Froyo's Here: Google Pushes Out Android 2.2 to Nexus One

Google first unveiled Android 2.2 in late May at its Google I/O Conference in San Francisco. A Dalvik JIT compiler and a JavaScript engine make it run five times faster than previous versions of Android, and it offers tethering, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, full support for both Adobe Flash and Adobe Air, SD card and Android app back-up, and support for Microsoft Exchange.

Google's Nexus One, which is manufactured by HTC but branded as a Google phone, is the first in a legion of Android devices to get the update.

"In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone's notification bar," wrote Google in a Monday post to the Nexus One blog. "Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones -- and most users will receive the notification by the end of the week."

Google is still putting support behind Nexus One, even though it announced in mid-May that it would no longer sell Nexus One phones through its Google Web retail store. At the time, Google said it was exploring other retail channels for Nexus One sales. The move came following Verizon and Sprint cancelling plans to join T-Mobile as carriers for Nexus One.

Other smartphone manufacturers running Android on their latest phones -- Motorola's just-announced Droid X and the Sprint-carried HTC EVO 4G being the most prominent examples -- have said Android 2.2 will come to their devices later this year.