Time to get ready Android fans, the latest version of Google’s mobile platform is heading our way and from the looks of it, the new Froyo will be bringing plenty of new additions to the already impressive open source mobile platform.
Of course, the biggest addition to the new OS is the inclusion of native support for Adobe Flash and AIR formats. The feature has long been asked for and has finally arrived –but mostly due to the fact that Apple made quite a show of their intent to never support the Flash format. Apple’s stubborn decision has left them only able to support HTML5 and H.264, while Google will have those and Flash available for its users. That means that Android users are going to get a serious leg up over their iPhone counterparts.
Naturally, the big question that is being asked right now is: can the Android really run Flash? Actually, yes, and from the initial videos, even Flash content that is heavily animated can be run on the latest Android handsets. Since most smart phones are running on CPUs clocked at 600MHz and above, some units are expected to have a bit of slowdown, but nothing significantly game-breaking.
Aside from Flash and AIR, it appears that 2.2 will also allow tethering for many devices. This means that the Android smart phone can now be hooked up to your laptop or computer to be used as a USB WiFi dongle.
The new OS version is expected to be released later this June, and handsets such as the Milestone, Hero, Desire, Galaxy S and others are expected to receive updates within the week of release. Sadly, Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10 will not be getting an update until much later in September, as the handset is currently stuck with the older 1.6 Donut OS.
Tags: Adobe-Flash, Android, Google, Google-Android