Android 2.0: what to expect
What's new in Google's latest smartphone OS update
You don't want to find stale donuts in your local patisserie, you want the freshest treats available. Likewise, you want the latest, most up-to-date smartphone operating system which, in the case of Android, means choosing Éclair.
Google Android 2.0: coming soon to a handset near you
Éclair – also known as Android 2.0 - was released to application developers at the end of October, and this month updated to 2.0.1 thanks to the addition of some minor tweaks. But what should you – the user – expect from Google’s latest handset tech?
Android 2.0 may lack a killer headline feature, but it does offer an array of tasty treats, each of which you’ll want to get your teeth into.
At last - support for multiple email accounts
While Google has no say over the camera that its OS is paired with, the company has taken steps in Android 2.0 to improve users' photography experience. For example, Éclair adds a digital zoom and will also allow you to adjust the white balance and colour effect of your snapped images. It has a close-up macro mode too. Pre-set shooting modes, much like those found on compact cameras, have also been added to the OS.
Several new camera features are incorporated into Android 2.0
Android now supports built-in flashes, a feature Motorola has used to allow it to fit a twin-LED flash to its Milestone smartphone.
COMMENTS
So you wrote half a page to bitch about the iPhone and Android that you don't own and won't buy
You knew about Google's "privacy problem" long before they created the Androit platform, so how were you tempted by it ? I call bullshit. You just wanted to bitch a little bit about Google without seeming an unreasonable ass (which you are) and since you were at it you took the opportunity to bitch about Apple as well.
If your privacy is so damn important to you and everybody is out to get you, how about you get off the fuckin' Internet and leave us alone. Cause here we can all see you. We got your IP and we know who you are. We're coming for you. Better throw away your computer and run hide in that cave.
Bored with iphone?
It's supposed to be a Phone. Not a toy.
When the E65 came out I had fun installing Sat Navs, Maps, pairing with BT keyboard, laptop, BT GPS etc.. Installing Scumm for Games, VNC, Putty etc. Streaming music clients, barcode decoding via camera etc. Setting up email accounts, browsing websites.
Now I use it for what I bought it for. Phone calls and occassional SMS or Snap if I don't have real camera.
I've tested a lot of gadgets and built a VOIP touchscreen PDA running Qtopia & Linux. I conclude that really anything less than 800x480 @ 4.5" to 5" approx is a novelty for anything productive. Even the iphone screen is just too small and too low a resolution.
A 5" 800x480 gadget can *just* be pocket sized if the designer is clever (1024x 400 might fit in pocket better), but for a phone with no buttons (stupid) an iPhone has a big a screen as you would want. For an actual PHONE that is mostly for phone calls, a smaller screen and physical keypad is more ergonomic.
Galaxy
Got a Galaxy?
"Samsung HQ are currently not supporting a migration path to upgrade Galaxy to Android 2.0. Samsung UK continue to push for this but confidence on the change is low as Samsung HQ will be launching new devices on Android 2.0 in Q1."
From O2, today.
No mention of the basic faults....
Hopefully they have now added a way to delete multiple emails in one go, and a way to empty the deleted items in one go as well. And maybe even a notes app that can sync to the desktop. And a WiFi driver that doesn't disconnect when it feels like it and need WiFi turning off then back on again to re-connect. And a calendar app that actually shows a week in a useable format (like Agenda Fusion and Agendus used to do on my Palm).
And I wonder how many existing devices will get this update. At least iPhone users GET the updates all at the same time. I have two Android phones in the house and one of them is still on 1.5, one on 1.6 and no idea if either will get an update.
Paris - because like the Android, I like the look of her but not sure if I could live with her.
E-mail?
How are the IMAP capabilities looking on the new e-mail package? The Hero / G2 Touch is a lovely device but Android's standard mail package is a complete dog if you filter your e-mail into folders at the server end.
