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The latest version of the Android software developers' kit (SDK), release 1.6 or Donut, has appeared at last. Among the new features are CDMA support, important for Google's hopes of a showing at Verizon and Sprint, and new screen sizes like QVGA and WVG.

While there is still controversy over how far Android will support full touch capabilities in future (and how far Apple could try to block that), Donut does introduce gesture APIs to support finger movements in apps. It also adds a text-to-speech engine. And even as some licensees are seeking to 'de-Google' the Android user experience by creating their own interfaces (like HTC Sense), the search giant continues to push its services to the forefront, this time announcing a quick search box that can integrate Google Search services within any app.

Google and the Open Handset Alliance, the industry group that supports Android, said the first Donut devices could appear in October.

Also from Google, its Labs experimental division unveiled a new browsing experience for Android and iPhone users, called Fast Flip. This represents another step in Google's ongoing bid to control all kinds of media, including newspapers and books, and it says Fast Flip will "combine the best elements of print and online articles" by allowing users to 'flip' left and right through headlines and feeds, zooming in, and tapping the screen to get short summaries. This will make content flow "seamless" and more personalized, apparently.

Many Android developers are focusing on social networking to enhance their offerings, as Motorola is doing with its Motoblur interface for the new Cliq handset. Now it seems Microsoft is looking for the same benefits for the forthcoming upgrade to Windows Mobile, release 7. A job posting noticed by TechWorld refers to the rapid evolution of social networks and mobile phones, and asks: "How would you like to be at the confluence of these phenomena - not as an observer but as someone who is defining the course? The Windows Mobile 7 Communications group is building experiences on the phone that present your content - friends, pictures, messages, events - to you in immersive and engaging ways."

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