Google takes delivery of Gingerbread mascot

It’s a strange tradition, but a tradition nonetheless.  As each delicious Android release has come and gone, Google has taken delivery of an oversized statue of that release’s namesake for proud display on the lawn of the firm’s Mountain View Googleplex.  Gingerbread’s unveiling was caught on video by excited Googlers here.
A few months ago we first caught sight of the Froyo model as it was wheeled into place next to it’s predecessors – Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, and the Android robot himself (complete with dog).  The installation of the Gingerbread man will be seen as a sign the eagerly-awaited next version is close to completion.  In fact the 2.2 SDK was released to developers just a week after the Froyo statue was installed – and wouldn’t you know it, rumours have been swirling this week that the version 2.3 (which is the numerical version name for what is nicknamed Gingerbread) SDK is due to drop into the hands of impatient developers any day now.
While the previous version – Froyo – included some big improvements and a couple of great added features, it was seem as no more than a large incremental update.  Gingerbread, by comparison, is expected to be a much more significant release.  It is thought to bring support for larger screen sizes and resolutions – opening the door for official tablet support.  So far only Samsung has managed to get a tablet device to market with official Google support (which includes the all-important GMail app and Market access), despite the glut of devices appearing running the OS.
Gingerbread is also expected to bring some big UI improvements to the table following the poaching of Matias Duarte from Palm as User Experience Director.  Duarte was the architect behind the widely regarded WebOS UI – it is hoped that under his guidance Google will be able to put together an experience good enough to dissuade manufacturers from individually skinning the OS – a practice which has led to huge amounts of fragmentation within Android (which is commonly seen as the weakest link in the Android chain).