Google has recently announced the launch of its new Android Phone Nexus S along with the next version of Android which is 2.3 (code named as GingerBread). I had a quick look at the new and exciting features added in this version. There are lots of exciting things for a developer than for an end user. Not many user features have been added. Many features have been added under-the-hood to increase the performance on Android 2.3.
The first thing I want to tell you guys is that GingerBread is not the major UI refactoring (as we thought). May be the next version Android 3.0 (codenamed HoneyComb) will feature a fully revamped UI. However, there are UI refinements for simplicity and speed in GingerBread. Google’s new phone Nexus S will be the first device to get GingerBread and it will be on sales from Dec 16 in the U.S. Nexus One owners will eventually get OTA update in the next few weeks.
Highlights
- User facing features (Check out the screenshots below)
- UI refinements and speed.
- Improved Android keyboard.
- One touch Copy / Paste
- Improved power management
- Internet calling. Yes, its available. :)
- Download manager
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- Developer features
- Performance improvements for gaming
- Gyroscope and other new sensors
- Write native code in your Android app
- Near Field Communication.
- Support for new media formats – VP8 and WebM support
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Apart from the above mentioned improvements, there are improvements to the platform itself. Linux Kernel has been upgraded to 2.6.35. Dalvik VM has been upgraded to support concurrent garbage collection, JIT optimizations, etc. Some of the core libraries have also been upgraded to enhance the performance. Read the complete platform highlights here.
New icons and notification bar in GingerBread
Android Keyboard on GingerBread and One-touch Copy/Paste
Download Manager
Flat buttons on GingerBread
-- Varun
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