29 April 2011, 12:40

Android 2.3.4 brings video and voice chat to Nexus S

Google's Nexus S smartphone Google has released version 2.3.4 of its mobile operating system, an update to the Android 2.3.x branch known as "Gingerbread". Android 2.3.4 adds support for video and voice chat through Google Talk, the company's instant messaging and voice over IP (VoIP) service.

According to Google, Android 2.3.4 will allow users to video or voice chat from their Android phone to anyone else who uses Google Talk on their computer, Android 2.3.4 phones or Android 3.0 tablets. Users can make calls over Wi-Fi, as well as 3G and 4G networks, provided that their mobile carrier supports it.

A posting in the Google Mobile Help Forum also notes a number of bug fixes in 2.3.4 which should stop random shut downs or reboots and stops Wi-Fi and 3G icons showing simultaneous activity on the Nexus S. The fixes will also improves battery life and GPS navigation on the Nexus One. According to the Android Central blog, the code and the proprietary binaries that make up the 2.3.4 update have already been pushed to the Android Open Source Project. This means the update should be in the hands of custom ROM creators sooner rather than later.

The previous Android 2.3.3 update added support for WebM/VP8 and new Near Field Communication (NFC) features, including a comprehensive NFC reader/writer API that lets apps read and write to almost any standard NFC tag currently in use.

More details about using Google Talk with the latest Android 2.3.x update can be found in a post on the Google Mobile blog. The Android 2.3.4 update will be rolled out to Nexus S phones over-the-air (OTA) "in the next few weeks"; however, as pointed out by Engadget, early adopters can download the update as a zip file and manually update their Nexus S phones.

Update: Engadget now have a direct link to the zip file for manually updating the Nexus One as well.

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