Android remote application publishing framework

Android RAP Framework 02 March 2010

Agenda
Android Applications Possibilities
Container-based Applications
Current Challenges
Remote Application Provisioning
Architecture of RAP Framework
Advantages of RAP Framework
Roadmap

Android Applications Possibilities
Android applications are normally packaged in an APK
The most popular ones are the resident standalone applications
Run within the Android operating system & make use of local services
May communicate with other resident applications to use their services
Application on an Android system can also take the form of a container, holding various gadgets or widgets similar to
Applications that communicates with remote servers to fetch dynamic contents
Web based gadgets from Google like www.igoogle.com
Desktop based widgets such as Yahoo Widgets
Various container based applications can exist on Android system
Banking, online procurement / purchase, CRM application etc.
A social networking application suite (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn etc)
An online office suite (word processor, spreadsheet, email client etc)
Interactive set of TV applications (news reader, horoscope, media gallery, ticket booking for movie/bus/train/flight, grocery shopping etc)

Container-based Applications
Container-based applications are normally evaluated according to various criterions:
Business model – sample applications mentioned in the previous slide
Distribution model – how widgets/gadgets are provisioned to the device
Server-side services – distributed services serving container widgets/gadgets
Run-time environment – the Android environment in our case
Widgets/Gadgets are usually added and removed from the container according to user preferences from a server repository.
The model facilitates centralized control over widget management.
Widget Provisioning Server Widget Repository Various distributed application provider data services / sources Enterprise Server

Current Challenges
Container packaged applications makes the code bulkier and error prone.
Change in functionality desires end to end changes.
Upgrades requires repackaging and redistribution of the application on to the device.
NET RESULT: Increased development and maintenance cost, hence increased time to market the solution
Distribution and version upgrades, if done remotely – as opposed to packaging with container, can have immense benefits in terms of container application size amongst other things.

Remote Applciation Provisioning
Automates the way applications, content and configurations are deployed on Android enabled devices.
Application screens and resources (such as images, audio, video etc) can be provisioned remotely from the server.
Functionality upgrades are dynamically reflected on the application as no upgrades are desired on device side.
Facilitates a thin-client application + RAP framework – ideal for even mobile phone devices.
Probable drawback : May affect application performance slightly (rendering UI)

Architecture of RAP Framework An Android enabled device Aftek RAP framework Android application APK (Activity) onSuccess onError Root URL View Android XML Remote Provisioning Server

Advantages of RAP Framewrok
Framework automatically renders application screen with data
Framework automatically handles various events raised due to user actions. It also supports remoting using the Android AMF Client library, to yield optimal performance.
Application developer can perform additional activity in onSuccess/onError call backs supported by framework
An option to cache remote resources allows the application to automatically provide an online / offline support.
Currently supports LinearLayout, GridView, TextView, EditText, ListView, ImageView and SurfaceView components, with constant support added for various layouts and View components.

Roadmap
Sample application development to demonstrate the power of the framework. (Work in progress)
Offline/Caching support (Future)
Support for more standard Android Layouts and Views (Future)
Facilitating audio and video medias to be streamed from server using Aftek’s RTMP library. (Future)

[email_address] Aftek Limited More details…

Android remote application publishing framework

by Sandeep Marathe on Mar 05, 2010

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Android remote application publishing framework — Presentation Transcript