The Android folks have posted more details about the ‘Quick Search Box’ feature of 1.6 Android.
One of the new features we’re really proud of in the Android 1.6 release is Quick Search Box for Android. This is our new system-wide search framework, which makes it possible for users to quickly and easily find what they’re looking for, both on their devices and on the web. It suggests content on your device as you type, like apps, contacts, browser history, and music. It also offers results from the web search suggestions, local business listings, and other info from Google, such as stock quotes, weather, and flight status. All of this is available right from the home screen, by tapping on Quick Search Box (QSB).
This post is largely targeted towards application developers (which now have the 1.6 SDK) who should be seriously considering about integrating their app into the quick search box.
It seems fitting that the Google mobile OS would have a ubiquitous search mechanism like the text bar in Google Chrome, and for that matter, like most people use Google.com.
One additional note – if you are like me, you may have previously heard there were concerns that the faithful G1 early-adopters may not get Android 1.6 in all of it’s donut-y glory because the G1 couldn’t handle it. Thankfully, it appears that may not be the case anymore.
The official application for Facebook is now available on the Android Market. While I’m sure that it has it’s unpleasant corners, my first experience with it is that it’s a vast improvement over the alternatives, which by my count includes web access, and the few existing 3rd party apps that adapt the iPhone web interface for the Android platform.