Android is a software platform for mobile devices. It has its own operating system, middleware and applications. Other mobile platforms in the market today are Symbian, Apple iOS and Windows Phone 7. Among these platforms, Android received much attention due to its growing market of applications, like Angry Birds and Doodle Jump. So what are you waiting for? Learning Android Development is easy.
I wrote this article for people who already know programming, at least the basics. Android applications are written in Java programming language, so I strongly recommend picking up a few books on Java. So before we start, why Android?
Android offers a very nice application framework, allowing developers to build rich and innovative applications. This enables development to be reusable and enhancement of components. Running on a Dalvik virtual machine, it enables Android applications to be platform independent. Aside from having optimized graphics and database libraries, it also offers a rich development environment for device emulation and debugging.
The goal of this article is to give you a head start with Android application development. So, you can follow these steps and start creating applications right away!
Step 1: Install an IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
Like any other programming languages, you will need an IDE. An IDE is usually software that provides most of the tools necessary for coding programs, like editor, compiler, debugger, etc. I recommend using Eclipse IDE, mainly because it is a very powerful IDE for Java, and it is used everywhere. Another popular choice would be Netbeans.
Step 2: Install Android Development Tools
Developing applications for Android devices will need a specialized set of tools, which are provided by the Android SDK. If you are using Eclipse IDE, just install the Android Development Tools plug in. Using Eclipse is very much preferred for Android application development because of its ease of use.
Step 3: Set Up Android Devices
After developing android applications, you will want to install the application on a hardware device. A more popular choice is the use of virtual devices, so you no longer need to configure hardware devices, everything will be run on your computer. A simple emulation device will help you test your Android application.
Step 4: Create an Android Project
Android projects contain all source codes and resources needed for the application. The project is built into an.apk package that you install to your Android devices.
Step 5: Testing and Debugging
The Android SDK contains various tools for debugging your program, along with emulators that help test your applications with various virtual devices. The Eclipse IDE also comes with a compatible debugger.
For more info, visit the official Android website. Thank you for reading this article, I hope it has been useful.
In the beginning the Windows Mobile OS and the Palm OS ruled the Earth. One day, the Apple iPhone OS began to dominate the market. Today, a new competitor has climbed into the ring, Google Android. Google is slowly taking over the world, they took over our search engines, and we loved it. They took over our YouTube and we loved it. Now they're taking over our cell phones, and I'll love it, but not today.
Currently the only official Android compatible phone is the T-Mobile G1, which has already shown that the Android operating system has a lot of potential because it's open source. I've been seeing a lot of programs for the Android platform but the iPhone has vastly more interesting programs. I see programs hit the iPhone first and then a similar program arrives for Android. It's a great idea to let people develop programs on their own, not to mention it creates a very inexpensive market where you can get most of your programs for free. I have downloaded numerous programs but there's so much more customization that can be had, we just haven't seen it yet. One thing I am personally waiting for, is a today theme, just like on the Blackberry and Windows Mobile where your home screen shows your daily tasks, messages, and emails.
I'd also like to see an onscreen keyboard that trumps the iPhone. There are a few on the market right now but they're not that great and you can only use them when you're text messaging, they don't work in your calendar or your emails. This is something Android developers must be working feverishly on because the proposed T-Mobile G2 doesn't have a physical keyboard, but will that port over nicely to the G1? Only time will tell. I'll love the Android OS one day, but not yet.
I do love how there's not one, not two, but three desktops, who needs that much space? I need all that space! It allows me to place my icons and application shortcuts in a quick accessible location with just a swipe of the finger, no more digging through Program Menus. One thing I would like to see is a seamless slide from one screen to another. Right now the Android OS has the screens locking on one desktop then another and another.
Another thing that bothers me about the Android system is not being able to install programs onto the SD card, programs have to be installed on the phone and as you know the G1 doesn't have infinite memory. It would be nice to install and run programs from the SD card, just like Windows Mobile. Of course the iPhone doesn't have this problem because has plenty of onboard memory and no expansion slots.
The Android operating system is great, possibly better than Windows Mobile and the iPhone OS, but it has a lot more potential to become even better and completely take over our cell phones. I only have simple grievances about Android, it's not anything big, but with such a powerful and dynamic operating system, I am disappointed it's not mind blowing. I expect more, I expect a lot more, and I think Android will offer everything and anything you can imagine in the future revisions, but not yet today.
I love it when people don't get it - it means the market is ready to shift.
Last week the geeks at Google released a gizmo that lets average people create Android apps via a brain-dead-simple user interface. The reaction from the technical community involved hysterical laughter, deriding the tool and the alleged limitation of applications it could craft. Uniformly they snickered noting that while Apple's App Store is loaded with professionally honed software downloads, Google was encouraging point-and-meow apps. They used the news to lambaste Google's Nexus One handset, which had a short life before cellular carriers started selling their own Android handies.
The technical community doesn't get it, which means the market is about to shift.
Nexus One and the Android App Inventor served similar purposes, namely market seeding. Android was a relatively new entrant into the handset OS market, and going up against Apple, Microsoft, RIMM, Symbian and other established players. Adopting Android presented a risk to everyone - handset makers, software developers, carriers and consumers. In order to reduce risk and encourage experimental adoption, Google needed to get a handset into people's hands. Thus they conscripted HTC to build One that showcased Android (and HTC was smart to exploit the opportunity to showcase their design and manufacturing capabilities). This assured that developers, early adopters, carriers, analysts, reporters and even competitors saw what Android could do and in turn created both desire and FUD in the market.
Google used Nexus to move Android past a market hurdle.
Apple's most significant remaining advantage in the market is its app store (face it, Android, Symbian^3, WebOS and maybe even Windows 7 mobile-whatever-they-are-calling-it-this-week have similar/identical/good-enough capabilities at the OS level). Apple app richness is a market hurdle. To get past that hurdle requires people believing that Android is a good environment for which to build apps (and given how well the durn things are selling in the East, Asian Android apps is a redundant phrase). Android App Inventor is a simple tool for creating apps, and is the Nexus One of application development tools - it exists to reduce risk of discovery, and as a side effect, maybe cause users to instigate the next great idea for a mobile application.
Misreading the intent of an event is an indicator of a market shift because those slinging misguided rhetorical missiles are those of inert thinking. When conventional viewpoints prevail, unconventional thinking succeeds. Google recognizes the app market hurdle while various tech industry pundits don't. "The goal is to enable people to become creators, not just consumers, in this mobile world," was how the Android App Inventor project leader phrased it. "I think Google's App Inventor tool that enables anyone to program an Android app could be profound," opined one wag.
The unconventional thinking here is the same that drove social networks. People, the unruly mob that they are, have more net ideas than all the professional developers combined and raised several orders of magnitude, then multiplied by the number of interns politicians sleep with (that last item being a truly staggering sum). Any of these end users may never perfect an app, but they will invent more apps that Steve Jobs has in his digital wet dreams. Android App Inventor unleashes imaginations.
The best parallel I can recall was Borland. In the early days of MS-DOS, a compiler cost a couple of thousand 1980's dollars. Borland put Turbo Pascal onto the market for and every two-bit hack started writing applications. Borland and shareware marketplaces, not Microsoft, made MS-DOS successful. Rough hacks created by hobbyists were hijacked and converted into mainstream applications. Android App Inventor follows the same path, taking it one step further by putting programmer power into the hands of every man, woman, child and highly functioning dog (though congressmen are still not yet advanced enough).
Android App Inventor is a game changer. The pundits just don't understand the game.
If you're a big fan of customizing the graphics on your phones, the Nexus 2 with Android SDK manager is a great option to consider. In fact, it is widely regarded as one of the most flexible phones and programs available. Imagine being able to create and implement graphics as wallpaper and other icons on your phone. This becomes a reality for people who use this next generation of smart phone. The 3-D gallery application has also been greatly improved with the new version of Android SDK manager on the phone. So, how can you get a free Android Nexus 2?
Surprising it is very easy for a person to get a deal on this great smart phone. If your thinking that you're going to have to pay a large sum for the gadget, that isn't necessarily true. Whether you are looking for a new contract, or already have one, there are many options to consider. First, if you need a new contract anyway, most carriers offer a free phone with a new contract. Even if you can't get the free Nexus, it is possible that you can get a deep discount. You want the Nexus phone because of the great Android SDK manager and other advanced graphic tools for developers, but shouldn't pay too much.
The advanced interface allows smart phone users to get the most out of their device. Whether you are looking for seamless video integration or other graphic usages, there is no better platform to consider. It is likely that the Nexus 2 is going to be popular for a long time. Since it is the first of its kind to offer concurrent garbage management and streamlined software programming, there are no delays when opening and using programs. Getting an Android nexus free doesn't have to be a difficult task. In fact, most customers are surprised at how much they can save by doing a little bit of research. Almost every large carrier who has the Nexus 2 is offering a deal.
The Internet can be a great resource for finding a device with the Android SDK manager on a Nexus 2. Even if you can't get a absolute free Nexus, it is likely that you can get a discount. The first place you look should be with your current carrier, they might be able to work with you to get a great deal on the device. Being that the animation and smooth programming make it the ideal phone, there are going to be a lot of deals on the market.
Since the advent of the Internet, open source web development programs had started flaring its wings. They are a people's program, that are created, maintained and used by them. As the name suggests, they are open for the use of everyone, does not involve any cost and at the same time allowing the most effective accessibility available to a program's source code. The world where nothing comes for free, there if we have the opportunity to these open source programs, it more like a pie on the cake.
Obviously, there is no denial that they add on to the quality and the efficiency of your site. They are readily available and accessible to everyone rendering the almost flawless service. And, as it has been already mentioned that they are open source, so they are free of the license and the server charges. These development programs are flexible, thereby giving full authority to the users that they can have their own codes and programs and can be accessed by anywhere, anytime. The user is free to make changes according to his/her needs.
Since, the market is flooded with these open source development programs and why not, they offer such a wide number of choices as advantages, we would like to cover the three most popular open source development programs that is, Drupal, Joomla! And Magento.
With Magento, you have the fastest and the the most adaptable open source program that provides a theme based framework that consists of layouts, templates and skins. It includes the most comprehensive features that laden your e-commerce site with a management that is, friendly both from the customer's as well as the administrative end.
Drupal has often been criticised because of some of the technicalities involved but offers the most dynamic applications and proves to be very versatile in nature. It not only provides a complete control over the look but the PHP and the HTML coding saves a lot of time.
As they always say, Joomla! has always proved to be a boon for everyone in the web industry. Its templates serve as the basic foundation for all the php, html, xhtml, and images. While offering an absolute control over the content and the presentation, it offers a multi-user and multi environment that provides an interaction that in turn carry out its developmental process.
You would be able to find the support of the big shot and even small and medium sized web designing and development companies who are ready to lend in their full fledged support in using these development programs.
Windows registry repair software is designed to scan through your PC and fix a series of errors or settings that are inside your computer and causing it to run slowly & with errors. There are many registry repair tools available online, but having used a lot of these programs on our clients' computers, we've found that there are only a handful which are reliable enough to make your PC run as quickly and error-free as possible.
Unfortunately, many registry tools out on the Internet are not very effective at cleaning your PC, and can cause a lot more damage than they fix. This is because many registry programs are designed by amateur coders who do not have the resources or skills to make their programs as reliable as possible. In order to get your PC running as smoothly as possible, you need to be able to use the best registry tool for your system - which is the one that's able to find and fix the most errors inside the "registry database" and fix the problems they find.
Registry repair tools work by scanning through the settings that are inside the "registry database" of your PC. They will then identify any of the damaged or corrupt settings and fix them for you. the registry database is basically where Windows stores information ranging from your theme settings to your stored passwords, and is used 100's of times by your computer each time you use it. Unfortunately, the registry is also the biggest cause of damage to Windows as it is constantly collecting a lot of corrupt and damaged registry settings, which makes Windows take longer to read, causing it to run slower & with errors.
In order to fix the registry errors that cause many Windows PCs have, registry repair tools have been created to scan through the database of the registry and fix any of the damaged or corrupt settings that are inside it. The registry cleaner that will be the best is the one that's able to fix the most errors on your system and do it without causing any damage or further problems for your PC. There are a lot of tools which will delete the wrong registry files, causing a lot of damage.
The best registry tool is called "Frontline Registry Cleaner". This is extremely effective at cleaning out errors inside the Windows system, as it has an advanced registry cleaning facility inside. Coded by a professional company, this tool is kept highly effective and reliable for the Windows system. It's even able to keep your PC secure as it has a reliable backup facility as well.
Today's cell phones are much more than just a phone. They are basically portable computers full of applications and access to the internet. On an Android phone, there are many applications that can use data that you put onto the system. Transferring data can be quite confusing. Many people are not sure of the process of putting their files onto the phone. Below we will discuss a variety of ways that this will work for you.
Why do you need to put data onto your Android Phone?
Many want to put data onto the phone to be able to use with their applications. This might be a document to read or edit. You can add spreadsheets to certain programs to look over. You might have music or video that you want to listen to or watch. All this data can be installed easily.
One way of doing this is by using the USB cable plugged into your phone. You should be able to drag and drop files onto your Android phone. Some versions might work a bit differently but it is basically like using a flash drive.
You can email attachments to yourself. Use your computer to attach something and email it to yourself. Then use your Android phone and get the attachment off of it with the email application that is already on the phone.
Sometimes you can just use the internet and download the file yourself onto your device. Not all downloads will work but many of them will. If you have your own server, you can upload files to download later on your phone.
There is a free application you can use called DropBox. It is free using up to 2 gigabytes of data. This is a program you can sync folders on your desktop, laptop, and your phone. It gives you access to a wide variety of data to use on your Android phone.
If your computer is slow to load up programs, then it's likely going to be highly frustrating and annoying to use. This is a problem which even the most advanced gaming systems can fall foul of, and if it's happening to your PC, there's a quick solution for it.
The problem with most computers that are slow to load up is all about how they go about loading programs in the first place. Most of the time, computers end up running slowly because they struggle to read the files and settings that programs need to run. Each time you load up a program, it has to read 100's of different files to help it to recall all the different settings and options that the program has, and the bottom-line in why it runs slow is because your PC struggles to read the settings & options it has stored.
To fix a computer that's slow to load programs, you must first make sure that all the settings and options it has are easily readable and able to be read quickly and easily. That's a job which is focused on the "Registry" of Windows, which is a big database that stores all the settings and information for your PC. The registry is where all the programs on your computer store information and settings for your PC, and is constantly being called 100's of times when you open a new program.
The big issue is that if any registry settings or files are corrupted, then your computer is forced to take longer to read them which slows it down. This causes programs to load slowly and depending on how many settings are damaged, it can make your PC take a very long time just to load one program. This problem affects all Windows computer systems as they can damage a lot of their registry settings as you use them.
To fix program that load slowly, you should first try and use a 'registry cleaner' to fix all the damaged registry settings that Windows is finding hard to read. Registry cleaners are computer programs which scan through the registry database and fix all the damaged and corrupted registry files that Windows has, allowing it to run like it did when it was new and read all the program files it needs quickly. To use one of these tools, you must first download one from the Internet and then install it. After that, let it scan your PC and fix all the errors that it finds. Restart your system and you should notice that it runs quicker and will load up your programs faster as well.
Android App Development is going big this 2011. This mobile Operating System which was bought by Google in 2005 will definitely grow stronger this coming years. The first Android smartphone was the HTC Dream / G1 back in 2008. T-mobile adopted it and it was more known as T-mobile G1. Different opinions were given to the smartphone and many were not satisfied; however, the dissatisfaction was mostly because of the design of the phone and the Android Operating System proved itself to be a qualified competitor against other mobile OS.
Today, there are many different smartphone powered by Android Operating System including Samsung Galaxy S which was said to be an iPhone killer. With all of these things going on in Smartphone business, from the perspective of a tech enthusiast, I believe that this year is the best year to build Android Applications or in other words to become an Android App Developer.
Why Develop Android Apps?
By far, this mobile OS is the fastest growing operating system for smartphones. The first Android phone was introduced last 2008. Last year, in its second quester, the Android OS already took the lead in smartphone sales. This means that in coming years, more people will be using Android powered smartphone than iPhone and Blackberry.
Another reason why you should choose the Google OS as a platform is because it is still in its infancy. If you will start a career, I believe it is best to choose a career path with a high potential of income and at the same time with low competition. This is exactly what developers of Android App have for today. Nowadays, most smartphone app developers are focused on iPhone and Blackberry. There are still few people who are making Android Apps. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Mobile Application Sales will reach Billion by 2014. If this is true and at the same time, Android OS is overtaking other mobile OS, I believe it makes sense to be an Android App Developer.
The Big How?
To have a career in this line sounds great. Many people today are profiting by simply making mobile applications. Some are just doing it for a hobby and they earn some cash from their hobby. They have an idea and then, they make their idea into reality. Some other people liked the idea and they buy it. It really sounds simple. Yet, in the case of Android Application, you need to know Java programming language. And even though you are familiar with the programming language, there are some codes that work specifically for the Android OS. Because of this, you need a guide to kick off your career in creating Android applications. In this, you need MIPP System for Android. In this system, you will have a step by step learning system on how to develop Android Apps (interface design, functions, etc). Not only that, the system will also tell you how to market or sell the application that you created. If you want to start in creating Android Apps, check out the MIPP System.
Android is a rapidly developing mobile operating system, used by a large number of devices. A constantly increasing number of customers choose Android-based smartphones or tablet PCs and become true Android fans. Modern smartphones are far more than just means of communication - they usually have long lists of various features to satisfy all kinds of demands.
Video playback is one of the most called-for and widely used smartphone functions, not to mention such devices as tablet PCs. A lot of people use their Android phones to enjoy their favorite videos wherever they want. And very often they face the fact that their favorite movie or TV show which were played back smoothly on their computer or some other video player are not suitable for their Android device.
Fortunately, this problem can be solved with the help of video conversion software. Modern market offers a wide range of choice of different programs able to solve that task. All of them have their advantages and drawbacks, as well as requirements and peculiarities of working with, and everyone can find the program according to his or her needs and preferences. The following guide shows you fast and easy way to convert video for Android with the help of the appropriate video converter:
* Download and launch your Android converter. It will take you just a couple of minutes to download and install a suitable video converter on your computer. After installation, just click your converter's desktop icon - now everything is ready to convert video for Android.
* Adjust Settings. Choose a converter that is easy and convenient to use. It will allow you to convert video for android device without even knowing an exact output format - just select Google Android built-in conversion profile and use quality slider to customize and output quality. You can also select an output folder according to your preferences.
* Add video files. You can either click "Add files" and "Add folder" buttons or just drag & drop your videos directly to the program's main window. After all necessary files are added, just press "Start" button to initiate conversion process.
* Enjoy your video. That's all! After conversion is finished, you can enjoy your favorite videos on your Android device.
You definitely want an advanced task manager to speed up your android phone just as what it does in your computer, right? As Smartphone becoming more like computers, running multiple tasks in the foreground and background at the same time has become available. As a result, it will slow down your phone, drain your battery even cause some unexpected incidents.
Generally speaking, you think that your phone will speed up if you don't run so many programs at the same time. So you exit the programs that just been used, but your phone is still running slow. In fact, those programs haven't been turned off yet! Too many programs running in the background still slow your phone. Although Android OS has self-contained task manager, but it only can complete the switch between software in the background without shutting them down.
Just as WIN XP operating system, Android OS will also auto-load some commonly used services and apps, which slow down your phone's boot speed to some extent. So in order to speed up your phone, what you need are a good task manager and an app that helps you to manage your boot list. Lucky for you, here is an app named Advanced Task Manager can achieve the two features for you.
As a useful and handy system tool, it helps android phone users end tasks processes and services from running to free up space in memory, speed up your phone and save battery. It also allows you to manage your boot list to quicken the speed of your phone's boot.
It is also an uninstaller. You can easily remove your installed apps. It provides you with system info; including, usage, of CPU, memory, SD card and battery.
Acer has finally released an Android smart phone running on the Snapdragon processor. Sadly, for those who have been waiting for a chance to see the Google OS run on a 1 GHz processor, that event has yet to pass. The Acer Liquid does indeed have a Snapdragon CPU, but the speed has been lowered to 768MHz.
While this Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 processor does a good job of running the Android (good luck getting it to slow down, many reviewers have tried but to no avail), it is more a matter of status than actual performance. It's like driving on a busy street, no matter what car you have, the speed will not matter; but people will still prefer to be stuck in traffic in a Ferrari than a regular car.
Spinlet Feature
Acer is showcasing Spinlet in the Liquid. While the Spinlet has yet to see much use on desktop computers, it is one of the first full-multimedia widgets. While this app has yet to see much use on desktop computers, it will certainly do wonders for a mobile phone. This is the primary reason why Acer has chosen to have Spinlet on the Liquid, as its multimedia functionalities will certainly get the attention of many people -especially music fans.
Phone Specifications
The Acer Liquid sports a 3.5 inch TFT capacitive touch screen with a display capability of 256 thousand colors. The resolution is a nice 480 x 800 pixels and it uses the Acer UI version 3.0 in addition to the Android 1.6. The screen also has an accelerometer sensor and a proximity sensor (so putting the screen against your face will not accidentally turn on the speaker phone).
The 5 mega pixel camera provides the complete package. It has both auto focus and LED flash, making shots easy despite cluttered backgrounds, bad lighting or shaky hands.
This quad band 2G and 3G HSDPA device supports GPS, Bluetooth, micro USB 2.0 and micro SD cards of up to 32GB. Media storage will rely heavily on the SD card since the phone only has 256MB of RAM and 512MB of ROM for programs and other functions.
Available on Clove and eXpansys
For anyone interested in getting their hands on Acer's top Android phone, the Liquid is already available online through internet retailers Clove and eXpansys. The two prices of the phone on the two companies are not too different with eXpansys offering the device at a slightly higher cost but with a little promotion for heavy shoppers with its special 20 Pound rebate coupon.
Clove has the Liquid on retail, sim-free and unlocked with a nice 328.90 price tag. eXpansys has more festive little promo; for 339.99 Pounds you get the device and (as said above) a nice 20 Pound store voucher. eXpansys is offering a wide variety of accessories that would be worth using the voucher on.
Both stores have the phone readily available for shipping; on the eXpansys website, the Liquid will ship upon receipt of payment and buyers can expect the phone to arrive within one to two working days. The average shipping cost within the UK is 6.16 Pounds.
Droid X: Road Warrior
When I go on an extended road trip, I like to take everything with me I need to be productive on the road without having to lug a lunky laptop. On a recent month long trip, I decided to use a Droid X as my mobile office to keep me productive and connected. I found it to be a super companion. It helped me process data, write, publish, communicate via email, sms, mms, and IM. It guided me and gave me valuable information along the way that made my trip more enjoyable. It also entertained me with music, eBooks, audiobooks, movies, and TV.
Getting Organized
Even before packing for a trip, I think it's always a good idea to create some lists: things to do before leaving home, things to pack, places to be visited, and electronic items needed, including apps. If you look in the Android Store, there are many, many list apps. Some are better than others. My favorite has always been ListPro, but unfortunately, it's not yet available. I hope it will be soon.
Among the many choices that I evaluated, I finally decided on the Springpad app, which is free. In my opinion, it's the best available, even among the paid apps because of its robust features. It automatically creates a copy of all your lists, task, memos, and links that are stored on the Springpadit.com Website that is always available from any computer or handheld anywhere. It allows you to make notes, and check lists in various categories such as business, restaurant, wine, products, books, movies, tasks, music albums, shopping, packing, and recipes.
You can also add photos, webpages, emails, or snippets of text with hyperlinks and then send them via email or SMS. You can add media by taking a photo, scanning a product, using an existing photo, or making an audio recording. The latter is a great feature while on the road.
However, it has one serious shortcoming that I hope will be remedied soon: it will not allow you to sort items within a list, but strangely it sorts lists. Go figure. Accordingly, for large lists, you may wish to find another application that will sort items internally. For just my shopping list, I chose a Shopping List for this purpose. It does the job, but does not allow imports/exports or additions by voice.
Here is another good reason to have a packing list. When I was in Albuquerque, my car was broken into and a couple thousand dollars worth of items were taken. During the shock of the moment, it was difficult to remember what was missing for the police report. My list helped immensely. Albuquerque is an evil place...stay away.
Another important item to take along is some kind of secure electronic wallet. My favorite has been eWallet for many years. Luckily, it's now available for Android. It syncs with your desktop data so you have a backup copy. This program has saved my life more than once. When I got my credit cards stolen, I was able to contact the companies, cancel them, and get new ones in no time, thanks to eWallet. It's a free app that could save your bacon.
As long as we're talking about security and lost items, I highly recommend installing a copy of Where's My Droid in case you lose or misplace your device. This remarkable app allows you to send a text message to your lost device. You can either cause it to turn up the volume and ring for a set time or it will return a text message with its latitude and longitude (provided GPS is turned on).
Navigation and Guidance
During the first half of the trip I used my trusty Mio dashmounted GPS, but I was relieved of it in Albuquerque. Droid X came to the rescue. I used the built in Navigation program with Google maps and enjoyed the amazing 3D satellite pictures that show you actual photos of the landscape as you travel, including actual buildings. With this program, a window mount, you don't need anything else to guide you on a road trip.
Navigating and communicating hands free is a good idea while on the road. For this reason, I tried out some apps to help me. I guess my favorite was already installed on my Droid X. It's called Car Home. Large buttons on the home screen are for Navigation, Voice Search, Contact Search, and Maps. But, you can install other apps of your choice as well. There is an additional screen with six large buttons on either side of the home screen where you can place apps of your choice to access easily while driving.
At the top of the home screen, in large red display, are a speedometer, a digital compass, and a weather report, which never worked for me.
A similar application is Car Dock available for free in the Store. The home screen appears with six buttons for Calling, My Location, Music, Add App, Voice Search, and Close.
After I was relieved of my Window mounted GPS in the robbery, I reverted to my Droid X using the built in Navigation system with Google. It performed flawlessly, rerouted quickly, gave voice guidance, and the 3D photo background is amazing. As far as I know, no other application has this feature. Go Google.
I was delighted to find out that one of my longstanding favorites, CoPilot Live, is now available for Android. I couldn't resist getting a copy. It is a real asset to road travel with all the features one would expect. However, it doesn't have the nifty satellite photo background offered by Google, and it does not have a panel with such information as time of arrival, distance to go, and so forth. You can view this information, but it takes some tapping to access, which isn't too cool while driving.
Travel Information
In most places along the way, it was possible to connect to the Web to search for information on sightseeing, history, geology, restaurants, accommodations, and so forth. A handy offline resource for tourist attractions is Travel America, which is free and well worth having.
If you enjoy geocaching as you travel, I recommend a copy of C:GEO. It quickly displays a list of caches near you organized by distance. It has a map and a compass for guidance to the site. There are others available in the app store, but this one is my favorite, and it's free.
Accountability
If you track your travel expenses, it can be quite cumbersome with receipts piling up and tucked away in your glove compartment, pockets, suitcase, and so forth. My Droid X made it really simple with a free app called Expensify. Expensify lets you manually enter your expenses manually by category for reimbursement and tax purposes. You can even scan in receipts quickly. All records are backed up online and can be exported. It's a great app.
There are many other apps in this category that you may wish to investigate some free, some not, but Expensify seemed to serve my needs the best.
If you are into keeping track of your vehicle performance, maintenance, and mileage there are apps for that as well. Try autoMOBILE for $.99.
Productivity
Whether traveling for pleasure or business, it's always good to be able to travel lightly without being burdened with a bulky laptop and yet remain productive. With my Droid X, I was able to be just as productive as I wished to be without missing a beat. The most serious bottleneck to productivity with a handheld is an efficient means of inputting. The onboard keyboard just isn't designed for productive inputting. I'm happy to report that with the Droid X it's was possible for me to use my Freedom, full size, five row, fold-out keyboard connected via Bluetooth with the help of an app called KeyPro. KeyPro is available in the Market. You can download it and test it on your device for free. But, if it works, you will want to acquire the paid version at a cost of .95, a most worthwhile investment in your mobile productivity.
I'll have to admit that I really struggled getting the keyboard to work. It was an ordeal of patience and persistence, but once I got the keyboard introduced to my Droid X, it was a perfect marriage. Once you get it set up, it is easy to connect. When I get time, I intend to write an article about the necessary steps to make it all happen quickly and easily.
Another drawback to non-Windows devices is that they are not able to read office documents. A partial solution may be to view items stored online in Google Docs. However, the key to true mobile productivity is the ability to not only to view, but to create and edit Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and PDF documents. What to do?
Luckily there is a marvelous third party app by DataViz called Documents to Go. The free version only allows you to view.doc and.xls file. To view, edit, and create.doc,.xls,.ppt, and.dof files, you will need the paid version, which only costs .99.
The new version 3.0 sports an all new user interface with many improved features. You can now access all the Google Docs and edit them. You can even create new ones.
This is a must have application if you want to be a serious roadwarrior. Don't leave home without it.
There are times when it can be a matter of life or death if you need to access data from your home or office computer remotely. This happened to me more than once during my trip, and fortunately, there are apps for this. One I can highly recommend is PhoneMyPC. Take notice though, you must install it on your PC before you leave home. You cannot do it remotely. So, buy before you fly. It costs .95 and is another worthwhile investment in mobile independence.
With all the above productivity tools, you are ready to do battle and face any exigency while on the road and remain prolifically creative while traveling.
Entertainment
I will resist the temptation to talk about games because there are just too many and everyone has his or her own idea about suitable games. However, I noticed that a completely free full version of Angry Birds became available when I was on the road. I gave it a try and found it mindless but addicting. There is a companion program called Angry Birds Walkthrough that will give you a solution to every level.
One of the frustrations I face while in hotel rooms is that all the channels and times are different for my favorite programs. Even if I am lucky enough to find one I like, I still have to suffer through commercials, which I abhor.
My best solution is Slingplayer, which I'm pleased to report is available for Android. On my Droid X I am now able to access and control my home TV in HD and watch live or recorded TV from anywhere in the world with a Wi-Fi connection. It takes the pain out of traveling at the end of a long day. In order to use this marvelous source of entertainment, you must have a Slingbox installed on your home TV. Go to Slingmedia.com for details.
If you are hooked on viewing TV There are some free and paid apps that will allow you to view a limited number of selections. TV.com is a good one, free, but with few full episode available. You may wish to try the new paid version of Hulu for .95 a month. You may wish to check out SPB TV and Orb as well.
If you have already downloaded a bunch on your favorite tunes, you are all set to go for listening pleasure while driving or relaxing with the building player. Or you can download new tunes online. If you are really a tune freak, you may wish to carry an additional micro SD card full of music.
Of course there are all kinds of music listening opportunities from a plethora of online radio stations from all over the world. You should never be at a loss for music while traveling.
Hands down, my very favorite all time app is Pandora. It's a free download and allows you to enter your favorite artists, albums, or tunes. It will find other similar music to play for your listening pleasure.
As it's dangerous to use ear buds or Bluetooth headphones while driving, a better solution it to pick up a nifty little FM modulator at WalMart and elsewhere for ten bucks. All you do is plug your Droid into it and tune to an empty FM frequency on your radio to broadcast your phone's audio over your car speaker system. This works great for audiobooks as well.
Speaking of audiobooks, if you don't like the high price of purchasing audiobooks, which can be as high as for unabridged editions, try Audiobooks for free in the Android store. I spent many pleasant hours driving listening to sold old classics. Audiobooks really make the time pass quickly and enjoyably. Be sure to use a Bluetooth speaker or FM modulator hookup though for safety.
If you'd rather curl up with a good book once in a while instead of watching the boob tube, grab a good eReader app from the store. Basically, you are all set to go because a copy of Kindle eBook reader comes installed on the Droid X. Kindle is semi-satisfactory but doesn't begin to compare to readers I've known in Windows Mobile. There are other readers available in the Market, most are free. You can go to Amazon.com and download ebooks for pay for free. There are many other places on the Web with eBooks available. There are even some in the Android Market.
I don't know about your library, but my local library features NetLibrary that allows you to download WMA and MP3 unabridged eAudiobooks. Of course, I can do this from anywhere while on the road, and it's free. It worked flawlessly on my Droid X. Check it out at your library.
About the only time I would read a tree book would be if I were in prison. Thank goodness eBooks are available on the Droid. My mantra for years has been, "Ebooks rule; treebooks drool," and I'm sticking with it.
Conclusion
I found no problem traveling with my Droid X instead of a laptop. I cannot think of anything I lacked in the way of productivity, entertainment, and making my trip efficient and enjoyable. It's like having a concierge in your pocket at your beck and call. While I mentioned all the apps that made my trip more practical, there are probably many others that would contribute to one's travel well being. I welcome your comments if you have any suggestions.
After we experienced the craze of the TV mobile phones with the FIFA World Cup, we come to learn the new service which is used for the Android mobile phone. According to the New York Times online, starting this week, Google will provide the common Android mobile users with a free tool which enables the users to create the application program according to their own needs.
Google laboratory currently has published the new service named App-Inventor-for-Android (The inventor of Android application). As the modular and graph program is applied in the Android mobile, the users who don't understand the complicated coding and programing can create their own applications.
It's said that the Google tool is named as the Google App Inventor for Android. In the passed year, Google kept testing the tool. The students are mainly targeted. And computer is not the major of the students involved in the test. Google declared that the reason why the tool was launched is that the public relies on mobile phone more than the computer. Thus, the common users should be entitled to create the program themselves.
The projector leader and computer scientist of MIT, Harold Abelson, said, "The users are expected to be the technology creator as well as the consumers through the project."
As Google provides the users with the program creating tool, the openness of Android technology will be further strengthened. More external developers will join in the team. Different from Google, strict managing measures for external developers are taken in iPhone application store.
Abelson said, "We do it on the condition that the Android is an open architecture." He said that the creating tool is mainly targeted at the young people. The tool performance is simple at present. The improved performance will win more users in the future.
For instance, a student from University of San Francisco creates a SMS responder program with the tool. If the student received a message when driving, there would be an automatic response "I'm driving now, send me message later please."
The tool is only applicable to Android mobile phone at present. If the Android mobile users want to use it, they should login the Gmail first. The tool itself is based on the internet operation. The user should download the software and install it in the computer. During the creating of the application program, the users should connect the Android mobile to the computer with USB.
The service is still in the testing process. The users are provided with the dragging operation of the button, picture and flash. The control of the GPS, SMS, call and network data will be presented in the graphics interface. The whole developing system is based on the online operation. In addition, the synchronous display program of Android mobile should be downloaded which can be used for real time display.
At present, the Android application inventors have started the testing work on the college students whose major is not in computers. Many small applications have been created including the SMS automated responding, the searching for the car, quiz and virtual drum.
