On Thursday at the Google I/O the latest version of Google’s Android mobile operating system was showcased. Android 2.2 Froyo promises spectacular performance of up to 5 times faster than the current Android 2.1 Eclair. Here are some of the operating system’s highlights:

• Up to 5 times performance increase
• Apps can now be installed on the SD card (apps can be moved from the phone memory to the SD card and vice versa)
• USB tethering (connect your laptop to the Internet via the phone’s 3G connection)
• Ability to use the phone as a portable WiFi hotspot (shared with up to 8 devices)
• Web browser renders JavaScript up to 3 times faster
• Flash Player 10.1 support
• Ability to set apps to auto update (update individually or update all with a single click)
• Enhanced Microsoft Exchange support (improved security, remote wipe, Exchange calendar syncing and global address list look-up)
• Multiple keyboard languages (multilingual users can switch between keyboard languages)

Watch the official video on Android 2.2