2008 Year in Review: Google unveils Android mobile operating system

First announced in late 2007, Android--a Linux-based open software platform created by web services giant Google with the stated goal of "fostering innovation on mobile devices and giving consumers a far better user experience than much of what is available on today's mobile platforms"--promises a brave new world of developmental freedom and flexibility, especially in comparison to the strict proprietary nature of the iPhone OS. Where Apple has limited the scope of the iPhone SDK, restricting developers from creating applications that encroach on some proprietary features, the Android SDK is a veritable tabula rasa , limited almost solely by the imagination and technical know-how of the developer in question. Developers who've created applications for both iPhone and Android insist the latter poses far fewer challenges--not only does Google foster a far more collaborative environment , but it's also easier to publish on the Android Market virtual storefront than on the App Store. So why ... (link)