Good news for Android developers, the challenge’s deadlines have just been extended. The first ADC submission deadline is April 14, 2008. There will be another major SDK update according to the blog post Quang Nguyen, Android Developer Advocate, mentionned also perviously by Dan Morill. There is no further information at this time about the upcoming SDK, but you will have more time now to get familiar with the next SDK edition.

Based on the great feedback you’ve given us, we’ve made significant updates to the SDK that we’ll be releasing in several weeks. In order to give you extra time to take advantage of these forthcoming UI and API enhancements, we’ve decided to extend the submission deadline. In addition, a fair number of developers have also asked for more time to build and polish their applications.

Below the updated timeline :

• April 14, 2008: Deadline to submit applications for judging
• May 5, 2008: Announcement of the 50 first round winners, who will be eligible for the final round
• June 30, 2008: Deadline for the 50 winners of the first round to submit for the final round
• July 21, 2008: Announcement of the grand prize winner and runner-up

Popularity: 27%

As it was previously announced by Dan Morrill at the Android Developers Blog, next Thursday January 23rd, 2008 will be held the first Android Campfire at the Googleplex. A unique event, especially for Android developers to be updated on the latest Android News, and find answers for all their unanswered questions.

The evening will feature an update on Android’s latest news and an open forum for you to ask questions, discuss your application ideas, and to connect with other Android enthusiasts.

A very unique occasion to meet Android team, about one month before closing submission for the Android Challenge. There is a registration page for this Campfire if you are attending the event. Otherwise Google is preparing an international event and an Android World tour, so just hope that next camping will be close to your place.

Our developers will be a huge part of Android’s success, so we want to meet you, our colleagues. We’re working on some events around the world that we hope to announce soon, but to kick things off, on the 23rd of January we’ll be holding a Campfire about Android.

Popularity: 24%

Google is offering $10 millions to create amazing new applications for its new Android mobile platform, and today is the first day to submit your application for the challenge. So if you decided to develop an excellent application for Android, here is where you have to go next : ADC submission page. Pick one of the three available forms based on whether you’re working alone, in a team, or for an organized company. Then attach your .apk application file, add documentation file in PDF or text format, and everything should be in english even if you are planning to develop for other languages.

Be sure to read carefully the terms and conditions for the challenge, which explain also how the challenge is going to happen. There are some important details in the terms and conditions concerning the qualifications, four important points that you have to focus on while creating your application :

1. Originality of Concept - Does the application introduce a great new idea; for example, a new angle on social applications?
2. Effective Use of the Android Platform - Does the application take advantage of Android’s unique and compelling features, such as built-in location-based services, accelerometer, and always-on networking?
3. Polish and Appeal - Is the application easy to use and aesthetically appealing?
4. Indispensability - Is the application compelling and essential, such as a game the user just can’t put down or a utility she can’t live without?

So let’s the game begin and good luck for everyone.

Popularity: 23%

In the latest interview, Brendan mentioned that SDK releases have slowed down and here is today the official Android blog announcing the immediate availability of the new release m3-rc37a. Highlited features in this release :

• The ability to inject SMS messages into the emulator, which will allow you to more easily test IntentReceivers for incoming SMS messages (Telnet to Android then run: sms senderPhoneNumber senderPhoneNumber)
• Android Debug Bridge (ADB) supports multiple emulators on one host computer
• The audio problem with the emulator on Windows should be fixed
• There’s a new emulator control panel that you can use to control network events like radio state changes and incoming calls.
• The Eclipse plugin now does color syntax highlighting on the XML files, such as AndroidManifest.xml
• The new default skin for the emulator is HVGA, portrait mode. That’s the one you should focus on for your submissions for the Android Developer Challenge.

It seems there are problems with com.google.android.providers.media in this release, others are reporting that many applications are not running such contacts, maps, browser and even Xmpp settings. Here all applications are working fine and I’m able to emulate phone call, but not sending sms. We’ll try to update you as we get more information on the subject.

More changes on the release notes, and you can download the latest Android SDK release from Google code. Be sure to update the ADT Eclipse Plugin as usual, instructions available for upgrading the SDK.

Popularity: 48%

We all know that the two success keys of any open source project are : the community and the documentation. Android SDK was launched with an excellent documentation, but there was just one group “Android developers” where people started talking about anything concerning Android but development. The group become quickly overcrowded and difficult to follow. I posted a suggestion yesterday to launch new groups for newbies and general discussion, and google reacted very quickly by splitting the developers group into five discussion groups.

So for now, be sure to read Android groups charter and check the right group before asking your question. This is the new list of Android groups :

1. Android Beginners : New to Android development? Start here. Open to any discussion around beginner-type questions; this is a great way to get up and running with your new App on the Android platform.
2. Android Developers : Discuss developing Android applications using the Android framework. Get help with troubleshooting apps, advice on implementation, and strategies for improving your app’s speed and user experience.
3. Android internals : For “hackers” interested in discussing the innards of Android or exploring its use on various hardware.
4. Android Challenge : Discuss the Android Developer Challenge, including questions on contest details. You can also seek other developers to join a team effort.
5. Android discuss : The “water cooler” of Android discussion. Free-wheeling discussion from ideas about the Android platform to your announcements on other Android resources.

Popularity: 12%