The Android team just released the first official video overview of the upcoming Android 2.0 release. The video, which is geared towards developers, shows off a number of interesting new features, including an improved accounts manager, better contact syncing, easier access to the Android Bluetooth API to connect devices and support for devices with different screen sizes. The demo also shows the smarter contacts application which now features a very smart new 'quick contacts' feature. The contacts application now highlights all the different ways to get in touch with a contact when you click on their avatar.]]>
Lots of New Features
For now, only developers will have access to Android 2.0. Regular users won't be able to get their hands on this update until later this year.
The update features some impressive new functions, including support for synchronizing and managing multiple email accounts, an improved keyboard with a smarter dictionary and a browser that will be more like Safari on the iPhone, with support for double-tap zoom and HTML5.
Here are some of the new features that users can expect to see in Android 2.0:
]]>Contacts and accounts
- Multiple accounts can be added to a device for email and contact synchronization, including Exchange accounts. (Handset manufacturers can choose whether to include Exchange support in their devices.)
Developers can create sync adapters that provide synchronization with additional data sources.
- Quick Contact for Android provides instant access to a contact's information and communication modes. For example, a user can tap a contact photo and select to call, SMS, or email the person. Other applications such as Email, Messaging, and Calendar can also reveal the Quick Contact widget when you touch a contact photo or status icon.
- Exchange support.
- Combined inbox to browse email from multiple accounts in one page.
Messaging
- Search functionality for all saved SMS and MMS messages.
- Auto delete the oldest messages in a conversation when a defined limit is reached.
Camera
Built-in flash support
- Digital zoom
- Scene mode
- White balance
- Color effect
- Macro focus
Android virtual keyboard
- An improved keyboard layout makes it easier to hit the correct characters and improve typing speed.
- The framework's multi-touch support ensures that key presses aren't missed while typing rapidly with two fingers.
- A smarter dictionary learns from word usage and automatically includes contact names as suggestions.
Browser
- Refreshed UI with actionable browser URL bar enables users to directly tap the address bar for instant searches and navigation.
- Bookmarks with web page thumbnails.
- Support for double-tap zoom.
- Support for HTML5.
Calendar
- Agenda view provides infinite scrolling.
- Events indicate the attending status for each invitee.
- Invite new guests to events.