Transcript Android Development

Building Smart Phone
Applications Using Google
Android
An Introduction by Peter Messenger
Senior Developer – Qmastor
http://www.petermessenger.com
Why Learn Android?
• Like to teach myself new technology
• Develop applications for my charity website
– http://www.physiotherapyexercises.com
• Developed an Iphone version as experiment
– Exceeded expectations, 100 downloads a day on average for last
year, was in top 50 for medical apps – doubled website hits
– Other platforms ASP.NET (web), Xbox/Windows (XNA),
Silverlight (desktop), Internet TV (Samsung)
– Heard about Android, wanted to see what it could be done
Google Android
• Android is a mobile operating system
developed by Google and is based on a
modified version of the Linux kernal
• Code is written in java, controlling device
via Google developed java libraries
• Unveiled in November 2007
• Free and open source licence
Google Android
• Many different phones and devices now use
the operating system
– HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson
• Tablets
– Acer, Dell, Lenovo, Archos
• Android’s market share in the US greater
than IPhone
• Still trailing IPhone in rest of world
Google Android
• Includes Android Software Development
Kit
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Debugger
Libraries
Emulator
Sample Code and Tutorials
http://developer.android.com/index.html
Google Android
• Officially supported development
environment is Eclipse (very similar
functionality to Visual Studio)
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
• Uses Android Development Tools plugin
for Eclipse
Google Android Marketplace
• Currently 140,000 applications available
• 1.7 billion downloads
– http://www.androlib.com/appstats.aspx
Google Android Marketplace
• Approximately 65% of marketplace are free
• 86% are applications, 14% are games
• Developers get 70% of any application sales
(similar to IPhone)
• Much less restricted model for distribution
• Currently cannot sell applications in Australia
(free is ok)
http://www.android.com/market
http://www.androidzoom.com/
My thoughts to date
• Still very much a novice developer, developing the
same application for IPhone and Android
– Java is much easier to learn than objective C.
– Eclipse is seems much easier to use than Apple
development toolkit
– Examples, code templates seems much easier to follow
and are more complete
– Seemed to be able to develop application in less than
half the time
Links
• Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
• Android Market Statistics
http://www.androlib.com/
• Android Developer Website
http://developer.android.com/index.html
• Android Marketplace
http://www.android.com/market
Questions?