Google mends fences with new Android SDK

Google this afternoon made a move to placate frustrated developers for its mobile phone platform by releasing a new beta of the Android SDK. Version 0.9 is the first kit available to those outside of Google's Developers Challenge and is described as the first to have largely settled the operating system. No major changes are expected from 0.9 until the finished 1.0 release, the company says.

The Mountain View, California-based firm additionally sets out to assuage developers unclear of Android's future direction with a roadmap it says will outline at least the near term for the phone operating system. Google now confirms that it should have 1.0 completed between late summer and fall with pre-release updates in September.

Finished devices using Android, which are known to include the HTC Dream for T-Mobile, are also confirmed as launching in the fall and will be accompanied by important details of a second Developers Challenge.

The new update brings features that have already been revealed in public presentations, such as a new iPhone-like unlock system and home screen as well as an app store meant to consolidate and promote third-party apps, mirroring an existing development from Apple. The interface allows for widgets on the home screen as well as shortcuts to specific websites or other content.

Filed under: iPhone, gadgets, mobile phones
Other story tags: Google, T-Mobile, Android, htc, Dream