Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications that run on Android-powered devices.
Android 2.0 has recently been released. It includes exciting new features and APIs. For information about what's included in the new platform, read the Android 2.0 version notes.
If you have the Android 1.6 SDK, you can update your environment by installing the Android 2.0 platform and updated tools as SDK components. Otherwise, download a new Android SDK.
There are several Android powered devices on the Orange network, including the HTC Dream, HTC Hero and HTC Tattoo.
overview
Android is an open platform
Android was built to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications taking full advantage of a handset's features. It was built to be truly open so that developers could create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. This enables developers to call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera. Android runs on the Linux Kernel. Android uses a virtual machine, designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source and can be extended to incorporate new technologies and will therefore continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.
All applications are equal in Android
In Android both the phone's core applications and third-party applications share the same access rights. Any application can be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities. Devices built on the Android Platform allow users to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone's homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos.
Android breaks down application boundaries
Android allows developers to build new and innovative applications by allowing the combination of external data and information to that of the mobile phone. For example, a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual's mobile phone, such as the user's contacts, calendar, or geographic location, thus providing a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer can build an application that enables users to view the location of their friends and be alerted when they are in the vicinity giving them a chance to connect.
With Android application development is fast & easy
Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.
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