An Intro to Android and Android Applications
D. Reynolds In today’s world of technology, even the average user can identify that mobile technology development grows exponentially each year. As more resources become available in the palm of our hands, the software and devices which we use to access these resources become more powerful and competitive in their market. According to the Open Handset Alliance, there are 3 billion mobile phone users worldwide, in comparison to the estimated 1.5 billion TV’s currently in use. Clearly, mobile devices are leading among the world’s most successful products for consumers. Currently, in the crusade to stay connected, there are a variety of operating systems and platforms, both firmware and software, that are always being reviewed and revised to create optimal end user experiences. The successes of device manufactures create new opportunities for innovative software products to wow users and create solutions for productivity and entertainment purposes. The relationship between devices and software to run on those devices is reciprocal. They both have to be compatible with one another in order to be relevant. Keeping up with ever emerging devices and software offered by developers for our service and convenience, can be overwhelming. As an aspiring programmer, I am most intrigued by open source platforms where the basic idea is to allow developers to create programs to run according to the protocols of one operating system that can then be executed on a variety of devices. The leader in today’s open source platform is Android. This writing is a compilation of information gathered in my enterprise to better understand the Android platform, Android applications and their place in our world of mobile technology.

What is Android? What is a platform and what is Android? The term platform can be synonymous to an operating system, or Webopedia defines a platform as the standard around which a system is to be developed. The platform determines the hardware used and what software and applications can be executed. Android is one such platform. Android is based on Linux and Java and is a software stack; meaning that it is a set of programs working together. It was developed with the goal to be first mobile device platform that would be open source, complete, and free. Open source refers to the ability for the source code to be openly accessed, freely redistributed and must not be specific to a product. This is hardly an inclusive definition of the open source initiative, but highlights what sets an open source platform apart from other more restrictive platforms, such as iOS which is Apple’s operating system for their iPhone. There is more about Android’s origins and continued development to come.

Now Introducing… In 2003 Android, Inc. was founded by Andy Rubin, Rich Milner, Nick Sears and Chris White who had all shared successes in the technology industry and began collaborating on developing software for mobile phones. The vision they had for their platform was never publicized and they quietly worked towards revolutionizing the mobile phone industry. The company experienced issues with maintaining funding for their work and in 2005 Google acquired Android, Inc. Backed by Google, a team led by Rubin developed a platform powered by the Linux kernel and was specifically designed to be a mobile device platform. In November 2007, a group of technology companies came together, led by Google and formed the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). The OHA introduced its goal to develop open standards for mobile technology and unveiled Android as its first product.

To Each His Own Although Android was the newest platform available, it certainly wasn’t the only one. Microsoft has several versions of Windows designed for mobile devices, Symbian OS from the Symbian foundation was used by many major handset manufacturers and is now fully open source as well. It would be sometime before Android would unseat Symbian as the leading OS used in mobile devices. The same year that Android was unveiled, Apple also brought their iPhone to the market, changing and perhaps trailblazing the way that consumers would begin to look at the smartphone. However, as was mentioned already, the iPhone and the iOS were, and still are, very restrictive for users. The iOS, unlike Android, can only be loaded on an Apple device. The iPhone can only run apps that are offered from the Apple Apps Store and not just any novice programmer can develop for Apple. Some users claim they enjoy that their Apple devices work seamlessly together and don’t have issues with the restrictions or being limited to certain type of hardware. Android gives the user a lot more freedom to customize their mobile device experience to their needs and preferences. Devices can be selected from any number of manufacturers and every major carrier in North America supports Android devices on their networks. Not only does Android allow the user customizable options, and the ability to develop applications, but not being limited to one type of device broadens the options for service provider choices. This can translate into better service and savings for the consumer.

No Two Devices are Alike
The initial mobile device development focused on cell phone use and redefining what the device’s capabilities were. The devices, coined smartphones, date back to the introduction of Simon by IBM in 1992. The phone was targeted for business users. IBM’s Simon boasted a touchscreen that was operated by a stylus, which was cutting edge in 1992. The device could send and receive fax messages, and included productivity pre-loaded applications. The device never gained popularity however among average users. Simon led us to our Palm Pilots and Blackberrys and in 2007 Apple introduces the iPhone. The iPhone put smartphones in the hands of users other than the business community. No longer were the majority of users making device selections based upon what their company IT department standards required. As the market and popularity of smartphones began to emerge so did the first Android device. The first Android devices were manufactured in 2008 by HTC. The HTC Dream was the first device available through retail, powered by Android. LG, Samsung and other manufacturers were not far behind to offer Android devices. There are now literally hundreds of Android devices supported by over 300 carriers throughout more than 169 countries. Android compatible devices allow the consumer to select from any number of devices at just about any price point imaginable. Android powered tablets are now emerging as competitors against Apple’s iPad. Although these tablets are powered by Android, not all are Google approved devices and therefore do not have accessibility to closed source licensed products of Google, such as the Google Play Store, formerly the Android Market, where approximately 700,000 apps to date are available for free and otherwise. An example of this is the Kindle Fire or the B&N Nook. Both Android powered devices that have been optimized for these retailers to direct consumers to their own apps.

To be Compatible, Or Not to Be…
Many companies today, original members of the OHA and others, come together to collaborate and allocate resources to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The AOSP is also responsible for maintaining the Android Compatibility Program. This discloses what is required to be “Android compatible” and what requirements device manufacturers must meet. A device can still be fully functional and not be Google certified. There are several tablets that have just been released they are fully functional but are not Google certified devices. These tablets are running Android, but Only Google certified devices can access resources like the Google Play Store. Google and the AOSP believe the more compatible devices that exist, the more apps there will be and the more programmers and developers there will be working on more development. It’s a system that thrives on its own success, so there is no reason to make obtaining compatibility unattainable. Compatibility requirements can be reviewed more closely at http://source.android.com/compatibility/index.html . The site outlines the steps required as a three-step process:
1. Obtain the Android software source code.
2. Comply with Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD).
3. Pass the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS).

Android, you Sweet Thing. As devices become more sophisticated, developers work to make sure software keeps up to speed to create an optimal experience for the user. Updates to the Android platform are made, bugs are fixed and new protocols are implemented to reflect available new device features. For example earlier releases of Android did not address the presence of a camera on the phone. Now, a camera is a requirement on Android devices. As technology advances, the platform adapts and a new release is made. Something interesting to note with each version of Android, is the name. After the first two versions were released, subsequent releases were given the names of desserts or sweet treats, beginning with the third release Android Cupcake. Also, the “C” in cupcake correlates to the third letter of the alphabet as each release goes through the alphabet A-Z selecting a new sugary name. Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, which was the first release geared to tablets, Ice Cream Sandwich and the most current, Jelly Bean. Most Android devices are currently still running the OS version 2.3 Gingerbread. Although Android was designed to use on mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets, the operating system’s open and customizable nature make it a viable option for use with many other electronics and there have been some niche application development.

Apply Yourself! Assume you have an Android device, what do you do with it now? Honestly, more than you could probably imagine. With over 700,000 apps available through the Google Play store, your phone can be customized to perform as a music player, a GPS navigation system, a guitar tuner, a hand held scanner to create PDF documents, face-to-face phone calls, online shopping, travel booking agent, a flashlight, hand-held gaming device, an e-reader, any number of productivity applications such as email, calendars and address books. If you can imagine it, it can probably be developed. As mentioned previously, only Google compatible devices are given access to licensed Google products such as the Play store. Android applications are also offered on Amazon Appstore. The Amazon Appstore launched in 2011 and is still relatively new. Currently, there are more than 50,000 apps offered, but that is still considerably less than the 700,000 that Google Play recently topped. Although some developers may simply be porting their apps from Google to Amazon, fifty percent of the apps that can be found in the Amazon Appstore, are not to be found in Google’s Play store. This suggests that some developers are opting to market their apps directly to Amazon Appstore. This could be due in part to the fact that Amazon reserves the right to adjust the price of apps, and the average price of the top apps from Google Play is $3.76 compared to $2.24 from Amazon. A large portion of the apps downloaded from Amazon Appstore are from the Kindle Fire. The Fire runs a customized version of Android and does not offer users access to Google Play store. Instead users access Amazon’s own market, Appstore. While users may lose out on being able to run some Google based applications as native apps, they can still run them as web applications through a browser. Currently, Kindle Fire is the most widely used Android tablet and second only to the iPad as the best-selling tablet. Trends suggest that developers have begun developing apps geared specifically to the Kindle Fire.

There’s an App for that… Or is there?
The whole point of the Android platform is to give the user freedom; Freedom of choice in carriers, devices and customizability. If you’re looking for that perfect application and it just doesn’t seem to exist, you have the option of developing it yourself. Android even provides several options to make this happen. On the website for the Open Handset Alliance, under the Developers tab, there is a link to download the Android software development kit (SDK). The download, referred to as the ADT (Android Developer Tools) Bundle includes everything needed to begin developing apps. It includes the integrated development environment (IDE) Eclipse, Android SDK Tools, Android Platform tools, the latest Android platform and an emulator is included for testing applications. However, this is not the only option for developing; even this option can be customized to suit the developer’s preferences and needs. Other IDE’s can be used in conjunction with the SDK tools. Most apps are written in Java. It is possible to use other languages but the use of a wrapper is necessary, and there are tools that can with this also. Several that are mentioned throughout forums are PhoneGap, BuzzTouch, Infinite Monkeys and AppInventor. Some of the programs require little programming knowledge and allow the user to drag and click to create an interface and create what the application will do. Others allow users to write in a language other than Java, and then packages the program so that it can be executed on the Android system. Yet another option is to write a web application that is executed through the browser and not a native application that must be executed on the devices OS.
The Android OS is divided in four main layers and five sections. The top layer contains the applications and widgets and any applications that you download, install or write are located at this layer. The next layer contains the Application Framework which provides the classes needed to develop Android applications, on the third layer there are a variety of C/C++ core libraries that run on top of the Linux kernel and the Android runtime. The Android runtime includes the core libraries and Dalvik virtual machine. The bottom layer contains the Linux kernel, which is what Android is based on.

The network is behind you. Now that we’ve discussed devices, Android’s capabilities and applications and its structure, there’s one other area that affects how this technology makes its way into the marketplace; the carriers that provide service. Just as each device can be customized to their manufacture’s preferences, the carriers can also place certain customization constraints or prevent the user from accessing certain device features. A common feature that many carriers block access to is the devices tethering ability. It seems to go against the philosophy of the ingenuity that brought us Android to use it to restrict or dictate what the device it is running on is capable of. While it’s not as extreme as limiting the user to one type of device, it still ruffles some feathers. There are ways of getting around manufacturer and carrier customizations. The process of changing the executable permissions in the firmware is referred to as rooting. This gives the user privileges and when used with a supervisor application allows the user to run privileged commands. It should be noted that altering the OS in any way negates the devices warranty.
It’s obvious that iPhones and iPads are not the only contenders in the mobile market. If you want another mobile device option but aren’t interested in paying in the neighborhood of $400 for base models, many affordable Android powered cell phones and tablets are offered for less than $200. You can even begin custom designing your own applications to meet your personal needs.

Sources

(information for this paper was obtained through research and review of the following articles and websites)

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-04/tech/google.honeycomb.android.names_1_google-android-android-os-randall-sarafa/2?_s=PM:TECH
John D. Sutter, CNN. 2011, Feb 4.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/199243/a_brief_history_of_smartphones.html
Brad Reed, NetworkWorld. 2010, Jun 8.

http://thenextweb.com/mobile/2011/12/06/the-history-of-the-smartphone/
Brad McCarty. 2011, December 6.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2012/10/new-google-play-developer-console.html
Lamm,E., Govoni,R., Powers, E., Google Play team. 2012, Oct, 15.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/6/3296612/amazon-appstore-for-android-50000-app-count-september-2012
Souppouris, Aaron. The Verge. 2012, Sept, 6.

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