Posts Tagged ‘android’

Where Google Androids Future Is Headed

The complete software system, Google Android, is useable on many types of mobiles: phones, PDAs, et cetera.  This is developed by the big names in consumer electronics, such as Google, Motorola, Samsung, Intel, LG, HTC, and several others.  However, Google was the first company in this conglomerate to begin the creation of this system with the goal of bringing one, open standard for every mobile device.  Then, when other businesses joined in, an alliance was born: OHA, or Open Handset Alliance.

The very first Android platform, made with Linux Kernel 2.6, soon came to fruition.  This platform brought the OHA promoters, Sony, Ericsson, Vodafone, and Toshiba Corp, much applause.  As 2008 came to a close, the open source Android was released to the public.  This platform is modified to be used with larger VGA, graphic libraries in 2D and 3D, and MP3s on basic open licenses. (more…)

Android Application Development: Creating Cutting-Edge Applications For The Marketing Arena

The hot new “thing” in the mobile device market—Android Application Development.  Experts are predicting that it will be the most prized asset to world of mobiles.  Android Application Development allows people to create leading and compelling applications for every mobile user.

Today, users desire sharper features out of their mobile phones.  So, mobile phone developers are trying to meet the demands of the user by making strong, quality mobile phone applications; this is why the Android Application is considered the best option.  It is a powerful, automatic platform for creating mobile applications, with the capability of transforming the way the mobile device looks, feels, and functions.

With Android, developers can quickly make some of the best mobile applications with ease.  The open source software program and operating system for mobile phones, Android, is made using the Linux Kernel system.  A system created by Google and Open Handset Alliance.  (more…)

Android Cupcake

When Google released its preview of the Android 1.5 software development kit (SDK), Android enthusiasts found out some of the features that would be available in the next Android version. Some of those features include better web browsing, graphical improvements, and many other changes that were promised. From checking out the SDK, it was possible to sleuth out some of the updated Android features and how they will appear in “Cupcake,” the Google Android operating system. (more…)

Google Android review

Android is a new open source operating system and software platform for mobile phones. Many people are very excited about this platform, as it promises to unlock many very special opportunities to mobile phones users. But how does it stack up against the tried-and-tested platforms of today’s phones? Lets take a look at what makes Android a system unlike any other.

Unlike many predecessors, Android offers software completely free of charge. This means that Google is expecting some exciting user-created apps for the new phone. This seems to be the number one good thing about Android, the fact that anyone can obtain software,  anyone can create and use apps, and they can do it free of charge!

The apps on the Android platform are completely able to work with one-another, which really comes in handy. For example, you could select a contact from your phonebook, click on it, select find on map, and then you could go right to the map app in order to see where they live!

You will, of course, be able to use Android with 3G speed, which means that accessing the internet via a web browser will be absolutely no problem. You will also be able to access web pages exactly as they would appear on your web browser, which really helps cut down on the confusion when you are trying to find information.

It can also be used in touch screen, and of course can include all of these features. Android is also capable of a completely 3d user friendly interface. This means that things like 3d apps and games will be no problem. In fact, they will probably look better than ever! It is also very easy to mix 2d and 3d elements on Android.

It looks like Google has delivered a spectacular platform, and you can bet that you won’t be disappointed.

What You Should Know about Android G1 Phones

Many people are happily clueless when it comes to technology. But while ignorance may be bliss, it also usually holds people back and should be overcome. Android phones are not part human. That is simply the name that Google gave to the phones that utilize Google’s mobile operating system called Android. It is the Internet giant’s entry into the world of mobile phones.

Not that many people have Android phones yet. There is actually only one model, the G1. Released in late 2008, the G1 is the only phone that supports the Android operating system. While there may be other Android enabled phones in the future, the G1 is the only option right now. The phone itself is fairly reasonably priced at under $200.

Android G1 Phones

Android G1 Phones

Perhaps the greatest thing about the Android G1 phone is that the coding for it is open source. What that means is that users can have access to the code and change it. There are some restrictions to doing this, but it is a new and welcome option in the world of phones. Google has set certain parts of the code to be off limits to the public, so the code isn’t fully open. But most of it is, and that’s way more than any other phone provider allows.

While other prototype phones have been developed, the G1 is the only Android phone you can get your hands on. No other prototypes have been released. If you spot another phone running the Android operating system, it’s probably not a phone offered by any of the major wireless providers.

The thing that everyone naturally wants to know is, is the G1 Android phone worth your money?

The answer is an emphatic yes. To put it briefly, the advantages of this phone outweigh the disadvantages enough to make it a great thing to buy. Since they cost under $200, they are already much less expensive than other phones with similar features. The difference is that the Android G1 has a full QWERTY keyboard. This is a fantastic bonus to the touch screen, because most touch screens don’t have a physical keypad.

While some people have complained that the G1’s QWERTY keyboard isn’t as spiffy as it could be, it is definitely better than the alternative, which would be no keypad at all. The keyboard, along with its fully operational open source operating system, are enough by themselves to make the Android G1 phone a great choice.

Remaining in the dark about improvements to technology means never finding out about great developments like the G1 Android phone. It is a powerful technological advance because it is the first phone with a new operating system that is designed with user improvements in mind. While this is enough of a selling point, also keep in mind that similar phones cost nearly twice as much. While the G1 is the only Android phone on the market right now, it will certainly be followed by many more improved models.

What is Android and Why Should You Care?

Android is for the most part, an operating system, a software platform that is made especially for mobile phones. Android is developed by Google. It allows code developers to write code in a language that is similar to Java. It also uses Java libraries that Google develops.

Android doesn’t run programs that are developed in Java itself. The Android platform made its debut in November 2007, which coincided with the advent of the Open Handset Alliance. The Open Handset Alliance was created with over 30 software, hardware, and telecommunications organizations, all of whom promised to promote open standards for mobile phone software.

Google Phone - Android

Google Phone - Android

It all started with Google acquiring Android, Inc.  Android was already known for making software for mobile phones. In July 2005, Google bought Android Inc., and rumors began that Google would be making a mobile phone. Google later applied for a patent on a mobile payment paradigm that it called Gpay. Gpay would allow customers to send a message to Google providing payment details to a designated payee. Gpay would debit the user’s account and credit the account of the payee.

As with any revolutionary venture, Google’s Android may pose its own risks. Its open source phone operating system in conjunction with the Open Handset Alliance might expose mobile phone operators to more security risks than other current devices on the market. There is yet no one central authority that can certify Android applications, so there is the risk of misuse. But Android was also made in such a way that misuse is held to a minimum.

Android is a Linux-based system, and for each application, code developers must follow a specific procedure. This is to avoid malicious programs disturbing other applications or even phone functions. For example, if an app needs access to data or phone operations – perhaps to read phone numbers to make a call – the user will have to explicitly enable this function during installation.

So far, an Android emulator and part of the software development kit that is available for free have been used to demonstrate the functionality of the system. One example was an application that could study a shopping list on a Google spreadsheet and convert it to proper format for a mobile phone. Data in the spreadsheet could be edited in real time using Android, showing that Android may become a real power tool for phone app developers.

Google Announces Apps For Android

Google have recently launched an open source collection of sample Android Applications under the name ‘Apps For Android’.

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

Why Android Might Deliver Where iPhone Won’t

While the industry puzzles over when Android-supported phones will hit shelves, it is unclear what impact, if any, it will have against growing iPhone adoption.Google-led Android doesn’t quite get the hype that Apple’s iPhone does, but there are plenty of reasons to get excited for it. For one, Android’s OS looks to offer a lot more than iPhone can with its latest release.

Here are five reasons to buy your loved one an Android-operated phone rather than an iPhone:

1. It promises to run on most modern smart phones – More cell networks will support Android than iPhone does — the iPhone is bound to just AT&T. Mobile providers NTT DoCoMo, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and more have committed to the project. Also, more handsets will operate on it. You might even get more life out of your old phone if it supports it. Handset manufactures HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung have already signed on.

2. It’s open-source software – Any programmer can whip up some code to match popular features from any other phone. Under the Apache license, any programmer can take the code and port their own version of the OS.

3. It has support for Google products out of the box – The latest Android demonstration displayed the phone’s compass prominently in Google Maps. You can bet Google will have the latest and greatest features of their software running on Android before it hits other operators.

4. Third-party developers have more access – iPhone prohibits people from using its internet capabilities for things like VoIP or an alternative browser. Android’s API allows you to create an application for anything, even the dialing software. The evidence is in the 50 applications already developed for the Android Developer Challenge last May.5. Android allows for ‘unlocked’ phones – Most handsets in America, including the iPhone, are locked by software to a cell phone provider’s network. While there are various ways to jailbreak, it’s not easy and might break your terms of service. The availability of downloading and installing your own unlocked OS might just change the game in respect to shopping for mobile phone providers and signing contracts. If this method gets more popular, it is conceivable phone networks may drop the contracts in lieu of (better) European pre-pay pricing.

Apple proved when they launched the OS X powered iPhones, it isn’t just hardware that drives the killer mobile devices that change the industry. From what we can gather from Android, Google gets it too.

Samsung and LG to release Android phones in Q3 2009

Well it looks like everyone is eventually going to join the Android Party. Samsung and LG are expected to take a wait and see approach with Android and will probably come out with Android Devices in the second half of 2009 “at the earliest”.

Though we at AndroidCentral would absolutely love a Samsung Instinct or LG Dare to run Android, it’s a safe move on Samsung and LG’s part, waiting almost a year to see how Android shapes up and let HTC and T-Mobile take the first hit on bugs, problems, and the like.

We can see more and more phone makers announce future Android plans but they’ll likely keep a close eye on the T-Mobile G1. As for the T-Mobile G1, it’ll likely succeed considering it’s going to be the only Android device on the market.

source: unwiredview.com and androidcentral.com

VISA to Offer Applications For Android

VISA has announced that they are going to offer an application in Android that will deliver notifications about Chase Visa Customers and Android Users. The plan is to give account activity updates, transfer money, show merchant offers, and also a unique location-based service that will allow Android Users to see where the merchants are offering specials.

If it succeeds, Visa will extend this type of relationship with other banks. Hey, pretty soon all we would have to carry is just an Android Device right?