BREAKING: NEW Android SDK & 2008-09 Timeline!

After nearly two months of silence Google has finally brought the SDK standoff to an end, releasing beta version .9 of the Android SDK that will likely be the last before the official Android 1.0 is launched along with the actual devices in 4th Quarter.

Its likely that Android development will pick up a ton of steam as THIS version of the Android SDK, unlike the previous “early look” versions, won’t change in core functionality much. Developer advocate Dan Morrill explains, “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.”

But they didn’t just announce a hugely important SDK… they went one step further. You can now find a Developer Timeline which will be an everchanging document highlighting important dates and targets. Here is whats on the roadmap now:

• 12 November, 2007 – “Early Look” SDK released
• January to August, 2008 – Android Developer Challenge I
• 18 August, 2008 – Android 0.9 SDK beta released
• September 2008 – additional Android 1.0 (pre) SDK releases made available, as necessary
• Q3 – Q4 2008 – Android 1.0 SDK release 1 available (first actual 1.0-compatible SDK)
• Q4 2008 – Android 1.0 devices available at retail
• Q4 2008 – Source code released
• Q4 2008 – Key Announcement on Android Developer Challenge II

See that bullet 3rd from the bottom? Android devices will be available at retail Q4 2008. Google has been VERY careful about saying dates so you can be pretty sure that we won’t see anything available in stores before October 1st… this doesn’t really rule out the pre-order rumors we’ve heard.

We also learn that Android Developer Challenge 2 will be revealed, at least details will be, in the 4th quarter of this year. Good to know but this was pretty much expected. Still, we’re eager to hear details.

So what was changed in the Android SDK .9? Here are some of the highlights:

• New Home screen and UI makeove
• New applications including: an Alarm Clock, Calculator, Camera, Music player, Picture viewer, and Messaging (for SMS/MMS conversations.)
• 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.
• New and Improved APIs
• Tons of bugs were fixed, of course. (If you had problems with the MediaPlayer, try it now!)

Wow… just WOW. What an incredible day for Android fans. We’ll be excited to follow the reviews and opinions of Android Developers around the web after this HUGE update.

What’s even better is that more updates are on the way! That’s right… so stay tuned to phandroid for the latest!

[Via Android Developer’s Blog]