Android, open-source mobile developer platform, gives developers an early look

The Google-led Open Handset Alliance, the industry consortium developing an open-source mobile developer platform called Android, is now providing developers with an early look at its software development kit (or SDK).

And to spur development, Google is also creating a $10 million fund for promising new applications built for Android.

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The hope is that developers will build mobile applications that make the platform more compelling to consumers and to the many large handset manufacturers, carriers and mobile software companies that are not participating in the alliance. Our previous coverage here.

The kit will support a touchscreen, a webkit-based browser, threaded text messaging, 3G connections, 3D graphics and a variety of file formats, including MPEG-4, h.264, MP3 and AAC.

Last week, Google announced the Open Handset Alliance to create a Linux-based Android platform with a group of more 34 mobile partners.

We’ve already written about one startup that appears to work with Android, a mobile local search company in stealth, called Whatsopen.com.