Going Mobile With Android
The Google Android is an operating system for mobiles that is open source and one that is becoming more and more popular. A number of manufacturers have released mobile devices which run on Android, since it is a powerful OS with a lot of capabilities. Because it is an open source OS, it also has a large backing of developers that develop rich applications to run on Android phones, netbooks and tablets.
What does it mean to be an open source operating system? It means that developers have complete access to the programming interface or API that is used by the core applications. They can reuse components, have access to location information within a certain security framework, and can create new applications for users to replace into their hardware. Thus there are a number of rich and varied applications for android devices in the market today and more are being created every day.
Developers can have a field day with the list of systems that underlie all Android applications. These include:A set of views that can go into creating applications, with grids and text boxes. It also has an embedded web browser.
Content providers that allows the sharing of data between apps
A resource manager that provides access to layout files, graphics and other resources that are non-code.
A system if displaying custom alerts that all applications have. These alerts are displayed in the status bar.
Because of the easy accessibility to core resources, users too can replace any component of their Android phone that they want. And they can install any of a number of sophisticated and specialized apps that are available in the market. The phones themselves come preinstalled with email clients, calendar, maps, a browser, and other services. The applications are written with the Java programming language.
The features of the Android include GSM support, media support for most common formats, a Dalvik virtual machine that is optimized for use in mobile devices. It has a rich development environment that can be utilized by developers to develop applications. The 3D graphics are powered by OpenGL ES 1.0 specification with the option to install hardware acceleration if desired.
Android devices are becoming increasingly popular with users who like a lot of applications not only for gaming and communication, but a large number of social networking applications as well. Businesses too can benefit from the Android's ability to have customized applications. They can get applications optimized for specific business needs that they may have, and ensure an increase in business efficiency.
What does it mean to be an open source operating system? It means that developers have complete access to the programming interface or API that is used by the core applications. They can reuse components, have access to location information within a certain security framework, and can create new applications for users to replace into their hardware. Thus there are a number of rich and varied applications for android devices in the market today and more are being created every day.
Developers can have a field day with the list of systems that underlie all Android applications. These include:
Because of the easy accessibility to core resources, users too can replace any component of their Android phone that they want. And they can install any of a number of sophisticated and specialized apps that are available in the market. The phones themselves come preinstalled with email clients, calendar, maps, a browser, and other services. The applications are written with the Java programming language.
The features of the Android include GSM support, media support for most common formats, a Dalvik virtual machine that is optimized for use in mobile devices. It has a rich development environment that can be utilized by developers to develop applications. The 3D graphics are powered by OpenGL ES 1.0 specification with the option to install hardware acceleration if desired.
Android devices are becoming increasingly popular with users who like a lot of applications not only for gaming and communication, but a large number of social networking applications as well. Businesses too can benefit from the Android's ability to have customized applications. They can get applications optimized for specific business needs that they may have, and ensure an increase in business efficiency.
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