ARM backs Android with developer resources

Android represents a growing segment of the smartphone market

Chip technology firm ARM has launched an online resource centre for developers of Android-based phones and devices that use processors compatible with the ARM architecture.

Solution Center for Android, which is now live, is intended as a single point of reference for designers building Android devices and developers creating applications for them. It provides access to tools, solutions and services from the ARM Connected Community.

Processors based on the ARM architecture power almost every phone handset available, and Android represents a rapidly growing segment of the smartphone market.

However, until now there has been a lack of in-depth support for developers working on this platform, according to ARM, a gap which the company is seeking to plug itself.

"As we have seen through the recent launches of handsets such as the Motorola Droid and Acer Liquid, the Android platform represents a fundamental change in the open source ecosystem," said ARM's vice president of segment marketing, Kevin Smith.

"Solution Center for Android serves as a one-stop guide to provide developers with the tools and information they need to create innovative devices with applications that satisfy consumers' needs."

More than 35 members of ARM's Connected Community partner network have already joined the initiative, according to the firm, including Texas Instruments, Archos and the Open Kernel Labs.