Nexus One users can today get their hands on the latest Android software update, dubbed Android 2.2 Froyo. The over-the-air update will be restricted to Nexus One handsets initially, and will be gradually rolled out throughout this week.

Six months after the release of Android 2.1, Google says the new software – revealed at the company's annual I/O conference last month – could increase performance speeds by up to five times. Good news, too, for those wanting to use their Android-powered device as a portable WiFi hotspot, as the Froyo software upgrade now allows.

What else do we get with the 2.2 upgrade?



Certain mobiles using 2.2 software will be able to share their WiFi connection with up to eight other devices. And you can now use 2.2-powered devices as a 3G connection for Windows and Linux laptops by plugging in with a USB cable. CPU performance has been given a boost, with the software upgrade able to load data two-to-five times faster. An upgrade to the memory should result in faster app-switching and a "smoother performance" on memory-constrained devices, Google said. Performance of the browser has also been bolstered when loading 'JavaScript-heavy' pages and pages with Flash.

Users can now access the three pages – phone, applications finder and browser – from any of the five home screen panels.

The camera and galleries have been given a modest overhaul as well – everything from white balance to geo-tagging to flash can be done with on-screen buttons. An LED flash also lets users film in the dark or in low-light settings.

Apple released its own software upgrade, iOS4, last week compatible with iPhones 3G, 3GS and 4, as well as the new-generation iPod Touch.

Android 2.2 is expected to reach HTC Desire devices by Q3 this year. An HTC spokesperson told Recombu: "We are working hard with our partners to update the HTC Sense experience on Froyo and distribute it to our customers as fast as possible. We expect to release updates for several of our 2010 models including Desire, Legend and Wildfire beginning in Q3."

Vodafone told the Guardian that it is in the process of getting approval of its own version of Android 2.2, and that the software upgrade will be rolled out to customers in due course. The mobile network also encouraged those planning to make use of Froyo's tethering capabilities to consider signing up to a Vodafone price plan, saying that 3G tethering would eat into a user's data tariff.

O2 said there was no specific timeframe for when the update would be available, but that it should be by the end of the week.

So far as the HTC Hero goes, Orange has confirmed that its Hero customers will get the software update 'in the near future'. Three is currently testing Android 2.1 for the HTC Hero and is looking to roll it out to customers by the end of July - exact dates are still to be confirmed, they told us. We're waiting to hear back from Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile.