The next version of Android is being called “Froyo” (frozen yogurt) and is expected to be Android version 2.2. Speculation from various social media sites predict the first day of the Google I/O Conference (May 19th, 2010) might be when 2.2 is released. If that’s the case, 2.2 will likely be made available for Google’s own Nexus One first. Perhaps the Nexus One’s that Google is handing out at the event will come pre-loaded with 2.2?

What Will 2.2 Have that 2.1 Doesn’t?

Of course it’s anyone’s guess what 2.2 will contain, but here’s what we think:

More available RAM and better use of power: Google has moved from the 2.6.29 Linux Kernel to 2.6.32 (already in use by CyanogenMod ROM). This allows (amongst other things) better addressing of RAM, better use of power saving features, 3D support for newer graphics chips, major changes to the power management code which sets the stage for making better use of runtime power saving features, and lots of other goodies.

Flash support: Adobe has been working hard to get Flash onto mobile devices. Their announced timeline for making Flash 10.1 available for Android doesn’t correspond exactly with the Google I/O date, but we’ve already seen Flash on HTC’s Desire, so it is possible with tight enough integration (such as that which could come with a new release of the Android OS).

Multicolored Trackball: Making the trackball “pulse” or “breathe” in different colors (theoretically to visually identify the type of alert) was one of the features originally included in Nexus One specs, but absent in the current release. Current versions of CyanogenMod ROM include this functionality.

FM Radio: The Nexus One has the hardware for receiving FM radio, but no application to take advantage of it. It doesn’t even a driver to enable it for a 3rd party developer to take advantage of. Rumor has it this was because of a problem with the radio portion not passing FCC muster, but we may never know for sure. (Other Android phones already have the FM Radio functionality enabled, so this part only applies to the Nexus One.)

24-bit Gallery: Cooliris, the author of the Gallery app that comes stock with Android 2.1 recently admitted their app renders photos in 16-bit color, but promised an updated version to restore 24-bit color. Additionally, they said we likely wouldn’t see this until “the next major release of the OS”. With the additional 3D capabilities in the 2.6.32 kernel perhaps the extra muscle needed for both 3D and 24-bit color is no longer an issue.

JIT compiler: Google made Dalvik the Java Virtual Machine for Android. Basically, all your apps are written in Java and run in a Java Virtual Machine. This has a whole bunch of benefits and a whole bunch of disadvantages. A virtual machine in this context is basically an abstraction layer between the app and the OS. That extra layer adds overhead and slows things down (but segments each app to its own VM so if one app goes down, it’s contained to its own VM and doesn’t hurt the core OS or other apps). A JIT compiler basically takes the application code and compiles it into native code on the fly – no need for that VM layer. This results in speeds that are 2-3 times faster when running the same app through JIT than through Dalvik. Another possibility is Dalvik Turbo, which is a super-fast JVM for Android. Perhaps we’ll see new apps being run via JIT and “legacy” apps falling back to Dalvik Turbo for compatibility.

OpenGL ES 2.x: OpenGL is the self-proclaimed “industry standard for high performance graphics” with OpenGL ES targeting 2D and 3D graphics rendering on embedded systems. Faster graphics rendering means faster and prettier apps.

What do you think? What would you like to see in the next version of Android?