Android 2.1

[unix.punkx]

:greendroid:

So what are people most excited about/hearing about for Android 2.1? I've only seen clips and havent really heard "exact" features.

 

[searayman]

the feature list is in liek a million post already, just do a search if you are looking for them.

As for what I am looking forward to its smoother transitions and less freezing.

 

[unix.punkx]

Yeah i would like to see a bit smoother transition towards Home Screens, i heard something about Live Wallpapers, that looks really interesting, I wonder how battery life plays into that

 

[FireDroid]

I have none of those problems now with mine, sorry to hear about that.

 

[unix.punkx]

It's not necessarily a problem, it was improved vastly with 2.0.1. Just wouldnt hurt to be smoother

 

[John18]

The Google Nexus One has finally launched and its most impressive feature is its OS. 2.1 brings a shed load of new features and here's what we like

Published on Jan 6, 2010

As you've probably already seen, the Google Nexus One ships with Android 2.1 (AKA Eclair), and although 2.0 (Donut) was pretty good, the newest firmware update comes with enough newbie aspects to get Android user upgrading if their handset allows.

So what's new and exciting?

Voice controls - Being able to control your phone via voice may not be at the top of everyone's list of features, but as the demo on the Nexus One showed, its implementation in Android 2.1 is immense. Not only can you demand it takes you somewhere and be presented with turn-by-turn voice directions, but you can also send Tweets, SMS messages and emails just by telling your phone what you want to say. Smart, huh?

Google Earth - The Google Earth app for Android will launch hand in hand with 2.1, and it does look mighty impressive from over here. It's pretty similar, well, to Google Earth on iPhone, but there's a new mode where you can apparently fly through the air like a bird. Nice.

Phonebook - The phonebook on Android 2.1 devices will automatically pull in contacts from multiple sources including Facebook, and although it was a feature found on many customised UIs such as Motorola's MotoBLUR, having it natively installed makes it much smoother.

Email - Android 2.1 will bring with it the ability to have more than one Gmail account working from the same inbox. This means if you have two Gmail accounts, you can get them both feeding one inbox, rather than having to set up separate accounts.
Weather App - The new weather app as featured on Android 2.1 will include dynamic weather updates that use GPS to give minute-by-minute accounts of the temperature, humidity and weather conditions in your current location.

Interactive wallpapers - OK, so this doesn't really improve the functionality of Android, but it will make Android devices look prettier. Animated wallpapers are onboard, and if you fancy it, you can interact with them too. For example, if you have an animated wallpaper featuring water, you can press the screen and ripples will appear.

Homescreens - The vanilla version of 2.1 will now ship with five homescreens rather than the measly three on 2.0 devices. It means you can cram in more apps from the rapidly increasing selection on the Android Market, and of course shortcuts and Widgets. Although customised OS Android devices (such as the Milestone, T-Mobile Pulse, HTC Magic) did previously have more than three homescreens, they're now there from the off!

Photo gallery - A new photo gallery feature brings a new way of viewing your pics to Android. Google took some of the functionality from COOLIRIS, allowing you to seamlessly browse your photos on a 3D wall. Albums are clustered by time, date and location too, so your gallery will be perfectly ordered.

App Launcher - Android's App Launcher has been revamped so you no longer have to drag and pull to get to the app menu. Simply tap a button and everything smoothly zooms into place.

Firmware upgrade - Although not directly related to the new firmware features, news is spreading that some lucky Android users will be able to upgrade existing devices to 2.1. The list so far includes the HTC Magic, Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Milestone, although we're sure most newer Android devices will benefit from the upgrade too.

10 reasons why Android 2.1 kicks ass - Features - Know Your Mobile

 

[qoncept]

I don't understand why Google is making a set number of homescreens instead of letting you choose. It would be stupid easy to implement. I do feel a bit cramped with 3 but I feel like with any more, it might kind of defeat the purpose of homescreens. If you want more than 5, it seems like it would make more sense to just fill the homescreens with whatever widgets you want and launch apps from the launcher.

 

[codyodyody]

I had home++ only because of the multiple home screens. I really hate the three because there are soo many cool widgets out there. I had to delete home++ because of the sluggishness and fc's. I cannot wait for the update mainly for the multiple screens alone.

 

[backlash]

the feature list is in liek a million post already, just do a search if you are looking for them.

As for what I am looking forward to its smoother transitions and less freezing.

I'm also looking forward to smoother transitions to everything while using the phone. Sometimes this jerkiness drives me NUTS!

 

[gardobus]

...

As you've probably already seen, the Google Nexus One ships with Android 2.1 (AKA Eclair), and although 2.0 (Donut) was pretty good, the newest firmware update comes with enough newbie aspects to get Android user upgrading if their handset allows.

...

WHAT? :icon_eek:

 

[unix.punkx]

Wow thanks for that huge post John 18. The fact that we are getting 5 homescreens is big