John Dezember

Google announced the latest version of their Android OS, code-named Froyo, at the Google IO convention last week. Since the announcement, the internet has been buzzing with anticipation, speculation and rumors about when this latest-and-greatest will be available.

Then on Sunday, a tweet by TechCruncher @parislemon:

Google Confirms Froyo Launch: “The roll out to Nexus One devices has begun!” – http://tcrn.ch/9iZyHZ by @parislemon

The comments on the TechCrunch page eventually led to a link on Google’s server to download the update… I wasted no time!

For some time now, I have been running Cyanogen’s custom ROM for the Nexus One. Many of the features that enticed me to void the warranty of my Nexus are now available in the new 2.2 update (like WiFi tethering and installing Apps to the SD card). The new features are what caused me to head back to the official ROMs…

• Improved performance!!
• Automatic updating for Apps
• Flash 10.1 support
• Updated Market
• WiFi Hotspot
• Updated Camera (still and video)
• Updated Gallery
• Voice dialing for Bluetooth

So, I’ve upgraded to 2.2, but (due to traveling) have not been able to test all the new stuff. Right off, though, it’s FAST! Switching screens, opening apps, browsing the gallery, FAST! The new camera is much easier to navigate and change functions like flash, zoom, etc. It also looks better in landscape or portrait modes. The gallery now has a nice feature that allows you to get a sneak peek of picture stacks (handy when you’re looking for that one picture of your dog to show someone). I viewed a Flash site or two and it seems to work well. Most sites I visit are for news and really do not have much flash content. I look forward to testing out the WiFi hotspot and voice dialing for bluetooth. I’ll post anything of interest later; maybe some screenshots.

For those of you anxious to get the upgrade, here is a great link: http://www.androidguys.com/2010/05/22/manually-update-your-nexus-one-to-android-2-2-froyo/

If you are using a non-stock ROM, I would recommend checking out the XDA-Developers forums for links and How-Tos.

[UPDATE]

Ok, so it seems that I grabbed some sort of pre-release of Android 2.2; as reported by Androidheadline

.: FroYo Released too Early? http://bit.ly/bi9WCz

I did a full wipe (factory reset, whatever) of my Nexus One before upgrading to 2.2 (just had the urge to start fresh). As I was checking on my most used apps (including some apps I had paid for), I noticed some were missing… not even showing up in the Market! Also, I have yet to get bluetooth dialing to function. Other minor issues include random trackball color support/actually working. I hope these issues will be resolved in the final release!

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