Gingerbread, otherwise known as Android 2.3, is finally among us.
Along with an updated user manual (PDF) and video, Google has updated its SDK to API 9, indicating it's all stations go for Gingerbread.
While the Nexus One hasn't been updated yet, the horses are off and racing at XDA Developers to remedy the situation. As to official releases, expect it whenever your phone maker and carrier will certify it: which for some people could mean never.
Main features? A darkened theme, new keyboard, better text selection and a bend towards gaming. Given we don't have a phone running Gingerbread, we took the liberty of booting up an Android Virtual Device in the SDK and took screenshots. Since the emulator is rather slow we won't be able to talk performance; for that we'll need it running on a real phone.
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(Credit: Google)
This little fella has taunted us for months, and has now been let out to play. Well, almost. The Samsung Nexus S will be the first device with Gingerbread, and is expected to launch in the US on 16 December. Want to bet on XDA-Developers getting a Nexus One ROM out before the Nexus S hits the shelves?
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
Slight tweaks to the home screen include greener icons. You'll also notice the black status bar, and a menu press on the home screen now gives quick access to manage your applications. Yep, menus are black now too.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
The new phone dialler continues the "blackening" of Android.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
A "Downloads" icon now appears in your app drawer, allowing you to see what you've downloaded through the browser. You can already access this through a sub menu in the browser, but this is a much quicker option.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
The new Android keyboard adds long press numbers to the top row. You'll still get umlauts and acutes as options on vowels through a pop up, but numbers are now the default long press option.
Apart from the extra spacing between keys, it's made more clear that the full stop and comma keys have long press features, indicated by the "...". If you have Google Voice installed, the comma key is replaced with a microphone key, and as you can see a settings button is now available on the keyboard itself, allowing you to set input method or access the keyboard's settings. If you happen to have rooted your phone and are at least running Froyo, the keyboard is available already and can be found here.
Cursor positioning has been vastly improved: tapping in the text field creates a chevron that can then be dragged easily to a point with your finger, rather than having to tap randomly until you get it right.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
Text selection has been given some love as well. Long press on a word you want to select, choose "Select word" or "Select all", and the appropriate string will be selected along with two chevrons. Drag them out to any distance with your finger to expand or contract your selection.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
New graphics when managing applications let you know exactly how full your storage is, and how much RAM is being used.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
When scrolling and you've reached the end of a page, a yellow glow fades in and out at either the top or the bottom, depending on which way you've scrolled.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
Battery use now shows a graph of your capacity over time. Tap it to get an expanded view, showing when certain phone elements are active.
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(Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
There's now the ability to add "internet calls" to a contact, using SIP as a protocol. No doubt some carriers will attempt to limit this functionality.
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(Credit: Google)
While we couldn't get the camera in the emulator to work satisfactorily, Google's stock shot shows the capability to switch to a front-facing camera.
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