Updated: Android 3.0 rumours: what you need to know

Details about the next version of Android – Android 3.0, or Gingerbread – are starting to emerge.

05 NOV UPDATE: Gingerbread might actually be Android 2.3 rather than 3.0. If this is the case, we can expect it to be a much smaller update. If Gingerbread is Android 2.3, then Honeycomb will be Android 3.0.

05 NOV UPDATE 2: Rumours have surfaced that Android Gingerbread – the eagerly awaited next generation of the popular mobile OS – could be with us in a matter of days.

The rumour has surfaced from a 'trusted source' which of course means very little, but it does appear to be backed up by less subtle hints from Google – including a giant Gingerbread man on the company's lawn.

There are also some tweaks in the latest Google Maps release that suggest that Gingerbread is coming soon.

UPDATE: On 20 October, we reported that Android 3.0 tablets are rumoured to be heading out to engineers in time for Christmas. If true, this means that we'll see a whole bunch of tablets running Android 3.0 at CES 2011.

UPDATE: On 19 October, Android site Phandroid bagged new details on Android 3.0, saying that Android had gone through a graphical change and that carrier branding was "more prominent".

Phandroid also found Android 3.0 to have new icon animations, a YouTube makeover, and better Google Voice and Google Talk integration.

Android 3.0 release date

Android 3.0 release date is looking like Q4 of this year, possibly around October.

Android 3.0 release date is looking like early 2011.

Gingerbread is already in some testers' hands - Phandroid has shown an unverified photo of a test build of Android 3.0 running in the wild, while the TweetDeck blog shows Android 3.0 as one of the versions of Android using Android TweetDeck Beta.

Android 3.0 features

As we reported earlier in July, a Russian podcast details how Android 3.0 will be restricted to high-end handsets (and tablets). The podcast explained that Android 3.0 phones will require at least a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 3.5-inch or larger displays.

Confirmed Android 3.0 features include improved copy and paste and support for WebM video playback. The WebM Project confirmed that "WebM support in Android is expected in the Gingerbread release". WebM files are compressed with the VP8 video codec, which Google purchased and open-sourced earlier this year.

It's also rumoured that Android 3.0 will feature a new user interface. TechCrunch reported that "Google is focusing the bulk of its efforts on the user experience for the upcoming Gingerbread release."

This, Google apparently hopes, will deter handset manufacturers from adding in their own Android 3.0 customizations (such as HTC's Sense).

Android 3.0 phones

One of the first Android 3.0 phones could be the Samsung Galaxy S2 if another rumour is to be believed. The leaked details of the Galaxy S I9200 claim a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720.

On 27 October 2010, reports appeared that Google is to release an Android 3.0 powered Nexus Two with Carphone Warehouse, although we think it's unlikely that Google will bring out another handset now that so many manufacturers are producing them.

It's also likely that the PSP Phone will be running Android 3.0.

We'll bring you more Android 3.0 details as they emerge.