Menlo Park (ip-192.com): Android 2.2, Google's operating system for mobile devices, is coming to the Nexus One smartphone via an over-the-air update. The new version codenamed Froyo is significantly faster and supports features like push-through notifications. Android 2.2 will allow users to turn their handset into a portable Wi-Fi hotspot. With the update installed, the device can be used as a 3G connection for Linux and Windows powered laptops and netbooks.
"Starting today, Nexus One users will begin to receive the Android 2.2 (codenamed Froyo) over-the-air software update on their phones," Google said in a statement. "In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your 
phone's notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones - and most users will receive the notification by the end of the week."
Nexus One phones running Android 2.2 can load data between two and five times faster. The Phone, applications Launcher, and Browser have dedicated shortcuts on the Home screen to make it easy to access them from any of the five home screen panels. Numeric pin or alpha-numeric password options are welcomed additions to improve security, and Exchange administrators have the ability to enforce password policies across devices. They can reset the smartphone to factory defaults in case it is lost or stolen. Devices can be synchronized with Exchange mail and calendars by providing a username and password.
Tip widgets show how users can customize the home screen with shortcuts or make use of multiple home screens. While most Nexus One owners can expect an upgrade within the next couple of days, users of other Android phones such as Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G (ip-192.com reported here) have to wait until the phones manufacturer rolls out an update.
Google has produced a short video that explains new features of the Linux based Android 2.2 operating system.
Owners of Google's Nexus One smartphone can expect an over-the-air update to Android 2.2 soon. Photo: www.imagine-your-world.com
[...] The company also said that it has achieved all it set out to do, and that there are no plans to launch another smartphone. T-Mobile, the original US operator, has also unlisted the device from its website and recommends the HTC HD2 and the Motorola CLIQ-Titanium smartphones instead. A recent upgrade to the Android 2.2 operating system enabled a long list of new features on the device, including the ability to turn the Nexus One into a mobile hotspot (ip-192.com reported here). [...]