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 also 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 also pointed to the Android Developer Roadmap, "a living document" that is continually updated with achieved and upcoming milestones. Its time 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 time line includes other milestones for the fourth quarter, including the first availability at retail of Android 1.0 devices, a release of source code, and a "key announcement" on Android Developer Challenge II.

Al Hilwa, program director at research firm IDC, said "Google is obviously in a big rush to get this out." While T-Mobile is expected to offer an HTC Android phone by this year's holiday season, Hilwa noted that "actually launching a successful device by this Christmas will be a big order."

In the developer community, he said, "anything from Google will be exciting," but, as other observers have recently noted, Apple and other established device makers are also courting them. Some developers, Hilwa said, are beginning to realize that Android "is not going to reach its potential" for several years.

Hilwa said Apple, in particular, "is about two to three years ahead of everyone else" in the main race -- turning the smartphone into a device to replace the computer. Within 10 years or less, he added, it could become commonplace to use a smartphone in a docking station, as laptops are now.