Google shows major improvements with Android 2.2

The new operating system has the fastest browser in the industry according to Google's vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra , as well as over 20 new features for the enterprise sector and a new software development kit with open API's.

“If you believe in openness, if you believe in choice, if you believe in innovation for everyone, then welcome to Android,” he said.

The operating system will be from two to five times faster thanks to advances made in the compilers and the Dalvik virtual machine it uses, and how it is ported to new processors and platforms.

On the enterprise front the new operating system comes with full support for Microsoft Exchange, including access to the global address book and the ability to translate native security features to mobile handsets. APIs have also been added to allow controls such as the automatic wiping of missing handsets and other remote management features.

“As Android's popularity has grown people have been taking these devices to work,” he continued.

“We're heard loud and clear from them that they need new features.”



With 22 demonstrations he showed off some of the new features in the new software development kit. These include the ability to transfer a user's personal data with new applications, better access to web applications, automatic updates, access to the APIs to use hardware devices on the handset like the accelerometer and camera and Google Intent, which allows full web pages to be sent automatically.

Google is also making its voice translation and search APIs open to developers, and showed off an application developed for the handset that allowed real time translation from English to French. The operating system also supports Adobe's Flash and Air platforms, something he chided Apple for not providing.

Overall Android was gaining huge momentum he said. There were now over 100,000 handsets activations a day using the system and the operating system leads the market in its user's adoption of smartphone internet browsing.



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