What's New in Android 2.3 Gingerbread Released on the Google Nexus S

With the explosion of Android-based devices on the mobile market, the much hyped Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" release has many waiting by the phone for the insider peek. Well, here it is. The big focus with this newest version of Google's mobile OS is on a much improved user experience. This version of Android OS was first released on December 16 2010 on the Google Nexus S smartphone device released the same day from Best Buy.

The Basics

The new Android OS offers very little in the way of major feature additions or changes and the core is essentially unchanged from Froyo 2.2. Nevertheless, the effort has been put into appearance, UI experience and performance. Gingerbread sports a slick new look in the form of an orange, green, and black interface, which may be some of the most visible and coolest changes, but that may be just a matter of preference.

Functional Design Changes

While there isn't much under the hood that has changed, it does contain some impressive and functional changes, mainly in the keyboard. There appears to be much to rave about here. Text entry is much more intuitive and snappy. There is one-touch word selection and, of course, the much coveted copy and paste feature has also been improved upon. Using a press and hold gesture, the user will get draggable selection markers for either a single word or multiple words. They have also added multitouch "key-chording," which will allow users to switch to symbol mode by touching the "Shift" key, letter and the symbol mode key to enter numbers or symbols without stopping to change modes. Additionally, Android has reshaped the virtual keys and positioned them to make keyboarding faster, easier-and less frustrating, no doubt. There is also a new auto suggest feature that intuitively offers corrections from the dictionary and users can simply switch to voice mode to select the corrections needed. That's just an added "coolness" factor.

Minor "Under the Hood" Changes

Android 2.3 Gingerbread does offer some small under the hood changes, though-at least it does for those who know what to do with them, anyway. These changes include improvements to the power management routines, which now better allow Android devices to shut down applications that consume too much power in the background. This change also allows the device to shut down applications that seem to keep the device "awake" for too long as well. These are both features that could theoretically help save on any device's battery performance as well.

Users are also going to have a better idea of the overall power state and application power usage with detailed information available in the application management system. The Manage Application command has been included in the options menu located on the home screen, as well as the launcher, which allows users quick access to all application information. Additionally, changes in communications now allow users to make SIP voice calls from a contact record, quick connect or the dialer itself.

Final Thoughts

One last thing, Google is touting enhancements that are intended for Android OS gaming developers, such as faster screen response and updated video drivers, which will eventually mean more gaming fun to come in due time. However, with over 80,000 Android apps to choose for now that include many games, there is no lack of fun or productivity when using any Android device with any version OS.

Overall, the new look is sleek and dark with dramatic color streaks against a misty dark background. The theme continues to the other screens and works just as well. It would appear that the Android Dev team is working on making Android as sexy as iOS 4, and it is about time.

Sources:
Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread Features & Highlights: Android Developers
"Gingerbread Review: Better than Fruitcake," Gizmodo
Google Nexus S Features & Specifications: Google.com