Finally Experience the Benefits of Developing Android Apps

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Reasons Why You Should Develop for Android 

The Android operating system thrives in what is known as open platform. That is to say, it has no commitment to any particular provider and/or manufacturer. This openness of the Android OS allows programmers to freely take advantage of the platform's capacity. Those programmers involved in Android app development will have their app on hand for millions of users throughout the world. Without doubt, the openness of Android permits it to expand on the market rather quickly.

With the source code being easily accessible at http://source.android.com, providers and hardware manufacturers will be able to opportunely create and sell Android devices. There are no restrictions on totally exploring the source code to see how a certain task is managed. As an illustration, the open-source code lets phone manufacturers integrate features into some devices and generate custom user interfaces (UIs). As you develop apps, you will find yourself on the same playing field as other major developers. 

Getting a Share of the Market

Nowadays, a developer can go on to develop apps for this innovative flourishing market. Android is currently poised to surpass scores of other carriers in the industry marketplace in the months to come. The reality is that with numerous users, it has become much easier to write applications for downloading and use by potential customers.

The great benefit of the Android market stems from the fact that it places the app directly and conveniently into the users' reach. It no longer becomes necessary to go about prowling the Internet for an app to install. This can be done by going to the Android market, pre-installed on most devices where all apps can be accessed. It wouldn't be difficult to observe how an app's amount of downloads skyrocket in just a couple of days. 

Cross-compatibility Essentials

Cross-compatibility within this context refers to running Android on many devices with diverse screen dimensions and resolutions. Apart from being cross-compatible, Android possess the tools that could assist you in developing cross- applications. Thanks to a Google requirement, your apps can only be run on compatible devices.

To illustrate, if an app needs a front-facing camera, just phones having a front-facing camera will be capable of seeing an app in the Android market. This set-up is identified as 'feature detection'. It is important to note here that for an Android device to be certified compatible, certain hardware guidelines must be adhered to. It all boils down to ensuring that your apps are able to run on all devices.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Long Does it Take to Build an iOS or Android App?

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How Google Built Android

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

While Google will always be known primarily for their search engine and advertising platforms, the Android operating system has been a tremendous success. While multiple phones available from all cell phone companies, the Android platform has a larger user base than any other smart phone platform. How did they build Android?

Android is based on the Linux kernel. In addition, Google implements many of the tools used by Linux. As a result, those with a background in Unix and Unix-like operating systems feel at home when dealing with the internals of the operating system. In addition, Linux is open source, so the source code of Android will always be available to the public and to developers. 

Google also decided to create its own bytecode for Android. Using the Java language and Java bytecode, Google allows developers to use the most popular programming language in the world for creating Android apps. The use of Java makes Google an easy platform for companies to target. 

From: BusinessMBA.org

*by andreascy* 

Introducing Mozilla Firefox Boot to Gecko (B2G) OS

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Bringing the Open Web to Mobile Devices

I saw this and couldn't resist having a little sneaky play around with it. 

* ATTENTION * 

This is NOT a daily driver and it's NOT stable, it's Pre-Alpha. If you want something to use as a phone, this isn't it. If you just want to use your phone as a phone, you need a custom Android ROM, so, be careful with your experiments.

Download the file here >>

So what is this? 

An Open Source project from Mozilla (the lovely people behind the Firefox Browser) that aims to support HTML5 apps written using "Open Web" technologies rather than platform-specific Native APIs. 

The idea is essentially to have all user-accessible software running on the phone be a Web app that uses advanced HTML5 techniques and device APIs, to access the phone's hardware directly via JavaScript. 

It initially targets Android-compatible smartphones. 

The company hopes to get onto smartphones and tablets to rival the likes of Android and iOS. B2G is based on the Linux kernel and includes drivers from Android, but on top of that is the same Gecko layout engine that powers the Firefox Browser. 

The main advantage of the OS being powered by Gecko is that developers can write apps using noting more than HTML, JavaScript and CSS.

Boot to Gecko (B2G) Simulator in Firefox

Want to see B2G in action? 

Well, fire up your copy of Firefox (preferably a Nightly Build) and head over to Mozilla engineer Paul Rouget's website where you will find the simulator.

Actually, the simulator is pretty nifty. Of course, it's quite limited in places and you can't do everything with it, but on the whole it's very neat. If nothing else, it gives you a feel for where the B2G project is headed.

It requires work in a number of areas, so I won't go into more details. I suggest you read a lot over at their wiki - start off at: https://wiki.mozilla.org/B2G and work your way through the pages.

You'll get suprised at how fast it boots. Can't wait to see the development for this, looks like it's going well already!

Overview:

Running on Galaxy S2:

We hope you enjoyed this article. Here are some resources / references for extra reading time.
Wikipedia, Mozilla Wiki
*by andreascy*

TED : A novel idea for cleaning up oil spills by Cesar Harada

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

When TED Senior Fellow Cesar Harada heard about the devastating effects of the BP Oil spill (also known as The Deepwater Horizon Oil spill) in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, he quit his dream job and moved to New Orleans to develop a more efficient way to soak up the oil. 

He designed a highly maneuverable, flexible boat capable of cleaning large tracts quickly. But rather than turn a profit, he has opted to open-source the design.

Check also some other interesting TED performances.

*by andreascy*

TED : Massimo Banzi talks about how Arduino is an Open-Sourcing Imagination

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Massimo Banzi helped invent the Arduino, a tiny, easy-to-use open-source microcontroller that's inspired thousands of people around the world to make the coolest things they can imagine -- from toys to satellite gear.

Because, as he says, "You don't need anyone's permission to make something great." 

*by andreascy*

How Linux is Built

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

While Linux is running our phones, friend requests, tweets, financial trades, ATMs and more, most of us don't know how it's actually built. 

The short video below takes you inside the process by which the largest collaborative development project in the history of computing is organized. Based on the annual report "Who Writes Linux," this is a powerful and inspiring story of how Linux has become a community-driven phenomenon. 

More information about Linux and The Linux Foundation can be found at :

http://www.linuxfoundation.org 

http://www.linux.com

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Microsoft Applied Sciences Group : Use Windows Open Source Mayhem Application with your Kinect

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

A freely available, open source Windows application that lets almost anyone use their computer to do stuff automatically across all their devices. Just select an event (e.g. your favorite stock hit a trigger value, a change in the weather, say something to your Kinect, etc.) and then select a reaction (e.g. advance a PowerPoint slide, turn on a lamp, start playing a movie, etc.), and within seconds, you have a connection running.

 

 

 

 

 

Download and try Mayhem here : http://makemayhem.com 

*by andreascy*

Microsoft Live@edu Plug-in for Moodle

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

For educational institutions, meeting accelerating technology demands with limited budgets is tough. However, today the task seems a bit less daunting for millions of education customers worldwide. 

Moodlerooms released an open source plug-in that integrates Microsoft Live@edu with Moodle, the world's leading open source Learning Management System with 55 million users. 

 

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