Android 1.0 SDK ReleasedAndroid 1.0 SDK Released

A day after the first Android-powered handset was revealed, Google has released the 1.0 version of the mobile operating system's software development kit.

This is the first fully stable release of the Android SDK and programs developed with it will actually work on commercially released products like the T-Mobile G1. The previous version, Android 0.9, was nearly complete, but applications developed with it weren't guaranteed to work.

The open-source OS is based on a Linux 2.6.25 kernel, and there's a Dalvik virtual machine to run Java applications. Representatives from the Open Handset Alliance said the release of the OS code is expected by the end of the year.

The 1.0 build will include a standalone emulator that enables developers to interact with the OS of the G1. As previously reported by information, this build doesn't have some Bluetooth functionality and GChat APIs.

Since Android was first introduced last November with the goal of opening up the mobile industry, it's been clear that its success will rely on the innovation that outside developers and programmers bring. The "open" message hit a bit of a snag earlier this year as some developers became frustrated with Google's lack of a public SDK update.

But with the G1 on track for an Oct. 22 release, developers will be hard at work creating applications for the upcoming Android Market. The market will be a competitor to Apple's App Store, and it may woo some developers away from the iPhone.

Unlike with the App Store, there will be a lower barrier of entry to get an application on the Android Market. While an app like Podcaster was pulled from the App Store for duplicating Apple's services, Google says its application market will be offer an "unobstructed environment" for distributing content.

While Google said there will only be free apps for the first couple of months, the search company won't take a percentage of the revenue. By contrast, Apple takes a 30% cut from any application sold.