14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung Infuse 4G is not the only smartphone from AT&T’s portfolio to receive an Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update these days. Obviously, this is just a coincidence, but the carrier also announced the availability of the Gingerbread update for Pantech Crossover.
The QWERTY-based smartphone was launched back in June with Android 2.2 Froyo on board, though the carrier promised to deliver a Gingerbread update to most handsets launched last year.
Almost 10 months later, AT&T turns part of its promise into reality, as the update has been confirmed on Pantech’s official site as well.
Besides bringing the smartphone’s firmware to Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread, the update includes the following new features and improvements:
- Native support for SIP VoIP internet telephony; - GTalk now supports Video chat; - Updated user interface design with increased simplicity and speed; - Improved virtual keyboard (Android keyboard only); - Improved accuracy; - Improved text suggestion; - Support for voice input; - Enhanced copy/paste functionality, allowing users to select a word by press-hold, copy, and paste; - Download Manager App to easily manage downloaded files.
Unfortunately, the update is not pushed OTA (over the air). Instead, Crossover owners will have to download and install Pantech’s upgrading tool and connect their smartphones to a PC in order to be able to apply the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update.
Other improvements included in the latest major update for Pantech Crossover are:
- Better Gmail application; - Shadow animations for list scrolling; - Additional UI improvements.
Furthermore, the update also fixes two known bugs that affected the improved power management features of the smartphone.
There are some new developer features available as well, such as:
- Enhancements for game development; - Additional Khronos standard such as OpenSL ES, EGL for better multimedia performance; - Concurrent Garbage Collector technology embedded to reduce lags in playing games; - Increased support for native development.