Android 2.0 source code now available

Google has made the source code for the current 2.0 release of Android available to download from its Android Open Source Project page. So far, Android 2.0 has only been released in the US on the Motorola Droid from Verizon. The developer of the CyanogenMod builds of Android, who was recently in the news over a copyright dispute with Google, has already compiled the sources to allow the operating system to run on the first Android phone, T-Mobile's G1.

It was believed by some before Android version 1.6 was released, that the G1 was would have too little memory for future versions of the operating system, and it was never confirmed that the G1 would be updatable to future releases. According to the CyanogenMod developer Android 2.0, which is also known as Eclair, works "fast and smoothly" on the G1, although the audio and video applications and their respective codecs don't work yet.

The European version of the Droid, known as the Milestone, is expected to be released on today in Germany but UK availability has yet to be announced. All the other Android smartphones are running older versions of Google's Linux offshoot for mobile devices. Whether the vendors of current Android smartphones will upgrade their devices to the current version is an open question, however, HTC has confirmed that it is working on an Android 2.0 update for its HTC Hero smartphone.

See also:

• Android SDK 2.0: More synchronisation, more Bluetooth, a report from The H.

(crve)