Newsletter
Nothing makes the mouth water any more of an informed Android users that the words “Froyo” or “Gingerbread” and now “Ice Cream” but what’s really going on with the phone (phones, depending on possible ports done prior to this post) that is running Android 2.3?
Android 2.2, the longed for Froyo mainly brought the Apps2SD (applications to SD card) feature that we had all been wanting since the G1 and also the JIT (Just In Time) compiler for easier and better application management. But now, there is time for another tweak to be done to the system through Android 2.3
There is a slight UI (user interface) change from stock 2.2 to 2.3 but most of the changes that occur are under the hood, like many have said it is the Snow Leopard for Mac OSX (yes, I’m a Mac users who LOVES his Android phone with all his heart). The one UI change that I really do enjoy is the camera icons, they take the place of pressing “menu” and then “settings” and they rotate when you switch the phone from portrait to landscape and vice-versa.
Android 2.3 managers power a lot better thanks to daemon application which runs in the background and closes or pauses unnecessary applications. The only 2.2 experience that I have had was thanks to Team Whiskey and their Onyx4.2 and Nero v3 and they did give me better battery life than my original Vibrant, but now my Nexus S gets about roughly twelve hours with email, browsing, twitter, phone call, and text messaging. I am not a moderate user, but a heavy user and that’s putting it lightly. The battery life that Android 2.3 has given me is freeing and I no longer need to carry a car charger, AC adapter, and spare battery.
The new Android 2.3 keyboard, there is an .APK file out there for everyone, is also a major makeover. I actually miss the original Android keyboard since I’ve used it since the G1 days but it is a good improvement and I do like it.
Android 2.3 now offers VOIP (internet calling) through the OS and as well as a better UI experience, I feel the need to stress that. The G1 was like a Jeep Wrangler (have one and love it) but now Android 2.3 is like riding in a BMW. This new OS update also offers a way to manage your downloads in one place which is a lot easier than it used to before.
All in all, like every Android update, 2.3 is something to be desired and offers more and more features that we have come to expect from a mobile OS. Many of the tweaks are done in the background, like the application management, but it will give your phone that overhaul to make you fall in love with it all over again.
Here’s to Android 2.3! Cheers!