ANDROID

ANDROID

What is Android?

1. Android has a dictionary meaning of being a human that resembles automation. 
2. The true character of its name is it’s the Google created software stack for creating comprehensive Mobile Applications and Software to realize the full potential of one’s Mobile handset and its possibilities.
3. Android is a comprehensive software stack of mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key application. 
4. This rich source of software bunch is used in Mobile Technology through its innovation module of The Android Software Development Kit (SDK).
5. Operating Systems have developed a lot in last 15 years. 
6. Starting from black and white phones to recent smart phones or mini computers, mobile OS has come far away. 
7. Especially for smart phones, Mobile OS has greatly evolved from Palm OS in 1996 to Windows pocket PC in 2000 then to Blackberry OS and Android. 
8. One of the most widely used mobile OS these days is ANDROID. 
9. Android is a software bunch comprising not only operating system but also middleware and key applications. 
10. Android Inc was founded in Palo Alto of California, U.S. by Andy Rubin, Rich miner, Nick sears and Chris White in 2003. 
11. Later Android Inc. was acquired by Google in 2005. 
12. After original release there have been number of updates in the original version of Android.

Applications in Android

• Android initially came into existence with the sure fire idea that developments are given the power and freedom to create enthralling Mobile applications while taking advantage of everything that the mobile handset has to offer.
• Android is built on open Linux Kernel. 
• This particular software for Mobile Application is made to be open source, thereby giving the opportunity to the developers to introduce and incorporate any technological advancement. 
• Build on custom virtual machine android gives its users the addition usage and application power, to initiate an interactive and efficient application and operational Software for your phone.
• Google’s mobile operating device, the android is its awesome creation in the definitive creation of Software Applications for the mobile phone arena it also facilitates the g-juice in your mobile thus initiating a whole new world of Mobile Technology experience by its customers.
• We at Arokia IT are technically equipped to initiate any level of these amazing software applications using the android genius from Google. 
• Around in the year 2007, Google announced its Android Operating System and Open Handset Alliance with these two major contributions to the mobile industry that ultimately changed our experience with mobile interface.

Open Handset Alliance

• Open Handset Alliance is an amalgamation of Tech Companies with common and particular interest in the mobile user enhancement experience. 
• Companies like Google, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Telecom Italia, T Mobile, LG, Texas Instruments as well as Sony Ericsson, Vodafone, Toshiba and Hawaii are Tech giant based on their core abilities and strengths, while keeping and pursuing the characters and goals of each company, their basic idea of this joining of hands was the feature-rich mobile experience for the end user. 
• This alliance meant the sharing of ideas and innovation, to bring out these ideas into reality. This provided the millions and millions of Mobile users the experience that they never had.
• Like the Apple iphone, Android Operating System allows third party developers to innovate and create Applications and software for mobile devices.
•  Android is an open, flexible and stable enough to associate itself with newer and newer evolving Technologies. 
• Android’s vast range of easy to use tools and wide range of libraries provides Mobile Application developers with the means of an amazing mobile operating software to come up with the most efficient and rich Mobile Applications changing the world of millions of mobile users.

Android Application Development Services at Arokia

1. We provide a comprehensive suit and comprehensive assistance in the development of mobile application on the Android Platform to our prestigious customers.
2.  Our experts are veterans in the Java programming language and are capable to exhaust any challenge to develop feature-rich android application services. 
3. Java Programming Language is used as a basic building block and back bone for Android Application Development that allows developers to program comprehensive application on Java that runs on Android Mobile.
4. Android’s vast range of easy to use tools and wide range of libraries, provides Mobile Application Developers with the means of an amazing mobile operating software to come up with the most efficient and rich Mobile Applications. 
5. Our development team has complete resources and technologies to make use of in developing the most acclaimed applications.
6. Among the various Application categories developed by us on the android platform, some of them are; Communication Application, Business Application, Multimedia Application, Internet Application, Fun/Entertainment Application, Gaming Application, Utility and Security Application. We program these Applications on the customized demands of our clients. 
7. We ensure them that these specifically designed apps on the android platform are solely designed for their specific user defined criteria.

Features & Specifications 

• Android is a powerful Operating System supporting a large number of applications in Smart Phones. 
• These applications make life more comfortable and advanced for the users.
• Hardwares that support Android are mainly based on ARM architecture platform. Some of the current features and specifications of android are: 

1. Android comes with an Android market which is an online software store. 
2. It was developed by Google. 
3. It allows Android users to select, and download applications developed by third party developers and use them. 
4. There are around 2.0 lack+ games, application and widgets available on the market for users.

• Android applications are written in java programming language. 
• Android is available as open source for developers to develop applications which can be further used for selling in android market. 
• There are around 200000 applications developed for android with over 3 billion+ downloads. 
• Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. 
• For software development, Android provides Android SDK (Software development kit). 

Applications

These are the basics of Android applications:

•      Android applications are composed of one or more application components (activities, services, content providers, and broadcast receivers)

•      Each component performs a different role in the overall application behavior, and each one can be activated individually (even by other applications)

•      The manifest file must declare all components in the application and should also declare all application requirements, such as the minimum version of Android required and any hardware configurations required

•      Non-code application resources (images, strings, layout files, etc.) should include alternatives for different device configurations (such as different strings for different languages)

Google, for software development and application development, had launched two competitions ADC1 and ADC2 for the most innovative applications for Android. 

• It offered prizes of USD 10 million combined in ADC1 and 2.
• ADC1 was launched in January 2008 and ADC 2 was launched in May 2009. 
• These competitions helped Google a lot in making Android better, more user friendly, advanced and interactive.

Android's Latest

Android is still updating. The recent version of Android (Honey comb 3.1) has very advanced features and updated applications which are optimized for use on larger screen devices. These applications are mentioned below:

Browser: Android's new version includes a number of new features for simple, fast and convenient browsing with the Quick UI controls. It also supports popular web standards like CSS 3D, Animations and CSS fixed positioning to all sites, mobile or desktop. It also supports playback of HTML5 video content. To make it better and convenient to manage favorite content, users can now save a web page locally for offline viewing, including all styling and images.

Gallery: Now the new gallery supports PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) so that users can directly connect their cameras with Android device and transfer pictures with a single touch.

Calendar: Calendar grids are larger, for better readability and more accurate touch-targeting. Additionally, users can create a larger viewing area for grids by hiding the calendar list controls. Controls in the date picker are redesigned, making them easier to see and use.

Contacts: The Contacts app now lets you locate contacts more easily using full text search. Search returns matching results from all fields that are stored for a contact.

Email: When replying or forwarding an HTML message, The Email app now sends both plain text and HTML bodies as a multi-part mime message. This ensures that the message will be formatted properly for all recipients. Folder prefixes for IMAP accounts are now easier to define and manage. To conserve battery power and minimize cell data usage, the application now prefetches email from the server only when the device is connected to a Wi-Fi access point.

An updated Home screen widget give users quick access to more email. Users can touch Email icon at the top of the widget to cycle through labels such as Inbox, Unread, and Starred. The widget itself is now resizable, both horizontally and vertically.

Enterprise support: Users can now configure an HTTP proxy for each connected Wi-Fi access point. This lets administrators work with users to set a proxy hostname, port, and any bypass sub domains. This proxy configuration is automatically used by the Browser when the Wi-Fi access point is connected, and may optionally be used by other apps. The proxy and IP configuration is now backed up and restored across system updates and resets.

For developers, Android’s new version has extended possibilities with new capabilities that developers can build on to create new and powerful applications for tablets and smart phones. Some of the new features for developers are:

•           Open Accessory API for rich interaction with peripherals

•           USB Host API

•           Input from mice , Joystick and game pad

•           Resizable home screen widgets

•           MTP(Media transfer protocol) ATI for integrating with external cameras

•           Real Time Transport – protocol (RTP) ATI for control over audio streaming sessions.

With all these new features Android 3.1 is making life more comfortable and advanced. Now with advanced browser, gallery, calendar, USB support, new hardwares supporting this OS are pretty convenient.

Cell phones have really evolved earlier features like camera and music player but now latest hardwares not only support such features but advanced use of such features as well as Bar code scanner, text scanner etc which has made life better and simpler and Android has played an instrumental role in this evolution with thousands of applications available in Android market and open chance for developers to make it more advanced and better. In a way Android has changed its users' life completely.