Google prepping developers for Ice Cream Sandwich launch

A new era of Android™ is evidently upon us, as Google has revealed new details about the mobile operating system's next installment, dubbed Ice Cream Sandwich.

The new version of Android, expected to become available in October 2011, will run on both smartphones and tablet computers. This is a disconnect from the previous installment, Honeycomb, which was designed exclusively for tablets.

In anticipation of the platform's release, the Android development team has warned developers that they must prepare to design for both devices. In a blog post, Android's main technical writer Scott Main states that Ice Cream Sandwich will support "big screens, small screens and everything in between." As such, Honeycomb apps will be redesigned to suit smartphones.

"So, if you’ve developed a tablet app on Honeycomb, it’s important that your app do one of two things: prevent installation on smaller screens or (preferably) support smaller screens with the same [Android application package]," Main writes.

Google's decision to design Android for both tablets and smartphones may prove to be fruitful, as the company is poised to make significant strides in the tablet market. According to research firm IDC, Android will capture 25.9 percent of the tablet market in the fourth quarter of 2011.