Announcing Android 2.0 support in the SDK!
I am excited to announce that the Android SDK now supports Android 2.0 (also known as Eclair). — Android 2.0 brings new developer APIs for sync, Bluetooth, and a few other areas. Using the new sync, account manager and contacts APIs …
Context & Ripple Effects
Android’s April preparation for the 1.5 SDK established a release pattern in which developers receive tools alongside a platform update. The 2.0 release extends that cadence with APIs aimed at account, contact, synchronization and Bluetooth functions.
Coverage of HTC work on Android 2.0 phones puts the SDK release at the junction between platform availability and device rollout, although an earlier Motorola sighting remained unconfirmed.
First-order effects
- Android developers can begin building and testing against Android 2.0’s sync, account-manager, contacts and Bluetooth APIs.
- Handset makers preparing Android 2.0 devices gain a defined API target for preloaded applications and developer support.
Second-order effects
- Developers of services that rely on user accounts or contact data can align Android integrations with the platform’s new system interfaces rather than treating those functions solely as app-level features.
- HTC and other Android device makers face pressure to pair Android 2.0 hardware launches with applications that demonstrate the newly exposed platform capabilities.
Third-order effects
- If Android continues to ship SDK support alongside major releases, the platform’s competitive leverage shifts toward the breadth and consistency of its developer APIs as well as handset availability.
- Account, contact and synchronization interfaces point toward Android making core device data a shared platform layer, increasing the importance of API compatibility for app developers and device makers.
The trend: Android is building its platform around synchronized SDK and handset-release cycles, using system APIs to make third-party applications more deeply integrated with the device.