Cupcake

• Every major Android update has both a number and codename associated with it. Version 1.5 goes by Cupcake. Cupcake was the first major update to the initial Android release. This version improved upon the touch-screen keyboard, giving it the ability to rotate with changes in the orientation of the phone. It also supported video recording and allowed you to copy and paste text in Web browsers.
  
  

Donut

• Android's 1.6 update goes by the name Donut. This version featured an enhanced search function that allowed you to search your bookmarks, browser history, contacts and the Internet directly without having to navigate away from the home screen. It also improved the way the system handled saved images, allowing you to erase multiple images at once. Donut also introduced a power saving function displayed a list of applications and the amount of battery life they consumed.
  
  

Eclair

• Eclair, Android's 2.0 update, featured a host of email and messaging enhancements. The version supported multiple email accounts, could place mail from all accounts in a single inbox, and allowed you to run searches of your text messages. The revision also added the Quick Contact feature. This presented a list of options when you tapped on a given contact's photo, allowing you to either call him or send him an email or a text.
  
  

Froyo

• Version 2.2 is otherwise known as Froyo. This update enabled data on a phone to be deleted from a remote location by restoring the phone to its factory settings, allowing you to protect personal information in the event that your phone was lost or stolen. Froyo was the first Android version to support mobile hot spot capabilities that allowed you to share your phone's Internet connection with up to eight other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
  
  

Gingerbread

• Gingerbread, update 2.3, enhanced Android's text entry experience by offering suggestions from the phone's dictionary as replacements for selected words. As a power-saving feature, Gingerbread monitored the power and processor usage of applications running in the background and shut them down if they remained unused. The version also allowed you to access multiple cameras, an important feature as at the time of Gingerbread's release phone manufacturers began including both front- and rear-facing cameras.
  
  

Honeycomb

• Android 3.0, or Honeycomb, displayed the system bar in every application. The system bar allows access to commonly used features such as navigation buttons, notifications and system status. The allowed for better personalization of Android devices by enabling you to have up to five customizable home screens and by allowing you to access these home screens from any other screen. Gingerbread also included keyboard support, allowing you to connect an external keyboard either via USB cable or a wireless Bluetooth connection.
  
  

Honeycomb 3.2

• As of October 2011, the latest Android update is Honeycomb version 3.2. This includes all of Honeycomb's features with a few key additions. First, developers have added a zoom feature that allows you to view apps originally designed for smartphones on larger tablet screens without the loss in resolution associated with stretching out the apps' images. Honeycomb 3.2 also lets apps use media files stored on the device's SD cards. This feature is only available with devices that have built-in SD card slots.