Google Android 2.2, the next version of Google's Android mobile OS and code-named Froyo, will reportedly include both built-in USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot capability.
Google hasn't officially confirmed details of Froyo, but tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot were the Froyo feedback from TechCrunch's Michael Arrington, who on Thursday reported that Android 2.2 will also include full Flash support and "a whopper of a speed improvement."
Arrington bases his claims on "information we've received," and suggested Froyo will be made available to Google Nexus One phone users during or before next week's Google I/O event for developers at San Francisco's Moscone Center
Google added a plastic sculpture of frozen yogurt outside of its Android building, which is taken to mean Froyo's imminent arrival, Arrington wrote. (That's the way it went, anyway, with Eclair, the code-name for Android 2.0. All previous versions of Google's mobile OS have had dessert-themed codenames, including Cupcake at 1.5 and Donut at 1.6).
Tethering and mobile Wi-Fi hot-spots have both become sought after features for smartphones. On Wednesday, for example, Sprint confirmed it will offer the Android-based HTC EVO 4G phone with a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot feature for an extra $30 per month.
Elsewhere, Verizon sells both standalone Wi-Fi hotspot devices -- the MiFi is $60 a month -- and hotspots with the Palm Pre. On the tethering front, all the major U.S. carriers offer tethering except for AT&T, which insists on separate AT&T plans for various devices like iPhone and iPad.
Other features rumored to be part of Android 2.2 include FM radio, color trackball notifications and added free RAM. Several developer forums have also fueled rumors that Google will add the ability for Android 2.2 users to install applications via an SD card.
