Android 2.0 Surfaces, Includes Many Updates

It’s a true TGIF for lovers of all things Android. Boy Genius Report gave a full testing to a Motorola Sholes running Android 2.0 and has provided in-depth screenshots, details and analysis of Google’s upcoming release. Though the new OS is still a work in progress, and details aren’t finalized, BGR gives a thorough, intriguing closer look. Included are a variety of improvements over the current Android such as integrated MS Exchange support, a new unified Inbox that combines emails from all your accounts– excluding Google, more seamless email control, native Facebook support, faster browser and new Widgets.

Other changes of interest include an updated version of Maps that includes Layers, which allows you to overlay search queries, Wikipedia entries and other information; multi-touch capabilities in Maps; redesigned UI; built-in haptic feedback; and more customization options. Overall, it was a glowing review of the new Android, and the only real negative offered was in regard to a new lock function that, once set, requires the user to enter the password every time the phone is shut off and turned back on.

Google has remained uncharacteristically silent on 2.0, codenamed Eclair, and hasn’t announced it or released any information, so the BGR piece helps to fill in what was otherwise a large blank. For the full story, be sure to stop by BGR. [Boy Genius Report via Mobile Crunch ]