Introduction
Introduction
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INTRODUCTION Googles much hyped operating system (OS) android has been in the news for a while now. Recently, it made its presence in India official when HTC launched HTC Magic, the first phone in India running Android. While this represented a major event for the tech crowd, many mainstream users were unmoved. After all, information about mobile OS remains relatively limited in the Indian market, where phones are sold more on technical specifications ( cameras megapixel count, storage space, size of the display and so on) rather than the software running on them. But there are indications that the coming months will see Android- driven devices from Samsung and Motorola as well. This will allow many more users to access features like high- quality Internet browsing, push mail, on- line chatting and the like that the most people associate with higher- end devices. Android can well change the entire Smartphone market. It is available free of cost to anyone who wants to use it. A person can change it and use it as per his needs. If that does not seem special, just consider the amount of money cell phone manufacturers using Android will save as they will not need to invest in developing an OS or pay the likes of Microsoft or Nokia for the use of their OS.
Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices based on the Linux operating system and developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance. It allows developers to write managed code in a Java-like language that utilizes Google-developed Java libraries, but does not support programs developed in native code. In the Android OS each layer of the stack groups together several programs that support specific operating system functions. The kernel, memory management programs, security settings, power management software and several hardware drivers, libraries, the media framework library supports playback and recording of various audio, video and picture formats. Runtime layer includes a set of core Java libraries. Android application programmers build their apps using the Java programming language. A virtual machine is a software application that behaves as if it were an independent device with its own operating system. The Android OS uses virtual machines to run each application as its own process. No application is dependent upon another. If an application crashes, it shouldn't affect any other applications running on the device, simplifies memory management. The application framework are programs that manage the phone's basic functions like resource allocation, telephone applications, switching between processes or programs and keeping track of the phone's physical location i,e. application framework is a set of basic tools with which a developer can build much more complex tools , the applications ,the user interface. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language. HISTORY In July 2005, Google acquired Android, Inc., a small startup company based in Palo Alto, California, USA. Android's co-founders who went to work at Google included Andy Rubin (cofounder of Danger), Rich Miner (co-founder of Wildfire Communications, Inc.), Nick Sears (once VP at T-Mobile), and Chris White (headed design and interface development at WebTV). At the time, little was known about the functions of Android, Inc. other than that they made software for mobile phones. This began rumors that Google was planning to enter the mobile phone market.
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reporting that as Google was defining technical specifications, it was showing prototypes to cell phone manufacturers and network operators. In September 2007, InformationWeek covered an Evalueserve study reporting that Google had filed several patent applications in the area of mobile telephony. Ultimately Google unveiled its Smartphone Nexus One that uses the Android open source mobile operating system. The device is manufactured by Taiwan's HTC Corporation, and became available on January 5, 2010. OPEN HANDSET ALLIANCE On November 5, 2007, the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of several companies which include Texas Instruments, Broadcom Corporation, Google, HTC, Intel, LG, Marvell Technology Group, Motorola, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile was unveiled with the goal to develop open standards for mobile devices. Along with the formation of the Open Handset Alliance, the OHA also unveiled their first product, Android, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel version 2.6. On 9 December 2008, it was announced that 14 new members would be joining the Android project, including ARM Holdings, Atheros Communications, Asustek Computer Inc, Garmin Ltd, Softbank, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba Corp, and Vodafone Group Plc. LICENSING With the exception of brief update periods, Android has been available as open source since 21 October 2008. Google opened the entire source code (including network and telephony stacks) under an Apache License. With the Apache License, vendors can add proprietary extensions without submitting those back to the open source community.
Android at Googleplex. At Google, the team led by Rubin developed a mobile device platform powered by the Linux kernel which they marketed to handset makers and carriers on the premise of providing a flexible, upgradeable system. It was reported that Google had already lined up a series of hardware component and software partners and signaled to carriers that it was open to various degrees of cooperation on their part. More speculation that Google would be entering the mobile-phone market came in December 2006. Reports from the BBC and The Wall Street Journal noted that Google wanted its search and applications on mobile phones and it was working hard to deliver that. Print and online media outlets soon reported rumors that Google was developing a Googlebranded handset. More speculation followed 2
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES A cupcake was placed beside Android at Googleplex to commemorate the 1.5 release of Android. DIFFERET ANDROID VERSIONS 1.5 (Cupcake) Base on Linux Kernel 2.6.27 On 30 April 2009, the official 1.5 (Cupcake) update for Android was released. There are several new features and UI updates included in the 1.5 update: Ability to record and watch videos with the camcorder mode Uploading videos to YouTube and pictures to Picasa directly from the phone A new soft keyboard with an "Auto complete" feature Bluetooth A2DP support (which in turn broke Bluetooth connectivity with many popular cars and headsets. This has still yet to be fixed as of December 2009) Ability to automatically connect to a Bluetooth headset within a certain distance New widgets and folders that can populate the desktop Animations between screens.
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On 26 October 2009 the 2.0 (Eclair) SDK was released. Among the changes are: Optimized hardware speed. Support for more screen sizes and resolutions. Revamped UI. New browser UI and HTML5 support. New contact lists. Better white/black ratio for backgrounds. Improved Google Maps 3.1.2 Microsoft Exchange support. Built in flash support for Camera. Digital Zoom. Motion Event class enhanced to track multitouch events. Improved virtual keyboard. Bluetooth 2.1 Live Wallpapers.
On 3 December 2009 the 2.0.1 SDK was released. On 12 January 2010 the 2.1 SDK was released. Some sources called this 'Flan' but it is actually still considered part of 'Eclair' A subsequent version (post 2.1), based on Linux Kernel 2.6.32, is to be named FroYo. After FroYo, the next update, based on Linux Kernel 2.6.33 or 34, will be called Gingerbread. FEATURES
1.6(Donut) Base on Linux Kernel 2.6.27 On 15 September 2009, the 1.6 (Donut) SDK was released. Included in the update are: An improved Android Market experience. An integrated camera, camcorder, and gallery interface. Gallery now enables users to select multiple photos for deletion. Updated Voice Search, with faster response and deeper integration with native applications, including the ability to dial contacts. Updated search experience to allow searching bookmarks, history, contacts, and the web from the home screen. Updated Technology support for CDMA/EVDO, 802.1x, VPN, Gestures, and a Text-to-speech engine. Support for WVGA resolutions. Speed improvements camera. 2.0/2.1(Eclair) Base on Linux Kernel 2.6.29 for searching, the
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file, where all definitions, tables and data are stored. This simple design is more than suitable for a platform such as Android. 6) Handset Layouts The platform is adaptable to both larger, VGA, 2D graphics library, 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 1.0 specifications, traditional smart phone layouts. An underlying 2D graphics engine is also included. Surface Manager manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications 7) Data Storage SQLite is used for structured data storage .SQLite is a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications. 8) Connectivity Android supports a wide variety of connectivity technologies including GSM, CDMA, Bluetooth, EDGE, EVDO, 3G and Wi-Fi. 9) Messaging SMS, MMS, and XMPP are available forms of messaging including threaded text messaging. 10) Web Browser The web browser available in Android is based on the open-source Web Kit application framework. It includes LibWebCore which is a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view. 11) Java Virtual Machine Software written in Java can be compiled into Dalvik byte codes and executed in the Dalvik virtual machine, which is a specialized VM implementation designed for mobile device use, although not technically a standard Java Virtual Machine. 12) Media Support Android will support advanced audio/video/still media formats such as MPEG-4, H.264, MP3, and AAC, AMR, JPEG, PNG, GIF.
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES 13) Additional Hardware Support Android is fully capable of utilizing video/still cameras, touch screens, GPS, compasses, accelerometers, and accelerated 3D graphics. 14) Development Environment Includes a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, a plugin for the Eclipse IDE. There are a number of hardware dependent features, for instance, a huge media and connections support, GPS, improved support for Camera and simply GSM telephony. A great work was done for the developers to start work with Android using device emulator, tools for debugging and plugin for Eclipse IDE. HARDWARE RUNNING ANDROID The first phone to run the Android operating system was the HTC Dream, released on 22 October 2008. By the end of 2009 there will be at least 18 phone models using Android worldwide, according to Google. In addition to the mobile devices that ship with Android, some users have been able (with some amount of hacking, and with limited functionality) to install it on mobile devices shipped with other operating systems. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
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system. (Google announced an issue tracker on 18 January 2008.) In December 2007, Merge Lab mobile startup founder Adam Macbeth stated, "Functionality is not there, is poorly documented or just doesn't work... It's clearly not ready for prime time."Despite this, Android-targeted applications began to appear the week after the platform was announced. The first publicly available application was the Snake game. The Android Dev Phone is a SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked device that is designed for advanced developers. While developers can use regular consumer devices purchased at retail to test and use their applications, some developers may choose not to use a retail device, preferring an unlocked or no-contract device. SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT The Android SDK includes a comprehensive set of development tools. These include a debugger, libraries, a handset emulator (based on QEMU), documentation, sample code, and tutorials. Currently supported development platforms include x86-architecture computers running Linux (any modern desktop Linux distribution), Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later, Windows XP or Vista. Requirements also include Java Development Kit, Apache Ant, and Python 2.2 or later. The officially supported integrated development environment (IDE) is Eclipse (3.2 or later) using the Android Development Tools (ADT) Plugin, though developers may use any text editor to edit Java and XML files then use command line tools to create, build and debug Android applications as well as control attached Android devices (e.g., triggering a reboot, installing software package(s) remotely). A preview release of the Android software development kit (SDK) was released on 12 November 2007. On 15 July 2008, the Android Developer Challenge Team accidentally sent an email to all entrants in the Android Developer Challenge announcing that a new release of the SDK was available in a "private" download area. The email was intended for winners of the first round of the Android Developer Challenge. The revelation that Google was supplying new SDK releases to some developers and not others (and keeping this arrangement private) has led to widely reported frustration within the Android developer community.
On 18 August 2008 the Android 0.9 SDK beta was released. This release provides an updated and extended API, improved development tools and an updated design for the home screen. Detailed instructions for upgrading are available to those already working with an earlier release. On 23
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES September 2008 the Android 1.0 SDK (Release 1) was released. According to the release notes, it included "mainly bug fixes, although some smaller features were added". It also included several API changes from the 0.9 version. On 9 March 2009, Google released version 1.1 for the Android dev phone. While there are a few aesthetic updates, a few crucial updates include support for "search by voice, priced applications, alarm clock fixes, sending Gmail freeze fix, fixes mail notifications and refreshing intervals, and now the maps show business reviews". Another important update is that Dev phones can now access paid applications and developers can now see them on the Android Market. In the middle of May 2009, Google released version 1.5 (Cupcake) of the Android OS and SDK. This update included many new features including video recording, support for the stereo Bluetooth profile, a customizable onscreen keyboard system and voice recognition. This release also opened up the AppWidget framework to third party developers allowing anyone to create their own home screen widgets. In September 2009 the "Donut" version (1.6) was released which featured better search, battery usage indicator and VPN control applet. New platform technologies included Text to Speech engine (not available on all phones), Gestures & Accessibility framework. Android Applications are packaged in .apk format and stored under /data/app folder on the Android OS. The user can run the command adb root to access this folder as only the root has permissions to access this folder. OPERATION Android Runtime
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underlying functionality such as threading and lowlevel memory management. Linux Kernel
Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack. It helps to manage security, memory management, process management, network stack and other important issues. Therefore, the user should bring Linux in his mobile device as the main operating system and install all the drivers required in order to run it. Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities (subject to security constraints enforced by the framework). This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user. Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems. ARCHITECTURE
Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language .Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is registerbased, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool. The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for 6
Figure : Architecture Of Android 1) Linux Kernel Android Architecture is based on Linux 2.6 kernel. It helps to manage security, memory management, process management, network stack and other important issues. Therefore, the user should bring Linux in his mobile device as the main operating
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES system and install all the drivers required in order to run it. Android provides the support for the Qualcomm MSM7K chipset family. For instance, the current kernel tree supports Qualcomm MSM 7200A chipsets, but in the second half of 2008 we should see mobile devices with stable version Qualcomm MSM 7200, which includes major features: WCDMA/HSUPA and EGPRS network support Bluetooth 1.2 and Wi-Fi support Digital audio support for mp3 and other formats Support for Linux and other third-party operating systems Java hardware acceleration and support for Java applications Qcamera up to 6.0 megapixels gpsOne solution for GPS And lots of other.
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Figure : Conversion from .java to .dex file As the result, it is possible to have multiple instances of Dalvik virtual machine running on the single device at the same time. The Core libraries are written in Java language and contains of the collection classes, the utilities, IO and other tools. 4) Application Framework After that, there is Application Framework, written in Java language. It is a toolkit that all applications use, ones which come with mobile device like Contacts or SMS box, or applications written by Google and any Android developer. It has several components. The Activity Manager manages the life circle of the applications and provides a common navigation back stack for applications, which are running in different processes. The Package Manager keeps track of the applications, which are installed in the device. The Windows Manager is Java programming language abstraction on the top of lower level services that are provided by the Surface Manager. The Telephony Manager contains of a set of API necessary for calling applications. Content Providers was built for Android to share a data with other applications, for instance, the contacts of people in the address book can be used in other applications too. The Resource Manager is used to store localized strings, bitmaps, layout file descriptions and other external parts of the application. The View System generates a set of buttons and lists used in UI. Other components like Notification manager is used to customize display alerts and other functions.
2) Libraries In the next level there are a set of native libraries written in C/C++, which are responsible for stable performance of various components. For example, Surface Manager is responsible for composing different drawing surfaces on the mobile screen. It manages the access for different processes to compose 2D and 3D graphic layers.OpenGL ES and SGL make a core of graphic libraries and are used accordingly for 3D and 2D hardware acceleration. Moreover, it is possible to use 2D and 3D graphics in the same application in Android. The media framework was provided by Packet Video, one of the members of OHA. It gives libraries for a playback and recording support for all the major media and static image files. Free Type libraries are used to render all the bitmap and vector fonts. For data storage, Android uses SQLite. As mentioned before, it is extra light rational management system, which locates a single file for all operations related to database. Web Kit, the same browser used by Apples Safari, was modified by Android in order to fit better in a small size screens. 3) Android Runtime At the same level there is Android Runtime, where the main component Dalvik Virtual Machine is located. It was designed specifically for Android running in limited environment, where the limited battery, CPU, memory and data storage are the main issues. Android gives an integrated tool dx, which converts generated byte code from .jar to .dex file, after this byte code becomes much more efficient to run on the small processors. 7
5) Application Layer At the top of Android Architecture we have all the applications, which are used by the final user. By installing different applications, the user can turn his mobile phone into the unique, optimized and
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES smart mobile phone. All applications are written using the Java programming language. SECURITY ISSUES Android mobile phone platform is going to be more secure than Apples iPhone or any other device in the long run. There are several solutions nowadays to protect Google phone from various attacks. One of them is security vendor McAfee, a member of Linux Mobile (LiMo) Foundation. This foundation joins particular companies to develop an open mobile-device software platform. Many of the companies listed in the LiMo Foundation have also become members of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). As a result, Linux secure coding practice should successfully be built into the Android development process. However, open platform has its own disadvantages, such as source code vulnerability for black-hat hackers. In parallel with great opportunities for mobile application developers, there is an expectation for exploitation and harm. Stealthy Trojans hidden in animated images, particular viruses passed from friend to friend, used for spying and identity theft, all these threats will be active for a long run. Another solution for such attacks is SMobile Systems mobile package. Security Shield an integrated application that includes anti-virus, antispam, firewall and other mobile protection is up and ready to run on the Android operating system. Currently, the main problem is availability for viruses to pose as an application and do things like dial phone numbers, send text messages or multimedia messages or make connections to the Internet during normal device use. It is possible for somebody to use the GPS feature to track a persons location without their knowledge. Hence SMobile Systems is ready to notify and block these secure alerts. But the truth is that it is not possible to secure your mobile device or personal computer completely, as it connects to the internet. And neither the Android phone nor other devices will prove to be the exception. COMPARISON 1) Speculations With Cellular Carriers Google Android enters a tangled mess of cellular carrier world. As a new player in the mobile market, Android brings an open platform with the new rules. On the one hand there is OHA with major companies and carries, such as T-Mobile and Sprint. On the other hand, there are two largest cellular carries AT&T and Verizon Wireless in United States, which have a vested interest in 8
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operating systems of their own. It is predictable, that Sprint or T-Mobile will be first carriers providing devices with Google Android. This ensures equal development time for the networks, GSM side and CDMA.But the main problem, which faces all the cellular carriers around the world, is the availability to download and use free applications that could block almost every communications product they sell. A user does not need to pay for GPS mapping service anymore. He can simply download a free one that taps into Google Maps. In fact, why pay for cellular minutes at all when a user can download Skype, Gtalk or other client and just use his data plan? OSs such as Android threaten carriers with a loss of control over the applications on the phones on their network and they may find themselves becoming nothing more than wireless Internet service providers, forced to compete on price and bandwidth. Another aspect is hardware cost: Google Android owns 10 percent of the total cost of a phone, which combined with falling hardware prices could eventually result a fertile unlocked handset market. In conclusion, Google has a better start in this race than any company had before to bring new rules to the mobile market with all carriers, mobile devices and its customers. 2) Manufacturers War Presently, Google main competitors like Nokia, Microsoft and Apple do not see Google Android as a serious rival or threat to their business strategies. However, the current situation is not so unsophisticated. There is a huge flurry in the companies, which are not in the list of OHA. For instance, Nokia, which is the largest handset manufacturer in the world, nowadays owning some 39% market share, was one of the companies snubbed on the invitation list to the 34-party Open Handset Alliance that is growing daily. In contrast, Nokia is buying companies and dumping cash into development, while Google is releasing an open platform hoping the applications and services will build themselves with the help of a strong developer community, development contests and large alliance of grand companies. Despite of this, Nokia is ready to combat whatever Google has to throw with Google Android in 2008. Another company Apple has already stroked the market with iPhone and its closed operating system. Accordingly, iPhone in the US remains loyal to AT&T mobile carrier for five years.
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES That is plenty of time for Google to conquer the market with open Android. Obvious advantage of Android is cost: while iPhone is priced at a weighty $400, Google says it hopes to reach a more mainstream market by pricing Android-powered devices at around $200. Microsoft, selling 21 million copies of Windows Mobile software, stays calm at this point, waiting for some particular results from Google Android. This nice and healthy competition is just what the mobile industry needs at the moment, at least for the consumers. The wars being waged between Google and the field will only create better, cheaper handsets and more advanced applications. 3) Market Research A new generation of mobile device users is coming in the next decade. These users are going to explore the mobile internet afresh with its new features, compatible mobile phones, new services and applications. This is a huge leap for mobile advertisement business, where revenue could rise 8 times more by 2012. Google Android is going to present new solutions through the fast search engine, open source applications and other services. The Kelsey Group, which works with public opinion polls and statistics, published the results released October 11 2007,which say, that one hundred out of 500, or 20 percent of people would be interested in purchasing a Google phone. Despite the fact, that Google Android is in alpha version and it is unknown for the customers and mobile market, the results look promising. The diagram below shows the study, which was conducted in September 2007 via an online 30question survey of 500 U.S. mobile phone users aged 18 and older. People do not find a good Internet experience in their phones today, so they are more interested in gravitating toward an Internet or technology company telephone.
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Because they think connectivity between devices and to the Internet is going to be much better on those phones. They use Google search, Gmail, Google Maps, Picasa albums and other popular services on their computers, and this is what they expect to have in their mobile devices in the close future. 4) Mobile Ads Jaiku - an activity stream and sharing service that works from the Web and mobile phones was bought by Google as important investment into the mobile advertisement. People wondered why Google preferred the micro-blogging service to Twitter, which is much more popular nowadays. The answer lies in Jaikus unique ability to combine micro-blogging with users location. An integral part of the service is a Jaiku client application for Symbian S60 platform mobile phones, which should come to Android platform as well. The client uses location APIs within device to get the handset and the users location based on nearby cellular network towers. Though the location is not very precise, the mobile phone is able to broadcast it automatically. At that point the text can be connected to users location and create a list of preferences for each place the user frequently visits. Using such a technology, it is simple to track down a user via phones IP address, whenever he comes into McDonald or is sitting in the airport. Google is not a million miles away from being able to push advanced advertising to individuals based on their profile, their location and their availability. They already offer regional and local targeting for ads for desktop users, but this could be much more useful for a mobile phone. And if the ads are truly relevant, interesting and unobtrusive, people might actually start to like them. 5) Mobile Services Adding to its fast growing suite of mobile applications and services, Google has applied for a patent for a mobile payments service that would allow users to make payments at retail shops using their mobile phones. The Text Message Payment patent describes a system where Google offers mobile focused payments called GPay. This describes a system where a SMS message would be sent containing a payment amount and other information. That payment amount would then be validated, debited from the user's account, and communicated from server to server. Payment confirmation that had been received would also
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES simultaneously be sent to the relevant party, as illustrated in the diagram below:
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Tons of built-in services out of the box. Location based services use GPS or cell tower triangulation to let you customize the user experience depending on where they are. A full-powered SQL database lets you harness the power of local storage for occasionally connected computing and synchronization. Browser and Map views can be embedded directly in your applications. All these built-in capabilities help to raise the bar on functionality while lowering your development costs. Automatic management of the application life cycle. Programs are isolated from each other by multiple layers of security, which will provide a level of system stability not seen before in smart phones. The end user, will no longer have to worry about what applications are active, or close some programs so that others can run. Android is optimized for low-power, low-memory devices in a fundamental way that no previous platform has attempted. High quality graphics and sound. Smooth, antialiased 2D vector graphics and animation inspired by Flash is melded with 3D accelerated OpenGL graphics to enable new kinds of games and business applications. Codecs for the most common industry standard audio and video formats are built right in, including H.264 (AVC), MP3, and AAC. Portability across a wide range of current and future hardware. All your programs are written in Java and executed by Androids Dalvik virtual machine so your code will be portable across ARM, x86, and other architectures. Support for a variety of input methods is included such as keyboard, touch, tilt, camera, voice, and trackball. User interfaces can be customized for any screen resolution and orientation. Android is a fresh take on the way mobile applications interact with users, along with the technical underpinnings to make it possible. But the best part of Android is the software that you are going to write for it. This book will help you get off to a great start. OPENNESS OF THE PLATFORM The open source school of thought implies that differentiation and competitive advantage come from innovation on top of the underlying platform rather than the platform itself. The robustness and scalability of the platform is secured by the communitys stewardship, and open access to a central repository of updated code. Beyond this, a strong third-party development environment and software development kit (SDK) are critical to attracting innovation.
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Described as "a computer-implemented method of effectuating an electronic on-line payment," the system mentioned in the patent application is similar to existing mobile payment services. These services like mobile version of PayPal have been available for some time but have had little success bursting with merchants and with customers. The main difference between existing mobile payment systems and GPay is, of course, that GPay is created by Google and will be easily adopted by Android Platform. The more issues regarding Gpay are yet to be released. WHAT MAKES ANDROID SPECIAL? There are already many mobile platforms on the market today, including Symbian, iPhone, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Java Mobile Edition, Linux Mobile (LiMo), and more. While some of its features have appeared before, Android is the rst environment that combines: A truly open, free development platform based on Linux and open source. Handset makers like it because they can use and customize the platform without paying a royalty. Developers like it because they know that the platform has legs and is not locked into any one vendor that may go under or be acquired. A component-based architecture inspired by Internet mash-ups. Parts of one application can be used in another in ways not originally envisioned by the developer. You can even replace built-in components with your own improved versions. This will unleash a new round of creativity in the mobile space.
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ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES Open is an invariably subjective term. Symbian and Microsoft can claim a degree of openness for their mobile platforms, for example, but ultimate control of API access and source code remains with a single entity. On the contrary, as Google has pointed out, theres nothing keeping any of the alliance members from using Android to build a Yahoo! Go phone. Motorola has had some success delivering highvolume Linux-based devices such as the Ming and RAZR II to market. But mobile Linux initiatives have failed to scale on the basis of attractiveness to third-party developers; its been supply-push with the development focus in Java ME or other application framework components. Importantly, Android includes almost the entirety of the applications-related software stack, less key technical pieces such as telephony protocol stacks, which are left to silicon vendors. Android bundles critical components such as a Linux kernel from Wind River, various optimized graphics engines, codecs, notification software, a clean room JVM implementation, and the KHTML open source browser. The latter forms the basis of Apples Safari and Nokias S60 offerings. ADVANTAGES Open - Android allows you to access core mobile device functionality through standard API calls. All applications are equal - Android does not differentiate between the phone's basic and thirdparty applications -- even the dialer or home screen can be replaced. Breaking down boundaries - Combine information from the web with data on the phone -- such as contacts or geographic location -- to create new user experiences. Fast and easy development - The SDK contains what you need to build and run Android applications, including a true device emulator and advanced debugging tools. DISADVANTAGES Security - Making source code available to everyone inevitably invites the attention of black hat hackers. Open Source - A disadvantage of open-source development is that anyone can scrutinize the source code to find vulnerabilities and write exploits. 2)
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Login - Platform doesn't run on an encrypted file system and has a vulnerable log-in. Incompetence - Googles dependence on hardware and carrier partners puts the final product out of their control. RESTRICTIONS AND ISSUES 1) Kernel-related: Android uses a version of Linux as its kernel (albeit tweaked by Google to fit Android needs and separated from the main Linux kernel tree), but it is not a conventional Linux distribution; it does not have a native X Window System, nor does it support the full set of standard GNU libraries like its system libraries (GNU C Library). This makes it difficult to reuse existing Linux applications or libraries on Android. Google no longer maintains the Android code they previously contributed to the Linux kernel, effectively branching kernel code in their own tree, separating their code from Linux. The code which is no longer maintained was deleted in January 2010 from the Linux codebase. Issues concerning application development: Android does not use established Java standards, i.e. Java SE and ME. This prevents compatibility among Java applications written for those platforms and those for the Android platform. Android only reuses the Java language syntax, but does not provide the fullclass libraries and APIs bundled with Java SE or ME. Developers have reported that it is difficult to maintain applications working on different versions of Android, because of various compatibility issues between versions 1.5 and 1.6, specifically concerning the different resolution ratios of the various Android phones. Such problems were specifically encountered during the ADC2 contest. However, Games have been reported not to work on the Nexus One due to a non standard resolution. Furthermore, the facts that some Android devices added a customized interface also prevent users from switching to newer versions. The rapid growth in the number of Androidbased phone models with different hardware capabilities also makes it difficult to develop applications which work on all Android-based phones.
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Garbage collection will slow down programs that make too many memory allocations so that Dalvik can keep a pool of free memory. This may noticeably affect responsiveness. Android does not readily support Bluetooth file exchange, video call or native J2ME, as do other mobile operating systems, such as Symbian OS and Windows Mobile, however some of this is still possible: Bluetooth file exchange is possible on rooted devices. Apps like Qik allow live broadcasting (but not receiving) and Knocking LiveVideo for the iPhone is set to make an android appearance. J2ME apps can be converted with a MIDP runner that converts them to android apk's to be installed like normal apps.
The top ten Google Android apps for 2009 are: 1) Google Sky Map: A star map for Android. Google Sky Map turns your Android-powered mobile phone into a dynamic window on the night sky. When you point your phone up you will see a map of the brightest stars, constellations, and planets in that part of the sky.
3) Issues for specific applications: Google tracks issues and feature requests at Google Code's site. The following outstanding issues have been highly debated or voted for by the user community: A source of criticism has been the lack of standards-based iCalendar/CalDAV functionality in the Android calendar client. Currently, the Android calendar is restricted to synchronization with Google Calendar service. As of January 2010, the most requested ("starred") feature is the support for Bidirectional text (right-to-left) such as Arabic, Persian and Hebrew. Hands free dialing and call answering is not supported. Voice dialing can be used to find/input a number, but selection requires interaction with the screen. This makes it illegal to initiate or answer calls while driving in some areas, and very difficult to use while on a bicycle or motorcycle. Bluetooth voice dialing is also not supported. This feature in particular has caused some surprise; many older phones have had this feature for several years. Android does not support animated GIF files. It only shows the first frame. Android does not support encrypted sending (SMTP+TLS) and receiving (IMAP+SSL) of e-mail over self-signed certificates. Because of potential security issues,[119] Android does not officially allow applications to be installed on, nor run from, an SD card. Current Android products such as the HTC Dream and Magic have limited onboard memory and many users feel restricted by this lack of functionality. However, several unsupported modifications exist, to give the user this capability.
2) Hi AIM Its an AOL Instant Messenger(AIM) client for android. Data sent through network. No SMS fee. Support for smileys and chat bubble styles.
3) Android-rss Its a fully functional Android RSS reader created as a way to learn the new Android platform SDK. This project is an ongoing effort to better understand and embrace the Android design philosophy, welcoming comments and additional contributors.
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4) Twidroid Its a one of the market leading twitter client on the android platform. today wed like to share a sneak peak of the forthcoming twidroid pro a new milestone release that will extend our current product line and includes features such as: multiaccount support ,video posting, desktop widget, bit.ly support, follower listings, interface themes and others.
Synchronize your bookmarks, history, notes and more between your computer and mobile phone, and a lot more
8) Note Everything A notepad application where you can create different types of notes in one app, including text-, paint-, voice-, checklist- & photo notes. Your notes can be organized in folders. You can create shortcuts on home, send notes, search, encrypt, reminders, use live folders & much more! All in the look & feel of Android UI. 5) Loopt - It connects you to your friends and the places around you. See where your friends are and what theyre doing. Connect on the fly and instantly share photos, comments, and cool places. Turn your phone into a social compass and never be bored or lonely again!
6) FBabble It lets you stay in touch with your friends on Facebook wherever you go! Features include real-time chat, uploading photos, changing current status and even automatic tweets to your Twitter account.
9) WikiMobile Encyclopedia: Being a walking encyclopedia is now at your fingertips. With WikiMobile, you carry 2+ million Wikipedia articles with you, including pictures. Faster and uses just a fraction of the network data vs. the Android browser. Download free for a limited time!
7) Opera Mini It can browse the entire Web on your Android phone and save time and money. Opera mini is compressing pages up to 90%, making web browsing fast. 13
10) Save MMS This application allows you to save pictures, audio and video from your MMS text messages directly to your memory card. Attachments are stored in the
ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES SavedMMS directory and are automatically accessible from the Pictures and Music apps.
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CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE Android has been criticized for not being all opensource software despite what was announced by Google. Parts of the SDK are proprietary and closed source, and some believe this is so that Google can control the platform. Software installed by end-users must be written in Java, and will not have access to lower level device APIs. This provides end-users with less control over their phone's functionality than other free and open source phone platforms, such as OpenMoko. With all upcoming applications and mobile services Google Android is stepping into the next level of Mobile Internet. Android participates in many of the successful open source projects. That is, architect the solution for participation and the developers will not only come but will play well together. This is notable contrast with Apple and other companies, where such architecture of participation is clearly belated. Android phones are a verifiable thing right now, and even if they're sometimes loaded with out of date version of Google's OS or terrible custom interfaces, they are categorically better than virtually any feature phone. And as data plans become more ubiquitous and cheaper, alwaysconnected, internet savvy Smartphone will graduate from the massive trend to the status quo. And Android, without any licensing fees for carriers or handset manufacturers, will play a huge part in this.
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ANDROID BASED CELLPHONES REFERENCES 1. http://www.android.com - Android Official Webpage 2. http://code.google.com/android/ - Official Android Google Code Webpage 3. http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/ - Open Handset Alliance Webpage 4. 5. http://www.androidwiki.com Android Wiki http://googleblog.blogspot.com/ - Official Google Blog 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(mobile phone_platform)Wikipedia Information 7. 8. 9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQLite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebKit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_(softwar)
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