Latest Version of Android and Their Features

From 1.0 to 2.0, the Initial journey

Like all successful products, Android evolved with time. It moved from Strength to Strength and worked over its weaknesses to achieve the heights that it is enjoying today. The interesting part about all the Android versions’ code names is that they are based on the names of desserts. Starting from the first popular version, 1.5 or Cupcake, Android got the basic functionalities for a phone, like recording and watching videos, Bluetooth, keyboards with text prediction and other main functions. The next version was the Donut or 1.6. Donut brought improvement in the Camera department, with synced gallery features and increased speed while performing Camera related functions. Updated search experience also allowed you to search almost everything on your phone and the internet. The 2.1, or Éclair, was the major version which improved almost everything from Bluetooth file transfers to digital zoom, from improved keyboards to new browser UI. Till now, Android had become fairly popular and extremely user friendly.

2.2 Or Froyo, a Major Improvement

Froyo brought major changes in the way the Android operating system worked. Almost everything was revamped in this update and Android became a powerful and user friendly OS. Froyo increased general speed of the Android devices by revamping the UI response time and the hardware interaction. USB tethering, Adobe Flash support and installing applications on removable media were the major upgrades over the Éclair. Currently, this is the most popular Android version that can be found on most phones.

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Latest Android Os Versions

The latest Android OS version, which was released on 6th December 2010, is 2.3 or Gingerbread. This version brings in a lot of high profile features which will slowly transform the Android Operating system over time. The increase in performance, support for native code development, power management and application control, along with the increased video quality and support for multiple cameras, are the major features that are included in Gingerbread. Android Honeycomb is the latest Android version, 3.0, and its SDK has been released recently. It is a tablet-only release and would be concentrating mainly on tablets. It would include support for multi-core processors and would mainly concentrate on multi-tasking and a decent browsing experience. It is evident that Android would become the most advanced OS over time and with the latest Android updates coming in the future, it is just going to get better.

Recent releases

• 2.3 Gingerbread refined the user interface, improved the soft keyboard and copy/paste features, improved gaming performance, SIP support (VoIP calls), and added support for Near Field Communication. Android 2.3 Gingerbread is the latest Android version that is available to phones.

• 3.0 Honeycomb was a tablet-oriented release which supports larger screen devices and introduces many new user interface features, and supports multicore processors and hardware acceleration for graphics. The Honeycomb SDK has been released and the first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, went on sale in February 2011.

• 3.1 Honeycomb was announced at the 2011 Google I/O on 10 May 2011. One feature focuses on allowing Honeycomb devices to directly transfer content from USB devices.

• 3.2 Honeycomb released at July 15 2011, is "an incremental release that adds several new capabilities for users and developers". Highlights include optimization for a broader range of screen sizes; new "zoom-to-fill" screen compatibility mode; capability to load media files directly from the SD card; and an extended screen support API, providing developers with more precise control over the UI. Android 3.2 Honeycomb is the latest Android version that is available to tablets.MediaPad is the first tablet to use this version 

Future releases

• 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is said to be a combination of Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a "cohesive whole" In September 2011, Eric Schmidt stated that Ice Cream Sandwich "is being released in October/November. Ice Cream Sandwich will be publicly unveiled on October 19 in Hong Kong.