Developers heading for Android platform
Article by Michael Torner
Android is an operating system for mobile devices that includes middleware and key applications, and uses a modified version of the Linux kernel. It was initially developed by Android Inc., a firm later purchased by Google, and lately by the Open Handset Alliance. It allows dev to write managed code in the Java language, controlling the device via Google-developed Java libraries.The unveiling of the Android distribution on 5 November 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 65 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google released most of the Android code under the Apache License, a free software and open source license.Developing for Android is not expensive. All you need is a Mac, or a PC that runs Windows or Linux. To start developing Android applications you need to :* Download and setup the Eclipse IDE* Download the Android SDK and then expand the content of the zip file into a folder* Install the ADT plug-in in Eclipse* Configure Eclipse to point to the Android SDKAndroid Market scenario:Many devs have developed apps for Android and can be downloaded from Android Market, Android market is the online software store for Android devices – it’s Google’s answer to Apple’s Appstore on iTunes and for much of its short life (born 22 October 2008), it has been but a pale imitation of the all-conquering iPhone’s biggest strength. Just 12 months ago Android Market held less than 3000 apps compared to the AppStore’s 35,000 but the marketplace is now beginning to roll, and devs are responding, and with 8,000 + apps added in each of the last two months, the Android Market now holds 50,000 apps and should pass 100,000 by the end of the year.Now of course the number of applications is no indication of quality or usefulness, but it’s fair to assume that most applications in the AppStore now have an equivalent in Android Market and, given that at the current rate the Market will double in size before the end of the year, if there isn’t one now, there soon will be. This is a big challenge for a Android application development that the quality and quantity of the apps on the Android market keeps improving in numbers as well as user downloads.
About the Author
Michael Torner is an IT professional and is currently involved in Android application development.Android application developerAndroid application development