August 18th, 2008 by Chris Moor

Google Announce New Android SDK

Android SDK 0.9 Google have today announced announced the release of the latest Android SDK.

The beta SDK that we're releasing today is the first big step on the SDK's road to compatibility with 1.0. Since this is a beta release, applications developed with it may not quite be compatible with devices running the final Android 1.0. However, the APIs are now pretty stable and we don't expect any major changes. If you're one of the many developers who were waiting for something a bit more mature, this might be a good time to take another look.

Here's a rundown of what's new in the latest SDK:

First and most obviously, the new Home screen is included, along with a ton of UI changes for 1.0.
Some new applications are included: an Alarm Clock, Calculator, Camera, Music player, Picture viewer, and Messaging (for SMS/MMS conversations.)
Several new development tools were added, such as a graphical preview for XML layouts for users of Eclipse, and a tool for constructing 9-patch images.
Since we’ve got a new Home screen application now, we thought the now-obsolete version from the M5 early-look SDK might be helpful to developers, so its source is included as a sample.
A number of new APIs are fleshed out and improved, and others are now close to their final forms for 1.0.
Tons of bugs were fixed, of course. (If you had problems with the MediaPlayer, try it now!)

Here's a video of the new Android SDK in action.