Samsung Vibrant Gets Its Long-Delayed Android OS 2.2 Upgrade

An upgrade to Android OS 2.2 has just been released for the Samsung Vibrant. Among other changes, this new version of Google's operating system brings support for Adobe Flash to this smartphone's web browser.

The Vibrant launched over the summer with Android OS 2.1 (Eclair), and Samsung had promised a system software upgrade by the end of November.

Still, users of this device should feel lucky. There are other U.S. versions of this model that are still waiting for their OS 2.2 upgrades: AT&T's Samsung Captivate, the Samsung Fascinate from Verizon, and the Samsung Epic 4G from Sprint. 

New in Android OS 2.2 (Froyo)
Android OS 2.2 is required for devices to run Adobe Flash Player 10.1, which allows the web browser to fully make use of websites that use Flash for navigation, games, and showing video.

This version of Google's operating system also contains a number of other enhancements, such as faster performance thanks to a new JIT compiler and the ability to store applications on a removable memory card.

In addition, Samsung has promised that this system software upgrade will include a fix for a bug that sometimes causes this smartphone to be unable to get a GPS lock.

Installation
Most Android OS upgrades are performed over the air, where the user simply downloads and installs the new version directly on the device. This isn't the case this time -- users are going to need to install Android OS 2.2 on the Vibrant from a PC over a USB connection.

Instructions for doing this are on T-Mobile's website.

Brief Overview of the Samsung Vibrant
This smartphone has a tablet shape with a 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen. It runs Google's operating system on a 1 GHz processor.

The Vibrant can connect to T-Mobile's 3G network, and it offers GPS functionality as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

It also features a 5-megapixel camera and a 2 GB removable microSD memory card.