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Android Smartphones OS 101 – What are the differences between Android 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3?

Android release roadmap

In the space of a year in 2010, Google released three Android updates that form the backbone of the vast majority of Android smartphones today:

  • Android 2.1 (Lightning) – January 2010
  • Android 2.2 (Froyo) – May 2010
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) – December 2010

In terms of overall market share, Android 2.2 (Froyo) retains a commanding position (59.4%) as the world’s most popular Android smartphone operating system; however, the latest version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) enjoys tremendous growth (17.6%) as users upgrade in significant numbers to take advantage of the latest and greatest features.

As user needs evolved, so did Android, with key developments delivering incremental improvements across the gamut of features, from simple interface updates to browser performance and memory management.

So what were the main differences between Android 2.1, 2.2 and the latest 2.3? And what were the key benefits that users could enjoy? Keep reading this article to find out!

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Android 2.1 (lightning)

Éclair provided users with a new and improved experience compared to Android 1.6 (Donut). Debuting on the Nexus One phone, the main change from Android 1.6 was the improved virtual keyboard with multi-touch support. Other enhancements included improved speed, better screen size resolution and contrast ratio, HTML 5 support, Google Maps 3.1.2, MS Exchange Server integration, Camera Flash, and Bluetooth v2.1 functionality.

In addition, live wallpapers were also introduced for the first time to provide even more visual appeal, while the interface was significantly improved: five home screens were provided instead of three, the home screen navigation was updated to easier access, a new Android app launcher gave a smoother user experience, new default widgets were available for the home screen, and a 3D photo gallery built with Cooliris displayed all your photos in a sleek, scrollable 3D view .

Android 2.2 (Froyo)

While it could be argued that Eclair has basic, yet important features needed in a smartphone, Froyo made it better with even more features, new user features, developer features, API changes, and bug fixes. Froyo brought a more responsive and polished experience with some serious internal improvements for users to enjoy, largely thanks to the optimized code compiler providing a 2x-5x performance boost for heavy CPU code.

The other main differences that Froyo offers include support for high DPI (320 dpi) displays such as 4″ 720P, USB tethering, WiFi hotspot, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, Chrome v8 JS Engine integration, general speed improvements and performance optimization.

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) introduces many new features and applications for users to experience a richer and more complete multimedia environment. New platform technologies and developer APIs were provided to make use of large, high-resolution displays, improved processor speed, and memory to create a great gaming experience.

Other new features offered by Android 2.3 include a refined user interface, improved keyboard, improved copy and paste, support for WebM video playback, Internet calling, and NFC (Near Field Communication). These features are in addition to popular Android features like multitasking and Wi-Fi hotspots, Adobe Flash 10.1, and support for extra-high DPI displays.

Android 2.3 has also firmly integrated some apps into the platform, like Google’s mobile apps and a redesigned YouTube. In a world of connectivity, Internet calling is a particularly attractive feature for users. Android 2.3 provides dedicated support for SIP audio and video calls in addition to standard voice calls. Another important aspect in the mobile operating system is power management. Gingerbread handles it in a better way, managing daemon apps and apps running in the background and shutting down unneeded apps that consume the most power.

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