Android 1.6, codenamed Donut, is now available for software developers via the new SDK.  Before you start celebrating please keep in mind that Donut is not a major release of Android, but instead it adds a few goodies that developers might want to consider.  Some of the major additions in Donut are a text-to-speech API, newer version of Android Market and an improved search box.  As Sprint and Verizon launch their first Android-powered devices this year the number of Android users will begin to skyrocket.  The Motorola CLIQ from T-mobile will be among the first devices to ship with Donut sometime in October.  Things are looking good for Google these days and they are right on track for their two major updates to Android per year quota (Cupcake + Donut).

Developers can download the SDK here.  Or if you’d like to watch a video instead on Android 1.6 take a look at the introduction below: