Android 2.1 (Eclair) vs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

If you have an Android phone that runs on Eclair (2.1), chances are it isn’t a year old yet but we already have Gingerbread (2.3), two versions down the line, shipping in some phones. As expected, there are many changes done to Gingerbread to make it better than its predecessors and to add further functionality to the software. Probably the most requested feature that was added in Gingerbread is system-wide copy and paste functionalities. This is pretty much just like what you get on your computer where you can copy something in one application and paste it in another. Eclair lacks this functionality and you would need to manually copy text with most apps. A not so major addition to Gingerbread is the download manager for long running downloads. This is also pretty much the same as what you would get on a computer.

Something new to Android, and most phones, is NFC or Near Field Communication support. When the hardware is available, this allows the Gingerbread Android phone to communicate with transceivers in close proximity. This feature is commonplace in reloadable bus passes and other similar ticketing systems. When fully implemented, this could allow an Android phone to replace those cards and act like an e-Wallet.

As Eclair is two versions older, there are features that may not be new to Gingerbread but are absent in Eclair. This starts with Flash 10 support. Flash is used in many web sites to provide a dynamic experience and its absence may cause certain sites to not render correctly on your phones browser. The second feature is WiFi tethering. This allows your phone to act as a WiFi router for other devices to connect to. This is very useful when you use you want to go online with your laptop and you have an unlimited data plan on your phone; the connection is easy and eliminates the need for cables.

Aside from those stated here, there are many differences between the two; most are optimizations to make Android run faster, consume less resources, and be user friendly. Every new version of Android always implements minor tweaks to the UI for this purpose. Support for new hardware, like bigger and higher resolution displays, is also constantly being added.

Summary:

1. Gingerbread has system-wide copy/paste functionalities while Éclair does not
2. Gingerbread has a download manager while Éclair does not
3. Gingerbread has NFC support while Éclair does not
4. Gingerbread has Flash 10 support while Éclair does not
5. Gingerbread has WiFi tethering while Éclair does not
6. Gingerbread is more optimized than Éclair

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