Google makes a habit of sending shockwaves through the tech world at regular intervals. The release of the Android Software Development Kit, the first effort of the Google-led Open Handset Alliance, was no different for the mobile phone marketplace. The Alliance's ultimate goal: to reshape the cell phone universe as we know it.
While there will be no "Gphone," the idea is to crack open software development for mobile applications.Android is built on the open Linux Kernel and encompasses an operating system, middleware, and even some key mobile apps, says Andy Rubin, Google's director of mobile platforms. The Alliance promises that "the platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications."
To get the ball rolling, the Open Handset Alliance announced the Android Developer Challenge. During 2008, a total of $10 million in prize money will be awarded to innovative developers. The Alliance suggests they concentrate on social networking, media consumption, collaboration, gaming, rethinking of traditional user interfaces, or "whatever you're excited about." The game is definitely on.
The bottom line is mobile communications is a growth industry. Today's 3 billion mobile phone users outnumber both Internet users and land-line owners. That already huge number has nowhere to go but up. On top of that, each user will demand more from their phones as prices for phone-based Net access drop and data pipes from the Net to phones widen. The mobile landscape is going to change significantly over the next few years, and software developers are going to be the agents of that change.
The best part is Android platform uses the Java programming language with an Eclipse plugin, so there should be no hesitation to start your development (http://code.google.com/android/intro/index.html).
