Bleeding-edge Android

Yes, I'm slow at adopting new tech nowadays. Finally got updated to Android v7.x/8.x. Got my step-brothers' old Nexus 5X, and yes; I know this particular model has hardware-issues.

This one however has been fixed. Faulty components have been replaced and a new warranty issued.

I didn't really worry about using an outdated phone (Nexus 5), since I had secured it as much as I would "be allowed". Yes, allowed. Our corporate overlords control more than you might think...

Android -- niche-market or mainstay?

As a lot of news-agencies are catching up (veeeeeery slowly) on the mobile operating system market, Android seems to gain serious momentum with the big OEMs (LG, HTC, Samsung, Dell, etc). Which is a very good thing. The more in-house developers make applications for Android, the Android Market builds up a quite good variety of applications and suites for Android-based mobile phones.

Now, time will show if different vendor's apps will work on different vendor-hardware. Which was one of Google's main goals in developing the Android platform in the first place, in addition to provide their cloud-services on mobile devices that is... And it seems the apps developed with Android SDK are cross-compatible with different hardware that has been released thus far. Let's just hope and cross our fingers (fellow Android-users) that this trend will continue, to enrich and empower the Android platform as a standards-compliant major mobile operating system..., instead of it just phasing into oblivion as "one of those mobile platforms that just didn't evolve into something BIG".

From my talks and discussions with friends and fellow geeks/nerds, it seems Apple is catching the mobile market in Scandinavia, but not knowing how many techies sitting in dark, dimmed rooms.., tapping their Android-screens and maybe even developing the next major innovative application, it's not going to present any valid statistical numbers until Google has released their collected download-and usage-statistics of Android.

So for now, we'll just have to kick back, and enjoy our Android-powered smart-devices.., and wait...

Android 1.6 'Donut' SDK

Android 1.6 'Donut' SDK is out!

Watch out for new APIs, functions, sub-routines and more ;D

New features added to the framework:

• Re-designed search-framework (allowing searching within applications, etc).
• Integrated "Text-to-speech" function (instead of installing a third-party library).
• An updated user interface for Camera, Camcorder and Gallery.
• VPN configuration options (allowing VPN connections to be made).
• New battery usage indicator (presenting individual apps power-usage).
• Accessibility framework (allowing for easy download and installation of accessibility-functions).

Developer-features:

• Application-adaptation for different screen sizes.
• Integration with the new "Quick Search Box".
• Building gestures for your application.
• How to use the newly integrated "Text-to-speech" function.

Link:

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/

Google's Platform Standard Wizardry

As a lot of people are becoming aware about Android, and Android-based smartphones, I was keen on researching the platform and internals of my own HTC Magic.

What I found surprised me. Google, who has always been in the "Big Internet gadget/search-engine company"-stall, has now also moved over to the ISV-stall (Independant Software Vendor), this stall includes big names such as IBM, Novell, Microsoft, Sun, etc...

I knew they had based the Android SDK on Linux (which in itself is a giant leap for commercial ISVs in general), but that they actually developed an entire programming framework had eluded me.

Sun Microsystems has long been the de-facto standard supplier of development frameworks (read: Java MobileEdition) for application development on mobile and embedded devices. But this could soon change because of Google's smart thinking and legal trickery.

Put quite simply, Sun has (for years) reserved total rights to profit from mobile/embedded Java development by restrictively licensing it's Java ME framework and the source for it's Java compiler ("javac"). Thus, only letting vendors that agree to legal restrictions on Java compilation for mobile/embedded devices charge for their own implementations of either the framework or the applications made with the framework.

With this in mind, Google (with it's newly announced "Google Code"-division) started development on it's own implementation of the Java-standard compiler, code-named 'Dalvik'. By forcing the compiler to *not* use actual Java bytecode, but, rather utilize it's own type of bytecode, also freed it from Sun's proprietary restrictions. And with further legal re-routes and smart licensing-combinations, Google reserved the capital rights to 'Dalvik', and also it's Android SDK as a full-featured mobile platform, making it an "open platform", ensuring developers total freedom by utilizing the Android SDK.

By also announcing the opening of "Android Market", Google made it possible for application developers to offer their apps free of charge for everyone, or to limit usage by charging for it. Basically, giving developers final word on their own creation.

For more intricate specifics on the legal aspects, read this article.