[hecatae]

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/introducing-nexus-s-with-gingerbread.html


Today, we’re pleased to introduce the latest version of the Android platform, Gingerbread, and unveil the next Android device from the Nexus line of mobile products—Nexus S. And for developers, the Gingerbread SDK/NDK is now available as well.

and


After December 16, Nexus S can be purchased (unlocked or with a T-Mobile service plan) online and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores in the U.S. and after December 20 at Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy retailers in the U.K.

[Hands0n]

There is a shortie Google video on Android 2.3 here --> http://www.redmondpie.com/download-android-2.3-gingerbread/

Of particular interest to me is that the new OS has a built in native SIP client. Now that is going to totally miff the UK mobile network operators. Does anyone recall what Vodafone did to the Nokia N95 that also had native SIP? One wonders if they've all grown up a bit, or not.

Also interesting is their implementation of "Near Field Communication" - but surely it requires specific hardware in the handset - or is it built in to the Qualcomm chipset?

More and enhanced reading here from Android Developer too --> http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.3-highlights.html

[Ben]

I hope progress in NFC is made sooner rather than later. The pace, meaning lack of, at which contactless card payment technology is taking off is irritating me. This seems to be setting some groundwork for including the feature but stop short of any practical uses as far as I can see?

[hecatae]

Qualcomm announced February 2009 that NFC was being built into their chipsets, but did not elaborate on which chipsets

[The Mullet of G]

The NFC stuff is kinda cool I guess, but I would have been much more impressed with folder support, seriously its 2010 and we still have a mobile OS that can't use folders. Its good to hear they are making an effort on the gaming front though, although I'm not sure any of the stuff they have announced will actually help all that much, but any forward movement here has to be a good thing.

[Hands0n]

I am looking forward to the UI performance improvements only. For the longest time I have felt that Android is still very inferior in UI performance terms to iOS and nothing so far has changed that opinion. Here I have with me an iPhone 4 (previously an iPhone 3GS) and Google Nexus One and the UI glitches experienced on the Nexus One are frustrating in the extreme compared to the silky smooth glide of the iOS UI on both the Apple devices. Head and shoulders above, the iOS towers over the Android OS.

So, Gingerbread like Froyo before it is my anticipated Android saviour. Or is it?

[The Mullet of G]

I am looking forward to the UI performance improvements only. For the longest time I have felt that Android is still very inferior in UI performance terms to iOS and nothing so far has changed that opinion. Here I have with me an iPhone 4 (previously an iPhone 3GS) and Google Nexus One and the UI glitches experienced on the Nexus One are frustrating in the extreme compared to the silky smooth glide of the iOS UI on both the Apple devices. Head and shoulders above, the iOS towers over the Android OS.

So, Gingerbread like Froyo before it is my anticipated Android saviour. Or is it?


Agreed. For me personally Froyo feels like a bloated less functional version of Symbian, I was quite surprised by how similar they are. UI performance improvements are definitely needed, along with a ton of polish. Generally when you get a new phone you'll spend the first day or two showing off its killer features to anyone daft enough to listen, but with the HTC Desire about all I could muster was "hey look its got a cool weather widget...even if it is wrong most of the time" in every other respect its average at best. It never feels like your using a high end device, the UI and general feel you get is distinctly mid range, HTC have tried to spice things up with Sense, but yet I get no great pleasure from it.

Roll on Gingerbread.

[Ben]

Funny about the Symbian comparison, I was thinking a similar thing only the other day. It dawned on me that the way Android felt to use wasn't a million miles away from Symbian, and it'd certainly be plausible to expect that Symbian would have evolved and improved to that level as a touch smartphone OS by now.

I'm not suggesting they're actually comparable in the real world, mind. It just feels like there's more Symbian in Android than iOS :)

I love the energy and drive behind Android, though. I think it's already a worthy no.1 smartphone OS for the masses, and hope that 2.3 keeps it on track.

[Hands0n]

With Android they have got to do one of at least two things. Either reduce the hardware performance requirement of the OS or bring on-stream new hardware that is performant.

I don't suppose the ordinary masses notice these things. But even on the Nexus One, which is no slouch in hardware terms, the UI will stagger, stutter and freeze from time to time. Even unlocking the device is an imprecise affair, frequently requiring two or three attempts - slowing down my finger action each time - until it registers the finger touch and complies. I perceive that it is very similar on the two lads HTC Desire devices. So it is not just my specific Nexus One. I also experience the same on the Dell Streak and Orange San Francisco. It is Android, pure and simple.

Now, on the "flagship" touchscreen handset there is none of this shenanigans. I can tap away as rapidly as I like and the OS's UI keeps up with me flawlessly.

Will Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) deliver that with it's claimed UI improvements? One can only hope.

[The Mullet of G]

Android is definitely a lot closer to Symbian than it is to iOS, it lacks the polish and ease of use that iOS offers but it also fails to compete with the features and functionality that Symbian brings to the table. For me Android just feels like someone stuck a Symbian themed UI on top of a Linux kernel, it gives the initial impression of being a fully featured OS, but its actually a horrible maze of interconnecting walled gardens. Apple brought the flavour of OS X to a mobile device, and their version of the walled garden works because it is pretty and it does enough to make you forget about the limitations, Google brought Linux to a mobile device and its just that, Linux on a mobile device, its not pretty and it doesn't have enough tricks up its sleeve to distract you from the limitations.

I thought the Android Market might be the one ray of shining light, but its basically Ovi 2.0 and its a barren wasteland of ridiculously overpriced and equally shoddy apps, it actually made the Ovi Store look pretty decent.

I don't think Gingerbread is going to bring the changes needed to improve Android sufficiently, but hopefully in time Google will eventually get it right.

[The Mullet of G]

With Android they have got to do one of at least two things. Either reduce the hardware performance requirement of the OS or bring on-stream new hardware that is performant.

I don't suppose the ordinary masses notice these things. But even on the Nexus One, which is no slouch in hardware terms, the UI will stagger, stutter and freeze from time to time. Even unlocking the device is an imprecise affair, frequently requiring two or three attempts - slowing down my finger action each time - until it registers the finger touch and complies. I perceive that it is very similar on the two lads HTC Desire devices. So it is not just my specific Nexus One. I also experience the same on the Dell Streak and Orange San Francisco. It is Android, pure and simple.

Now, on the "flagship" touchscreen handset there is none of this shenanigans. I can tap away as rapidly as I like and the OS's UI keeps up with me flawlessly.

Will Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) deliver that with it's claimed UI improvements? One can only hope.

I get that on the HTC Desire also, its quite annoying. I think its a combination of a resource heavy OS and an underperforming Snapdragon SoC, even overclocking it up to 1190Mhz isn't enough to stop it from huffing and puffing along like its got the weight of the world on its shoulders. I can only imagine on devices with slower CPU's this would become even more apparent. I think newer Android phones will fare better as they have better CPU + GPU combinations, hopefully Gingerbread will also offer performance improvements or at least better resource usage.

[3GScottishUser]

Apparently the Galaxy S will be one of the first devices to be upgraded to Gingerbread. No firm date as yet but the details appeared on Samsung's twitter feed last week.

[hecatae]

there's a current development rom for the Orange San Francisco on modaco, calls and sms do not currently work, and it's using the 2.6.29 kernel, not gingerbread's 2.6.35 kernel.

several roms of 2.3 on xda-developers, including one for the se x10