Opera Software has released a beta software development kit designed to aid in the creation of rich Web-based applications for mobile devices using AJAX. The Opera Platform SDK supports advanced HTML, CSS and JavaScript along with XMLHttpRequest -- technologies employed by services like Google Maps and Amazon's A9 Search.

Some examples of applications that can be created with the SDK include an e-mail client, a game, or a stock ticker, Opera says. "We are now building the foundation for the next generation of mobile services by enabling the easy, fast and cost- effective creation of compelling Web based mobile applications," said Opera VP Timo Bruns.