Android 2.0 is out! New features are available for developers and of course for the users. First of all let's start with the users news:
- you can add multiple accounts on a device for email and contact sync
- you can search for all SMS and MMS messages
- you can set the device to auto delete the oldest messages when a defined limit is reached
- built in flash support, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect, macro focus for the camera
- the new virtual keyboard makes it easier to hit the correct characters and improves writing speed
- double tap zoom, bookmarks with web page thumbnails, support for HTML5, database API, geolocation API inside the browser
- Bluetooth 2.1 with Object Push Profile (OPP) and Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP)
For the developers we have:
- new emulator skins
- debug/release application signing
- Bluetooth on/off, device and service discovery, data exchange via RFCOMM
- account manager for user/pass storing
- new parameters for color effect, scene mode, flash mode, focus mode, white balance, rotation, and other settings and ZoomCallback interface for Camera
- new API for retrieving image and video thumbnails on demand
- new system themes in android.R.style
- new WallpaperManager API
- new Service API
- advanced features for MotionEvent and KeyEvent
I saved the best part for "le grande finale" : Android 2.0 has the long expected multi-touch feature which will support up to three fingers touch simultaneously.
You can find a diff report here. And for more information about the release try here.
