froyo

Android 2.2 coming to Nexus One, other HTC phones

Now that all the juicy details of Android 2.2 "Froyo" are out, the question for current Android phone owners inevitably turns to "When do I get it?" Well, there is good news for some, bad news for others, and no news for the rest.

Starting with the good, Google announced via its Google I/O Twitter account that Froyo will be served to Nexus One users in the next few weeks. Not terribly surprising that the N1 would be one of the first to get the update considering its direct ties to Google (though that … Read more

Android 2.2 in action (video!)

Google kept us busy with announcements at its I/O developer conference in San Francisco, like news of a Chrome Web Store, Google TV, a forthcoming update to the Android operating system that includes the first full-fledged Flash Player for a mobile phone, changes to the camera app, and support for tethering and portable hot spots, among a list of other additions.

We happen to have a version of Android 2.2 (albeit a prefinal one) loaded on a Nexus One, and dove inside to survey the new features for ourselves.

It's not TV. It's Google TV

It turns out Google TV is not Smart TV. Not that it isn't smart. It just isn't called Smart TV like we thought it would be. It still may be smart TV. To be determined.

Google released information about Google TV today. Here is what I can gather about it so far: It is Google Search on your TV and it will marry Web video with broadcast and cable TV. So if you want to watch Top Chef Masters (and why wouldn't you?), you could just search "Top Chef Masters" and it would tell you … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1232: Declare your porn (podcast)

Apparently, Australian border guards can now search your laptops for porn when you enter the country. Um. Ok. As a protest, we suggest everyone flying there just declare that they have porn. Why not? Also, tons of news coming from Google I/O, including the very interesting Google TV and the latest on Android 2.2. Let the waiting begin.

Speed central to Google's Android 2.2 plans

Better performance topped the feature list for Android 2.2, aka Froyo, the next version of Google's mobile-phone operating system detailed Thursday.

Froyo's Dalvik virtual machine, the foundation that actually runs Android applications, includes new technology that runs software two to five times faster for heavy-duty applications, said Vic Gundotra, Google's vice president of engineering, at the company's Google I/O conference.

Speed is a big issue for the small, power-sensitive processors in mobile phones, especially as the smartphone duties expand to include tasks such as videoconferencing and games. Also faster is the Android browser, which … Read more

Test drive: Adobe Flash Player on Android (beta)

Ever since Apple CEO Steve Jobs sparked a firestorm with Adobe over the relevance of Adobe's Flash technology for interactive mobile media, a stepped-up PR campaign looked like Adobe's only ammunition.

On Thursday, Adobe got its first chance to fling back a tangible response with the beta release of its Flash Player for select Android phones.

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta (which is already out in final form for PCs) makes a mobile debut on Android phones running version 2.2 of the Android operating system (code-named "froyo") or higher.

What does Flash on a smartphone get you? The long-awaited chance to play online Flash-based games (hands-on) and stream video directly from the browser. For wannabe-foodies like us, Adobe's player also finally makes it possible to view restaurant menus from sites written for Flash. While nobody likes online ads, the fact that you can soon view them in all their shifting, eye-catching glory is a big tip-off that the desktop and mobile experiences of the Web have just scooted even closer together.

Hands-on We tested out an early version of Flash Player 10.1 beta on an Android phone running a pre-release version of the latest 2.2 OS. These compounded caveats mean that we might just have stumbled upon more bugs than you will. We checked out Flash games, streaming video, news sites, and other favorite Web sites that we know take advantage of Flash, and a few of our favorite Flash sites that haven't been modified for Flash mobile.… Read more

Kongregate's Flash games come to Android in style

One of the most exciting prospects of Flash coming to Android devices has been games. While the iPhone platform has become a developmental heavyweight for indie gaming in just a few short years, it remains unable to take advantage of the rich library of titles developed to work on Adobe's Flash player.

With this week's inclusion of Flash player 10.1 on Android phones as part of the 2.2 software update, however, gamers on the go now have access to these titles. The only problem, it seems, is that not all of them are mobile phone-friendly.

Kongregate, a popular Flash gaming host and community, has gone through the effort to weed through its library and pick out titles that work well on smaller screens. Of the site's more than 28,300 titles, its staff has pulled together around 120 that they think work quite well.

CNET on Monday spoke with Kongregate CEO Jim Greer about the collection, as well as the site's efforts to get some of its top games' developers to make small adjustments, a process he says is going quite well. "There were a few games where developers had to make some buttons bigger, or put some buttons on-screen to replace the need for a keyboard," Greer said. "But they're psyched about it."

Greer said Flash developers who were aiming to port over their games to the iPhone had gotten "the wind taken out of their sails" after Apple's change to the developer agreement back in April. "There were a number of developers who had Flash games that they were working on using Adobe's Flash compiler," Greer explained. After the change in the rules, Greer said many began focusing on Android instead.

As for the battery life, Greer said it's not as horrible as Steve Jobs might have made it out to be in his open letter earlier this month.… Read more

Android 2.2 brings camera software improvements

As part of the Android 2.2 "Froyo" update, which is being unveiled at Thursday's Google I/O Conference, a very nice upgrade has been made to Android's built-in camera software. Google has effectively made it a one-handed endeavor, and one that does a better job at matching its user interface to how you hold your device.

The biggest change is that the pull-down menu, which would often require two hands to toggle and navigate, has been removed completely. In its place is a very simple system of transparent dials that pop up with options when … Read more

Android 2.2 to integrate USB tethering, mobile hot spots

TechCrunch is reporting today that Android 2.2 "Froyo" will feature built-in USB tethering and Wi-Fi hot-spot capability. This is exciting news for Android users as it could potentially provide all phones with one of the great selling features of the forthcoming HTC Evo 4G from Sprint.

For those unfamiliar, mobile hot spots allow users to share their Internet connection with other devices such as laptops and portable gaming consoles. USB tethering is also rising in popularity, as many Android owners want to share their 3G connections with a Netbook while on the go.

As carriers begin rolling … Read more

Google: Next Android to support Adobe Flash

The lead engineer behind Android has said that support for Adobe Systems' Flash technology will appear in the next version of Google's mobile phone operating system.

Andy Rubin, a vice president of engineering, said in a New York Times interview that Android 2.2, aka Froyo, will include the support, though he didn't make clear whether phones will ship with the technology preinstalled. Google's stance toward Flash is the polar opposite of Apple's rejection of Flash or Flash-based applications on the iPhone.

Of the Flash support, Rubin said that being open sometimes "means not being … Read more