What’s New in Android 2.2 (Froyo)

by Antonio Wells May 22, 2010 8:45 PM – 17 Comments

Once I heard the Nexus One could manually get Android 2.2 (Froyo) update I installed it immediately! Here’s a list of new feature enhancements in addition to those from announcement for Android 2.2.

Featured Enhancements

No Flash initially installed however you download it from the Android Market.
Wi-Fi tethering and Portable Hotspot!!!
Bluetooth Voice Dialing for hands-free calling while driving
Cloud to Device Messaging which allows you to send in the near future download Android Apps from the new Android Market; plus send Google Maps, YouTube videos, Webpage links, phone numbers, and text directly to Android Phones
Updated Google Search bar to include dropdown for All, Web, Apps or Contacts search. Plus choose which items are searchable… not just those previously mentioned yet specific apps; Messaging, Twitter, Music, etc.
Yes the is a “Move App to SD Card” feature, but developers have to update and enable this option for their apps to be installed to SD Card… sucks!

System, Hardware and Settings

There are now different color highlights for the trackball. Initially it would either do white or blue when using Bluetooth. Now any color can be used, typically set within apps if the feature is available.
I’m not sure what to call this memory, but usually when I kill apps using apps like Taskiller there is between 30-75MB of memory that can be freed up. Now it’s up to 218MB.
Phone and Browser quick launch are along side the app launcher.
Personalized search results saved to your Gmail profile.
Can allow offensive words in voice recognition settings.
Edge/3G: enable/disable data access over Mobile network.
Battery: sound when battery is low.
Multi-language stock keyboard.

Core Apps: Gmail, Contacts, Messaging, Facebook, Market, Talk, Car Home

Updated Market with auto-update settings, update all apps feature, and updated layout.
Updated Gmail app to finally include Previous/Next buttons when reading emails (shame that simple feature was just now implemented). Plus jump between accounts by tapping the email address in header versus pressing Menu button then tap Accounts. You can select/copy text from email, colored labels. Finally Android Apps (the APK files) can be installed from email attachment. The has now made one of my favorite work-around app obsolete… APKatcher
Finally no dark theme in Messaging & Google Talk apps, slight face lift.
Contacts with multiple similar calls grouped together which can be toggled to show more detail. Option to sort by last name, display last name first.
More Settings in Camera app; Focus Mode, Store location in photo metadata, White Balance options, toggle Flash, Zoom options. For Video; Color effects (Mono, Sepia, Negative, Posterize, etc), White Balance, toggle Flash, toggle Video Quality (even a custom setting for high quality for YouTube capped at 10 minutes).
New Car Home design.

Few Screenshots from Android 2.2:

: New Android 2.2 Market

: Android USB Tethering and WiFi Hotspot Settings

: New Android Search Bar

Thanks Droid Sector for additions!

Tags: Android 2.2, Cloud to Device Messaging, Flash for Android, Froyo, Install Android Apps to SD Card, Move App to SD Card, Portable HotSpot, Saving Android Apps to SD Card, Wi-Fi tethering

Categorised in: Apps Blog, News

17 Comments

By Jeff on May 22, 2010 at 9:13 pm:

Thanks! Few additions to you list:
- Gmail: select/copy text from email, colored labels.
- Edge/3G: enable/disable data access over Mobile network.
- Contacts: option to sort by last name, display last name first.
- Battery: sound when battery is low.
- Multi-language stock keyboard.

Reply
- By Android Tapp on May 24, 2010 at 7:41 am:
  
  Thanks for that, we’ve added to the post!
  
  Reply
By ShaneVicious on May 22, 2010 at 11:11 pm:

Is it true that FM radio is enabled ?

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- By AndyH_STi on May 23, 2010 at 6:41 pm:
  
  I haven’t seen any sign of the FM radio on Froyo on my N1.
  
  Reply
- By Oxygen on September 6, 2010 at 3:16 pm:
  
  The HTC Desire has the ability to pick up FM Radio (conveniently called FM Radio in the main menu)..
  All it requires it the head-set be plugged in as it acts like the antenna.
  
  Reply
By Andy Corps on May 24, 2010 at 10:53 am:

Just wondering if WPA Enterprise has been enabled?
Currently you need to have a rooted Android device and a 3rd party application, WiFi Helper.

Reply
- By AJS on December 18, 2010 at 3:56 pm:
  
  Has anyone found this out yet? Is there any way to connect to a WPA Enterprise network?
  
  Reply
By Bill Mitchell on June 19, 2010 at 9:36 pm:

STILL no Contacts/Gmail integration?! I mean, I just don’t get it. Don’t the boffins at Google think that users would want to create appointments in Google Calendar from their Contact List? I mean, isn’t that OBVIOUS?

Why can’t SOMEONE create this incredibly simple functionality?

Reply
By Ryan on July 8, 2010 at 8:02 pm:

I’m an Android newbie. Gonna get my Evo here tomorrow but I LOVE what I see. However I truly do like the Sense UI on Android 2.1 on the Evo. Can anyone enlighten me as far as 2.2 is concerned, will I still be able to use Sense?

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- By Matt on August 3, 2010 at 9:11 am:
  
  Yes. I’m using it on my Evo now.
  
  Reply
By Jean Ostrzyeki on August 14, 2010 at 12:16 pm:

wow, never thought about that

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By Darryn on September 22, 2010 at 3:39 pm:

I just downloaded 2.2 and can’t find where you can sort contacts by their last name. Any thoughts?

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- By Jason Norment on September 22, 2010 at 5:18 pm:
  
  @Darryn: Some carrier customizations of the UI may break this feature. On a stock Android 2.2 build the feature should be available.
  
  Reply
By Lefty on October 30, 2010 at 11:41 pm:

Also noticed that the screen now spins all the way around like an iPad.

Reply
By Warlord on March 19, 2011 at 9:01 pm:

Also, if uou pinch and zoom out (two fingers) on either homescreens, it zooms out so that you can see everything. If you are on the black hs with all the apps, and you pinch zoom, you can see all your apps without having to search each page individually.

Reply