April 28th, 2009
Google: Upgrade now to Android 1.5 "Cupcake" SDK
Google has released the final version of Android 1.5, in the form of an SDK for developers and a bootable system image that can be downloaded and installed on Android Dev Phones. All Android developers are advised to upgrade to the new SDK immediately:
There are several compelling reasons to upgrade, such as new SDK tools that make developing more efficient and new APIs that allow you to expand the feature-set of your applications. However, even if you or your applications don’t require these enhancements, it’s important that you upgrade to ensure that your applications run properly on the Android 1.5 platform.
The Android 1.5 platform will soon be deployable to devices around the world. If you have already released Android applications to the public, you should test the forward-compatibility of your applications on the latest version of the platform as soon as possible. It’s unlikely that you’ll encounter breakage in your applications, but in the interest of maintaining the best user experience, you should take no risks. So, please install the new Android SDK and test your applications on Android 1.5.
The Android 1.5 SDK can be used to build and test applications that run on Android 1.1 or 1.5 system images, or both. Currently the G1 phone from T-Mobile runs 1.1, but an over the air upgrade to 1.5 is expected Real Soon Now. All other Android phones come with 1.5 (or later) pre-installed.
Related articles and sources:
- Top 5 features in Android 1.5 (Cupcake)
- 1.5 Non-Working Apps List (as of 06apr2009)
- Android 1.5 Version Notes
- Flashing your Android Dev Phone with a Factory System Image
- Planet Android
- Follow Planet Android on twitter (@droidfeed)
Ed Burnette is a professional developer and author of several articles and books about computing including Hello, Android: Introducing Google's Mobile Development Platform, 2nd Edition. For disclosure of Ed's industry affiliations, click here or to view his full profile click here.
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