June 02, 2011, 6:56 PM — HTC plans to release an SDK for Sense, the user interface it features on Android phones.
With the software development kit, developers will be able to more deeply integrate their applications into the Sense software, HTC said. The company will also offer APIs (application programming interfaces) and sample code for developers building applications to run on Sense devices with 3-D displays.
HTC plans to release the SDK as part of a new program that will offer resources such as tutorials, best practices, documentation and support to developers who are building applications for HTC devices.
The resources will become available when HTC fully launches a new website, www.htcdev.com, in the coming months. The site will also let developers offer feedback to HTC.
Developers can sign up on the site now to be alerted when the Sense SDK becomes available.
Many other phone makers, including Samsung and Motorola, have programs that support developers. Even though they use the Android operating system, they each build their own software on top of it as a way to differentiate their products.
The various pieces of added software may help the phone makers differentiate their products, but they present challenges for developers who may need to tweak their applications for different phone models. Android has received steady criticism for its fragmentation as multiple versions of the operating system, running on a wide variety of devices, flood the market.
Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy on Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy's e-mail address is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com
