Top 10 features you’ll love about Android 1.5

As we await a major Android update scheduled this coming Monday, we take an in-depth look at its top 10 user-centric features that up the ante in the mobile arena.

Last month, Google has officially announced Android 1.5 update, dubbed “cupcake.” Geek’s Joel Evans had a chance to briefly play with the beta, enough to give us first look of exciting new things to come. Barely a month later, the new software is apparently ready to roll on Android-powered devices. Make no mistake, Android 1.5 is a major upgrade. The software brings a host of new capabilities, some of which can’t be found on rival mobile platforms.

Android 1.5 features virtual keyboard, Home scree widgets, Google voice search, Live Folders and other nice-to-haves.

It’s a major new update

First of all, the updated operating system now runs on the Linux kernel 2.6.27, meaning stronger security, improved stability and a range of core applications enhancements. Android 1.5 now packs SIM Application Toolkit 1.0 and features auto-checking and repair of SD cardfile-system. Just like the iPhone OS 3.0, Android 1.5 comes with the SDK 1.5 that adds new APIs which help developers create better apps. More importantly, though, new features for end users significantly enhance the experience, addressing most glaring omissions in the 1.0 release.

Some of the features are simply catchup of the iPhone’s, like a new virtual keyboard or improved mobile web browser. Others are designed to add more punch through flashier eye candy, like animated window transitions, smooth, accelerometer-based application rotations between portrait and landscape modes and overall polish of user interface elements.

Update that gives Android more oomph

Android 1.5 also brings capabilities that leapfrog even the iPhone OS 3.0, at least in certain aspects like built-in voice search (also available for iPhone via the App Store), Home screen widgets and Live Folders.

Taking all of this into account, Android 1.5 should have really been proclaimed Android 2.0 given the number of novelties. It’s evident that Google works hard on perfecting the Android platform and has no intention on letting Apple’s iPhone OS 3.0 steal the show. Improvements in Android 1.5 are designed to keep the Android platform highly competitive while bringing you, the user, a sleeker, more streamlined experience.

The update arrives over-the-air.

The “cupcake” arrives on May 11

Although Google set no firm date for the Android 1.5 arrival, the search giant noted that the availability of the operating system depends on specific markets and individual carriers who deploy the update at the time of their choosing. Unlike firmware updates for the iPhone that are downloaded and installed via desktop iTunes software, Android 1.5 will be deployed over-the-air.

Your Android phone will prompt you to download and install the update as soon as it becomes available. As previously noted, T-Mobile is expected to start deploying the updated operating system to U.S.-based Android G1 owners this coming Monday. The roll-out will be delivered in phases, so don’t freak if you don’t get it right away. As we wait for the update, we distilled top 10 new features that make the Android 1.5 a mandatory install for every Android user out there.

Text entry.

Phone number entry.

1. Smart virtual keyboard

The addition of a virtual keyboard means that Android 1.5 devices can support both physical and virtual keyboards, packing the best of both worlds. It’s up to you to use whichever input method fits you in a specific scenario.

Android’s virtual keyboard is provided in portrait or landscape orientation and works in any application, including Gmail, the browser, SMS and even in third-party programs.

It comes with an auto-correct feature, suggestions and user dictionary for custom words. You can also set it up so that it gives you tactile feedback by vibrating the screen. Unlike rival mobile platforms, Android 1.5 supports user installation of third-party virtual keyboards.

Customize Home screen with widgets.

2. Home screen customizable with widgets

Your can now customize your Home screen with widgets, basically small web apps that pull and display live data from the Internet. Android 1.5 comes preloaded with five bundled Home screen widgets (analog clock, calendar, music player, picture frame and search). Unlike the iPhone, Android 1.5 supports additional third-party widgets via the built-in application bazaar.

3. Live Folders for quick-viewing your data

Similarly to OS X Leopard’s QuickLook feature, Live Folders in Android show common data items, such as contacts, favorite apps, email messages, playlists, bookmarks, RSS feeds, etc, without having to run a system application that handles a specific data item.

The content of a Live Folder updates in real-time as new data is created on the device or in the cloud. What’s best, developers can extend the built-in support for common data items and register new data types.

For instance, Twitter client app might register tweet as a new data type with the system, thus enabling you to create Live Folders of tweets from your friends. Android 1.5 comes with a couple of Live Folders preset on your Home screen that provide quick, convenient access to your contacts, stocks, bookmarks, etc.

Share recorded videos via YouTube.

4. Video recording and sharing

Android 1.5 finally adds the ability to record and share videos, in addition to improved playback and better support for MPEG-4 and 3GP video formats.

You can now share recorded videos via email, MMS or upload them directly to YouTube, with privacy controls to choose between making uploaded videos available to everyone or just a subset of invited friends.

Uploads happen in the background so you can continue using the phone and even record and upload a new video while the previous one is still uploading.

5. Picasa image uploading

Sharing images online now requires fewer clicks. After taking an image, just tap “Share” when viewing a photo and choose Google’s online image service dubbed “Picasa” that comes with 1GB of free storage for your photos.

6. Faster, standards-compliant browser

Android’s WebKit-based browser got a significant speed bump, thanks to a newer WebKit rendering engine and an optimized JavaScript interpreter dubbed SquirelFish . As a result, you should enjoy faster performance in complex web apps that rely heavily on the Javascript code. Watchful readers could note that the latter also powers Apple’s current desktop and Safari browsers, with desktop Safari 4 Beta and iPhone OS 3.0’s mobile Safari running a newer, more optimized version called SquirrelFish Extreme.

Besides speed gain, Android’s browser now supports copy and paste within web pages, user-selectable text-encoding, unified Go and Search box and the ability to search for text within a page. Finally, a tweaked user interface makes room for tabbed bookmarks, history and most-visited pages screens.

Home screen with Google text and voice search widget.

7. Voice search

I know, iPhone users were first treated with Google’s mobile search with voice recognition technology as far back as November of last year. Nevertheless, the inclusion of a voice search feature in Android 1.5 does enhance default search capabilities beyond pure text search.

The move should delight users who prefer to speak their queries aloud in either British or American accent. Voice search works pretty straightforward. When you speak your query aloud into the handset’s microphone, the software uploads digital recording to Google’s servers.

From there, state-of-the-art voice recognition technology turns audio into a regular text search and passes it to the Google search engine. Textual results are then tailored to your current geographical location and beamed back to your device.

8. Stereo Bluetooth and hands-free calls

Besides an improved hands-free experience, Android 1.5 now supports stereo Bluetooth (A2DP and AVCRP profiles), in addition to auto-pairing feature.

9. Snappier overall performance

Optimizations of the code base trickle down to Android’s core applications that feel snappier. Expect faster camera start-up and image capture, in addition to smoother scrolling of pages in the browser and conversation list in Gmail. Also, the software acquires your GPS location noticeably faster, thanks to SUPL Assisted-GPS technology.

10. Nice-to-haves

Android automatically checks and repairs the file system on SD cards and allows third-party apps to indicate to the Android system what hardware features they require in order to function properly. Android checks these requirements when you download the app from the Android Market, allowing the installation only if the required hardware is present. The feature will become really important when more Android devices based on varied hardware hit the market later this year.

Comparison of user interface in Android 1.0 (left) and 1.5 (right).

Gmail client has a new feature for bulk archive, delete and label operations on multiple messages at once. Google Talk friends’ status is now visible in Contacts, SMS, MMS, GMail, and Email apps. You can show contact pictures for Favorites and access a contact card from a call log event with one touch.

Events in call log now finally display date and time stamps. Last, but not least, user interface elements used across the system and in third-party programs have been refined for a more subtle and polished appearance.