Software Developing Androids

Android, the Google-developed open mobile phone platform, is a “software stack” development operating system for mobile phones—designed to compete head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone. According to Google, a software stack is comprised of the operating system (the platform on which everything runs), the middleware (the programming that allows applications to talk to a network and to one another), and the applications (the actual programs that the phones will run). In short, the Android software stack is all the software that will make an Android phone an Android phone.

It is also important to note that Android is based on the Linux operating system, and all of its applications will be written using Java. This represents a significant risk to Microsoft and its operations systems. Microsoft states that it is unworried by the prospect of increased competition from Android, based on Linux, a software whose code is freely available via the Internet and developed by programmers the world over. Virtually anyone can download an Android software development kit from Google and write an application for Android. Google and its partners first unveiled plans for the Android operating system as software that would run mobile phones, or Android-enabled handsets, but soon, customers will be seeing Android in a number of other electronic devices. Just ask Mark Hamblin, designer of the original touchscreen for the Apple iPhone, who is now the CEO of Touch Revolution and is tinkering with Android so it can work in a slew of gadgets other than wireless phones including:

¦ A remote control and a touchscreen land-line home phone that will be powered by Android.

¦ Touchscreen menus for restaurants.

¦ Android-based medical devices.

¦ A 15-inch kitchen computer where family members can leave messages for one another.

Additional Android Applications   Seeing Android applications developed by the thousands would be excellent news for Google and chipmakers such as Qualcomm and Texas Instruments that have invested in its development and would welcome the chance to sell semiconductors in new markets. But Android ubiquity could cause headaches for Microsoft, which would rather see its own software on a wider range of electronic devices. Currently, there are a handful of electronics manufacturers developing Android-based mobile Internet devices (MIDs).  

Designed to Run on Any Device   Android applications may have a unique first-mover advantage as they show up in devices such as netbooks or digital photo frames where Microsoft has yet to establish a beachhead. Manufacturers that work with Texas Instruments have already built Android into video and audio players and picture frames. Rival semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm is helping vendors ready more than 20 Android-based products, including video players and small tablet PCs. Google has not announced plans to market Android for use in nonphone gadgets. While Google did not discuss nonwireless devices when they first started talking about Android, they designed Android to run on any device—from a smart phone to a server—as they had the foresight to design it with bigger screens and chips in mind. Unlike many cell-phone and PC-based operating systems, Android can run on devices powered by a variety of semiconductors with minimal modifications needed.  

Competition from Linux With flexibility comes economy. Manufacturers can keep costs low by being able to choose from a wider range of chips. Android software is also free to use, while Microsoft charges licensing fees. And just in case consumers fret that they will not be able to use their favorite Microsoft applications on an Android device, a company called DataViz will soon unveil software that it says will let people open, edit, and send Word, Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint files. The software will also allow synching between Android and Outlook email.

As potent as it may be, Android faces competition from Microsoft and Linux. One of Android’s creators, Intel recently introduced its own Linux software, Moblin, for use with MIDs and netbooks running its Atom processors. It will be interesting to watch the future of Android.5  

Questions  

1. List and describe the seven phases in the systems development life cycle and determine which phase you think is most important to an individual developing an application for Android.   

2. Identify the primary difference between the different software development methodologies. Which methodology would you recommend an individual developing an application for Android use and why?     3. What are the common reasons why software projects fail and how can an Android developer mitigate these risks?

4. If you could develop software for Android what would it be and what business purpose would it serve? How could you ensure the successful development of the software.