As you may have noticed, the source code for Android 2.2, which we call Froyo, has been released.
The Android 2.2 SDK that was released at Google I/O contained a preview of the Froyo system image and today, we are releasing an update to bring it into sync with the system image pushed to Nexus One devices.
I encourage all developers to use the SDK manager to update to this version.
I've got some good news today: the Android 1.5 SDK, release 1 is ready! Grab it from the download page.
For an overview of the new Android 1.5 features, see the 1.5 release notes page in our developer site.
I am also happy to let you know that our partners at HTC have made available new system images to upgrade your Android Dev Phone 1 (ADP1) to Android 1.5. This new version (which is only available for the ADP1) is based on the Cupcake branch from the Android Open Source Project and corresponds to the system image of the Android 1.5 SDK, release 1. If you have questions about the process of updating your device, you can ask the mailing list that we've set up.
I'd also like to note that Android developer phones like the ADP1 are intended for application development, rather than daily use. Additionally, they are operator-neutral and country-neutral, so they may not include certain features found on end-user devices.
Hello, developers! As you may have heard by now, users around the world have started to receive updates to their Android devices that provide new features and functionality. You may also have noticed that the new update reports as "Android 1.1". Applications written with the 1.0_r1 and 1.0_r2 SDKs will continue to work just fine on Android 1.1. But if you want to take advantage of the new APIs in 1.1, you'll need an updated SDK.
That's why I'm pleased to let you know that the Android 1.1 SDK, release 1 is now available. As you'll quickly see from the release notes, the actual API changes are quite minor, but useful. This new SDK has all the new APIs, as well as a new emulator image to let you test your applications. If you have a retail device running Android, contact your operator for the update schedule. An updated v1.1 system image for the Android Developer Phone 1 will be coming soon.
In addition to the new APIs, the emulator also contains improved ability to test localizations to the German language. Localizations for other languages will be added in future SDK releases.
You can download the updated SDK using the links above. Happy coding!
Today at Google I/O we announced that Android 2.2 is right around the corner. This is our seventh platform release since we launched Android 1.0 in September 2008. We wanted to highlight five areas in particular:
Performance & speed: The new Dalvik JIT compiler in Android 2.2 delivers between a 2-5X performance improvement in CPU-bound code vs. Android 2.1 according to various benchmarks.
New enterprise capabilities: We’ve added Exchange capabilities such as account auto-discovery and calendar sync. Device policy management APIs allow developers to write applications that can control security features of the device such as the remote wipe, minimum password, lockscreen timeout etc.
Faster, more powerful browser: We have brought the V8 JavaScript engine to the Android browser as part of 2.2. This has resulted in a 2-3X improvement in JavaScript performance vs. 2.1.
Rich set of new APIs and services: New data backup APIs enable apps to participate in data backup and restore, allowing an application's last data to be restored when installed on a new or a reset device. Apps can utilize Android Cloud to Device Messaging to enable mobile alert, send to phone, and two-way push sync functionality. Developers can now declare whether their app should be installed on internal memory or an SD card. They can also let the system automatically determine the install location. On the native side, a new API now gives access to Skia bitmaps.
Additions to Android Market: Android Market provides Android Application Error Reports, a new bug reporting feature, giving developers access to crash and freeze reports from users. Developers will be able to access these reports via their account on the Android Market publisher website.
For a complete list of everything we’ve included in Android 2.2, please see the platform highlights.
Developers can now download the Android 2.2 SDK and Android NDK, Revision 4 from the Android developer site.
Tools update
We are releasing new version of the Android SDK Tools, Revision 6, Eclipse plug-in ADT 0.9.7 and Android NDK, Revision 4.
Android SDK Tools, Revision 6, Eclipse plug-in 0.9.7
These new versions include support for library projects that will help you share code and resources across several Android projects.
Android NDK, Revision 4
Workflow improvementsThe new NDK brings a host of workflow improvement, from compilation, to debugging. Starting with 2.2, the NDK enables debugging native code on production devices.
ARMv7 instruction set supportThis release enables the generation of machine code for the ARMv7-A instruction set. Benefits include higher performance, as well as full use of the hardware FPU for devices that support it.
ARM Advanced SIMD (a.k.a. NEON) instruction supportThe NEON instruction set extension can be used to perform scalar computations on integers and floating points. However, it is an optional CPU feature and will not be supported by all Android ARMv7-A based devices. The NDK includes a tiny library named "cpufeatures" that can be used by native code to test at runtime the features supported by the device's target CPU.
For more information, please see the releases notes for the SDK Tools, ADT, and NDK.
As I said at the beginning, Android 2.2 will be here soon, and some devices will get the update in the coming weeks. I invite application developers to download the new SDK and tools and test your applications today.
Check out the video below to learn more about Android 2.2.
