For all of you people rocking an Android-based smart phone, there is some great news right around the corner.  The new Android operating system version 2.3, code named Gingerbread, has just been completed, and there have been some considerable improvements made to the software.  What does this mean for you?

As an Android phone user, the first thing that you will see is that there have been some noticeable improvements to the phone’s display.  The default display is a simplified visual theme of colors against a black background.  This is to help improve contrast of any applications or widgets that are being displayed.  It’s also supposed to help improve the battery life, which for some phones, is a really big deal.

Speaking of battery life, there is a new power management feature that comes standard.  Now you will be able to see exactly what programs are consuming how much power, plus a little estimate of time left on the battery right at the top of the screen.

There is also a simplified navigation to make it easier to customize the display and manage applications.  No more having to dig into the system folder to manage applications.  Now the Manage Application option will be right on the main options.  No more needing a third party app to manage all the stuff that’s going on with your phone.

Now the biggest thing that I think that improves the end user experience is the new onscreen keyboard.  There have been three big improvements to the current standard keyboard.

• The keys are reshaped so they are a little more squared and separated from each other.  This allows for easier typing and less accidental “I didn’t press that key”.
• There is the ability to use a multi key function now.  No longer to do have to hit shift with one finger and then wait for the keyboard to change and then hit the desired key.  You will now be able to use it keyboard like a “real” keyboard.  You can hold shift and type or hold the number key and then type.  This makes texting a lot more intuitive and not to mention, faster.
• One touch word selection has been added.  This allows for quicker selection for copying.

The majority of the enhanced made to the 2.3 version of Android have more to do with assisting developers in creating applications.  They have opened a lot of the phones controls to allow developers to have better access to features like the gyroscope for improved 3D motion controls and better access to audio and graphics management.  This all means better applications for us end users and easier access to functionality for those lovely programmers.

I personally look forward to the official release of the new Android 2.3.  As of right now, the development team is saying that is will be “released soon”.  The current rumor is that everyone will see it after the Press Release at CES.  We will see.