As reported on Saturday, Google unveiled the details about its Android open platform for mobile devices and Open Handset Alliance today. Through Android, developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers will be better positioned to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. The end result will be an unprecedented mobile platform that will enable wireless operators and manufacturers to give their customers better, more personal and more flexible mobile experiences.
As expected, the Android platform is an integrated mobile “software stack” that consists of an operating system, middleware, user-friendly interface and applications. It will be available under a open-source license, allowing carriers, manufacturers and developers to customize the application as much as they want as well as develop new software for it. A software development kit should be released next week.
So far, the Open Handset Alliance is comprised of thirty-four companies, including Broadcom, China Mobile, HTC, Intel, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo, Qualcomm, SiRF, Sprint, and T-Mobile.
There will be no gphone. Google will leave the actual devices to the manufacturers. Devices based on Android will begin to appear in the second half of 2008.