Android has seen a number of updates since its original release. These updates to the base operating system typically fix bugs and add new features. And generally, each update to the Android operating system is developed under a code name based on a dessert item.
Android 1.1 (released February 9, 2009)
Features included:
- Alarm Clock
- API Demos
- Browser
- Calculator
- Camera
- Contacts
- Dev Tools
- Dialer
- Email
- Maps (and StreetView)
- Messaging
- Music
- Pictures
- Settings
Android 1.5 “Cupcake” (Linux Kernel 2.6.27) was the first major platform release distributable to handsets beginning in 30 April, 2009. This update demonstrated that the OS should be taken seriously by the developer community. The UI was greatly improved over 1.1 and it added the following features:
- Ability to record and watch videos through camcorder mode
- Bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP support
- Automatic Bluetooth connecting
- New widgets and folders that can populate the Home screens
- Uploading videos to YouTube & Picasa directly from the phone
- Copy/paste functionality.
- A new soft-keyboard with text-prediction
- Animated screen transitions
Android 1.6 “Donut” (Linux Kernel 2.6.29) was released just a few short months later on September 15, 2009. This version included:
- The new and improved Android Market for applications
- An integrated camera, video recorder, and gallery interface, complete with a multi-select/delete feature
- Gesture framework and GestureBuilder development tool
- Updated Voice Search, with faster response and deeper integration with native applications, including the ability to dial contacts
- Application integration
- Greatly improved text-to-speech functions by allowing searching bookmarks, history, contacts, and the web from the home screen
- Updated technology support for CDMA/EVDO, 802.1x, VPNs, and a text-to-speech engine
- Support for WVGA (480p) screen resolutions
The successful launch of the HTC Hero running Android 1.6 propelled the OS to an unexpected level of popularity. As a result, Android finally began to seriously grab the attention of non-Android users and made competitors such as Apple and Microsoft take notice.
Android 2.0/2.1 “Éclair” (Linux Kernel 2.6.29) : In record time, another major revision to the OS appeared on October 26, 2009. This time, it was a full version upgrade to Android 2.0/2.1 “Éclair.” This revision included:
- Accelerated hardware speeds
- Support for more screen size options and resolutions
- A greatly improved UI
- Exchange support
- Live wallpapers
- Significantly upgraded virtual keyboards
- New Browser UI and HTML5 support
- Better contrast ratio for backgrounds
- Built in flash support and digital zoom for Camera
- MotionEvent class enhanced to track multi-touch events
- Bluetooth 2.1
- Google Maps 3.1.2
The Android 2.0.1 SDK was pushed out on December 3, 2009, followed by 2.1 on January 10, 2010.
Many Android users and non-users alike have probably wondered, 'Why in the world does Android have names of desserts associated with its OS?' This nomenclature began with the release of Android 1.5. Each dessert gets bigger in size (compared side by side upon launch) with the commemoration of each release and is in alphabetical order: cupcake, donut, and eclair. It was expected that version 2.2 would be “flan” which, it turns out, was incorrect. “FroYo” (short for “frozen yogurt”) is the new moniker for Android 2.2 which is being officially released to the Google Nexus One as of this writing. The name for the next revision will be “Gingerbread.”
Android 2.2 “Froyo”: While Nexus One owners are now receiving their OTA Android 2.2 “FroYo” updates, those with other devices are hoping for their own updates in the very near future. This release brings with it an exciting set of upgrades that will leave any smartphone user salivating at the mere thought of it. Some of these feature sets include:
- Full Flash 10.1 support
- General Android OS speed (up to 5x), memory, and performance optimizations
- Additional application speed improvements courtesy of JIT complier implementation.
- Integration of Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine into the Browser application
- USB tethering and WiFi hotspot functionality (up to 8 devices)
- Better homescreen with dedicated shortcuts (browser and launcher, contact)
- Greatly improved Exchange support through Exchange 2010, including remote wipe, auto-discovery, full calendar support, and global address list lookup
- Camera/video enhancements such as: better onscreen control buttons and the highly-anticipated feature of enabling the LED to illuminate during video recording.
- Updated Market application with batch and automatic update feature
- Quick switching between multiple keyboard languages and their dictionaries
- Android cloud-to-device messaging
- Support for numeric and alphanumeric passwords
- Support for file upload fields in the Browser application
- Browser can now display animated GIFs (instead of just the first frame)
- Default Search Engine Selection
- Storing apps on an SD card (A2SD)
- Voice dialing over Bluetooth
- Added an option to disable data access over mobile network
Android 2.3 'Gingerbread”: Along with the official announcement of the next Google flagship devices, the Nexus S by Samsung, Gingerbread 2.3 was finally unveiled on December 6, 2010. Many of the rumored features of Gingerbread were actually true but the new features mainly focused on the core Android functionality with little enhancement on the user interface. Android 2.3 new features include:
- Updated user interface design (green instead of orange)
- Support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions (WXGA and higher)
- Native support for SIP VoIP telephony
- Support for WebM/VP8 video playback, and AAC audio encoding
- New audio effects such as reverb, equalization, headphone virtualization, and bass boost.
- Support for Near Field Communication (NFC)
- System-wide copy–paste functionalities
- Redesigned multi-touch software keyboard
- Audio, graphical, and input enhancements for game developers
- New sensors support (for example gyroscope and barometer)
- Download manager for long running HTTP downloads
- Enhanced support for native code
- Improved power management and application control
- Support for multiple cameras
- Native video chat
“Honeycomb” 3.0 is scheduled for 2011 launch. Feature list started with things that won't make the cut-off for Gingerbread.
“Ice Cream” is the next iteration of Android OS that is rumored to be Android 4.0 which supposed to be released in mid 2011
Source: Android Police, Wikipedia
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