Oct 13, 2010 06:51 GMT  ·  By

Mountain View-based Internet giant Google seems to be closer than expected to offer us a new taste of Android. Following the release of Froyo in early Summer, the company is now readying the delivery of the next Android flavor, Gingerbread, and is rumored to plan the release of the SDK as soon as next week.

Previous rumors on Gingerbread suggested the new OS version would be pushed out before the end of the ongoing year, but no specific release window was offered until now.

Little is known for the time being on the new Android platform release, and the same applies to the features and capabilities it would bring forth to devices on the market.

For what it's worth, provided that the SDK is released next week, then we should have the opportunity to take a better look at a mobile platform that was said to come with optimizations for use on tablet PCs.

Through this release, we would receive access to the stock Android Gingerbread, while learning what's new in terms of APIs, added functionality and more.

Moreover, we would also learn what version number the new OS would arrive on shelves with, for previous rumors pointed at 3.0 in the beginning, while bringing forth 2.5 and 2.3 possibilities too afterwards.

However, the landing of the Android Gingerbread SDK next week is only a rumor for the time being, as the guys over at Android Police note in a recent article.

As stated above, one of the main features Gingerbread would be pushed out with is optimizations for tablet PCs, which have become increasingly popular among handset vendors and customers alike.

Currently, Android is not optimized to work on such devices, and Google themselves said that a few times before, but the next OS flavor should change things a little bit.

Most probably, Gingerbread would also be accompanied by applications that can take full advantage of the large screen tablets come with, and the release of the SDK would enable developers come up with such solutions.

All in all, it would make sense for the SDK to be pushed out weeks before the actual OS gets loaded on devices, and the rumor might pan out in the end.