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Oct 27

Taste Android 2.0 ‘Eclair’ From Your Own Computer

Posted in: Android, developers, droid, open source, Phones, Today's Chili

800px-ecler

If you’d like to explore the latest version of Android, aka Eclair, you can wait until Verizon starts selling the Motorola Droid, which is scheduled to be unveiled Wednesday. Or you can download the free Android 2.0 software development kit, which includes a spiffy emulator.

Google made available its latest software development kit for Eclair on Tuesday and the emulator bundled inside allows anyone to explore the upcoming features of Android.

The emulator mimics the Android OS. Developers use it to test their applications so they don’t have to use a handset to see every single change. But you can use it to get an idea of what’s inside Eclair. (Hint: It’s not a creamy filling.)

Every phone is different, so the emulator is a general representation. You can explore the entire OS, from browsing the web to making a mock phone call.

There are also quite a few updates and added features found in Eclair, including:

• Microsoft Exchange support
• An inbox allowing multiple email accounts
• HTML5 support
• Double-tap zooming in the browser
• Digital zoom for the camera
• Improved dictionary for your keyboard (it learns words you frequently use and suggests contact names)
• Improved graphics architecture for better hardware acceleration

The nice folks at Android and Me have posted step-by-step directions on how to install the SDK on your computer and run the emulator.

Whether you’re interested in buying an Android or a curious iPhone diehard, you can taste a sample of Eclair from the comfort of your own computer.

[via Android and Me]

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Photo: Azh7/Wikimedia Commons, with Android logo added by Wired.com