Google and Nokia unveil latest mobile SDKs

Developers get their hands on Android 1.5 and N97 toolkits

Android 1.5 SDK Release 1 includes a number of updates and new features

Google has announced the availability of the Android 1.5 Software Developer Kit Release 1.

Xavier Ducrohet, a member of Google's technology staff, announced the availability of the SDK in a blog post, explaining that it included a number of updates and new features. These include Android Virtual Devices, which lets developers assess their applications across a range of virtual scenarios, along with strengthened support for add-ons and plug-ins.

Google will also provide supporting documentation from partner firm HTC, designed to ease upgrades to existing development projects and help firms to install the SDK on Android-based tester handsets.

With some caution Ducrohet added: "Android developer phones like the ADP1 are intended for application development, rather than daily use. Additionally, they are operator-neutral and country-neutral, so they may not include certain features found on end-user devices."

Nokia, meanwhile, used its developer summit to announce its own SDK for the N97 handset.

"This device-specific SDK enables developers to explore the new features and application programming interfaces [APIs] offered by the Nokia N97 mobile computer," the firm said.

"Using the SDK, developers can create applications that take advantage of the new home screen publishing and memory management APIs. The emulator, which has the look and feel of the N97, enables the testing of these new application capabilities as well as home screen widgets."

Released this morning through Nokia's developer web sites, the SDK offers an emulator which mimics the look and feel of the handset and its home screen, including its Qwerty keyboard and four-way rocker navigation key. Increased support for runtimes, including Symbian C++, Open C/C++, Java and Python, has also been added.

A wiki-based knowledge sharing site has been launched to help with any development issues, while Nokia said that it was also making available a "pay per problem" technical support team for users with more specific issues.