Google will give $10 million to the developers who build the best applications for Android, the open source platform Google designed for building mobile phones. Google says it hopes to spark innovation with the so-called Android Developer Challenge, announced today concurrently with the release of Android. The software development kit is now available for download on the Android site.

TechFaith Wireless and Qigi Future Technology announced a smartphone that runs the Google Android mobile Linux stack. The i6-Goal is only the second Android phone to launch, and reportedly includes a 2.8-inch touchscreen, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and a two-megapixel camera.

As expected Google released their Android Software Development Kit (SDK) today. It provides all of the tools needed to start creating applications that run on the next generation mobile operating system, and Google is getting their checkbooks out to help ensure that Android won’t be a flop…

Google unveiled the first Android-powered cell phone last week, a T-Mobile-branded device dubbed the G1. Comparisons to Apple's iPhone were immediate -- and that is a good thing for Android, when you consider what a raucous and contentious week it was for iPhone developers.

As we've noted before, the T-Mobile G1 or "Google phone," based on Android, is doing better than expected. In 2009, many Android phones are going to be appearing, and as applications and innovative designs proliferate, they could give the iPhone a run for its money. Today, photos are appearing of Lenovo's Ophone, which is an Android phone that it has slated for delivery in China.

An Australian firm today announced "the first Aussie phone powered by Android." Kogan Technologies sells two models of the Kogan Agora without a contract, with both Linux/Android phones offering 3G and Bluetooth connectivity, and the pricier "Pro" adding a 2-Mpixel camera, WiFi, and GPS, says Kogan.

Google could be heading for a showdown with Sun over the way Android, Google's new mobile phone software platform, handles Java.

Just recently, the Linux-based Android phone has been successfully introduced to the public. Google, T-Mobile, and HTC put on a show in New York that attracted huge media interest. Now, it's time to see Android perform, though we'll have to wait before G1 goes on sale starting October 22.

Google is offering SIM- and hardware-unlocked HTC G1 phones to members of its Android developer network. Priced at $400 ($425 with network member fee), the "Android Dev Phone 1" aims to provide developers with real hardware to test their applications on.