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At Googles I/O event yesterday, the widely anticipated next iteration of the Android platform "Froyo" was unveiled. The upcoming Android 2.2 update is not exactly breaking news, or anything new for that matter; tech blogs already anticipating what would be included up to a few weeks prior. Aside from the already known support for flash being included, there are a few changes and new features that I think Android users would really appreciate.

Android OS 2.2 "Froyo" is one step closer to avoiding the

"Draconian future where one company, one device, controls the future" as quoted by VP of Engineering at Google, Andy Rubin

Hit the jump for a rundown of some of the new features

 
Flash Support

Google has proven that Flash on a mobile device isn't as bad an experience as Apple has prophesied it to be. Froyo will have full flash support and from first first pictures and impressions around the internet, It looks very promising. Wonder what the effect will be on the less than stellar battery life of some of the Android devices. I'm not sold on this just yet, we'll just have to wait and see.

The Need For Speed

Thanks to the new JIT (Just-In-Time) compiler that Froyo is sporting, Google are claiming up to 2 to 5 times application speed up. Early benchmarks from the guys at Engadget have shown a Nexus One running Froyo compared to one running Eclair and a Milestone running Eclair and the numbers were stunning. A clear 2 to nearly 5 times improvement. As the Lowyat.Net faithful will know, benchmarks are one thing, real-world application is another.
WiFi Internet Tethering
2.2 sees the root-shy Android users amongst us getting Internet tethering and portable hotspot functionality out of the box. Couldn't help but chuckle when the device they used to test the WiFi hotspot was an Apple iPad. Oh so cheeky!
Browser Upgrades
Google has been famous for its speedy Chrome browser, and now, with V8 for the Android, they claim to have the worlds fastest mobile browser too. With 2-3 times improvement for javascript performance, the new V8 is using the same JavaScript interpreter as Chrome.

Faster page loading is not the only thing that was updated, now your location information can be used properly in browser, accelerometers work too as well as a Camera API. There was also a demonstration of voice commands with Google search, but until I try it for myself, my skepticism for voice recognition technology will remain.

Android Marketplace

The Android Marketplace has always in my eyes been cowering in the shadow of the big bad Apple App Store, and for good reason at that! But with Froyo, it can finally step out of the shadows with improvements in a better web based client, automatic app updates, and at long last and update all button.

Also with the new web store, when you download an app, it will be pushed and downloaded over the air to your device. Cool. This also works with music from the store.

Visit our sources for more details and the full features list for Android 2.2