First look: Google's Android OS

When we first reported on Google's Android OS last week, the details were pretty hazy, with the search giant offering little info in terms of what the OS will look and feel like. Luckily, today marks the release of the official SDK to developers and with that kit comes the first peek at Android. As part of the SDK, Google has offered a series of videos to developers that demonstrate what Android is capable of. Looks like the initial reports were right: Android is very iPhone-like in a number of ways and even sports an almost identical, webkit-based browser and a suspiciously Cover Flow-like history interface. That aside, it looks very user-friendly and seems to be an extremely powerful platform, with support for 3G, touchscreens and full 3D graphics (check out Quake on a handset!). The real selling point, however, will be the platform's open-source underpinnings. If the carriers actually allow customers to load their own applications on to Android devices, Android could become the platform of choice for prosumers and enterprises alike.

For more on Android:
- watch these video demos