A new beta software development kit is out for Android, the open-source mobile operating system backed by Google. Version 0.9 of the SDK was announced Monday on the Android Developers Blog.

An early version was released in November and, although some developers praised it, many said they found it buggy.

First Step Toward 1.0

The goal with the early version, wrote Google Developer Advocate Dan Morrill on the Android Developers Blog, was “to give developers insight into the platform as early on as possible, and to get some initial feedback.” Since that release, he added, Google has been working with the Open Handset Alliance to utilize developers’ feedback and get ready for the release of the first devices, now expected in the fourth quarter.

The beta SDK, he said, is another step toward an Android 1.0 release. Morrill added that it is “pretty stable and we don’t expect any major changes.”

But there are changes from

the first release. A new home screen, along with various user-interface changes, are included in the beta. New applications include an alarm clock, a calculator, a camera, a music player, a picture viewer, and SMS/MMS text messaging.

There are additionally new development tools, including a graphical preview for XML layouts for users of Eclipse, plus new APIs and what Morrill described as “tons” of bug fixes.

He additionally pointed to the Android Developer Roadmap, “a living document” that is continually updated with achieved and upcoming milestones. Its day line, which includes Monday’s release, points to additional, pre-1.0 SDK releases in September, and the 1.0 release in the third or fourth quarter.

‘In a Big Rush’

The day line includes other milestones for the fourth quarter, including the first availability at retail of Android 1.0 devices, a release of source cipher, and a “key announcement” on Android Developer Challenge II.

Al Hilwa,…

Original post by dhiram