Ed Burnette’s Dev Connection

What's new in Android 2.0? Part 2: Developer features

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Android
General
Google
Programming
Web Browsers

After months of speculation, Android 2.0 ("Eclair") was officially released this week by Google. To be more precise, the Software Development Kit (SDK) for Android 2.0 was released, so that developers can get a head start on 2.0 development before the new devices with 2.0 hit the market. It's not much of a head start, though, because the new devices may will be on sale as early as next week, or by the end of November at the latest. [ See Motorola DROID on Verizon: Is this the iPhone killer you're looking for? for the first Android 2.0 phone. ] This is the second of a series of 3 articles covering what's new in this new release. Part 1 covered user features and availability, this part will cover developer features, and part 3 will try to answer any other questions you might have about the new platform. You should read part 1 first, if you haven't already. Should I stay or should I go now? In the announcement of version 2.0 on the Android Developer's blog, Xavier Ducrohet wrote:

Over the next few months, we expect to see more and more Android devices being released. These devices will be running Android 1.5, 1.6, or 2.0. We are also planning a minor version update of Android 2.0 towards the end of the year, and that will be the last update for 2009.

That's right, folks - by the end of this year there will be 4 different versions of Android running in the field. It's going to be a challenge for developers to keep on top of this. One thing seems clear - all Android devices will not automatically be upgraded to the latest version:

Android 1.5 provides the base functionality common to all versions of Android.
Android 1.6 adds support for screen sizes smaller and larger than HVGA 480x320.
Android 2.0 adds support for multi-touch and virtual keys, among other things.
Android 2.1 will probably be a minor bug-fix version.

With rare exceptions, 1.5/1.6 apps will run fine on 2.0 phones. Most apps will not need the new features that 2.0 brings, so they can continue to use the 1.5 SDK and get the greatest possible reach. Other apps can test to see if they're running on 2.0 and only use new features if they are available. A few apps, however, will want to require 2.0 and rely on its features even if it means they can only be run on a few new devices (for now, anyhow). Continue reading: What's new in Android 2.0 for developers >
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posted by Ed Burnette
October 28, 2009 @ 12:17 am

Previous Post: What’s new in Android 2.0? Part 1: User features
Next Post: Motorola DROID on Verizon: Is this the iPhone killer you’re looking for?

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