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Android
2.3 Gingerbread has been leaked on video, showing a glimpse of a redesigned, green-tinged user interface.
The video, from Google’s Hong
Kong-based YouTube
account, has since been removed — but happily, the Android Police blog points us to another YouTube copy,
which you can see below.
Since we’re waiting on tenterhooks to bask in the sweet smell of freshly baked Gingerbread, which has been rumoured
for weeks, we’re hungry for any news of the missing biscuit.
There’s just a hint of what’s in store, since the video isn’t
demonstrating the new features of Android 2.3, but we did spot a few of
the revamped bits and bobs.
The three shortcuts at the bottom of the home screen have been
given a touch of colour, with the dial button and browser button both
going green to mirror the Android logo. Check boxes and
radio buttons get a polish in the settings, too.
You can also spot a new tab in the Android Market that adds the
option to see related apps when you’re looking at the description of an
app.
So a few new icons are fine, but what else can we expect from
Gingerbread? The last version, Android 2.2 Froyo, brought the
excitement of Flash in the browser, tethering and the ability to act as
a portable Wi-Fi hotspot.
One feature we expect to come with Gingerbread is a plethora of
voice over IP calling features that use Google Voice, but sadly that
service isn’t available in the UK.
Other features Google has hinted at include a revamped online
Android Market, the ability to send apps and media files to your phone
over the air, and to stream your whole music library from your computer
to your phone.
We could also see more access to phone hardware by Web
apps, so they can use things like the camera and accelerometer
within the browser. That would make Web apps much more powerful, without
the need to install them on your phone like a normal app.
It’s probably too soon to see these features on Gingerbread
— we may have to wait for a later version before we see much of the
stuff Google teased us with at this year’s Google I/O showcase.
What do you think of Gingerbread’s green makeover? Let us know in the comments.
