Google is inviting everyone to go to its Mountain View campus on Wednesday, 2nd of February to join them for an in-depth look at Honeycomb.  And there will be a live stream on Youtube at their youtube channel: youtube.com/android.

Join the fun if you could.

Well, we are still waiting anxiously for the Gingerbread update for the Nexus One, and it will become the second phone to receive Gingerbread treatment after the Nexus S.  Well, we have heard the Gingerbread update is coming really soon.  But for the moment, just keep waiting.

The phone is sold for USD529, unlocked and without contract.  If you want the phone, you can buy it from selected BestBuy stores or from BestBuy’s web site.

If you like to see some pictures of the phone, AndroidandMe is kind enough to share some of its pictures of Flickr here:

Google has just officially announced the new version of Android OS, namely Android 2.3 – the Gingerbread.  At the same time the Nexus S phone (manufactured by Samsung) was announced too as the first phone to run the Gingerbread.  Android 2.3 comes with some new features, according to Google’s blog: Gingerbread is the fastest version of Android yet, and it delivers a number of improvements, such as user interface refinements, NFC support, a new keyboard and text selection tool, Internet (VoIP/SIP) calling, improved copy/paste functionality and gyroscope sensor support. Google said it is optimized to run faster and use less power.

The Nexus S phone features a 4” Contour Display (curve display as rumoured). It is fitted with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor (the single core A8 cortex, not the rumoured dual core Orion, sigh!), front and rear facing cameras, 16GB of internal memory, and NFC (near field communication) hardware.

The SDK and NDK for Gingerbread has been released on Android developer site.  However, we have to wait a bit longer for the AOSP code.  And at the moment, no sign for the update to be pushed to Nexus One phone yet.  According to Google, the Nexus S phone will be available in US from 16th of December and in UK from 20th of December.  The unlocked phone will cost USD529.

Enjoy the Nexus S teaser video below.  And links to Nexus S and Gingerbread related sites: Nexus S details, Google blog, Google Nexus S site, Android developers.

Unfortunately, Eric Schmidt did not announce the exact release date of the new phone and OS.  He only mentioned that the Gingerbread will be released in the next few weeks.  And I supposed the Nexus S phone will be announced at the same time as well.  We would like to have more detailed specs of the Nexus S but unfortunately there isn’t any.

The Gingerbread ans Nexus S had been rumoured to be released last week but it was delayed due to an serious issue found in Nexus S.  I hope that the issue will be resolved soon and we shall get our hands on the Gingerbread and the new phone soon.

[via engadget]

According to the Nexus One users, this update contains just some security updates and some minor improvements, nothing big.  However, we know Google is still working hard for Android.

And guess what.  The Nexus One will officially come with Android 2.2 (Froyo).  I guess the official release of Froyo is just around the corner.

KT will bring in 4,000 units of Nexus One initially and there are definitely more to come.  The phone will be sold at around USD576 without contract and around USD125 with 2 year contract.

I wonder which will be next in Asia to sell Nexus One.

Reported by Techcrunch, they have received the Froyo update from Google on their Nexus One already.  They are some people on Twitter reporting the same as well.  But majority of the people have not received the update yet.  And it is still not confirmed whether this is true.

The official statement from Google a while ago was that the Froyo is coming in the next few weeks.  If Google has decided to give the treat to the Nexus One owners to give the update earlier, it will a good news for us.

I own one Nexus One, I can’t wait to get my hands on the Froyo.

[via techcrunch]

Update (23 May):  This is indeed real.  The update was pushed to the phones for media.  The other users either wait or go for the ROM by the people like Cynogen and Paul from Modaco  It is available now unofficially from them.  I have got mine.  The improvement on speed is just amazing

• Google has made the announcement for Android 2.2 – FroYo on the second day of Google I/O.  With lots of expectation, here are the list of enhancements for FroYo:
• Speed – with the new JIT compiler, the speed of applications on Android will run 2 – 2.5 times faster, and could be even faster for some applications
• App data backup
• Improved Enterprise / Exchange Support (remote wipe, Exchange calender, etc)
• Push services – “Android Intent”, this is a push notification using Google server to save battery
• Tethering / Mobile Hotspot, who need to root the device?
• Much faster browsing experience – V8 in browser
• New functionality in browser- Camera, orientation, geolocation
• Support for Adobe Flash and Adobe Air.  Take that, iPhone
• Search the Android Marketplace directly from Quick Search, and the ability to set the search area (all, market, web, etc)
• The ability to install applications on the SD card automatically (finally)
• One-button update or automatic update for apps
• The ability to purchase music from Android Marketplace
• The ability to stream your own music from your desktop

Google has not announced the available date for the FroYo.  Accordingly to them, it will be available in the coming weeks.

Excited?

Google started to sell its first Google branded Android phone, Nexus One, directly from its web store in January 2010.  Although Google had regarded this as viable business, but the sales figures (not official, but from many other sources) are just not satisfactory to continue it.

Google had just announced that the Nexus One not be available from the web store anymore.  Instead, Google will work with the carrier to sell the phone through their stores.  Besides US and some European countries we have heard, it might take a while to reach your countries.

According to the official blog:

“But, as with every innovation, some parts worked better than others. While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not. It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.”

So I guess this innovative way to sell a high end phone is not workable.

[via googleblog]

This is a good news for bike enthusiastic as you will be able to check the path to ride from one place to another.

Another new feature is the ability to share location and direction with your friends via SMS and Email.