Introduction to Android
Sean Sullivan
Mobile Fest Singapore
18 February 2009

05 February 2009
Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel)
and HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile
phone innovation and design, today unveiled the
first Android™ powered mobile phone released in
Asia - the HTC Dream™

Android is a software stack for mobile devices
that includes an operating system, middleware
and key applications
source: Google

August 2005
Google acquires Android
November 2007
Open Handset Alliance announcement
Android SDK available

September 2008
HTC and T-Mobile announce G1
October 2008
Android SDK 1.0
Android Market goes live
G1 available in retail stores in USA

February 2009
Android SDK 1.1
HTC and SingTel announcement
HTC and Vodafone announcement

Third party applications
lifeaware.net Maverick Android Locale

• multiple applications, running simultaneously
• user may switch between running applications
• background services
• copy and paste

Android Market

Android Market
• US$25 registration fee for developers
• developer receives 70% of each sale
• remaining amount goes to carriers
• Google does not take a percentage
• http://www.android.com/market/

System Architecture

Open source project
• http://source.android.com
• Apache 2.0 and GPL v2
• Git repository

Android applications
• are written in the Java language
• run on the Dalvik virtual machine
• Android != J2ME

Getting started
http://developer.android.com

Development tools
• Java SDK
• Android SDK
• Eclipse
• Eclipse plugin

Android SDK
• Android emulator
• command line tools
• documentation
• example applications

Android emulator

Eclipse plugin
https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse/

Android applications
• application package file: myapp.apk
• an application is composed of one or more
activities

Activity
• an activity is usually a single screen in your
application
• however, activities can also be faceless
• one activity is designated as the entry point
for your application

android.app.Activity
import android.app.Activity;
public class MyActivity extends Activity
{
public void onCreate(Bundle savedValues)
{
super.onCreate(savedValues);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
}
}

Android Views
a view is an object that knows how to draw
itself on the screen

ListView

DatePicker

MapView

Location services
• Location providers:
GPS_PROVIDER
NETWORK_PROVIDER (Cell tower, WiFi)
• Proximity alerts

What’s next for Android?
• more phones
• virtual keyboard
• Bluetooth A2DP
• multi-touch?

Singapore Android
developer group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?
gid=54219346370

Questions?

Thank you

Android resources
• http://developer.android.com
• http://android-developers.blogspot.com
• http://code.google.com/p/apps-for-android/
• http://sites.google.com/site/io/
• http://www.openhandsetalliance.com
• http://source.android.com