Google Unveils Android 2.0

Google has announced Android 2.0, an update to their platform for mobile devices.

What's New:
Contacts and accounts
- Multiple accounts can be added to a device for email and contact synchronization, including Exchange accounts. (Handset manufacturers can choose whether to include Exchange support in their devices.)
- Developers can create sync adapters that provide synchronization with additional data sources.
- Quick Contact for Android provides instant access to a contact's information and communication modes. For example, a user can tap a contact photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person. Other applications such as Email, Messaging, and Calendar can also reveal the Quick Contact widget when you touch a contact photo or status icon.

Email
- Exchange support.
- Combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page.

Messaging
- Search functionality for all saved SMS and MMS messages.
- Auto delete the oldest messages in a conversation when a defined limit is reached.

Camera
- Built-in flash support
- Digital zoom
- Scene mode
- White balance
- Color effect
- Macro focus

Android virtual keyboard
- An improved keyboard layout to makes it easier to hit the correct characters and improve typing speed.
- The framework's multi-touch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers.
- A smarter dictionary learns from word usage and automatically includes contact names as suggestions.

Browser
- Refreshed UI with actionable browser URL bar enables users to directly tap the address bar for instant searches and navigation.
- Bookmarks with web page thumbnails.
- Support for double-tap zoom.
- Support for HTML5:
o Database API support, for client-side databases using SQL.
o Application cache support, for offline applications.
o Geolocation API support, to provide location information about the device.
o video tag support in fullscreen mode.

Calendar
- Agenda view provides infinite scrolling.
- Events indicate the attending status for each invitee.
- Invite new guests to events.

The Android 2.0 SDK is now available to developers. No word on when the firmware will become available for download; however, November 6th is the date expected for the Motorola Droid which runs 2.0. To see some of the improvements in action, check out the video below...

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