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Sebastian Thrun: Google's Driverless Car
Android 2.0 gets Facebook integration and a car mode
When you hear that there's a new iPhone-killing Google Android phone that's coming to Verizon and has a name straight out of Star Wars - the Droid - it's easy to get so excited that you forget about the software side of things. Yes indeed, Android 2.0 is coming, and it has a spate of hot new features that might legitimately make iPhone users jealous. Gadget-blog Boy Genius Report ended up with a pre-release copy of Android 2.0 and posted a walkthrough of the OS's new features, including Facebook support in the address book, and a Car Home mode for drivers.Facebook contact syncing is a pretty sweet feature on its own, but combine that with Android 2.0's new unified inbox – which collects messages from multiple email addresses (including Exchange accounts) and Facebook messages - and you've got a pretty sweet address book system. BGR says that Gmail accounts are handled in a separate app, which is presumably better able to support Gmail's many features. Car Home is a dashboard for using your phone in the car. It provides voice access to the apps you need when you're driving, so you can dial numbers or search for something on Google Maps without taking your hands off the wheel.
We won't know how cool the Droid is until we can actually touch one, but BGR reports that Android 2.0's software keyboard offers a nice haptic response – that slight vibration that lets you know when you're pressing keys. That puts it well ahead of other non-iPhone touchscreen smartphones (I'm looking at you, BlackBerry Storm), and I can't wait to give a Droid a try for myself.
Comments
4
Subscribe to commentskojo87Oct 19th 2009 7:12PM
man i want an Android phone. unfortunately AT&T has hardly any and i can't justify paying that outrageous termination fee to switch service provider. i'll wait to see what Verizon has up their sleeve this November. those Droid Does ads have me interested.
BoBoTheChimpOct 20th 2009 8:35AM
I can't wait! I just hope T-mobile doesn't make me wait forever (as per usual) to update my G1 with this when it does come out.
LoSesOct 20th 2009 10:52AM
Without rooting we G1 owners probably won't get any part of 2.0, we lucked out getting 1.6
HenrikOct 20th 2009 11:45AM
"... but BGR reports that Android 2.0's software keyboard offers a nice haptic response – that slight vibration that lets you know when you're pressing keys. That puts it well ahead of other non-iPhone touchscreen smartphones ..."
How is this different from the feedback of the keyboard on the HTC Hero?