Nov 30, 2010 15:54 GMT  ·  By

Samsung India has finally decided to go official with the latest iteration of Google's mobile platform, Android 2.2 Froyo for Samsung Galaxy S smartphones. The long-awaited software upgrade is now available for download for Galaxy S owners living in India.

As usual, customers with carrier-branded Galaxy S handsets will have to wait until their network operator rolls out the upgrade.

The Android 2.2 Froyo update needs to be downloaded via the Samsung Mobile Kies application. Users who do not have the latest version of the Samsung Kies software are required to update it before doing getting the software upgrade. The latest version can be downloaded from Softpedia.

It is recommended that users make a backup of their sensitive data before upgrading, to make sure that they don't lose any of their information. Several users reported that the update preserved all their installed applications and settings, but others mentioned that the upgrade wiped all their apps.

The main improvements and features that the new Android 2.2 OS brings are detailed below:

- Google Maps with Navigation: GPS navigation system with voice guidance - Faster performance by JIT (Just in Time) compiler - Adobe Flash Player 10.1, which allows the web browser to make full use of the whole web - Improved customization options - Setup Wizard: Quickly customize the GALAXY S and access networks with ease - Home Screen/Menu Preview and Edit : Preview by pinch-zoom - Search in-Browser : Google, Translate, Wikipedia, Dictionary Previously scheduled to be released before the end of September, Android 2.2 Froyo for Galaxy S smartphones has been delayed further until late October.

It looks like Samsung had some internal issues, as the software upgrade is made available one month later than it was expected.

Apparently, the delay has something to do with regional differences, language packs, local carrier deals and other issues that Samsung had to handle first.