Some developers getting early iPhone SDK?

Exclusive Some developers are gaining early access to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch software developer kit, according to reliable sources speaking to Electronista. A handful of companies are said to be getting rough versions of the tools to help code more advanced applications than would be possible with the current web-only solution. Exact details of what the kit allows are unknown, though it is confirmed that it produces native programs and somewhat resembles Google's OpenSocial in that it mediates between the programmer and the iPhone operating system.

Although treated as a welcome development, the SDK will not be the same as writing a Mac OS X application and has its clear limits, people familiar with the matter say. These details are unavailable, though the features are broad enough that at least one major social networking site is reportedly interested what the native platform can offer versus existing web code. The group of companies has only received its development tools within the past two weeks and is allegedly unable to provide a timetable for when finished software will be ready, though it should be well ahead of the community at large, which only receives the SDK in February.

The slip corroborates remarks made by Apple chief Steve Jobs in his open letter announcing the SDK, which emphasized the need for a unique solution to third-party software that balances features with a layer of protection against privacy invasion and security breaches.

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