Google Gives Developers a Glimpse of Android

Some 3,000 lucky programmers at Google’s annual developer conference on Wednesday got an advance look at the almost-completed Android mobile platform. The AP reports that demo may have been quick, but it did show off some never-before-seen features of the software. According to the AP:

The bells and whistles unveiled Wednesday included: a way to unlock phones by drawing a specific shape on the touchscreen instead of entering a password; bookmarks for favorite Web sites on the device’s home page; a ‘compass’ tool that automatically roams with the phone while a user looks at photographic images of a city map; a magnifying tool to zoom in on Web content; and a mobile version of the video game ‘Pac Man.’

Although the company acknowledged that Android is nearly complete, the folks involved with the platform declined to say when an Android-based phone might hit the market.

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