We've heard people on other platforms complain that it's not easy to switch apps on Android. Apparently they weren't aware that all you have to do is hold down the Home button, and you get an app switcher. And it's gotten better in Android 2.2, with Froyo giving access to the eight most recent applications, doubling another third over what we've been used to. (That's four six, for you non-math majors.) Yeah, that's been available through various apps before, but now it's native, and it's a welcome change. 

(Thanks, Stephen! Find a cool new feature in Froyo and want to tell the world about it? E-mail us here and we'll make you famous!)

[YouTube link]

We were there when Google showed off the power of Android 2.2 and Froyo's new Just-in-Time compiler -- think zoom zoom! -- but you know the old saying ... trust, by verify. And so we shall. Above we have the Nexus One with Froyo, the Evo 4G with Android 2.1 and Sense, and the Motorola Droid with Android 2.1. Ran them all through Linpack, and the numbers hold up. We're seeing scores on Android 2.2 that are 600 percent or so higher than on Android 2.1. And this is in a pre-release version of Froyo, without any of the optimizations that we're likely to see from the ROM chefs out there. Booyah.

The HTC Incredible vanished from Verizon's website on Tuesday -- for a grand total of about 6 minutes. Don't worry, it's not in the midst of some massive recall or anything. It apparently was just to swap out some of the specs -- mainly the addition of a 2GB microSD card, says Mobile Burn. (Though we don't see that mentioned.) That said, the estimated shipping date is June 15, so you might want to trek to your nearest brick-and-mortar store if you're looking for one. [Mobile Burn via VZW]

Update: Verizon just got back with us, and indeed the down time was nothing more nefarious than to update the microSD card spec. Sky's not falling.

You can get a PDF file viewer anywhere, but we all know that Adobe does it the best, and it just released an official Adobe Reader app [Market link] for Android. First impression is its pure simplicity, and I mean that in a good way. Now, before you get excited – make sure you’re running Éclair, and have at least 550MHz CPU with 256MB of RAM, or else it’s just not going to be a smooth experience.

We hear ya. There are a lot of you out there on Sprint who are looking at your Palm Pre and wondering how it would be to hold the Evo 4G in its place. Ask and ye shall receive. After the break are more photos and video of the Android 2.1 Evo 4G alongside the webOS-based Palm Pre. It's not really a fair fight at this point, but at least they got in the ring.

Not quite sure the stock Android 2.2 keyboard is going to take over the top spot from some of our favorites, but it's definitely getting better. Used to be to type a number or symbol, you'd have to hit the button at the lower left, then hit the key you want. Let's just say I was not a fan.

Now to get a number or symbol, all you have to do is swipe your finger toward to top of the screen from the qwerty row of the keyboard, and you get 'em. It's a small improvement, but definitely a welcome one.

But, wait, there's more. Hold down the ?123 key to bring up the option (OK, that's not new, but it's still good to know). Even better, though, is if you have more than one language installed. If that's the case, you can easily switch from an English QWERTY keyboard to the German QWERTZ keyboard by swiping left and right on the space bar. Huzzah!

(Thanks, Ceasar! Find a cool new feature in Froyo and want to tell the world about it? E-mail us here and we'll make you famous!)

From the Forums is a great way for you, our readers, to see the hottest topics being discussed. But you must be a registered member and becoming a member is a simple process. So if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now!

• Google nav or Sprint nav? Which do you think is better?
• Win a free Evo 4G from Android Central [contest] - check out the thread, enough said.
• Want to discuss Android apps? Well this is the forum to do so in - Android Applications.
• For those of you who purchased the HTC Incredible on launch day your last day to return the device is approaching, are you returning yours? Why or why not...
• We have not forgotten about all of the Moto Droid owners out there - rumor is Android 2.2 would soon hit the Droid, discuss that here.

See you in the forums!

We've been using Vlingo during its brief beta process, and now you can too, as it's finally in the Android Market. In a nutshell, Vlingo takes the place of Google's built-in voice-to-text service, but it goes even farther (and dare we say, at times works better). In addition to allowing you to dictate just about anything to your heart's content, it also will read incoming text messages and e-mails, which is great for when you're driving. (Though let's hope we get some better voices for that in the near future.)

Vlingo's available now in the Android Market [link] for $9.99. Check out video of it in action after the break.

[YouTube link]

Let's take a quick look at multitouch on the Sprint Evo 4G, shall we? In daily use, it's been holding up just fine. Pinch-to-zoom works as it should, and the touchscreen is as responsive as you'd expect.

In comparing it to the Nexus One -- which has well-documented quirks with its touchscreen -- the Evo 4G seems to pass our little test OK. (And here's our video of multitouch on the Verizon Droid Incredible, too.) The points didn't follow my fingers quite as quickly as I might have liked, but, again, real-life use hasn't been impacted.

We've known that the Garminfone was headed to T-Mobile "later this spring". We also knew that it would retail for $199.99. Now everything is starting to come together, according to leaked promo material, it looks like the T-Mobile Garminefone will become available on June 2nd, which conveniently enough is the same launch date for the T-Mobile myTouch 3G. Guess T-Mobile is ramping up its Android lineup for the summer.

The Garminfone runs Android 1.6 (boo) with a 600MHz processor, 3.5-inch display, and 3-megapixel camera. Sure we wish all phones that release now ran Froyo but we can't have it all. At least you're promised the best navigational Android device on the market. Well, hopefully, or this Garminfone has no point. [via engadget mobile]