Google updates Android developer site ahead of Google I/O

Google has redesigned the Android Developers site, ahead of next week's Google I/O conference In the run up to the Google I/O developer conference, Google has rolled out an updated and redesigned Android Developers site. The company has also given application developers the ability to respond to reviews of their applications on the Google Play store. But, not all the news has come through official announcements as it appears an accidental leak has disclosed that the next version of Android, dubbed "Jelly Bean", will be version 4.1.

Google's redesigned Android Developers site now employs the same font and design principles as the operating system itself. The site's content, beyond the Apache 2.0 Android Open Source Project documentation, is now licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY 2.5). The site will most likely be updated with more information after Google has made its announcements at the Google I/O conference starting on 27 June in San Francisco.

One of those announcements is expected to be the next version of Android. The new name and version number will not be a surprise after a developer who was browsing prices for a Galaxy Nexus found a listing for the device which referred to "The latest smartphone from Google, soon the first phone with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean."

Google has also updated the developer interface of its Play store to enable developers to reply directly and publicly to reviews of their applications. The user who left the review in the first place will be informed by email that the developer has responded. The feature is only available to "Top Developers" at present but Google expects to roll it out to all Android developers "in the future."

Meanwhile, Amazon has announced that it will soon launch its own Appstore in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Currently, developers are being asked to submit their applications so that they will be ready when the Appstore goes live. According to Amazon, the launch will happen "this summer".

(fab)