The fact that there are two main Android development tracks often gets lost in the shuffle.
Google's retirement of the Nexus One reminded consumers that, hey, that's the only Android phone out there right now running FroYo (Android 2.2,) and cutting its availability is stifling the bleeding edge of Android technology, isn't it?
Not really.
Most manufacturers build their own versions of Android from the open source code, which Google releases after it is done with its development. Android with MotoBLUR, Sense, TouchWIZ, or any other user interface enhancements are built from the open source code. So when you get an Android device that does not have the standard "with Google" interface, your over-the-air update comes at the discretion of both the OEM and the network operator.
FroYo was completed in May, released as an OTA update to the Nexus One in early June, and open sourced a little over a week later. In the UK, the Nexus One's 2.2 update reportedly only began arriving today.
Current reports are saying that Motorola's "Droid 2" will be the first new device to ship with Android 2.2, but these reports amount to little more than rumor, and neither Verizon nor Motorola have commented on the images purported to be taken from a Verizon Wireless stock database.
Motorola's flagship Android device, the Droid X, launched in the U.S. just six days ago with a version of MotoBLUR built on Android 2.1.
According to Google's latest statistics, 55% of all Android devices accessing the Android Market are running 2.1, and only 3.3% are running 2.2.
But after the newest version of Android gets open sourced, and different OEMs release their own versions, the numbers get a bit more diluted. We saw this happen in the months between December 2009 and May 2010, when the distribution went from being totally dominated by Android 1.6, to an even three-way split between versions 1.5, 1.6, and 2.1.
We are certain to see this trend repeat when manufacturers release their 2.2 updates throughout the Summer.
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