Android SDK 1.0 released

Google has release the 1.0 version of the Android SDK at the same time as the first Android based phone, the T-Mobile HTC G1, was announced. This is the first stable release of the Android platform and should allow developers to prepare applications for the commercial launch of the G1 in the UK in November.

The Android emulator from the SDK The Android SDK is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux and comprises of tools and an Android emulator to run applications. The previous release of Android SDK 0.9 introduced much of the look and feel of the new version, though some features such as Bluetooth and GTalk APIs were dropped for the initial stable release. Android itself is based on a Linux 2.6.25 kernel, with a Dalvik virtual machine to run Java applications, the development language for Android applications. The open source release of the Android operating system code is, according to Dan Morrill, Android Developer Advocate, due from the Open Handset Alliance by the end of the year.

The emulator is standalone and can be run allowing users and developers a chance to interact with the operating system of the new T-Mobile phone. To try the emulator, download the Android SDK, open a terminal or command line and go to the tools directory and run the emulator application. The emulator may give an error saying a data directory does not exist. If it does, create the directory mentioned in the error and run the emulator again.

(djwm)