Google launches $10 million Android contest and SDK

Within seven working days of finally showing its cards as far as expansion into the mobile market is concerned, Google has announced a $10-million (£4.9-million) Android Developer Challenge.

The contest is designed to support the developer community and spark innovation on the Android platform by awarding cash prizes ranging from $25,000 to $275,000 (£12,100 to £133,256) to developers whose applications are picked by a panel of judges.

The Android platform, which is based on the Linux operating system (OS), was made freely available under an open licence last Monday by the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile industry leaders committed to fostering innovation on mobile phones and offering a better consumer experience.

"We believe the Android platform offers developers a unique opportunity to create truly innovative mobile software," said Andy Rubin, Google's director of mobile platforms.

The alliance has also released on its blog an early look at the Android software developer kit (SDK) that includes the documentation, sample projects, development tools, emulator and libraries that developers will need to build an Android application.

For the Android Developer Challenge, the $10 million prize money will be evenly distributed equally between two parts. Submissions for Challenge I will be accepted from 2 January through 3 March 2008, and the 50 most promising entries will be recognised by end of the March with each receiving $25,000 awards to fund further development.

These 50 entries will then be eligible for even greater recognition by applying by 1 May, 2008 for 10 awards worth $275,000 each and another 10 worth $100,000 each. Recognition for the top applications among those entries will be announced by the end of May 2008. Challenge II will launch after the first handsets built on the platform become available in the second half of 2008.

The judging panel of technology and mobile experts selected from the Open Handset Alliance member organisations and mobile industry in general will judge all qualifying entries.

Google said the awards would go to the developers whose "applications leverage all that the Android platform has to offer in order to provide consumers with the most compelling experiences."

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