Google Android platform source code: "free for everyone"

In a quiet but friendly tip off this afternoon I’ve been told that Google and the Open Handset Alliance have made the Android platform source code available free – “For everyone,” says Google.

Less than a month after the search giant unveiled news of the first Google Android phone, the company says that today’s news represents the start of the first truly open and fully featured mobile platform.

In what is arguably a fairly significant milestone for the Android Open Source Project, it is hoped that this move will encourage developers to build more applications that run on Android-powered devices and contribute to the core platform. Developers can now contribute code, with a full set of APIs that allows the platform to host applications written by third-party developers.

By making this move, Google is targeting developers, OEMs, carriers and all other potential code contributors.

In a statement that I was sent personally this afternoon Google said that, “Android is a complete, end-to-end software platform that can be adapted to work on any number of hardware configurations. With the availability of Android to the open source community, consumers will start to see more applications like location-based travel tools, games and social networking offerings being made available to them directly; cheaper and faster phones at lower costs; and a better mobile web experience through 3G networks with richer screens.”

The code can be found under the Android Open Source Project web site.