Google to deliver Android 2.3 Gingerbread for Nexus One
Summary: The update to Android 2.3 will be arriving for the Nexus One in "the coming weeks" bringing with it a host of new features for the original Nexus device
Android 2.3, also known as Gingerbread, will soon be available for Nexus One handsets, according to Google.
Nexus users will be able to upgrade from Android 2.2, known as Froyo, via an over-the-air (OTA) update, according to a post from the company's official 'GoogleNexus' Twitter account on Monday.
"The Gingerbread OTA for Nexus One will happen in the coming weeks. Just hang tight," the announcement from GoogleNexus reads. Google did not announce any specific timescale for the update.
Android 2.3 brings features such as contactless payment using near-field communication (NFC), redesigned UI features, more efficient use of power, a redesigned app manager and the ability to use a handset's front-facing camera to take pictures or capture video.
Google software engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru announced on Friday that the Android 2.3 source code is now available to download for developers.
"If you're not going to immediately work on porting Gingerbread to devices with the intent of distributing the result to end-users, I'm kindly asking that you wait a few hours or a few days before you download it," he wrote in the post on Google Groups.
On Monday Carphone Warehouse announced that it was cutting the price of the Google Nexus S — the second Google-branded handset to be released — by £120, making it £429.95 SIM-free or available without charge on certain contracts of £30 per month or more.
The Nexus One — the first device to run Eclair (Android 2.1) and later, Froyo — was initially only available to buy from Google's own web store, but the portal was discontinued due to not meeting performance expectations, according to vice president of engineering Andy Rubin.
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