Google announced on the Android Developers Blog the release of a preview of the Android 1.5 SDK (Software Development Kit) which is aimed at the next generation Android platform. 

 

The Android 1.5 SDK version of the smartphone, says Google, will include support for soft keyboards live folders and speech recognition. It also includes a feature that enables the creation of widgets for the home screen. 

 

"That is something people have been longing for quite some time,” said Konrad Hübner, founder of SkyCoders, known for the Cab4me app that reached the top 10 in the Android Developer Challenge, according to PCWorld.com. 

The blog post announcement also mentioned enhanced camera and GPS performance as well as support for video recording and stereo Bluetooth. Other new features include soft keyboards, speech recognition, live folders animated window transitions, home screen widgets, and accelerometer-based app rotation. 

 

Google also announcedthat the Web browser has been updated with the latest Webkit and Squirellfish. The Android 1.5 update gives the platform a status high enough to compete with Apple’s iPhone. 

 

However, Google strongly underlined that the Android 1.5 SDK is just an “early look” version. The final version of the platform will be ready sometime near the end of the month. Google did not give any details about when users will be able to get their hands on the new software.