Brief Overview of Android
Mobile Computing Issues
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Reduced processor/memory capability
Lower bandwidth/slower data transfer speeds
Limited battery capacity
Reduced reliability (e.g., from cell coverage)
Smaller screens (user interface issues)
Limited operating system resources
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 2
Mobile Application Development:
Which Platform?
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Android
(Samsung, Motorola, HTC, LG, …)
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BlackBerry (formerly RIM)
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…
iPhone/iOS (Apple)
Tizen (Samsung)
Windows Phone
(Microsoft, HTC, …)
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 3
What is Android?
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Android is a software stack for mobile devices that
includes an operating system, middleware, and key
applications.
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Android is the first complete, open, and free mobile
platform. Neither developers nor handset manufacturers
pay royalties or license fees to develop for Android.
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The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary
to begin developing applications on the Android platform
using the Java programming language.
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Android has the largest installed base of any mobile
platform.
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 4
U.S. Mobile Market
(comScore, November 2014)
Total
Subscribers
Top
Smartphone
OEMs
Top
Smartphone
Platforms
©SoftMoore Consulting
%
Apple
42.1
Samsung
28.6
LG
6.4
Motorola
5.9
Total
Subscribers
%
Android
51.9
Apple
42.1
Microsoft
3.4
BlackBerry
2.4
Slide 5
Approaches to Building Mobile Applications
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Web-based application using a remote web-server
– HTML
– browser
– etc.
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– HTTP
– JavaScript
Use web technology (e.g., HTML, browser), for userinterface, but load the application onto the mobile device
– i.e., no remote server
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Native application
– Java for Android
– Objective C/Swift for IOS
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Hybrid approaches
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 6
Android Development Environments
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Android Studio (official IDE for Android as of December 2014)
– Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA
– http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
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Android Eclipse ADT (previous official IDE for Android)
– Android Development Tools based on Eclipse
– http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing/installing-adt.html
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Oracle Mobile Application Framework
– build applications for iOS and Android from a single code base
– http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/maf/overview/index.html
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MIT App Inventor
– allows programming novices to create Android applications
– http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/
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… others
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 7
Brief History of Android
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Originally developed by Android, Inc., a small startup
company in Palo Alto, California.
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2005: Google acquired Android, Inc.
2007: Google and 34 other companies formed the Open
Handset Alliance, with Android as its flagship software.
– Members include Google, Intel, Texas Instruments, Sprint, HTC,
T-Mobile, Motorola, Samsung, LG, and Sony Ericsson.
– OHA now has more than 70 members
• 2008: first commercially available phone running Android
released, the T-Mobile G1 (a.k.a. the HTC Dream).
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 8
Major Android Platform Versions
(since 2009)
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2.0-2.1 (Éclair)
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– API level 5-7
– first released in 2009
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2.2-2.2.3 (Froyo)
– API level 8
– first released in 2010
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2.3-2.3.7 (Gingerbread)
– API levels 9-10
– first released in 2010
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3.0-3.2 (Honeycomb)
– API levels 11-13
– tablet oriented
– first released in 2011
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4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
– API level 14-15
– combined Ginger/Honey
– first released in 2011
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4.1-4.3 (Jelly Bean)
– API levels 16-18
– first released in 2012
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4.4-4.4.4 (KitKat)
– API level 19-20
– first released in 2013
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5.0 (Lollipop)
– API level 21
– first released in 2014
Slide 9
Distribution of Android Platform Versions
Based on the number of Android devices that visited the Google
Play Store during a 7-day period ending January 5, 2015.
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 10
Installing the Android SDK
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See
– handout on installing Java
– http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
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Basic steps
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Download/install the Java Development Kit
Create environment variable for JAVA_HOME
Download/install Android Studio
Create environment variable for ANDROID_SDK_HOME
Add Android platforms and other components
Create one or more emulators
©SoftMoore Consulting
11
Relevant Links
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Android Developers
http://developer.android.com/
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Android.com
http://www.android.com/
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Android – Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
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Open Handset Alliance
http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/
• Boost the Android emulator speed on Intel architecture
http://www.javacodegeeks.com/2013/12/android-boost-up-the-androidemulator-speed-up-to-400-on-intel-based-architecture.html
©SoftMoore Consulting
Slide 12