Android “Donut” Features Revealed

May 27 2009, 5:05am CDT | by Robert Evans

In the tech industry, nothing is more unforgivable than resting on your laurels. That's why the Android developer team has moved right on from Cupcake to Donut with nary a pause between the two. If you haven't heard yet, Donut is the code-name for the Android 2.0 update. Previously we brought you leaked info about the new widget utilities and UI changes on the dev version of Donut. Now, thanks to a demo from Google, we've got even more juicy Android gossip.

For one, the Android 2.0 update is bringing an expanded search utility to the open source OS. 'Android Search' will allow users to quickly search for items in your smartphone, or on the Internet. It comes with a text-to-speech API, which will allow people to use Google Voice Search in their apps and online. Another neat feature is the ability to draw letters on the touchscreen in order to search for items beginning with that letter.

Android is moving forward fast, which is exactly what they need to be doing. Despite some impressive successes and expansion into several product lines, Google's OS still only controls about 1% of the smartphone market. The main advantage that Android has over larger OS's like Symbian is that, since it is open source, it has more opportunities for expansion and customization.

Right now, Donut is expected to come out for mass consumption around August, when HTC's new line of Gphones are set to hit the market. If you just can't wait to see what's around the corner, you can always get a dev phone and dig up the Donut that leaked a few days back. If so, please drop us a line and let I4U know what you think about Android 2.0.

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Robert Evans
The excitement about new smartphones, tablets and anything mobile drive Robert to unearth the latest rumors and developments in this fast moving space. He adopted 4G as soon as it become available and knows where the mobile market is going.
Robert can be contacted directly at robert@i4u.com.