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Ubuntu demonstrated running on Galaxy Tab 10.1, summarily dubbed 'Tabuntu' (video)

2011-06-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu demonstrated running on Galaxy Tab 10.1, summarily dubbed 'Tabuntu' (video): "

Sure, you can run Linux on robots and on desktops and, apparently, on small cats, and we've also seen it on plenty of tablets before, but this one is a little different. Max Lee over at Galaxy Tab Hacks created the video below to demonstrate a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 running Ubunbu, but doing it on top of Android such that the tablet's native OS is running Linux in the background and then using a VM client to launch the UI. In other words: it's running both operating systems at once, and despite that we think the results are quite usable, even loading up this very website with aplomb. It's demonstrated after the break and if after watching you just gotta get a piece of that the full instructions are on the other end of the source link below.

Continue reading Ubuntu demonstrated running on Galaxy Tab 10.1, summarily dubbed 'Tabuntu' (video)

Ubuntu demonstrated running on Galaxy Tab 10.1, summarily dubbed 'Tabuntu' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Galaxy Tab Hacks | Email this | Comments"

Google’s Amit Singhal: We Never Stop Searching From Our Mobile Devices

2011-06-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Google’s Amit Singhal: We Never Stop Searching From Our Mobile Devices: "

Today at a special ‘Inside Search’ event in San Francisco, CA, the search giant is taking some time to walk through some of the recent (and upcoming) advancements in its search products.

Google Fellow Amit Singhal kicked off by discussing what he calls our quest for knowledge — as evidenced by the huge volume of searches that we perform on Google all day, every day. And to underscore that idea, he presented a series of graphs depicting how traffic to Google varies throughout the week.

The bottom line: while desktop query volume is subject to fluctuations, we never stop searching from our mobile devices.

This trend is most pronounced in the graph above. In it, you can see how desktop queries dip during the summer months and around Christmas time. But that doesn’t happen to the mobile graph. We keep searching when we’re eating lunch, or away from the office, or visiting the family, or going on vacation.

Singhal says that this indicates that our quest for knowledge never ends(I think it also shows that we’re always hungry for content, though that doesn’t necessarily mean knowledge). Either way, it’s good news for Google — Singhal says that in the last two years, they’ve seen a 5x growth in mobile traffic, no doubt driven by the iPhone and Android.

CrunchBase Information

Google

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Google and Sprint team up to take your digital dollars with new NFC payment system? (updated)

2011-05-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Google and Sprint team up to take your digital dollars with new NFC payment system? (updated): "

There's been rumors of a Google-fied mobile payment system for some time, and now it looks like the Mountain View crew is teaming up with Sprint to finally make it happen. Last month, we heard that the Now Network would bring NFC payments to its customers this year, and Bloomberg reports that the partnership and payment system will make its debut on May 26th. Apparently, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C. are the first cities getting the service, which is a much broader initial footprint than its Isis mobile payment competition. The anonymous sources also say that Verifone and Vivotech are providing the hardware and software that will let you replace your credit card with a Nexus S -- because you always wanted to replace your credit card with your Nexus S.

Update: According to All things D, the payment system will be put through its paces by none other than El Goog's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt at the D9: All Things Digital conference next week -- where we'll be on hand to peep the contactless payment presentation in person.

Google and Sprint team up to take your digital dollars with new NFC payment system? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 15:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Bloomberg, All Things D | Email this | Comments"

Smartphone buyer's guide: the best phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more!

2011-05-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

Smartphone buyer's guide: the best phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more!: "

The world of smartphones changes mighty quickly, and if you blink, you're bound to miss the latest and most delectable devices. That's where we come in, to provide timely roundups of everything your friends expect you to know, along with the insight that you crave. To bring you up to speed, in our December buyer's guide, at first blush you might have thought we were doing an overview of the best Android phones on the market. That's because of our 16 highly-esteemed handsets, a whopping 13 of them had Google's operating system at the core. As you'll see, the landscape has changed somewhat, and these new contenders that have come out swinging.

We've broken down this buyer's guide by mobile carrier, each including the best handset money can buy, our favorite QWERTY alternative, and the most well-rounded budget phone available (with $79 as the absolute ceiling). For smaller US providers, we're providing a single selection, though we're confident it's a good one. You'll definitely be presented with some difficult choices, but that's merely a testament to the abundance of stellar phones that aggressively compete for your dollar. With that said, let's dive in -- it's roundup time.

Continue reading Smartphone buyer's guide: the best phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more!

Smartphone buyer's guide: the best phones for Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Ice Cream Sandwich coming in Q4 2011 to smartphones and tablets alike

2011-05-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Google Ice Cream Sandwich coming in Q4 2011 to smartphones and tablets alike: "

'One OS that runs everywhere.' There you have it, folks! Google intends to meld its Honeycomb tablet wares and Gingerbread smartphone software into one delicious Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that's why the 'sandwich' bit is in the name? Either way, it'll be a universal OS that runs on everything from teeny tiny Android phones to 10-inch tablets and will intelligently adapt to each form factor with things like a resizable status bar. Some other fancy new additions are being demonstrated right now, including face-tracking and camera focus shifting based on voice recognition.

Gallery: Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Google Ice Cream Sandwich coming in Q4 2011 to smartphones and tablets alike originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Music Beta to stream 20,000 songs for free, official! (updated)

2011-05-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

Google Music Beta to stream 20,000 songs for free, official! (updated): "

It's not quite official but there's little doubt that Google will launch its Google Music service at its big I/O event later today. While the Wall Street Journal couldn't get a Google spokesman to admit it, Peter Kafka over at All Things D got Jamie Rosenberg, Director of Android Product Management, to spill the details a bit early. Google's service will essentially mimic the music locker functionality of Amazon's Cloud service, albeit without the ability to sell songs direct to consumers. Ouch. Unfortunately, Google's plans to launch a more feature-complete service were derailed when discussions with the labels broke down. According to Rosenberg, 'A couple of the major labels were less focused on the innovative vision that we put forward, and more interested in an unreasonable and unsustainable set of business terms.' So, rather than putting the service on hold, Google will launch its music service with the ability to store up to 20,000 of your own uploaded songs for free which you can then stream over the web to your desktop or Android phone or tablet -- any device that supports Flash (don't worry iOS users, your time will come). Amazon's service, by comparison, offers just 5GB of free storage for about 1,200 songs stored at a mediocre bitrate. Google will also best Amazon with a feature that automatically creates playlists. Google expects to roll out the service to its US users within 'weeks' with Music Beta invites going out later today to Verizon Xoom owners (others will be able to sign up at music.google.com). Keep it right here because we'll be bringing you the announcement live.

Update: And it's officially official, called 'Music Beta by Google' at this point. There's a simple presentation with artists, albums, and easy playlist creation. You can manually create them, or there's a feature called 'Instant Mix' that will make you a playlist based on any single song. It'll automagically pick 25 different tracks to build a 'truly ingenious mix.' You know, kind of like another, similarly intelligent service. All of this syncs to the cloud, which means no wires needed to download anything.

But, more importantly, songs can be cached locally. You can pick any song, album, or playlist to download onto storage, at an unknown quality. It's the same pinning idea that's in the new movies feature. That and more is demonstrated in the video below.

The service is launching in beta today, allowing 20,000 songs, and it'll be free -- 'at least while it's in beta.' Also, the updated music app is available now, which will work with any music on your phone and any phone running Android 2.2 or above. To get full-featured you can request a beta and get in line, but if you happen to be reading this from I/O you're in the beta. Congrats, you lucky bums!

Gallery: Google Music

Continue reading Google Music Beta to stream 20,000 songs for free, official! (updated)

Google Music Beta to stream 20,000 songs for free, official! (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wall Street Journal | All Things D, Google Music Beta | Email this | Comments"

CyanogenMod 7.0 is now final, ready for your consumption

2011-04-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

CyanogenMod 7.0 is now final, ready for your consumption: "Is your phone manufacturer's Android ROM not treating you quite the way it should? Worry not, Cyanogen's got your back as usual and has just released the final v7.0 of the CyanogenMod, now based on Android 2.3.3. There's an extensive list of supported Android handsets, which is now also augmented with a couple of tablets: the B&N Nook Color and the Viewsonic G Tablet. As usual with custom ROMs, we advise reading up and making sure you know what you're doing before you do it, but if you're already up to speed on the latest in homebrewed Android, this is the moment you've been eagerly waiting for. Full details of the changes made in version 7 plus instructions on how to get it set up on your Android device can be found below.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

CyanogenMod 7.0 is now final, ready for your consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | CyanogenMod | Email this | Comments"

Android chief Andy Rubin tackles open source qualms, says Honeycomb isn't 'one size fits all'

2011-04-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Android chief Andy Rubin tackles open source qualms, says Honeycomb isn't 'one size fits all': "

Google got a lot of flak for withholding the Android 3.0 source code, and plenty more when Businessweek sources claimed the company had set aside its open stance to dictate from a throne, but today the man who would allegedly sit atop the royal seat says it isn't so. Andy Rubin, the man in charge of Android, says that 'there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs' nor 'any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture' as have often been rumored before, and that when Honeycomb is finally ready for phones, Google will indeed release its source code. Overall, he claims that Android's position when it comes to open source hasn't changed since day one -- which is nice for those who would like to believe that Google's still sticking to its motto -- but that's not likely to appease companies cut out of the loop simply because they weren't part of the early adopter club. If Google's methods will reduce fragmentation, though, who are we to judge?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android chief Andy Rubin tackles open source qualms, says Honeycomb isn't 'one size fits all' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Android Developers Blog | Email this | Comments"

Android Developers Blog: Application Stats on Android Market

2011-03-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

Android Developers Blog: Application Stats on Android Market

You’ve got better things to do than wait in traffic

2011-03-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

You’ve got better things to do than wait in traffic: "(Cross-posted on the LatLong Blog and Mobile Blog)

Ever been stuck in traffic, only to find out you’d have been better off going a bit out of your way to take a less congested route? If you’re like me, you probably hear the traffic report telling you what you already know: traffic is bad on the road you’re currently on, and you should have taken another. It doesn’t need to be this way, and we want to help. So we’re happy to announce that Google Maps Navigation (Beta) will now automatically route you around traffic. With more than 35 million miles driven by Navigation users every day, this should add up to quite a bit of time saved!

On a recent trip to New York, I was running late to meet some friends at the Queens Museum of Art. I had no idea that there was a traffic jam along the route I would normally have taken. Thankfully, Navigation routed me around traffic. I didn’t even have to know that there was a traffic jam on I-495, and I got to enjoy a much faster trip on I-278 instead.

Navigation now uses real-time traffic conditions to automatically route you around traffic.

You don’t have to do anything to be routed around traffic; just start Navigation like you normally would, either from the Navigation app or from within Google Maps. Before today, Navigation would choose whichever route was fastest, without taking current traffic conditions into account. It would also generate additional alternate directions, such as the shortest route or one that uses highways instead of side roads. Starting today, our routing algorithms will also apply our knowledge of current and historical traffic to select the fastest route from those alternates. That means that Navigation will automatically guide you along the best route given the current traffic conditions.

Not only can you save time and fuel, you’re making traffic better for everyone else by avoiding traffic jams. Keep in mind that we can’t guarantee that Navigation will be able to find a faster way, but it will always try to get you where you’re going as fast as possible.

You can begin routing around traffic with Google Maps Navigation for Android in North America and Europe where both Navigation and real-time traffic data are available.

Enjoy your newly found free time!

Posted by Roy Williams, Software Engineer, Google Maps Team

Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video)

2011-02-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video): "

Do you ever wish for an easier way to show your uninitiated friends what you mean when you say Android is growing? Well, here's the video for you: a Google-produced map of the world that throbs with Android activations over time, highlighted by some truly eye-opening flourishes in the immediate aftermath of marquee handset launches. The Google guys have even given us handy countdown timers -- 'Droid launch in 3, 2, 1...' -- and broken things down by continent for easier viewing. Only thing missing is a soundtrack, so just have your Tron: Legacy OST loaded up and ready before jumping past the break.

[Thanks, Leo Z.]

Continue reading Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video)

Visualized: Android activations mapped geographically, chronologically, breathtakingly (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central | androiddevelopers (YouTube) | Email this | Comments"

Developer gets Kinect working on Android, rains on Microsoft's WP7 parade (video)

2011-02-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Developer gets Kinect working on Android, rains on Microsoft's WP7 parade (video): "

Windows Phone 7 is getting a lot of extensions this year and, while we wouldn't say Kinect interoperability is anywhere near as important as third-party multitasking, it could be fun. Still, we haven't seen proper Kinect interop, the sort that would see you controlling WP7 games with a Kinect -- the sort that is apparently possible on Android. YouTuber HirotakaSter has managed to hook a Kinect up to Android hardware, what looks to be an Armadillo 500 FX development platform, and get everything to play nice. He's using openFrameworks and, while at this point the software isn't doing much other than showing a video stream from the camera, the possibilities from here are quite simply infinite.

[Thanks, Muhammad Ali]

Continue reading Developer gets Kinect working on Android, rains on Microsoft's WP7 parade (video)

Developer gets Kinect working on Android, rains on Microsoft's WP7 parade (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Geekword | KirotakaSter (YouTube) | Email this | Comments"

HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape

2011-02-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape: "

At last, the webOS-empowered TouchPad, HP's answer to the growing tablet market. And make no mistake, it's coming in with guns blazing -- specs-wise, the slate stands up pretty well to the competition currently in play (e.g. iPad) and the other up-and-comers not quite out the gate (e.g. Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook). Stacked side-by-side, it's clear Apple's entry is lacking a bit in both memory (256MB vs. 1GB for everyone else) and front-facing camera -- not that we expect that to be the case for all of 2011. When it all comes down to it, what'll set these slates apart will be the platforms and software themselves -- should make for an interesting summer, no? In the meantime, for the nitty-gritty on technical specifications, venture past the break.

Continue reading HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape

HP TouchPad vs. iPad vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: the tale of the tape originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Android Event November 8th in NYC

2010-10-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

Samsung Android Event November 8th in NYC: "

Samsung has been tearing it up with Android announcements lately and it looks like their streak of robotic sweetness will continue. They wowed us with a multi-carrier launch of the Samsung Galaxy S, launched the most impressive Android Tablet yet with the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and now they’ve announced a November 8th mobile event that will pretty obviously be all about Android:

The image features Android Application icons getting sucked into a vortex that is seemingly surrounded by stock prices and random numbers. I’m not exactly sure what Samsung will be announcing and the only thing they had to say about the matter, in addition to the above image, was:

Join Samsung Mobile for the unveiling of a new Android device.

Based on the image I thought perhaps Samsung would be announcing a store or marketplace of sorts but if they’ll be announcing a new Android DEVICE than it looks like we’ve got a LOT more to which we can look forward. I’m really excited because the holiday season seems to always have the hottest tech and the biggest surprises.

What do you think Samsung will announce?

Android 3.0 due to start hitting tablets in December ahead of January launch

2010-10-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Android 3.0 due to start hitting tablets in December ahead of January launch: "A holiday tradition? Making things out of gingerbread, and Google is doing its part to keep that practice alive according to a report stating Android 3.0 is set to hit some tablets this December. Those will just be early samples destined only to light up the eyes of engineers who've been very, very good this year, but the rest of us naughty boys and girls will get to see those slates when they launch to the public in January. We hear there's a little electronics show happening that time of year, and supposedly HTC, Samsung, and Motorola will be showing their Gingerbread tablets there, amongst others (but not Lenovo, apparently). We can't wait to get a taste.

Update: Thanks to James for pointing out that it's still unclear whether 3.0 is going to be Gingerbread or, indeed, the truly tablet-minded Honeycomb release we're really waiting for. This report states specifically that 3.0 is hitting tablets in December, with 4.0 later in 2011. Is that Gingerbread and Honeycomb, or Honeycomb and Ice Cream? Also, is anyone else hungry?

Android 3.0 due to start hitting tablets in December ahead of January launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | DigiTimes | Email this | Comments"

Six Android browsers enter the ring, only one reigns supreme

2010-09-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Six Android browsers enter the ring, only one reigns supreme: "

Choice is a good thing, and Android users certainly have a lot of choices. Default launcher or Launcher Pro? Fancy animated live wallpaper or static picture of adorable puppies? Stock browser or alternative? It's that last question that has plagued so many, and to offer some guidance PC World pitted six of the Market's top choices against each other. The 2.1 and 2.2 stock browsers entered, along with Skyfire 2.0, Opera Mini, Dolphin HD, and Mozilla Fennec (the pre-beta release of what could bring Firefox to your phone). The winner? Well, you can see the ultimate speed results above, with SkyFire surprisingly trumping Opera Mini, though that one seemingly has 'em beat when it comes to repeat-visits. However, the full story when it comes to things like page rendering and Flash compatibility is naturally a good bit more complex. For those details you'll need to click on through.

[Thanks, Tim]

Six Android browsers enter the ring, only one reigns supreme originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | PC World | Email this | Comments"

Chrome to Phone now available in Android Market

2010-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Chrome to Phone now available in Android Market: "

Chrome to Phone isn't a new product -- we've been using it since May, in fact -- but Google's second mobile announcement today (behind Voice Actions) is that its continuous client app is now 'official' and available to all users (with Android 2.2 Froyo) via Android Market. As it was before, websites can be pushed from the Chrome browser to your Android device, with certain apps (Maps, YouTube) taking over for the browser when contextually appropriate. Additionally, the code is open, which we're hoping means this Chrome extension will find its way to other browsers. The team is 'looking into' bringing the capabilities to other mobile OSs (the iPhone was specifically asked), but don't get your hopes up: nothing's been submitted, and we didn't get the feeling it was an active push. Incredibly useful? Yes, yes indeed.

Chrome to Phone now available in Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile Acknowledges their First HSPA+ Device to be Available This Summer!

2010-07-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile Acknowledges their First HSPA+ Device to be Available This Summer!: "

After all of the rumors surrounding T-Mobile’s first HSPA+ device – with just about everyone taking it to be the HTC Vision – T-Mobile’s official corporate Twitter account (for the United States) has given us reassurance that there will be a device out to take advantage of their marvelous new network later this summer.

More details will be available in the coming weeks, you say? Well I certainly don’t mind if I do! If all of the rumors surrounding the HTC Vanguard/HTC Vision turn out to be true, then this will be the high-end, subsidized smartphone from HTC that a lot of you on “Magenta” have been waiting for (the Nexus One doesn’t count for various reasons, and I guess some of you just aren’t too big on Samsung’s Galaxy S phone for the carrier: the Samsung Vibrant).

We can’t wait to see what T-Mobile has to offer us as we head into August and expire the summer with September.

[via TmoNews]

Nexus One is sold out in Google's store -- forever

2010-07-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Nexus One is sold out in Google's store -- forever: "

Google warned us that the Nexus One was approaching the end of its days, but we've gotta admit, we didn't realize just how quickly that moment would come. Sure enough, Google's official online store for the phone now just shows an ominous message that 'the Nexus One is no longer available for purchase directly' from the company, which means you're going to have to go through Vodafone, KT in South Korea, or hold out for the units that they plan on selling directly to registered developers. Needless to say, for the bulk of potential customers, the phone is all but history. So, on that note, Nexus One: for your straight-shooting stock Android ways and your unlocked radio, you'll be dearly missed -- and we hope your legacy lives on, even though your retail model does not.

[Thanks, Dan]

Nexus One is sold out in Google's store -- forever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Google | Email this | Comments"

Google: Eclair is on more than half of all Android phones, Froyo bursts onto the scene

2010-07-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

Google: Eclair is on more than half of all Android phones, Froyo bursts onto the scene: "

Android 1.5 and 1.6 are still major players in the field, together accounting for some 41 percent of all Google-powered phones in use as of July 15 -- but for the first time, Android 2.1 is on significantly more than half of the phones out there, up from an even 50 percent in mid-June. 55.5 percent of devices are running Eclair to be exact, and Froyo also makes an appearance with a little sliver of 3.3 percent -- an anemic figure obviously hampered by the fact that no one outside Google itself (on the now nearly-defunct Nexus One) has deployed the latest version yet. It's fascinating to see the change in the version mix over time get visualized like this -- now all we need is that dark green line at the very bottom to shoot upwards and obliterate everything else on the graph. Let's make it happen, guys.

Google: Eclair is on more than half of all Android phones, Froyo bursts onto the scene originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOM | Android Developers | Email this | Comments"

Multithreading For Performance

2010-07-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

Multithreading For Performance: "

[This post is by Gilles Debunne, an engineer in the Android group who loves to get multitasked. — Tim Bray]

A good practice in creating responsive applications is to make sure your main UI thread does the minimum amount of work. Any potentially long task that may hang your application should be handled in a different thread. Typical examples of such tasks are network operations, which involve unpredictable delays. Users will tolerate some pauses, especially if you provide feedback that something is in progress, but a frozen application gives them no clue.

In this article, we will create a simple image downloader that illustrates this pattern. We will populate a ListView with thumbnail images downloaded from the internet. Creating an asynchronous task that downloads in the background will keep our application fast.

An Image downloader

Downloading an image from the web is fairly simple, using the HTTP-related classes provided by the framework. Here is a possible implementation:

static Bitmap downloadBitmap(String url) {
   final AndroidHttpClient client = AndroidHttpClient.newInstance('Android');
   final HttpGet getRequest = new HttpGet(url);

   try {
       HttpResponse response = client.execute(getRequest);
       final int statusCode = response.getStatusLine().getStatusCode();
       if (statusCode != HttpStatus.SC_OK) {
           Log.w('ImageDownloader', 'Error ' + statusCode + ' while retrieving bitmap from ' + url);
           return null;
       }
      
       final HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
       if (entity != null) {
           InputStream inputStream = null;
           try {
               inputStream = entity.getContent();
               final Bitmap bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeStream(inputStream);
               return bitmap;
           } finally {
               if (inputStream != null) {
                   inputStream.close(); 
               }
               entity.consumeContent();
           }
       }
   } catch (Exception e) {
       // Could provide a more explicit error message for IOException or IllegalStateException
       getRequest.abort();
       Log.w('ImageDownloader', 'Error while retrieving bitmap from ' + url, e.toString());
   } finally {
       if (client != null) {
           client.close();
       }
   }
   return null;
}

A client and an HTTP request are created. If the request succeeds, the response entity stream containing the image is decoded to create the resulting Bitmap. Your applications' manifest must ask for the INTERNET to make this possible.

Note: a bug in the previous versions of BitmapFactory.decodeStream may prevent this code from working over a slow connection. Decode a new FlushedInputStream(inputStream) instead to fix the problem. Here is the implementation of this helper class:

static class FlushedInputStream extends FilterInputStream {
   public FlushedInputStream(InputStream inputStream) {
       super(inputStream);
   }

   @Override
   public long skip(long n) throws IOException {
       long totalBytesSkipped = 0L;
       while (totalBytesSkipped < n) {
           long bytesSkipped = in.skip(n - totalBytesSkipped);
           if (bytesSkipped == 0L) {
                 int byte = read();
                 if (byte < 0) {
                     break;  // we reached EOF
                 } else {
                     bytesSkipped = 1; // we read one byte
                 }
          }
           totalBytesSkipped += bytesSkipped;
       }
       return totalBytesSkipped;
   }
}

This ensures that skip() actually skips the provided number of bytes, unless we reach the end of file.

If you were to directly use this method in your ListAdapter's getView method, the resulting scrolling would be unpleasantly jaggy. Each display of a new view has to wait for an image download, which prevents smooth scrolling.

Indeed, this is such a bad idea that the AndroidHttpClient does not allow itself to be started from the main thread. The above code will display 'This thread forbids HTTP requests' error messages instead. Use the DefaultHttpClient instead if you really want to shoot yourself in the foot.

Introducing asynchronous tasks

The AsyncTask class provides one of the simplest ways to fire off a new task from the UI thread. Let's create an ImageDownloader class which will be in charge of creating these tasks. It will provide a download method which will assign an image downloaded from its URL to an ImageView:

public class ImageDownloader {

   public void download(String url, ImageView imageView) {
           BitmapDownloaderTask task = new BitmapDownloaderTask(imageView);
           task.execute(url);
       }
   }

   /* class BitmapDownloaderTask, see below */
}

The BitmapDownloaderTask is the AsyncTask which will actually download the image. It is started using execute, which returns immediately hence making this method really fast which is the whole purpose since it will be called from the UI thread. Here is the implementation of this class:

class BitmapDownloaderTask extends AsyncTask<String, Void, Bitmap> {
   private String url;
   private final WeakReference<ImageView> imageViewReference;

   public BitmapDownloaderTask(ImageView imageView) {
       imageViewReference = new WeakReference<ImageView>(imageView);
   }

   @Override
   // Actual download method, run in the task thread
   protected Bitmap doInBackground(String... params) {
        // params comes from the execute() call: params[0] is the url.
        return downloadBitmap(params[0]);
   }

   @Override
   // Once the image is downloaded, associates it to the imageView
   protected void onPostExecute(Bitmap bitmap) {
       if (isCancelled()) {
           bitmap = null;
       }

       if (imageViewReference != null) {
           ImageView imageView = imageViewReference.get();
           if (imageView != null) {
               imageView.setImageBitmap(bitmap);
           }
       }
   }
}

The doInBackground method is the one which is actually run in its own process by the task. It simply uses the downloadBitmap method we implemented at the beginning of this article.

onPostExecute is run in the calling UI thread when the task is finished. It takes the resulting Bitmap as a parameter, which is simply associated with the imageView that was provided to download and was stored in the BitmapDownloaderTask. Note that this ImageView is stored as a WeakReference, so that a download in progress does not prevent a killed activity's ImageView from being garbage collected. This explains why we have to check that both the weak reference and the imageView are not null (i.e. were not collected) before using them in onPostExecute.

This simplified example illustrates the use on an AsyncTask, and if you try it, you'll see that these few lines of code actually dramatically improved the performance of the ListView which now scrolls smoothly. Read Painless threading for more details on AsyncTasks.

However, a ListView-specific behavior reveals a problem with our current implementation. Indeed, for memory efficiency reasons, ListView recycles the views that are displayed when the user scrolls. If one flings the list, a given ImageView object will be used many times. Each time it is displayed the ImageView correctly triggers an image download task, which will eventually change its image. So where is the problem? As with most parallel applications, the key issue is in the ordering. In our case, there's no guarantee that the download tasks will finish in the order in which they were started. The result is that the image finally displayed in the list may come from a previous item, which simply happened to have taken longer to download. This is not an issue if the images you download are bound once and for all to given ImageViews, but let's fix it for the common case where they are used in a list.

Handling concurrency

To solve this issue, we should remember the order of the downloads, so that the last started one is the one that will effectively be displayed. It is indeed sufficient for each ImageView to remember its last download. We will add this extra information in the ImageView using a dedicated Drawable subclass, which will be temporarily bind to the ImageView while the download is in progress. Here is the code of our DownloadedDrawable class:

static class DownloadedDrawable extends ColorDrawable {
   private final WeakReference<BitmapDownloaderTask> bitmapDownloaderTaskReference;

   public DownloadedDrawable(BitmapDownloaderTask bitmapDownloaderTask) {
       super(Color.BLACK);
       bitmapDownloaderTaskReference =
           new WeakReference<BitmapDownloaderTask>(bitmapDownloaderTask);
   }

   public BitmapDownloaderTask getBitmapDownloaderTask() {
       return bitmapDownloaderTaskReference.get();
   }
}

This implementation is backed by a ColorDrawable, which will result in the ImageView displaying a black background while its download is in progress. One could use a “download in progress” image instead, which would provide feedback to the user. Once again, note the use of a WeakReference to limit object dependencies.

Let's change our code to take this new class into account. First, the download method will now create an instance of this class and associate it with the imageView:

public void download(String url, ImageView imageView) {
    if (cancelPotentialDownload(url, imageView)) {
        BitmapDownloaderTask task = new BitmapDownloaderTask(imageView);
        DownloadedDrawable downloadedDrawable = new DownloadedDrawable(task);
        imageView.setImageDrawable(downloadedDrawable);
        task.execute(url, cookie);
    }
}

The cancelPotentialDownload method will stop the possible download in progress on this imageView since a new one is about to start. Note that this is not sufficient to guarantee that the newest download is always displayed, since the task may be finished, waiting in its onPostExecute method, which may still may be executed after the one of this new download.

private static boolean cancelPotentialDownload(String url, ImageView imageView) {
   BitmapDownloaderTask bitmapDownloaderTask = getBitmapDownloaderTask(imageView);

   if (bitmapDownloaderTask != null) {
       String bitmapUrl = bitmapDownloaderTask.url;
       if ((bitmapUrl == null) || (!bitmapUrl.equals(url))) {
           bitmapDownloaderTask.cancel(true);
       } else {
           // The same URL is already being downloaded.
           return false;
       }
   }
   return true;
}

cancelPotentialDownload uses the cancel method of the AsyncTask class to stop the download in progress. It returns true most of the time, so that the download can be started in download. The only reason we don't want this to happen is when a download is already in progress on the same URL in which case we let it continue. Note that with this implementation, if an ImageView is garbage collected, its associated download is not stopped. A RecyclerListener might be used for that.

This method uses a helper getBitmapDownloaderTask function, which is pretty straigthforward:

private static BitmapDownloaderTask getBitmapDownloaderTask(ImageView imageView) {
   if (imageView != null) {
       Drawable drawable = imageView.getDrawable();
       if (drawable instanceof DownloadedDrawable) {
           DownloadedDrawable downloadedDrawable = (DownloadedDrawable)drawable;
           return downloadedDrawable.getBitmapDownloaderTask();
       }
   }
   return null;
}

Finally, onPostExecute has to be modified so that it will bind the Bitmap only if this ImageView is still associated with this download process:

if (imageViewReference != null) {
   ImageView imageView = imageViewReference.get();
   BitmapDownloaderTask bitmapDownloaderTask = getBitmapDownloaderTask(imageView);
   // Change bitmap only if this process is still associated with it
   if (this == bitmapDownloaderTask) {
       imageView.setImageBitmap(bitmap);
   }
}

With these modifications, our ImageDownloader class provides the basic services we expect from it. Feel free to use it or the asynchronous pattern it illustrates in your applications to ensure their responsiveness.

Demo

The source code of this article is available online on Google Code. You can switch between and compare the three different implementations that are described in this article (no asynchronous task, no bitmap to task association and the final correct version). Note that the cache size has been limited to 10 images to better demonstrate the issues.

Future work

This code was simplified to focus on its parallel aspects and many useful features are missing from our implementation. The ImageDownloader class would first clearly benefit from a cache, especially if it is used in conjuction with a ListView, which will probably display the same image many times as the user scrolls back and forth. This can easily be implemented using a Least Recently Used cache backed by a LinkedHashMap of URL to Bitmap SoftReferences. More involved cache mechanism could also rely on a local disk storage of the image. Thumbnails creation and image resizing could also be added if needed.

Download errors and time-outs are correctly handled by our implementation, which will return a null Bitmap in these case. One may want to display an error image instead.

Our HTTP request is pretty simple. One may want to add parameters or cookies to the request as required by certain web sites.

The AsyncTask class used in this article is a really convenient and easy way to defer some work from the UI thread. You may want to use the Handler class to have a finer control on what you do, such as controlling the total number of download threads which are running in parallel in this case.

Adobe FlashTime to bring peer-to-peer video calls to Android (video)

2010-07-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Adobe FlashTime to bring peer-to-peer video calls to Android (video): "

With tongue wedged firmly in cheek, Adobe has named its latest little bit of demo software FlashTime and given it a quick spin to whet our appetites. Built using the forthcoming Air 2.5, this peer-to-peer video chat client harnesses your smartphone's camera to get some direct visual communication going with your fellow Android lovers. Okay, so Android users already have other options for doing just this very thing, but the point being made here is that you can do just about anything with Flash, and since it's Flash it'll be easy to port around to other platforms. Skip past the break to see the demo, which has a multipeer chat session with a desktop Mac thrown in for good measure.

[Thanks, Faheem]

Continue reading Adobe FlashTime to bring peer-to-peer video calls to Android (video)

Adobe FlashTime to bring peer-to-peer video calls to Android (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hexus.net | Mark Doherty (Vimeo) | Email this | Comments"

Android App Inventor lets you be the developer (video)

2010-07-12T08:57:00.000-07:00

Android App Inventor lets you be the developer (video): "

Google is following in Nokia's footsteps today by offering its users a simple-to-use DIY app maker. Employing a design scheme that relies on visual blocks rather than oodles of arcane code, the App Inventor -- still in Beta, of course -- has functions for 'just about anything' you can do with an Android handset, including access to GPS and phone functionality. All that's really missing is the raw creative talent, which we're sure you'll be happy to provide. Hit the source link to get involved or skip past the break for an educational video.

Continue reading Android App Inventor lets you be the developer (video)

Android App Inventor lets you be the developer (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | App Inventor | Email this | Comments"

Ubuntu joins Android on Nexus One, apocalyptic repercussions nowhere to be found

2010-07-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ubuntu joins Android on Nexus One, apocalyptic repercussions nowhere to be found: "

Ever wondered what would happen if you threw another mobile OS onto your Nexus One? Without removing Android? Contrary to popular belief, the world will in fact not end, and in many cases, lives could very well be improved. One particular modder over at Nexus One Hacks has managed to put together a video how-to demonstrating the installation of Ubuntu as a secondary OS on his rooted N1, and while you'll obviously find yourself dealing with a few incompatibilities should you follow suit, it's not like you really have anything better to do tonight than tinker. Right? Right. Jump on past the break and mash play to get going.

Continue reading Ubuntu joins Android on Nexus One, apocalyptic repercussions nowhere to be found

Ubuntu joins Android on Nexus One, apocalyptic repercussions nowhere to be found originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Geekword | Nexus One Hacks | Email this | Comments"

Google Android 7" Tablet PC Computer Netbook UMPC for $119.99

2010-07-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

Google Android 7" Tablet PC Computer Netbook UMPC for $119.99: "

At MeritLine.com

Click Here

Android 3.0 Gingerbread getting revamped UI, Froyo living on for lower-end phones?

2010-06-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Android 3.0 Gingerbread getting revamped UI, Froyo living on for lower-end phones?: "Last we'd heard, the next major release of Android -- codename Gingerbread -- was scheduled for a fourth-quarter launch, but the always-entertaining Eldar Murtazin has apparently just spilled a few details on what he knows of the release on a Russian podcast. Most notably, the dude says that we can expect an entirely revamped UI -- the first that the platform will have undergone since its introduction -- and will take cues from the fancy 3D Gallery app launched with Eclair. There's said to be a new 1280 x 760 resolution available for devices larger than 4 inches, which would dovetail nicely with Verizon's desire to bring a bunch of Android tablets to market. Like Windows Phone 7, Murtazin claims that Google will be laying down the law with some hardcore hardware specs to run 3.0, demanding a minimum of a 3.5-inch display, a 1GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM -- so what about cheaper devices? Well, those will apparently continue to run Android 2.1 or 2.2, which sounds like yet another serious recipe for platform fragmentation from the outset. We'll apparently see the first devices launch in time for the holidays following an October introduction, which lines up with what we've heard so far. Needless to say, we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.

[Thanks, John]

Android 3.0 Gingerbread getting revamped UI, Froyo living on for lower-end phones? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmodo, Unwired View | Digestiv | Email this | Comments"

Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities

2010-06-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities: "

Cisco's just announced a business-aimed Android tablet, and it's calling it the Cius. The tablet will offer HD video streaming, real-time video, multi-party conferencing, plus all the regular tablet functions like messaging, email, and browsing. We're not sure about the size of the device yet, or any of it technical specs, but we do know that it's going to weigh in at 1.15lbs, so it can't be terrifically large. There's also no word yet on pricing or availability yet either but we'll let you know as soon as we do, okay, businessmen? Full press release is below.

Continue reading Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities

Cisco unveils Cius Android tablet with HD video capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments"

Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for Nexus One (update: official)

2010-06-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for Nexus One (update: official): "

We've been receiving numerous tips over the last hour that Nexus One owners on AT&T bands are receiving an over-the-air update for Android 2.2 FRF85, otherwise known as the 'bulletproofed' Froyo build. No confirmation at this point, and since you're asking, no word yet either on an update for the larger T-Mobile N1 install base (though we've had at least one report of a user on FRF50 getting the OTA today). We've pinged Google for answers, will let ya know what we hear.

Update: Thanks to a few readers, we've now got a direct link from Google's servers to update from EPE54B to FRF85.

Update 2: Tipster Christian R has sent us a picture of his T-Mobile-banded Nexus One with FRF85, apparently updated from Android 2.1 build ERE27. Has the T-Mobile rollout begun? Not for us, at least.

Update 3: And now we've got a direct link to download a FRF85 build that'll supposedly work for any Android build. We can safely say that it worked for us on a T-Mobile device with 2.1 / ERE27. Download from Google here, and if you need direction on how to do the update yourself, take a cue from our commenters. [Thanks, MRCUR and afinite]

Update 4: And now it's official. Keep an eye on that notification bar if you're itching for the OTA method. So that's one phone down, quite a few to go! [Thanks, cl]

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Android 2.2 Froyo FRF85 now available for Nexus One (update: official) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments"

Developers to get native x86 version of Android 2.2 this summer?

2010-06-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Developers to get native x86 version of Android 2.2 this summer?: "

We knew that Intel had designs on Android for its Moorestown CPU, and as you might have guessed, the company's plans don't stop there. Renee James, a Senior VP at Intel, recently said as much in a conversation with APC. Apparently, devs can look forward to seeing a fully native x86 version of Froyo at some point this summer. James goes on to say that 'all of the code will be fed back into the open branch that will be created for x86.' Awesome! Perhaps 2011 will see a flood of generic, Atom-powered Android tablets. Because we don't see enough generic Android tablets as it is.

Developers to get native x86 version of Android 2.2 this summer? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Notebook Italia | APC | Email this | Comments"

Altek's Leo in the wild: point and shoot, Android phone, or both?

2010-06-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Altek's Leo in the wild: point and shoot, Android phone, or both?: "

As cameraphone picture quality goes, the story is that it's not really about the sensor resolution, it's about the optics -- and if you want to go by that rule, Altek's beastly Leo should probably have your attention. Just because you've got a huge, telescoping lens doesn't mean it's any good, of course, but we'd argue that it's a good sign in a world dominated by tiny, plastic lenses atop 8 and 12 megapixel sensors of questionable heritage. Indeed, the Android-powered monster has bowed at CommunicAsia 2010 as promised, bringing a 14 megapixel CCD with an honest-to-goodness 3x optical zoom and 720p video capture, WVGA display, 802.11n WiFi, and HSPA for a Q4 '10 release. Amazingly, Altek plans on selling it for $499 -- unlocked, we assume -- and CNET Asia managed to score a few minutes with it this week. Follow the break for video from the event along with Altek's press release.

Continue reading Altek's Leo in the wild: point and shoot, Android phone, or both?

Altek's Leo in the wild: point and shoot, Android phone, or both? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community | CNET Asia | Email this | Comments"

19 Android Phones You Can Buy Today (or Soon)

2010-06-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

19 (20?) Android Phones You Can Buy Today (or Soon): "If you are looking to switch to Android or upgrade your existing device, here's a list of all the Android phones available by wireless carrier.

20 Android Phones You Can Buy Today (or Soon)

By Priya Ganapati

Updated 06/15 to include the latest version of Android OS on the phones and added MyTouch Slide.

Less than two years after Google introduced the first Android phone, the free, open source operating system has turned into a juggernaut. There are 17 Android phones available today, and three new devices will hit retail stores in the next few weeks.

The latest Android phone is the HTC Aria. AT&T revealed the Aria on Monday as a mid-range phone that will run Android 2.1, have a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.2-inch display and a slower processor than the Nexus One or HTC Evo 4G (the Aria’s CPU clocks 600 MHz, compared to 1 GHz on the latter).

Aria is not the last Android phone from AT&T this year. The company has said it will have five Android devices in 2010 and is likely to announce yet another Android phone soon.

Google debuted the Android operating system in 2008, and the first handset to use it was T-Mobile’s HTC G1. Since then, the four major U.S. wireless service providers — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — have embraced the OS. AT&T’s Android portfolio, though, is the weakest, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering its exclusive deal with Apple: Thanks to the success of the iPhone, AT&T has less reason to explore Android alternatives.

From the $50 LG Ally on Verizon to the most advanced handset available today — the HTC Evo 4G on Sprint — there’s an Android phone for almost every price range and level of use.

So if you are looking to switch to Android or upgrade your existing device, check out our list of all the Android phones available by wireless carrier. Prices mentioned below are those listed on the website of the carrier, with a two-year contract, except as noted.

For more details on each of these phones, click through to the carrier sites: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

AT&T

Motorola Backflip
Android 1.5 (upgradable to 2.1), 5-megapixel camera, 528-MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A processor, 3.1-inch display, 4.7 ounces, $100.

Google Nexus One
Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm 1-GHz processor, 3.7-inch display, 4.6 ounces, Not available subsidized. $530.

HTC Aria
Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 600-MHz Qualcomm MSM 7227 processor, 3.2-inch display, $130. Available June 20.

Dell Aero
Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 624-MHz Marvell chip, 3.5-inch display, Pricing not disclosed. Available this summer.

Sprint

HTC Evo
Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), dual cameras includes 8-megapixel camera and 1.3-megapixel front camera, Qualcomm 1-GHz processor, 4.3-inch display, 6 ounces, $200.

Samsung Moment
Android, 3.2-megapixel camera, 800-MHz Samsung S3C6410 processor, 3.7-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $100.

HTC Hero
Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 4.5 ounces, $80.

Motorola i1
First ruggedized push-to-talk Android phone, Android 1.5, 600-MHz Freescale ARM processor, 5-megapixel camera, 3.1-inch display, 4.63 ounces. Pricing not disclosed. Available this summer.

T-Mobile

Google Nexus One
Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm 1-GHz processor, 3.7-inch display, 4.6 ounces, $180.

HTC G1
Android 1.6, 3.2-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7201A 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $100.

HTC MyTouch
Android 1.6, 3.2-megapixel camera, 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 5.9 ounces, $180.

Motorola Cliq
Android 1.5, 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7200A 528-MHz processor, 3.1-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $130.

HTC MyTouch Slide
Android 2.1, 5-megapixel camera, 600 MHz processor, 3.4-inch display, 5.8 ounces, $180.

Samsung Behold II
Android 1.6, 5-megapixel camera, 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch OLED display, 4.2 ounces, $100.

Garmin Asus Garminfone
Android 1.6, 3-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 3.5-inch display, 4.9 ounces, $200.

Verizon

Motorola Droid
Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 5-megapixel camera, 550-MHz ARM processor, 3.7-inch display, 5.9 ounces, $150.

HTC Droid Incredible
Android 2.1 (upgradable to 2.2), 8-megapixel camera, 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, 3.7-inch display, 4.6 ounces, $200.

Motorola Devour
Android 1.6, 3-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7627 600-MHz processor, 3.1-inch display, 5.9 ounces, $80.

HTC Droid Eris
Android 1.5 (upgradable to 2.1), 5-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7600 528-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 4.3 ounces, $50.

LG Ally
Android 2.1, 3.2-megapixel camera, Qualcomm MSM7627 600-MHz processor, 3.2-inch display, 5.6 ounces, $50.

Motorola wants a 2GHz Android by year's end, so do we

2010-06-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

Motorola wants a 2GHz Android by year's end, so do we: "

Looks like we didn't get the full dish from Sanjay Jha's bout of loquaciousness this morning. It turns out Moto's chief of handsets has also expressed his company's intention to bring the world its first 2GHz smartphone and to do so on an aggressively accelerated roadmap. By the end of the year, Sanjay? Yes please. Another Moto exec is cited as saying NVIDIA Tegra will be providing the graphics prowess, Flash 10.1 will be fully supported, and a gyroscope will accompany HD video recording and output on the dreamy spec sheet. We wouldn't invest all of our trust in the conveniently anonymous exec's promised specs, but that 2GHz number comes straight from the top -- let the countdown begin.

Motorola wants a 2GHz Android by year's end, so do we originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Droid Life | Know Your Cell, ConceivablyTech | Email this | Comments"

Nexus One steps up to 720p HD video thanks to latest hack (video)

2010-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Nexus One steps up to 720p HD video thanks to latest hack (video): "

Just more evidence that rooting is the only true path of the geek. The indefatigable coders over at xda-developers have just pushed out a download that allows the Nexus One to start shooting video at 720p resolution. You'll need to have at least CyanogenMod version 5.0.8test3, but once you get your house in order, you'll be enjoying one of the big touted features of the latest handsets on your five-month old Googlephone. Pretty neat, and what's even better is that work is already underway to improve audio and the fps rate, as well as making the code compatible with Android Froyo, it all just requires a bit more tinkering. So, hit the source link to get the download or join us after the break for a quick sample video.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nexus One steps up to 720p HD video thanks to latest hack (video)

Nexus One steps up to 720p HD video thanks to latest hack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | xda-developers | Email this | Comments"

Nexus One gets USB host driver from a dude with an oscilloscope (video)

2010-06-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Nexus One gets USB host driver from a dude with an oscilloscope (video): "

For Sven Killig, running Android 2.2 wasn't enough. No sir, this dude wanted even more power for his Nexus One, so he went ahead and penned a few lines of code that have allowed his Googlephone to act as a USB host. As a result, he can now do cutting edge stuff like plugging in USB keyboards and webcams, as well as more useful things like watching movies off USB sticks or connecting to a monitor via a DisplayLink USB-to-DVI adapter. All these features are demonstrated in the video after the break, and you'll find the downloadable binaries at the source -- Sven expects them to work on Android 2.1 as well.

Continue reading Nexus One gets USB host driver from a dude with an oscilloscope (video)

Nexus One gets USB host driver from a dude with an oscilloscope (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Sven Killig | Email this | Comments"

Android 2.2 wastes no time getting hacked onto HTC Dream and Magic

2010-05-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Android 2.2 wastes no time getting hacked onto HTC Dream and Magic: "

Though we're not even a wee bit shocked to see a 'usable' version of Froyo already available to owners of the G1 / Dream and Magic, we're definitely heartened to see that phones running 2008 specs can handily run a mid-2010 version of the platform. There's plenty of stuff that doesn't work yet -- WiFi and GPS, just to name a couple of biggies -- but we suspect that this is one dev community that won't give up until everything is working to their satisfaction. Motivation to hang on to otherwise outdated hardware for a few more months, perhaps?

Android 2.2 wastes no time getting hacked onto HTC Dream and Magic originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 00:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android France | xda-developers | Email this | Comments"

Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year?

2010-05-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year?: "

Skype's PR folks have been unusually loquacious today, as they've responded to a query about whether HTC's EVO 4G would get a Skype client with a deep and meaningful forward-looking statement, underpinned by a promise of an Android app 'for all consumers globally to download regardless of carriers.' This universally available addition to the Market should arrive 'later this year,' but what's important about it is that it's preceded by a lengthy spiel about Skype's ambition to 'set the bar on mobile video calling,' which it also intends to do this year. Does this necessarily mean that Skype video calling is coming to Android in time for us to wish granny happy Hanukkah over video chat? No. Is it a well constructed insinuation to that effect? Hell yes. Read the full statement at the source, or find the juiciest excerpt after the break.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

Continue reading Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year?

Skype Mobile with video support coming to Android Market later this year? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Skatter Tech | Email this | Comments"

Next version of the android coming out soon

2009-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Android donut (cupcake was c, donut is d, eclair will be e, and then flan, etc...) has had it's code dropped to the main dev branch of the project. What does that mean?
check out this post from engadget.com:

Early Android 2.0 "Donut" build available, up and running on G1

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jul 26th 2009 at 1:51AM

Android's official code repository has been updated with a fresh load of Donut stuff in the past day or so, and as you might imagine, the dev community is already having a field day with it. Early reports show that all of the features demoed at I/O this year have made it into this cut in one form or another, including universal search, text-to-speech, and system-wide multitouch with gesture support, allowing users to draw symbols on the screen to trigger actions. What's more, though, the codebase is showing signs of CDMA support -- a must for Sprint and Verizon, of course, both of whom will almost certainly have Android sets at one point or another -- and a cool 5-in-1 bank of toggle switches in a home screen widget that can be used to control common features like Bluetooth and WiFi.

Perhaps more excitingly, the community is hard at work on a couple major fronts here: first off, the Donut build is actively being ported to current handsets, and an Android Dev Phone 1 / T-Mobile G1 version is already available (though very, very crashy and incomplete right now). Secondly, work is being conducted to extract major elements of Donut (some of the new widgets, for example) and roll them into cooked 1.5 builds, making the best stuff available in a more solid, accessible form without having to wait for 2.0 to become stable. If you're an adventurous -- nay, borderline mental -- G1 owner, though, you can start your journey to Donut right now.

and from androidCommunity:

Google have released elements of Android OS 2.0 Donut to the developer community, and the changelist is already prompting excitement. Among the differences already noted are multitouch and gesture support, together with CDMA compatibility opening up the possibility of Android devices on US networks like Verizon and Sprint.

There’s also improved universal search, automated backups and what developers are already calling a huge amount of performance tweaking that should hopefully see the platform running more smoothly even on existing hardware. More technical issues have been tweaked, too, with WPA Enterprise encryption support together with VPN functionality.

It seems Google and HTC have been thinking along the same lines, too, as one of the most visible changes is the connectivity bar in the above screenshot, which allows for one-touch homescreen control over WiFi, Bluetooth and other connections. The first hacked ROM suitable for the G1 has already been prepared, though be warned: core aspects such as network connectivity do not work, and this is really a build for early testers rather than those looking for the most functionality from their Android devices. Such users should wait a while, as the frontline devs are promising new versions of OS 1.5 Cupcake with elements taken from 2.0 Donut.

and slashgear:

Has the HTC Hero’s moment in the spotlight been short-lived? Google have released an early development build for Android OS 2.0 Donut, the follow-up to OS 1.5 Cupcake which debuted alongside the HTC Magic, and with it delivered the promise of multitouch support, CMDA and similar homescreen control widgets to those found in HTC Sense.

Among the key changes in OS 2.0 Donut are much improved speed and performance, automated backups and gesture support. There’s also full universal search across all applications, together with WPA Enterprise encryption and VPN support.

While we’re far from an official release for commercial devices, this hasn’t stopped the frontline developer community from playing with Donut and getting it to run on existing handsets. One project has already seen a release, with a build of the new version for the original G1; however this is very unstable and early, with core functionality such as network support missing. Of more interest to general users is the news that developers are working on bringing some of Donut’s more interesting aspects to new builds of Android OS 1.5 Cupcake, adding elements such as mutlitouch and universal search to current smartphones in a more stable form.

What does this all mean?
well, we're gonna have multi-touch ot of the box soon and some other cool stuff!

Pico Post - New Google maps on Android

2009-06-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

Google has released a new version of the included maps application. This is available for download through the market - which is kind of odd since it is part of the OS (just think if they told you to update the calculator through the market...)
But anyway, here it is - and finally we have Google transit and walking available for the Android!
What else is new?
Voice search
better support for Latitude
Reviews and more business information

http://www.google.com/mobile/android/maps.html

Pico Post - E3 on G4

2009-06-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Be sure to watch e3 tonight at 7:00 eastern on G4 or check it out online at http://e3.g4tv.com/e32009/pressconferences/index.html
E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo and is a must watch for ppl interested in computer gaming and that industry!

Pico Post - an interesting comparison

2009-06-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi there, long time no see :)
just a small one (working on a big one on wave)
I'm currently looking for a job in New York, and I stumbled upon this little thingy - check it out:
http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=android&l1=New+York%2C+NY&q2=iphone&l2=New+York%2C+NY

android in New York, NY $133,000
iphone in New York, NY $96,000

What does this mean? start working on your android skills :)

Some words about my blog...

2009-05-15T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hi again!

Time to talk about the Blog
It's been a while since I started this blog and I think it's time to say a little bit about it.
When I started writing it I wasn't really sure what is the direction it will take. I'm hardly an android expert - I have just started out so it's not going to be one of those sites that teach you how to perform tasks in android. In a way, it's the exact opposite of that...

What do I Mean?
Well, as opposed to other blogs that will discuss android development tutorials and teach you what to do if you want to add a button or show a dialog box, this blog will show you what happens when you experiment - what happens when you do things WRONG. The learning of a new platform in my opinion should not be a smooth ride - you need to fall down and scrape you knees a few times so you will learn. Learning from a book or just following the tutorial doesn't give you that bloody feeling that you would get if you were to use an int instead of an integer early on in the development just to find out that you also need a null value for that int (for me it was a Joker card that didnt have an int value). No you have to learn those things the hard way - but as Nathan Hale once said : "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" - you can't make all the mistakes yourself - that's where I come in! :)

How it should work
So it's real simple, remember the post I made about the UI hell I went through trying to show the thrown cards in the right way - well it might not be the most accurate and concise way to explain the mistakes to avoid when wprking with views, but when you start to write something and come across the same issue - you can say oh yeah, I've been here - I can fix this.

How you can help
Tell me about your experiences, share your mistakes with the community - You can learn allot about your mistakes just by writing them down - and you will surely help others.
It doesnt have to be android mistakes, it can be genral software development issues, like I used a '=' sign instead of a '==' sign and nulled out a bunch of stuff, or I used generics in a very wrong way, etc...

Give it a try - it's cathartic, confess your sins!

Pico-Post a great weather widget for cupcake - and it's open source!

2009-05-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Check this guy out
http://jsharkey.org/blog/
He wrote the new weather widget

truly a great and simple application and a great way to learn how to make an android widget - I'm so gonna copy off of him :)

Running the Android API demos on the 1.5 SDK

2009-05-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

As you may know, version 1.1 of the sdk came with a bunch of examples in the samples directory.
A huge part of that was the APIdemos project that was not included in 1.5 for some reason.
So if you do want to run it on the new SDK, this is what you have to do:
a) Download and extract the old (1.1) SDK here
b) Import the API project into your eclipse workspace
c) Change the project properties so that the project build target will be the Google APIs
d) Create a new AVD with the Google API target. see here for how-to's
e) Upadte the run configuration so that the target AVD will be the newly created one
f) Optional: you might find that in cameraPreview.java Line 69 you will get an error - an uncaught exception kind of thing. that is because the setPreviewDisplay method now throws an IOException that needs to be handled - just 'try catch' it and you'll be fine
If you need any more help, please comment here and I'll answer any questions you might have.
good luck

Pico-Post #2 - just a thought

2009-05-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

You guys remember the game Jones in the fast lane?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_in_the_Fast_Lane
wouldn't it be cool if it were to come out for android?
Something like:

1st Pico-Post: How to add an SD card to an existing AVD (SDK 1.5 - Cupcake)

2009-05-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hi, so first things first - what's a pico-post?
well it's basically a cool geeky way of saying a short post - I made it up and hopefully I'll make a few of those every once in a while.
Now for the pico-post itself:
With the shift to SDK v 1.5 the way that the android emulator works has been changed - you can now create several customized AVD's (Android Virtual Devices) that have different properties - this way you can test your app on several types of emulators and simulate different types of display settings etc.
The only problem is that the guys in Android forgot to add an update command to an existing AVD to add an SD card emulation.
This was much easier in the previous version of the API since all you had to do then is create an SD card and then run the emulator with a command line paramater saying - use this card (see here)
But in the new AVD that doesnt work, so we're gonna have to patch it up a bit
so for now here is the guide \ tutorial on how to add an SD card to an existing AVD in android SDK
1- find the path where your avd is stored by running the android list avd command:

$ SDK/tools/android list avd
....
Path: /home/user/.android/avd/myAVD.avd
...

2- create an "sdcard.img" in that directory -- that name is the
default and the emulator will pick it up automatically:

$ SDK/tools/mksdcard 16M /home/user/.android/avd/myAVD.avd/sdcard.img

You can pick any size you want\need for it

Note that "list avd" will not display it after (it only displays what's in the myAVD.avd/config.ini file...) so if you want it to show you can add a line like "sdcard=16M"

That's it.

Thanks to Raphael from the android handset alliance for helping me out on this!

Code clarity

2009-05-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

Hi all, a little off topic today, I got this funny mail, you know the ones, you get the same mail in a interval of 6-9 months and it always cracks you up and it got me thinking about code clarity.
So in school, they were on our case for commenting every bit of code we write which made most of writing our code like this:
//An Integer
int i;
// Another Integer (the second one)
int j;
and so on...
Now the reason that was is that at that time most of us have never worked on a really old and big project that has code that was written before they found out about commenting (or the wheel for that matter) and we didn't know what bad undocumented code is.
well, 4 years after college, I can safely say I know.
I won't name any names, but in one of the companies I worked at the code was so convoluted that they had lines of code that were commented out and they would not allow me to remove it because: "if it ain't broken, don't fix it".
Now these days, I document my code like the memento guy tattoos his body - basically work under the assumption that I'm forgetting what I am writing, as I am writing it, so I comment allot, but that's only half of it. The other half is code clarity - and the question arises - should I sacrifice performance for code clarity - should I make the code a little slower to get better readability? The answer of course as always is: "it depends..." it depends on the type of project, the time requirements, and the hardware it's going to run on...
I still can't put my finger on the right border as far as android applications go, but I'm guessing it's an acquired skill and as I progress in this world, I'll figure it out.

By the way, here's the E-mail I got, cracks me up every time I get it:

What is the best comment in source code you have ever encountered?

Spotted on the web:

///

/// Class used to work around Richard being a fucking idiot
///

///
/// The point of this is to work around his poor design so that paging will
/// work on a mobile control. The main problem is the BindCompany() method,
/// which he hoped would be able to do everything. I hope he dies.
///

// I dedicate all this code, all my work, to my wife, Darlene, who will
// have to support me and our three children and the dog once it gets
// released into the public.

// Magic. Do not touch.

return 1; # returns 1

/* This is O(scary), but seems quick enough in practice. */

/*
* You may think you know what the following code does.
* But you dont. Trust me.
* Fiddle with it, and youll spend many a sleepless
* night cursing the moment you thought youd be clever
* enough to "optimize" the code below.
* Now close this file and go play with something else.
*/

//When I wrote this, only God and I understood what I was doing
//Now, God only knows

Overcoming the AbsoluteLayout deprecation, Part Deux

2009-05-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I fixed the bottom part as well - it was not fun...
first thing I did was to replace the absolutelayout to linearLayout
Surprisingly there were no compilation errors however when I tried running it, it crashed...

So I went about fixing it, but in order to explain the process I'm gonna have to give a little background, it's gonna be as short as possible, I swear!
The project I'm currently working on is a card game, and in it there is a method for redrawing the player's cards. It does this by going over the logical card objects and checking some properties and drawing them according to it. One of these properties is the "isSelected" status of the PlayingCard object. According to this property, we draw the card - if it is indeed selected - we show it as slightly (10px) above the rest of the cards, else, it is in line with the others.
One final thing to note is that this method is called after every action is done on any cards, and that this method is called and will henceforth be referred to as redrawHand().
The redrawHand() method used to draw the selected cards using absouluteLayout like this:

boolean isSelected = hand.isCardSelected(i);
android.view.ViewGroup.LayoutParams currentParams = cardView[i].getLayoutParams();
cardView[i].setLayoutParams(
   new AbsoluteLayout.LayoutParams
      (currentParams.width,currentParams.height,
         ((AbsoluteLayout.LayoutParams)currentParams).x,
isSelected ? 0 : 10));

basically, I would set the 'y' location (relative to it's container) to 0 or 10 according to the isSelected status.
Unfortunately, this is not possible in other layouts. and that's why the run failed on the first run after the change.
what I did next is try to use some of the properties inherited from LinearLayout to acheive the same result. I tried:

setting the Layout_gravity of the selected cards to top and the others to bottom
setting the Gravity of the selected cards to top and the others to bottom

(Ever wonder what the difference is between Layout_Gravity and Gravity? well, it's simple - Layout_Gravity is the gravity of the view in relation to it's parent and Gravity is the gravity of the contents of the view itself)

setting the bottom_padding to 10px for the selected cards
setting the layout_margin_bottom to 10px for the selected cards
setting the height to 10px bigger for the selected cards
and other fun stuff...

as you can imagine, none of these worked - most of them did the same thing - when one card is selected, the others appear selected as well - the cards go up as one...
after allot of digging and frustration i figured it out - the container for the cards was in a wrap content mode in layout height and when one of the cards was selected, all the cards filled the content of the parent and in effect went up. now I know this doesn't make a whole lot of sense now, but after a while you get used to these things and they start making sense...
So I managed to get it to work in the layout xml (was able to change the bottom margin for 2 cards and see them up) , but when it came to run-time that was a whole different story: for some strange reason - when I clicked on one of the cards, it did seem selected, but it would be the only one I could select - now this was really weird for a few reasons: a) the method worked with absoluteLayout and b) the behaviour was extremely strange: if I pick card 2 and then card 3, card 2 will pop up but 3 won't, and if I would want to show 3 as selected, i would have to click it again (to unselect it) and then unselect card 2 and then select card 3.
WTF???
after posting yet another question on the group I was told to use the container.requestLayout() method at the end of the redraw method. What this method does is basically invalidate the view so that on the next drawing cycle, it will appear as dirty and will have to be drawn again by the graphics engine. Now this all would make perfect sense if it werent for the fact that I have have been using this method for a whole bunch of other stuff and they worked and the fact that have something that's supposed to do just that - the container.invalidate() method.
Amazingly - this fixed it - I'm still not completly sure how this miracle occured but I'm gonna get to the bottom of it and let you know if there are requests for that.
so now it all works, and you are all encouraged to go the project site and look at the code - should be intersting...
http://code.google.com/p/bestcardgameever-android/
Enjoy!

Overcoming the AbsoluteLayout deprecation, Part I

2009-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hello constant readers :)
As you have probably read in the previous post, I've been having some problems with the new 1.5 SDK, one of which was to get the AbsoluteLayout removed from my project since it has been deprecated...
Now as I showed you before, I have two instances of it in my project - one for the thrown cards (in the middle of the screen) and one for the player hand (bottom of the screen).
The reason that I used the Absolute Layout for the thrown cards was that I needed to show cards that were overlapping. Now even as I was writing it, I thought to myself that using absolute layout would be a bad idea - why? because unlike the Iphone, the android system is not limited to one device and one screen size - at this time, there are NetBooks with 12" screens with a resolution of 1024X768 that can run android as well as more than 10(!!!) new devices scheduled to come out this or next year. So that means you cant count on absolute positioning by pixels because they can change and the game should work on all of them...

Android Netbook

So the mistake came back to bite me in the ass, and I needed to fix it, only question is how???
After making a few inquiries (1,2) it was pretty clear what I had to do - make a custom layout - and once again the question remained how...
I was starting to read up on that but have decided that before I'm going to go head first into a world of unknown pain, I'm gonna play around with the properties of the layouts I know.
Here is the process in pictures:

	My first attempt: I decided I'm going to use a FrameLayout instead of my AbsLay and add left padding for each card, thus creating an overlap... what I got was kinda weird (Isn't it always in UI?) The cards got smaller as the padding got bigger. so I had to scratch that idea...
	Attempt 2: Tried using left margin instead of padding - that didn't work, all that happened was that all the cards were on the same location - you could say that they were overlapping at 100% :) scratch that too...
	Attempt 3: Switched to LinearLayout and gave it some left margins - notice what happened there? the margins made the cards seem further apart instead of overlapping - and when you think about it - it makes sense - so what did i do? see attempt 4 below...
1 - one card on the table	2- several cards on the table
Attempt 4: You guessed it! I used negative values... as you can see - that got me a little closer but not quite there yet... for some reason - the first card had almost no overlapping and it seemed like the overlapping between the last two cards was exactly what i was looking for so I was encouraged and made some more attempts...
	Attempt 5 : here I tried reversing the order of the margins - so the card were now arranged in ascending negative margin order - I got the exact opposite of the previous attempt... wanna guess what I did next? I'll give you a hint - in attempt 4 I used descending negative values between cards and in 5, ascending... guess!
	Attempt 6.1 Perfect, almost... Here I used a constant negative left margin (of 10 pixels) only problem was that I also sized the frame that contains all the cards with the sum of the cards images so it won't shrink the cards on the right and left of it and for it cropped the right of that King card there...
	Attempt 6.2 So I gave it a little extra - what do I mean? The cards were 72px wide each, I have 5 cards and a margin of 10 for each card so it should have been 72+10+10+10+10 = 112 it worked with 130 :) good enough for me :D

so there you have it, success, sorta.

So I managed to do it without creating a new Layout, but next I'm going to have to change the layout for the bottom cards, will I be able to do that without creating a new layout? It's gonna be fun finding out!
Stick around for more, and comment if you like it or if you feel something is missing!
See you soon
Elad Katz

Cupcake

2009-05-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

So cupcake is out - also known as version 1.5 of the SDK.
As the early adopter that I am, I immediately went about to upgrading my project.
updating the ADT in eclipse was really quite simple (followed the instructions at http://developer.android.com/sdk/1.5_r1/upgrading.html ), but once the upgrade was complete the problems started...
First thing was that now you have to make you own Emulator (now known as AVD - Android Virtual Device) - that went pretty smoothly, the only thing that kinda bothered me is that the camcorder does not work in the emulator but according to google, it's not supposed to...(http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers/browse_thread/thread/a32a2f351f2fa004/9811bcf7bef9254d#9811bcf7bef9254d)
the second thing i noticed was that the device is a little sluggish but we'll see about that
third thing was that since the new API contains a new Widget for a sliding drawer

i of course tried to put it in my project but failed due to an exception which google is looking into:
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers/browse_thread/thread/c579d40ff8bca172/58d4fcef1762259a#58d4fcef1762259a

next thing i noticed is that absoluteLayout is now deprecated :(
i knew it was a bad idea to use it the second i used it...
The reason i needed it was this:
notice the cards on the middle that are overlapping?
see the bottom cards that have some sticking up?
i'm gonna have to figure out a new way to do that without using the absolute layout...
stay tuned here or at http://code.google.com/p/bestcardgameever-android/
it'll show up soon

The Holodeck

2009-05-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hi
My name is Elad Katz
I'm a software developer of 4 years and an avid blog reader.
I currently reside in New York, New York - a city so nice, they named it twice :)
I've recently decided to develop some apps for the new android operating system and thought I might share my experiences with the blogosphere.
Why Android?
Well, I'm a really big fan of everything Google, and when the G1 came out I pitched a tent outside of the T-mobile store and bought it.
I'm very very happy about it.
Why not Iphone?
Good question!
The short answer is that i don't have a mac and therefore can not develop apps for it, a slightly longer answer will cover the facts that while android development is a variation of Java\Flex, Iphone development is Object Oriented C, and the fact that the android OS is an open source project and is therefore more alluring to someone like me.
What am i doing?
The project I am working on right now, My first if you don't count the notepad tutorial and the hello world app, is an adaptation of a very addictive and fun card game which is based on a game called Yaniv - I picked up this game while traveling in South America and have become an addict ever since.
It therefore seemed suitable that I develop this game for the android platform.
you can have a look at some snapshots and even check out the code at http://code.google.com/p/bestcardgameever-android/.
What's next?
Well, I think I'll keep this blog updated so that whenever i face a problem and overcome it, I'll post it here.