Introducing Android

1. Introducing Android

2. Cell Phone History • Today’s mobile devices help keep us safe and connected • Text • Snap a photo • Search internet • Phone

3. Cell Phone History • Motorola DynaTAC 8000X – “The Brick” • First commercially available portable cell phone to receive FCC acceptance in 1983 • Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage • Devices required enormous batteries to have the power needed to reach the nearest cellular network site; few and far between • 13 x 1.75 x 3.5 inches in dimension • 2.5 pounds • Just over 30 minutes talk time • $3,995 plus a monthly service fee and per-minute charges

4. Cell Phone History • The Candy Bar Era • 1988 – 1998 • “Candy bar” is term used to describe the long, thin rectangular form of mobile devices used during the time frame • Network shifted to 2G (second-generation) technology starting in Finland in 1991 • Increased demand, more device makers, reduced costs to consumers • 2G GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) networks included SMS (Short Message Service) capabilities • In early 1990’s text messages were not charged to consumers resulting in what we now know as the 140 character message

5. Cell Phone History • Feature Phone Era • 1998 – 2008 • GSM network providers added GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) allowing packet-switched data services • CDMA and TDMA-based networks followed suit • Motorola V3 – a.k.a. the RAZR introduced • Cameras added • The Web while available wasn’t used much • Focus was on downloadable ringtones, wallpapers, games, and applications to sell

6. Cell Phone History • The Smartphone Era • 2002 to present • Capabilities of a feature phone, i.e., make call, send SMS, take a picture, access Web • Distinction: • use a common operating system, • a larger screen size, • a QWERTY keyboard or stylus for input • Wi-Fi or high-speed wireless connectivity • Examples include: • Nokia 9000 series of “Communicator” smartphones • Treo line – combo Palm OS PDA + smartphone • Blackberry – push email to corporate users

7. Cell Phone History • The Touch Era • January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone • It wasn’t a phone, it wasn’t a computer….. • Access news and information • Search engine • Movie video • Listen to music • Etc.

8. Wireless Application Protocol • Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) • Allowing direct phone access to the Internet was a problem • Postage stamp, low-resolution screens, limited storage and processing power, prevented phones from web browsing • WAP was a stripped-down version of HTTP • WAP browsers designed to run with memory and bandwidth constraints of cell phones • Third-party WAP sites written in Wireless Markup Language (WML)

9. Wireless Application Protocol • Most early WAP sites were extensions of popular branded websites like CNN.com and ESPN.com • No build-in billing mechanism for users of the WAP sites • WAP sites were a one size fits all • WAP fell short of commercial expectations. • Nasty nickname for WAP -> “Wait and Pay” • Operators often restricted which WAP sites users could access

10. Proprietary Mobile Platforms • Variety of different proprietary platforms emerged: • Palm OS (later known as Garnet OS) • RIM Blackberry OS • Java Micro Edition (Java ME) • Qualcomm developed Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) • Symbian OS – Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung • OS X iPhone

11. Open Handset Alliance • What would it take to build a better mobile phone? • Open Handset Alliance (OHA) formed in November 2007 to answer that question. • Business alliance with members from chip makers, handset makers, software developers, and service providers • Android, Inc. was acquired by Google in 2005 • Andy Rubin company • Mobile operating system based on modified version of Linux • Android Project • Google provides code and documentation for Android open-source project

12. Android • Google developed many initial Android applications such as email client and web browsing • Distribution platform for third-party Android applications: the Android Market created by Google (now known as the Google Play store) • Android applications are free to develop. There are no licensing or royalty fees to develop on the platform • Platform supports smartphones and tablet/other devices in one SDK

13. Android • Each Android SDK has been named alphabetically after sweets: • Android 1.5 – Cupcake • Android 1.6 – Donut • Android 2.0/2.1 – Éclair • Android 2.2 – Froyo • Android 2.3 – Gingerbread • Android 3.0/3.1/3.2 – Honeycomb • Android 4.0 – Ice Cream Sandwich • Android 4.1/4.2/4.3 – Jelly Bean • Android 4.4 - KitKat

14. Android • Android Software Development Kit (SDK) – freely available to download • Integrated Development Environment (IDE) – several to choice from; popular selection is Eclipse • Android plug-in available for facilitating development • Applications are written in Java • Specialty libraries for graphics and database management • OpenGL Embedded Systems (OpenGL EX) • SQLite

15. Android • Historically, device manufacturers permit select group of software developers write native applications • Access to internal software framework and firmware • On Android platform, no distinction between native and third-party applications • All applications use same API’s • Developers have access to underlying hardware • Ability to have well-designed application integration • Android has a vigorous security model to protect users and system from malicious software

16. Android • Free Market for Applications • Pick any revenue model • Develop freeware, shareware, trial-ware, ad-driven, paid applications • Develop for small demographic • Android Market – generic Android application store with a revenue-sharing model • Amazon Appstore for Android – started in 2011 with billing and revenue-sharing model; users may demo some apps before purchasing • Additional third-party application stores • Developers create their own delivery and payment mechanisms • Caution – read app store agreement before using it!

17. Android Platform from Android Wireless Application Development, Figure 1.8, pg. 30

18. Android Platform • Linux Operating System • Handles core system service like memory management, process management, etc. • Hardware abstraction layer between physical hardware of device and Android software stack • Android Application Runtime Environment • Each application runs in a separate process with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine • Dalvik optimized for mobile devices • Small memory footprint • Multiple instance of the Dalvik VM can run concurrently on a device • Security and Permissions

19. Android Platform • Commonly Used Packages from Java • User interface controls – buttons, spinners, text input • User interface layouts – tables, tabs, lists, galleries • Secure networking and web browsing features – SSL, WebKit • XML support – DOM SAX, XMLPullParser • Structured storage and relational databases – SQLite • 2D and 3D graphics – OpenGL • Multimedia frameworks for playing and recording – MediaPlayer, JetPlayer, SoundPool • Audio and visual media formats – MPEG4, MP3, Still Images • Location-based services – USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sensors

20. Android Platform • Android Application Framework – Android application lifecycle involves the following key components: • Activities are functions the application performs • Groups of views define the application’s layout • Intents inform the system about an application’s plans • Services allow for background processing without user interactions • Notifications alert the user when something interesting happens • Content providers facilitate data transmission among different applications

21. Android Platform • Android Platform Services – applications interact with OS and hardware using managers • Examples: • LocationManager • ViewManager and WindowManager • AccessibilityManager • ClipboardManager • AudioManager

22. Required Tools • Java SE Development Kit (JDK) available at www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html • This must be installed prior to installing Android SDK • Android SDK available at http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html • Integrated development environment (IDE) will be Eclipse

23. First App • HelloWorld

24. Android Application Overview • Project Explorer in Eclipse • Project Folders: • src – contains the .java source files for your project. Write your source code for your application. • gen – contains the R.java file, a compiler-generated file that references all the resources found in your project. Do not modify this file! • Android 4.3 library – contains android.jar, holds all class libraries needed for an Android application • assets – folder contains all assets used by your application, such as HTML, text files, databases, etc.

25. Android Application Overview • bin – folder contains files built by the ADT during the build process. In particular, it generates the .apkfile (Android Package). The .apkfile is the application binary file needed to run an Android application. • res – contains all resources used in application. Contains sub-folders: drawable, layout, and values. • AndroidManifest.xml – file used to specify the permissions needed by your application.