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A blogger from a CBS Interactive brand that focuses on technology is reporting today that Apple Inc. has ended its notoriously unpopular nondisclosure agreement for software released for the new iPhone (News - Alert).

 

CNET’s Tom Krazit reports that the move indicates that Apple (News - Alert) is “starting to take developer concerns to heart.”

 

“The company put up a notice on the main Apple developer Web page that, effective immediately, says developers are released from the NDA regarding iPhone software that has already been released,” Krazit wrote this afternoon. “The NDA was one of the most frustrating aspects of iPhone development in its first three official months, forbidding developers from discussing their software and throwing into legal limbo the status of programs such as iPhone development classes.”

 

The Apple announcement follows big news for iPhone developers this week, as well as those who write programs for the Google Android (News - Alert)-based HTC Dream or T-Mobile G1.

 

A San Francisco-based company on Monday said it’s offering a free platform to measure application performance so that developers have useful information – a major boon as more and more mobile phone users are expected to download free applications for devices such as the iPhone.

 

Officials at Flurry reportedly are saying that the mobile phone is evolving and that the platform – called “Flurry Analytics” – will provide detailed information on how consumers are using the new applications so that developers can tailor their efforts wisely.

 

“Developers have to know what’s working, pinpoint what’s not and respond rapidly – that will be key in fueling the growth of mobile applications,” said Simon Khalaf, president and chief executive officer of Flurry. “That’s why we’ve developed Flurry Analytics as a free service to arm developers with the in-depth information they need to build better, smarter applications.”

 

Two major IT innovations are driving the developers’ market. First, the iPhone, whose App Store saw 60 million downloads in the first month of the device’s release in July. And developers also will find plenty of work creating applications for the Android-based phone from HTC (News - Alert) – a Taiwanese electronics manufacturer that earned a well-written profile from a pair of New York Times writers late last week.

 

According to Krazit, Apple explained its decision to drop the NDA by saying it didn’t want anyone stealing the work supporting its iPhone.

 

“However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software,” Krazit writes, citing Apple’s explanation. “Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.”