Google to refine Android with integrated search, free apps

Thumbnail: 

As sales of Google Android smartphones begin to take off, the company is adding a number of features to help the mobile OS stand out from the pack.

Fierce Wireless is reporting that Android engineers are working hard to provide every searchable Android application  with a search menu option.

Some will support type-to-search, with others featuring Search buttons or widgets. 

Google has also shared an API, documentation, sample code and related tools with third-party developers to enable their applications to implement basic search services as well.

Google also recently announced that the Android Market storefront would at least initially include only free software, unlike the equivalent iPhone storefront which features both free and paid software.

This decision has drawn ire from some software publishers, including industry behemoth EA, which has elected to wait until Google introduces a paid model to port their more popular games to the system. 

Meanwhile, there are some indications that Android smartphones are gaining traction - according to the Taiwan Economic News, HTC expects to have sold up to 2 million Android phones by the end of 2009.

This week it was also announced that China Mobile would become the first operator in Asia to sell phones complete with Google's Android software.