Google is aiming to create a shake-up in mobile phone operating systems with the launch of its Android platform. Designed to be completely open and free for developers, the API could change the way mobile phone software is used, making all applications equal and combining phone-based data with web tools.

The Android SDK gives mobile software developers the chance to play around with the new platform. It contains everything you need to start building applications, as well as a fully functional device emulator for testing them out when you've finished.

Even non-developers can try out the emulator, as it's easy to set up and run (it does take a while to load up, mind you). There is a choice of phone skins and resolutions to tinker with too. After fiddling around for a bit with the OS I must say I'm pretty impressed. Its integration with Google Maps is seamless and only shows to highlight the potential for development of apps that blur the boundaries between phone and web-based software.

Installing software onto the emulator isn't easy and you need to fiddle around with code in order to do so. Although, there's plenty of documentation available online to help you get the most from the SDK, this is still really only something mobile developers will get much use out of, rather than just those curious about how Android applications will look.

Overall though, Android SDK provides a fast and reliable development environment for those looking towards the next era of mobile software.

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Java Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) provides a complete environment for applications development on desktops and servers and for deployment in embedded environments. It provides the basis for security, database connectivity and more. Desktop Java enables you to write rich, highly interactive client software. J2SE also serves as the foundation for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Java Web Services.

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The Java 2 Development Kit lets you write Java applets that conform to the latest applet API for Java. Previous versions added new functionality to Java, including accessibility, drag-and-drop, application services, a Java extensions framework, collections, input methods, version identification, reference objects, the Java interface definition language (IDL), the Java Virtual Machine Debugger Interface (JVMDI), Java servlets, and Javadoc doclets. Performance enhancements include native thread support, memory compression for loaded classes, faster memory allocation and garbage collection, monitor speed-ups, and a native library JNI port.

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