Google Nexus One Gets Android OS 2.2

Android OS 2.2 has been officially released to the general public and the first handset to receive it is, unsurprisingly, the Google Nexus One which, unlike the likes of Sony Ericsson or HTC, do not require any custom configurations.

This explains why GNO is the first on the market with the latest iteration of Android. Over the air upgrades should start to trickle to other smartphones over the next few weeks.

The main improvements of Android 2.2 on 2.1 include the improved performance gains (up to 450 per cent according to some benchmarks), native support for Flash 10.1, built-in support for Wi-Fi Hotspot, improved support for Exchange, better Javascript performance, closer integration between desktop & handset and the ability to install application on microSD cards.

Android OS 2.2, which was unveiled last month at Google's I/O developer conference, is likely to replace Android OS 1.6 as the default operating system on forthcoming Android-based phones.

The next version of Android, known as Gingerbread, is already in the pipeline according to a number of sources and should be with us by the end of the year. Surprisingly, Android has not yet updated their website to illustrate the introduction of Android OS v2.2.