Google I/O: Android 2.2 Froyo Gets Official & It’s Dazzling [Android Froyo Unveiled at Google I/O Brings on Lots of Extra Impressive Features]

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Just as expected, Google has unveiled Android 2.2 Froyo today and I bet all Android lovers will want to get their hands on this brand new update as soon as possible. Android 2.2 is definitely a great upgrade that will pose a serious threat to iPhone OS 4.0.

Ironically enough Froyo has five pillars as opposed to the seven tentpoles of iPhone OS 4.0 and we’ll go through all the main features of Froyo for you today.

First of all we have speed. Android Froyo will be 2x to 5x speedier which means you’ll enjoy your apps a lot faster and a lot easier thanks to that Just-in Time (JIT) Compilation.

Google is also working on new Enterprise features for Froyo. The new OS will offer you 20 new Enterprise features which will certainly help you back up all your data and use it both on your Android and other devices. Android is Microsoft Exchange friendly and now is ready to offer features like auto-discovery, global address book integration, and some brand new APIs for device management.

The new application data backup API will let you backup apps and personal data inside those apps which is definitely interesting.

Froyo takes the cloud a little more seriously as it will be able now to let you push various information straight from other devices to the Android devices while also triggering a specific actions on the phone. For example you could send Google Maps to the Android device or send a webpage to your Android device and they will be available immediately as Froyo will open them for you on the smartphone.

Moving over we discover tethering and portable hotspot. I don’t think that needs further explaining does it? Well maybe AT&T needs to be explained what tethering means and why we want it! Your Froyo phone will be tethered to other devices. Like an iPad Wi-Fi that would need it from time to time.

Since we’re talking about surfing the web we’ll tell you that Froyo will offer you a 2x-3x Javascript performance boost. Google showed us Froyo against Éclair against iPhone OS and guess what OS performed better in browser testing speeds? That’s right, it’s Froyo.

Other new Froyo features include orientation, camera and speech. A maps application will easily rotate within the browser once the phone rotates since the browser is aware of the existence of the digital compass.

Froyo will also let you use voice commands to browse for complicated content, make calls and even translate your words in another language while traveling.

Flash 10.1, as expected, is going to be available in Froyo:

It turns out that on the Internet, people use Flash. Part of being open means you’re inclusive rather than exclusive.

That means Google will say “Yes!” to Adobe’s Flash unlike some other companies that are saying “No!” to it.

Of course, the Android Market is also be upgraded when Froyo hits. Not only will you be able to save your apps to SD cards and run them from there, but the new search functionality will let you find apps a lot easier and browse through personal data stored by any of those apps. One more useful feature of the new Android Market is the automatic apps update. Should you chose to let Android update your apps automatically, your smartphone will take care of that without you having to manage everything personally. Developers will therefore send faster updates to their apps while also being able to access bug reports sent by users themselves.

Last but not least, when it comes to the Android Market, Google will offer you a new Android Marketplace available on the PC which will let you purchase apps straight on your PC and send them to your Froyo phone over the air. Same thing goes for music and other content. Wi-Fi Sync anyone?

Google decided to tell everyone, Apple included, that it knows a thing or two about advertising. Its core business is made by advertising and tools like Analytics, Doubleclick, Adwords or Adsense will be available for mobile devices. Google will offer interesting new ad formats which will certainly be able to compete with Apple’s iAds. Most importantly, the ads shown at Google I/O are actual ads unlike the concept ads shown at the iPhone OS 4.0 event. I am sure the mobile advertising battle has just started but Google, in case Apple wasn’t sure about it, will certainly be a more than tough adversary especially with all those hot Android phones coming out there.

Speaking of hot Android phones, Google is giving a plug to the HTC EVO 4G, the hottest Android smartphone out there, and, unlike the rest of us watching the keynote on YouTube, everyone present at the Google I/O conference will be getting one.

So, that’s Android Froyo folks, with all its new features. Sure it’s harder to differentiate the five pillars since we’ve seen some very hot features out there but we’re definitely impressed with it no matter how many pillars it would have. It will be interesting to see when most current Android phones will get Android 2.2 Froyo. Hopefully sooner than later!