One of my most-used programs on Android is Gesture Search, and it is now available to a vastly higher proportion of Android users now that it is compatible with OS1.6.

Released a couple weeks ago, Gesture Search allows you to draw a letter into its input box, and the resulting information will appear right below, in a list. So, if you’re looking for Daniel in your contacts, draw the letter ‘D’ and all your D contacts, plus any programs that start with the same letter, will appear underneath. To filter further, draw the next letter, and so on, until you find what you are looking for.

It is an obvious program with a simple premise, and it just works. Later versions will refine and improve the recognition, but for now, it is sometimes the fastest way to access a number to dial.

Search for “Gesture Search” in the Android Marketplace, and for more information, check out the homepage.