14 DAY TRIAL // The Android Developers team has finally announced that the Android 1.5 platform, which should be the same Cupcake we have been expecting for the last few months, will soon become available. While unveiling the availability of an early-look Android 1.5 SDK for developers, the Android team also offered some details on what we should expect to find new as soon as the update is here.
Among the features that the Cupcake update should come with we can count on-screen keyboard support, which will also include support for auto-correct, text prediction, user dictionaries, and third-party keyboard layouts, live folders, offering folder shortcuts for YouTube favorites, Starred Contacts and more, depending on what developers come up with, as well as video recording features.
But that is not all, as the new firmware will also come with MPEG4 and 3GP Video Playback capabilities, as well as with support for Stereo Bluetooth and a new Linux Kernel, not to mention browser enhancements such as a “new ultrafast “Squirrelfish” javascript engine,” search within a page, copy and paste, and UI changes.
Some improvements have been made to the Google Applications as well, and G1 users will be able to view Google Talk friend statuses in contacts, SMS, MMS, Gmail, and Email. Developers will have new frameworks to build upon, including Widget creation, Live Folder creation, Raw audio recording/playback, Video recording and Speech recognition.
The Google team also states that the GPS capabilities of the G1 have been improved, and that the camera startup is now faster than before, the same as Gmail scrolling, while the browser scrolling is smoother.
It seems that the upcoming Android 1.5 platform is set to take the user experience to the next level, not only due to the enhancements it includes, but also through the new application building possibilities it offers developers. The features we presented here do not make for the entire list of novelties, so, in case you are interested in the Cupcake, you can find out more about it here.