Google on Monday released the first beta version of its software developer kit (SDK) for Android phones, a significant step in the company’s hope for “open” phone technology.

Google, which is leading the 34-company Open Handset Alliance to create the largely open-source Android software stack for mobile devices, already had released an “early look” SDK in November 2007. With the new beta SDK, though, the company is telling programmers they can get

started in earnest creating software that will work on Android phones due to start shipping later that year, though stopping short of promising full compatibility.

“Since that is a beta release, applications developed with it may not quite be compatible with devices running the final Android 1.0,” Google developer advocate Dan Morrill said in a blog post.