Samsung has started delivering Gingerbread (Android 2.3) to Galaxy S devices starting from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), followed by the UK and other European countries.
In India, which is poised to be the biggest market for Samsung (according to some reports), users will have to wait at least till the end of May or early June for this update.
Samsung’s spokesperson have confirmed this by saying that the update will be available earliest by the end of May, but that it is more likely to arrive in June.
Currently, Galaxy S runs on Android 2.2 Froyo, which is getting upgraded to the latest version of Android for smartphones. This update is delivered over the air, meaning that you just need to connect your phone to your PC and get the update through the internet.
Therefore, the delay is surprising.
Without this update, you are missing:
New keyboard
This new virtual keyboard has its keys reshaped for faster input, and the software brings up word suggestions depending on the letters you type.
Other new features are multi-touch keyboard to type numbers and symbols with shortcuts instead of having to flip between numerical and alphabet keyboards like you’ve got to now. This new keyboard also has PlayStation controls.
Copy/paste
The copy and paste function has been improved and you can now select words by just pressing and holding keys, and then selecting and copying text for pasting later.
Power management
Another improvement is your ability to manage power consumption. Inside your application settings you’re able to see your battery and how it’s being used by various apps.
Application control
Along these lines is a shortcut to “Manage Applications”, which you can reach from your options menu. From here, you can indeed view all your applications, see how much power they’re using, and you’ve got the ability to stop any App instantly.
NFC (Near Field Communication)
This is the future of commerce, and particularly of credit cards. Use this to touch or swipe posters, advertisements etc. that are embedded with NFC tags, and you will be directed to a website. This functionality won’t work in India though as we don’t have the other systems that are needed.
Internet calling
SIP internet calling addresses can be added to your contacts list and you can make internet calls via Quick Contact or Dialler. Of course, you’ll need a SIP account for this to work and these features will be turned off or on depending on what your manufacturer or carrier wants.
Again, this will not work in India as the service is not legally allowed.
Downloads management
A new download manager is in place to work from your browser, email, or other apps.
Camera
Multiple cameras can now be accessed from one new camera app just by clicking the “Select Camera” button.