Google opens up Android 2.0 SDK to all developers

Screen shot 2009-10-27 at [ October 27 ] 10.17.07 AM

There we were ranting about Google selectively sharing Android 2.0 without making it available to developers en masse, and then they went ahead and did just that. Beginning immediately, Android 2.0 support is available in the Android SDK.

Don’t expect it to be available (at least not through any official means) on any device until the Motorola Droid launches, which all signs indicate will happen sometime in early November.

Here are the big, user-facing changes:

  • Unified e-mail
  • “Quick Contacts” – rather than requiring you to go to a second screen after tapping a contact in your address book, a small bar pops up with all available contact methods as touch icons
  • Exchange support
  • Search functionality now digs through SMS/MMS
  • Photo Enhancements: White balance, Digital Zoom, color effects, macro focus support
  • Improved keyboard (Multi-touch! Good news for fast typists.)
  • Overhauled browser with improved HTML5 support, including offline applications
  • Bluetooth 2.1, plus Object-push profiles (for sending images and business cards over Bluetooth) and PBAP (for sharing your phonebook with other devices, such as your in-car navigation

The full list of changes is available here; developers, dive on in.