Android 1.6 to ship on devices as early as October
updated 10:00 pm EDT, Tue September 15, 2009
Google's OS to support CDMA
Google has announced that the upcoming Android 1.6 OS update is expected to ship on devices as early as October. The timing could be an indication that the OS will arrive with handsets such as the Moto Cliq on T-Mobile, or potentially Sprint's HTC Hero.
Developers can also begin working with the Android 1.6 SDK, which adds support for CDMA and several improvements such as gesture APIs and a text-to-speech engine. The updated OS features a redesigned search framework that learns which results are more relevant over time. Camera, camcorder and gallery functions have been combined into a single interface.
The 1.6 update brings a fresh Android Market layout, following a variety of complaints from developers. The content is now organized in a similar way to Apple's App Store, with different sections for top paid, top free or new apps. The lack of screenshots -- another common moan -- has also been corrected.
An official list of smartphones to get the new OS has yet to be announced.
