarter predictive text and multi-touch support



Browser upgrades including thumbnail bookmarks and double-tap zoom functionality



Improved graphics performance through revamped graphics architecture and better hardware acceleration



Support for Bluetooth 2.1







No release date has been revealed for consumer-level rollout of the new platform, however Motorola's Droid is rumored to be running Android 2.0 and will be released before the end of the year. Verizon has positioned the Droid as being the superior alternative to the iPhone, and has aggressively advertised this message with the "iDon't" series of ads.



Android was first introduced in November of 2007 by the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of companies dedicated to the development of open standards for mobile devices. The open-source platform has found its way onto a myriad of devices from HTC's line of phones to the Archos 5 Internet Tablet and Barnes & Nobles' Nook e-book reader.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 59
    ajitmdajitmd Posts: 365member
    Can somebody tell me what is special about the Android? Other than the multitasking, I found the phones hard to use. The user interface was not as intuitive. The phone froze a few times.... sold by TMobile.
  • Reply 2 of 59
    Good enough for me on Verizon till the iPhone eventually comes (and it will).
  • Reply 3 of 59
    iPhone 4.0 will likely grab these from Android...



    Searchable SMS and MMS messages

    Unified Email Inbox

    Coverflow bookmarks

    Google Voice Search
  • Reply 4 of 59
    Perhaps Android 2.0 features will prod Apple to actually listen to their customers' requests and shelve their "let'm eat cake" attitude.



    But I doubt it.
  • Reply 5 of 59
    So what's that thing in the video that looks like a chocolate eclair? The little logo.
  • Reply 6 of 59
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by frugality View Post


    So what's that thing in the video that looks like a chocolate eclair? The little logo.



    An eclair. Android versions all have food associated with them: 1.5 was Cupcake, 1.6 was Donut, 2.0 is Eclair, and 3.0 will be Flan (future release).
  • Reply 7 of 59
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by retroneo View Post


    iPhone 4.0 will likely grab these from Android...



    Searchable SMS and MMS messages

    Unified Email Inbox

    Coverflow bookmarks

    Google Voice Search



    So what you are saying is after being on the market for two years the iPhone will catch up to a phone that hasn't even been released. That is pretty tyical for Apple put out hardware and after 4 updates it works correctly, or at least somewhat correctly
  • Reply 8 of 59
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    So what you are saying is after being on the market for two years the iPhone will catch up to a phone that hasn't even been released. That is pretty tyical for Apple put out hardware and after 4 updates it works correctly, or at least somewhat correctly



    If you choosing not to compare it to Android OS , but instead specifically compare it Android OS 2.0 then you can?t honestly compare it to the previously released versions of iPhone OS X.
  • Reply 9 of 59
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AjitMD View Post


    Can somebody tell me what is special about the Android? Other than the multitasking, I found the phones hard to use. The user interface was not as intuitive. The phone froze a few times.... sold by TMobile.



    Some articles from cross platform mobile developers that really detail some of the issues that plague these other platforms from a developer standpoint to a user standpoint. The App Store competition and user base are not the only reason that developers charge less for iPhone apps. It?s often more of a hassle. I?ll try to dig up some of the good articles.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by retroneo View Post


    iPhone 4.0 will likely grab these from Android...



    Searchable SMS and MMS messages

    Unified Email Inbox

    Coverflow bookmarks

    Google Voice Search



    I?m mostly concerned with having a robust messaging system like WebOS and Android have. The simple overlay that can only show one message at a time and has centralized storage of pervious messages, their arrival times and what app they came from just doesn?t work with the PNS.



    I expect that the 3GS and the next iPhone HW update will get 3rd-party background app capabilities, but this takes some planning and coding to do it right, the way copy/paste is unmatched on any other finger-based phone. You can?t have every app running in the background when you press the home button and you need a way to keep this 3rd-party background app from overtaking the RAM and CPU cycles of the app you are currently using. It?s trickier than some people think to make this work for developers.
  • Reply 10 of 59
    I'm surprised Apple doesn't have some IP associated with Android. As an Apple share owner I'd like to see them make some money off of the competition.
  • Reply 11 of 59
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kozchris View Post


    I'm surprised Apple doesn't have some IP associated with Android. As an Apple share owner I'd like to see them make some money off of the competition.



    Built from the ground up from Linux. It’s completely free to use. Google is saving on ad revenue costs from other people’s browser. Perhaps even avoidance of paying anything to Apple or others…
  • Reply 12 of 59
    al_bundyal_bundy Posts: 1,525member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kozchris View Post


    I'm surprised Apple doesn't have some IP associated with Android. As an Apple share owner I'd like to see them make some money off of the competition.





    microsoft and a few other companies own most of the IP for iphone OS and Android. Google is an Active Sync licensee just like Apple
  • Reply 13 of 59
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    I hope when Google is done copying Apple two years after the fact they'll actually offer something interesting.
  • Reply 14 of 59
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    microsoft and a few other companies own most of the IP for iphone OS and Android. Google is an Active Sync licensee just like Apple



    Define ?most? because licensing the use of Active Sync is quite insignificant to the entirety of iPhone OS X.
  • Reply 15 of 59
    tofinotofino Posts: 697member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by al_bundy View Post


    microsoft and a few other companies own most of the IP for iphone OS and Android. Google is an Active Sync licensee just like Apple



    considering that apple's newton os predates palm's first os and windows ce by two or three years, i somehow doubt that.
  • Reply 16 of 59
    jasenj1jasenj1 Posts: 923member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    So what you are saying is after being on the market for two years the iPhone will catch up to a phone that hasn't even been released. That is pretty tyical for Apple put out hardware and after 4 updates it works correctly, or at least somewhat correctly



    Apple does not compete on features. Apple provides ease of use and an integrated user experience - features come later after they are well adopted in the market and Apple can expect the below-average user to be familiar with them.



    Do it simple. Do it right. Then add more bells and whistles. Power users will whine and complain, "the masses" will buy them in droves because they're so easy to use.



    - Jasen.
  • Reply 17 of 59
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AjitMD View Post


    Can somebody tell me what is special about the Android?



    Good question. So much of this Android buzz seems to me to be in the realm of breathless geek anticipation.



    Someone please wake me if/when it all shows up in a decent piece of hardware, and works seamlessly and effectively in the wild. And, if by that time, Apple hasn't moved the goalpost even more.
  • Reply 18 of 59
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Built from the ground up from Linux. It’s completely free to use. Google is saving on ad revenue costs from other people’s browser. Perhaps even avoidance of paying anything to Apple or others…



    Sorry, but built from the ground up with Linux means the Kernel and that's where it ends.



    Every thing they add isn't being given freely back as GPLv3. They have their own licensing structure just like iPhone.



    Is there a reason the actual Feature page isn't linked?



    http://developer.android.com/sdk/and...ighlights.html



    Android's API is nowhere near as robust as Cocoa.



    The CMDA Telephony and no GSM Telephony seems to narrow the scope for this platform around the globe.



    Google should be kissing Apache Foundation's rear for all the features the global Java Community adds without any footprint on their end.



    I'll leave the WebKit stuff as obvious.



    http://developer.android.com/reference/packages.html
  • Reply 19 of 59
    Now, hurry up and wait for both the manufacturer and the carrier (particularly in the US) to 'fix' Android for your individual model phone, and to optimize the revenue capabilities of the phone for the carrier...
  • Reply 20 of 59
    ajitmdajitmd Posts: 365member
    When I look at the average user of the iPhone, what they like the most about the iPhone is the simplicity of use. The user interface is intuitive to use. No need to read a user manual... just a simple video or sales person demo at the ATT or Apple store will do.

    The iPhone software is stable, rarely crashes.



    The hardware design is simple... only one main button to use! The iPhone can be anything the app demands. Without the mechanical keyboard, I can use it is several languages and characters.



    The other phones like the Android, Pre, and Windows Mobile may have some distinct features... the majority of people do not use them. Apple has successful in the market because of the mass market appeal... what the majority wants.



    The Pre has turned to be a dud. I did not see the Android flying off the T-Mobile shelves. The store in my neighborhood is dead most of the time. It will get shelf space with VZ along with a bunch of other phones. Why should it stand out?
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