The Android software development kit (SDK) makes it easy for game developers to enhance the gaming features on an Android phone.  Since this is such an easy program to work with we see game applications blossom at an unbelievable rate.

With the support of Google and the help of Android SDK, you can personalize your mobile device however you see fit.  This innovative software comes to us from the fine people at Google and Open Handset also leaving the Android as an open source program.  One of the main reasons the Android platform is so capable of developing innovative applications is due to the Java support that exists with the Android.

The evolving world of Android applications is redefining the uses and necessities of the gaming industry for mobile devices.  Android developers are opening the door with never before seen ideas using the latest technologies and mobile game development software.  Aside from gaming applications serving an entertainment purpose they are also starting to be used in conjunction with movie promotions, multiplayer online games, and even business motives such as advertising.

Now that Google has released API documents showing samples and examples of game development, many Android supporters are using this information to its maximum potential.  In addition to the gaming aspect of the Android you will also see this device support media formats like pictures, songs, videos, etc fueling the mobile entertainment industry.

With the plethora of technologies and platforms that are being used in correlation with mobile gaming, or application development, we see developers using tools like Windows Mobile, Symbian OS, Sun’s Java ME, Palm OS, Google Android platforms, etc.  We have come a long way from solitaire on a desktop so these developers need to be on the top of their game with graphics, game play, and sound effects.  This is not a difficult chore with the recent development of Android applications.  We are starting to see the Android shape the future for what handheld devices will be capable of doing, and if you are a tech-nut then hang on to your seat because the next fifteen years are going to be a wild ride.

As with many other operating systems, whether on phones or on computers, one of the must-haves for the system is the ability to play games.  Since Android is the answer to the iPhone, the ability to use applications, or apps, is very important. Apps can be anything from something very useful in a person’s every day life – like the ability to turn the phone into a giant alarm clock to something that is played with just for fun – like the Android application Mahjong Solitare, which is in 3-D and is a calming puzzle game that is a classic computer game.  Due to the great difference in types; there is a very large selection of applications.  Listed below are some of the best according to users of the Android operating system.
Breadcrumbz

Breadcrumbz Application for Android

Breadcrumbz seems to be a favorite and people who are better at understanding visual directions than written ones will love this application.  Breadcrumbz gives the user picture-based routes when they input directions.  Much like Google Maps, only in pictures.  An example of this in use would be the application telling the user to turn left at the big maple tree instead of saying “turn left from I-16 onto I-95”.  The application also has a fun and interesting feature which allows friends of the users to make routes and record them for the user with the built in camera and GPS system.

ShopSavvy

Shopsavvy - andorid apps

ShopSavvy is another very useful Android application, much like Breadcrumbz only for an entirely different reason.  It allows the user to take a picture of the bar code of an item who’s price they would like to compare to the price of that same item at a different store.  ShopSavvy gives the best prices online as well as nearby stores.  The application also tells which store has the cheapest price and, if it is local, where it is in relation to where the consumer is.  Two other applications that do basically the same thing are CompareEverywhere and GoCart, though GoCart does not have the GPS that CompareEverywhere and ShopSavvy share.

IM with Android

Hi Aim - Andorid apps for IM

For those who love to IM, also known as instant message, it is important to know what applications will allow for this type of action.  Hi AIM is a fairly straight-forward and basic client for Android which supports the AIM buddy list and smileys.  Meebo IM is essentially a one-stop shop for any instant messaging service both online and, apparently, on the Android interface.  Not only will it allow a user to sign into clients like AIM, MSN, Yahoo, MySpace IM, Google Talk, Jabber, and ICQ but it automatically saves the chat history and allows it to be accessed anywhere as long as the user has an account with Meebo.

Social Networking on Android

Twidroid

Likewise, for those who Twitter, the Android application Twidroid was the first fully functioning Twitter client application.  It features photo posting, location support, auto-completion, and a notification system of twitter buzz from the user’s Twitter feed.  Similarly, Myspace Mobile allows users to keep up with what is happening on the popular social network Myspace.  With this application, the user would be able to browse Myspace as if they were sitting at a computer.  Opposite of Myspace is Facebook and the free application Fbabble allows the user to keep up with status messages and the going-ons of friends off of Facebook.  In addition to this, the application allows the user to upload photos, change status messages, and chat in real time.

Android Games

Robot Defense - Free game on Android

The Android operating system isn’t just known for its usefulness, there are many games which allow a user to escape into a no doubt far more interesting activity.  One of these games happens to be Robot Defense, which is essentially a tower defense game involving robots.  A tower defense game gives the user a set amount of lives and then the user is placed up against an enemy after being weapons in this case, a gun tower, a rocket tower, and a slowing tower.  The user then sets up these weapons strategically in such a way as to allow the fewest lives to be lost throughout the game.  Tower defense games, in general, can be time consuming but ultimately rewarding.

Bejeweled - Free game for Android

A popular computer game known as Bejeweled made the switch to the Android OS and has proven as popular on a cellphone as it is on a computer.  In Bejeweled, the Blitz mode of which is a very popular game on Facebook, one is given a “box” full of gems and is asked to place them either vertically or horizontally in groups of three or more with extra items being given if they are able to get the gems in rows of four or five.  The only complaint about Bejeweled that one can really make is that it is not a free application.

Cooking Capsules

Cooking Capsules is a game that can be both fun and practical, making it a wonderful combination application for the Android operating system interface.  After watching a short video, usually under three minutes long, the user may then shop for the products that they will need to make their dish.  Then the user will be able to make their dish with step-by-step directions.  It can be particularly useful when making dinner as it gives the user the exact amount of each item that they would need depending on serving size and then the application gives very precise directions, which makes fixing dinner easier on the busy people of today.

The aim for Apps For Android is to share some sample applications that will help to demonstrate the different aspects and possibilities of the Android platform.

The first available application included is called Wikinotes, “a wiki note pad that uses intents to navigate to wiki words and other rich content stored in the notes.”

WikiNotes for Android was written to demonstrate a number of core concepts in Android, including:

* Multiple Activities in an Application (View, Edit, Search, etc.)
* Default intent filters for View/Edit/Search based on MIME types
* Life cycle of Activities
* Message passing via Bundles in Intents
* Use of Linkify to add Intent-firing links to text data
* Using Intents within an application
* Using Intents to use an Activity within another application
* Writing a custom ContentProvider that implements search by note title
* Registration of ReST-like URIs to match titles, and do contents searches
* SQLite implementations for insert, retrieve, update, delete and search
* UI layout and creation for multiple activities
* Menus and keyboard shortcuts

Source: TalkAndroid.com

You can check their site out here:
artificial-life.com

AndroidGlobalTime, developed by a Google engineer is a simple 3D world clock. The application serves as a solid illustrative example of how to properly use the OpenGL API’s in Android apps.

Apps for Android is basically a sample collection of open source applications, that will allow them to demonstrate the many aspects and possibilities of the Android platform.

The first of these apps to be announced was Wikinotes.