Google’s Froyo, or Android 2.2, offers so much that analysts think it may finally overtake Apple’s iPhone. With broad distribution and Verizon’s HTC Incredible, an analyst said Google may “kick serious Apple butt.” Android 2.2 is two to five times faster than Android 2.1. Google also learned from Apple by seeding HTC EVOs to I/O developers.
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 Froyo. It’s the latest iteration of Android, otherwise known as Android 2.2. The question is, what can it do? The answer is, plenty more than its predecessor.The seventh update to the Android platform is chock full of new features and functions and offers new tools to encourage developers to build apps for Android-powered handsets. Android 2.2 handsets will start hitting the market later this year, but analysts are already talking about the possibilities of Android overtaking Apple ‘s iPhone.Apple Behind? Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, pointed to the broad reach of Android phones in terms of both sales and carriers. With the introduction of the HTC Incredible, Verizon’s flagship phone , Enderle believes Android may have finally outdone the iPhone.”All this means that for the first time, as Android 2.2 comes to market, Apple may actually be behind,” Enderle said. “If carriers like Verizon, which has done a good job with Android phones, can convince the market that the Incredible is as good as it is, I think Android 2.2. is going to be the first time we really start to see Google kick serious Apple butt.”One of the most notable new features of Android 2.2. is its speed. The operating system offers the Dalvik JIT computer. In benchmark testing, the new technology delivered between a two to five times performance improvement compared to Android 2.1. On the browsing front, Google integrated the V8 JavaScript engine, which offers two to three times the browsing speed of Android 2.1Enterprise users will also find something to cheer about with Android 2.2. Google added Exchange capabilities, including account auto-discovery and calendar sync. What’s more, device policy-management APIs set the stage for developers to write applications that can control security features of the device such as the remote wipe, minimum password, and lockscreen timeout. Google Learns from Apple Google thinks data -backup APIs are important so users can restore an application ‘s last data if they install them on a new device or even reset the device to manufacturer settings. With the backup APIs, apps can tap into Android Cloud to Device Messaging to set up mobile alerts, send to phone and two-way push sync functions, and also decide whether the app should be installed on internal memory or an SD card.”Google has a lot of people excited. They did a nice job of seeding HTC EVOs at the I/O event. That was pretty smart , and it’s something Apple regularly does. Few people quite understand the strategy,” Enderle said.”For a long time I was worried that [Google CEO Eric] Schmidt didn’t learn anything from the time he was at Apple. But the EVO seeding they did at the Google event might indicate that they are starting to catch on. Google is starting to come around, and that bodes very well for its devices and platforms.” |
