docs/html/sdk/android-1.5.jd

page.title=Android 1.5, Release 3
sdk.platform.version=1.5
sdk.platform.apiLevel=3
sdk.platform.majorMinor=major
sdk.platform.releaseDate=April 2009
sdk.platform.deployableDate=May 2009

@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">

  <h2>In this document</h2>
  <ol>
	<li><a href="#features">Platform Highlights</a></li>
	<li><a href="#apps">Built-in Applications</a></li>
	<li><a href="#locs">Locales</a></li>
	<li><a href="#skins">Emulator Skins</a></li>
	<li><a href="#notes">Other Notes</a></li>
	<li><a href="#api">Framework API</a>
        <ol>
	<li><a href="#api-level">API level</a></li>
	<li><a href="#api-changes">API changes summary</a></li>
	<li><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}/changes.html">API differences report &raquo;</a> </li>
        </ol></li>
  </ol>

  <h2>See Also</h2>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/adding-components.html">Adding SDK Components</a></li>
  </ol>

</div>
</div>

<p>
<em>Date:</em> {@sdkPlatformReleaseDate}<br />
<em>API Level:</em>&nbsp;<strong>{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}</strong></p>

<p>Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} is a {@sdkPlatformMajorMinor} platform release
deployable to Android-powered handsets starting in {@sdkPlatformDeployableDate}.
The release includes new features for users and developers, as well as changes
in the Android framework API. </p>

<p>For developers, the Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} platform is available as a
downloadable component for the Android SDK. The downloadable platform includes a
fully compliant Android library and system image, as well as a set of emulator
skins, sample applications, and more. The downloadable platform is fully
compliant and includes no external libraries. </p>

<p>To get started developing or testing against the Android
{@sdkPlatformVersion} platform, use the Android SDK and AVD Manager tool to
download the platform into your Android 1.6 or later SDK. For more information,
see <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/adding-components.html">Adding SDK
Components</a>.</p>


<h2 id="features">Platform Highlights</h2>

<p>For a list of new user features and platform highlights, see the <a
href="http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-{@sdkPlatformVersion}-highlights.html">Android 
{@sdkPlatformVersion} Platform Highlights</a> document.</p>


<h2 id="apps">Built-in Applications</h2>

<p>The system image included in the downloadable platform provides these
built-in applications:</p>

<table style="border:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0;">
<tr>
<td style="border:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0;">
	<ul>
	<li>Alarm Clock</li>
	<li>Browser</li>
	<li>Calculator</li>
	<li>Camcorder</li>
	<li>Camera</li>
	<li>Contacts</li>
	<li>Custom Locale (developer app)</li>
	<li>Dev Tools (developer app)</li>
	</ul>
</td>
<td style="border:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-left:5em;">
	<ul>
	<li>Dialer</li>
	<li>Email</li>
	<li>Gallery</li>
	<li>IME for Japanese text input</li>
	<li>Messaging</li>
	<li>Music</li>
	<li>Settings</li>
	<li>Spare Parts (developer app)</li>
	</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

<h2 id="locs" style="margin-top:.75em;">Locales</h2>

<p>The system image included in the downloadable platform provides a variety of
built-in locales. In some cases, region-specific strings are available for the
locales. In other cases, a default version of the language is used. The
languages that are available in the Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} system 
image are listed below (with <em>language</em>_<em>country/region</em> 
locale descriptor).</p>

<table style="border:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0;">
<tr>
<td style="border:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0;">
<ul>
<li>Chinese, PRC (zh_CN)</li>
<li>Chinese, Taiwan (zh_TW)</li>
<li>Czech (cs_CZ)</li>
<li>Dutch, Netherlands (nl_NL)</li>
<li>Dutch, Belgium (nl_BE)</li>
<li>English, US (en_US)</li>
<li>English, Britain (en_GB)</li>
<li>English, Canada (en_CA)</li>
<li>English, Australia (en_AU)</li>
<li>English, New Zealand (en_NZ)</li>
<li>English, Singapore(en_SG)</li>
<li>French, France (fr_FR)</li>
<li>French, Belgium (fr_BE)</li>
</ul>
</td>
<td style="border:0;padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-left:5em;">
<li>French, Canada (fr_CA)</li>
<li>French, Switzerland (fr_CH)</li>
<li>German, Germany (de_DE)</li>
<li>German, Austria (de_AT)</li>
<li>German, Switzerland (de_CH)</li>
<li>German, Liechtenstein (de_LI)</li>
<li>Italian, Italy (it_IT)</li>
<li>Italian, Switzerland (it_CH)</li>
<li>Japanese (ja_JP)</li>
<li>Korean (ko_KR)</li>
<li>Polish (pl_PL)</li>
<li>Russian (ru_RU)</li>
<li>Spanish (es_ES)</li>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

<p>Localized UI strings match the locales that are accessible 
through Settings.</p>

<h2 id="skins">Emulator Skins</h2>

<p>The downloadable platform includes a set of emulator skins that you can use for modeling your application in different screen sizes and resolutions. The emulator skins are: </p>

<ul>
  <li>
    QVGA-P (240x320, low density, small screen)
  </li>
  <li>
    QVGA-L (320x480, low density, small screen)
  </li>
  <li>
    HVGA (320x480, medium density, normal screen)
  </li>
  <li>
    HVGA-P (320x480, medium density, normal screen)
  </li>
  <li>
    HVGA-L (320x480, medium density, normal screen)
  </li>
</ul>

<p>For more information about how to develop an application that displays and functions properly on all Android-powered devices, see <a href="{@docRoot}guide/practices/screens_support.html">Supporting Multiple Screens</a>.</p>


<h2 id="api">Framework API</h2>

<p>The sections below provide information about the application framework API provided by the Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} platform. </p>


<h3 id="api-level">API level</h3>

<p>The Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} platform delivers an updated version of the framework
API. As with previous versions, the Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} API 
is assigned an integer identifier &mdash; <strong>{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}</strong> &mdash; that is
stored in the system itself. This identifier, called the "API Level", allows the
system to correctly determine whether an application is compatible with
the system, prior to installing the application. </p>

<p>To use APIs introduced in Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} in your application, you need to 
set the proper value, "{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}", in the attributes of the <code>&lt;uses-sdk&gt;</code> 
element in your application's manifest. </p>

<p>For more information about how to use API Level, see the <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/appendix/api-levels.html">API Levels</a> document. </p>

<h3 id="api-changes">API changes summary</h3>

<h4>UI framework</h4>
  <ul>
    <li>Framework for easier background/UI thread interaction</li>
    <li>New {@link android.widget.SlidingDrawer SlidingDrawer} widget</li>
    <li>New {@link android.widget.HorizontalScrollView HorizontalScrollview} widget</li>
  </ul>

<h4>AppWidget framework</h4>
  <ul>
    <li>APIs for creating secure home screen {@link android.appwidget
AppWidgets}. For information about how to use AppWidgets, see the Developer's
Guide <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/appwidgets/index.html">AppWidgets</a>
documentation. Also see <a
href="http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/04/introducing-home-screen-widgets-and.html">
Introducing home screen widgets and the AppWidget
framework</a> on the Android Developer's Blog.</li>
    <li>APIs for populating {@link android.provider.LiveFolders Live Folders}
        with custom content.</li>
  </ul>

<h4>Media framework</h4>
  <ul>
    <li>Raw audio recording and playback APIs</li>
    <li>Interactive MIDI playback engine</li>
    <li>Video recording APIs for developers (3GP format)</li>
    <li>Video and photo sharing Intents</li>
    <li>Media search Intent</li>
  </ul>

<h4>Input Method framework </h4>
   <ul>
    <li>{@link android.inputmethodservice.InputMethodService Input Method
        Service} framework</li>
    <li>Text-prediction engine</li>
    <li>Ability to provide downloadable IMEs to users</li>
  </ul>

<h4>Application-defined hardware requirements</h4>
   <p>Applications can now use a new element in their manifest files, <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-configuration-element.html"><code>&lt;uses-configuration&gt;</code></a>
 to indicate to the Android system what hardware features
they require in order to function properly. For example, an application might
use the element to specify that it requires a physical keyboard or a particular
navigation device, such as a trackball. Prior to installing the application, the
Android system checks the attributes defined for the
<code>&lt;uses-configuration&gt;</code> element and allows the installation to
continue only if the required hardware is present.</p>

<h4>Speech recognition framework</h4>
    <ul>
    <li>Support for using speech recognition libraries via Intent. See {@link
android.speech.RecognizerIntent RecognizerIntent}.</li>
  </ul>

<h4>Miscellaneous API additions</h4>
  <ul>
    <li>LocationManager - Applications can get location change updates via
        Intent</li>
    <li>WebView - Touch start/end/move/cancel DOM event support</li>
    <li>Redesigned {@link android.hardware.SensorManager Sensor Manager
        APIs}</li>
    <li>GLSurfaceView - convenience framework for creating OpenGL
        applications</li>
    <li>Broadcast Intent for app update install succeeded - for smoother app
        upgrade experience</li>
  </ul>


<h3 id="api-diff">API differences report</h3>

<p>For a detailed view of API changes in Android {@sdkPlatformVersion} (API Level {@sdkPlatformApiLevel}), as compared to 
the previous version, see the <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/api_diff/{@sdkPlatformApiLevel}/changes.html">API 
Differences Report</a>.</p>