Some thoughts on the official Froyo update for the HTC Desire

HTC released the much anticipated official Android 2.2 (a.k.a. Froyo) for the HTC Desire over the weekend. I was already quite satisfied with Android 2.1 (a.k.a. Eclair) on my device but Froyo seems to have really taken it to the next level. There are a number of new features but I'll just highlight a couple of main ones here.

1. Overall speed is slightly improved. It's noticeable but not a huge difference since it was plenty fast before.

2. Probably the most touted feature of Froyo is Flash support. The native browser can now utilize Flash Player 10.1 to take advantage of numerous Flash content on the web. HTC had initially built-in limited Flash support in their original Eclair ROM for the Desire. It works but performance was quite poor. Flash videos would play but framerates were just horrible. Now, with Froyo and Flash 10.1, Flash videos load quick and play surprisingly smooth. I was able to watch videos from ESPN.com. Youtube videos would load right within the browser (ie, I wasn't kicked out to the streaming video player or the Youtube app). I was even able to play the browser version of Plants vs Zombies! It's a bit slow in that scenario, but it's a miracle that it works in the first place! Kudos to Google, Adobe, and HTC here. Very well done...

3. I'm pretty sure tethering was possible in Eclair. But now, it's idiot-proof. You just toggle the WiFi Hotspot on, set your device's SSID and encryption password, and that's all! Are you listening, Steve Jobs?

4. Installing applications to external memory should have been a feature that was suppose to be there since the beginning. But, better late than never.

5. Chrome to Phone is something that was new to me. I tried it out and it's just brilliant! With just one click in your desktop browser, you can send snippets of information to your Froyo enabled device! (ie, hyperlinks, phone numbers, text you want to copy to the clipboard, Youtube videos, Maps coordinates). This feature really can't be explained. It must be experienced. See here http://code.google.com/p/chrometophone/

6. 720p video recording was rumored to be a feature of the HTC Desire prior to release. Now, we finally get it. I must admit, it's not very impressive. Framerates are quite poor and there's a lot of noise. If you intend to view the video on your device, you should just record in WVGA resolution. If you intend to view it on a larger screen, by all means try 720p but manage your expectations.