Android operating system

Draft

This article or section is currently under construction

In principle, someone is working on it and there should be a better version in a not so distant future.
If you want to modify this page, please discuss it with the person working on it (see the "history")

Introduction

“Android is Google's operating system for mobile devices based on ARM architecture. It is a competitor to the Symbian platform, Apple's iOS for the iPhone and Microsoft's Windows Mobile and Windows Phone for mobile devices all based on ARM architecture. Technologically, Android includes middleware and key applications, and uses a modified version of the Linux kernel” (Wikipedia).

Why use Android as opposed to an iPhone:

• Apple controls the applications through a single market place
• Apple excludes certain technologies (e.g. banned the "save as iPhone" functionality in Adobe CS5).
• Connectivity is restricted, i.e. you can't tether and iPhone to an Ipad (at least in some places)

As general principle, people in education always should support totally or at least relatively open technology since that way you improved chances to be able to move contents to other infrastructures in the present and the future ....

(Some) technical information

Tip: Upgrade the OS whenever a new version is available for your phone

Version 2.1 includes:

• WIFI and WiMaX support
• Be able to turn data download off when roaming, vendors typically only offer free data download schemes for the resident country :(
• USB PC connectivity
• USB tethering (i.e. you can use the mobile as a modem for your PC laptop on vacation), may not be available in some countries like the US.
• Good support for google applications (Calendar, google world, etc.)
• Support for 3D capable GPUs, i.e. OpenGL ES
• Default webbrowser: Based on WebKit + the Chrome JavaScript engine
• Applications are programed in Java, but compile to Dalvik (so there is no Java J2ME VM currently)
• Support for typical smartphone features, like GPS, multi-touchscreen, acclerometers, magnetometers.
• Multitasking

Version 2.2 (not available on many phones as of June 2009) will include several improvements, e.g. Flash 10.1

Security

Carefully read the list of authorizations (capabilities) before you download from the market. Most applications should not need make phone calls and send SMSs, see your contact list. Many should be able to download/upload data.

Applications

Android does have a central applications store like the iPhone, i.e. the Android Market, but you may install anything you like by your own.

To promote Android, Google initiated the Android Developer Challenge

The Android Market

An Android mobile includes an Android client. It has some deficiencies:

• The category system isn't good enough (about 18 categories)
• Search doesn't offer completion
• you only can see comments from "your" market
• It's a pain to enter credit card information with google checkout. There ought to be some paypal-like facility.

The official web site is also fairly useless for finding and evaluating software, e.g. user comments are not included and there is no search facility.

There I suggest goin through other web sites, see [ below].

Useful applications

(not complete at all, does not include standard stuff like default browser, e-mail client, MP3 manager, etc.)

Phone management

Advanced Task Killer

Office

Astrid - Todo list manager

home page

Maps and GPS

Google Earth

Needs a good GPU

Will cache maps (browse the location before you leave your country or find a WIFI spot...)

Maverick

GPS and location sharing tool

Share Your Board

capturing, processing and sharing whiteboard data

works under good lightning conditions

Trip Journal

(not tested)

Google Sky Map

not tested

Celeste

Identify stuff in the sky by pointer the camera

Readers

FBReader

Free e-pub reader (best Linux program)

tested, works fine.

PDF reader (from Adobe)

Finding information about

(old style and/or using camera or voice input)

WikiMobile Encyclopedia

Based on wikipedia, reduces download (network data) a lot

Shazam

Identify tunes

Shazam (service) (Wikipedia)

Edutainment

Word Puzzle

Edutainment

SongDNA

The light version is ok

Solo

Pocket guitar (play and chord diagrams for most important chords)

The light version is ok, the pro version does more

Rhythm Guitar

Pocket guitar

In education

We didn't find any interesting application that targets the education market and that do not fall in the category edutainment, reference and quizzing (but didn't do any exhaustive search). See for example 101 Best Android Apps in Education

However:

• There are many games that are somewhat educational (so-called edutainment)
• Many applications (e.g. google earth, office programs, communication programs, interfaces to popular webservices and reference) that can be used in educational scenarios).

Links

Android OS and hardware

Android OS

• Android (operating system) (Wikipedia)
• Android developers

Hardware

• Comparison of smartphones (Wikipedia)
• List of Android devices (Wikipedia)

Indexes of applications

(there are dozens of such .... the ones below were randomly chosen)

General

• Best Android Apps
• Android apps and Top 20 Free Google Android Apps (PC Magazine)
• List of Open Source Android Applications (Wikipedia, not very complete nor up-to-date as of July 2010)
• Google ADC winners (Google Projects for Android)
• 30 Free Google Android Applications (honeytechblog)
• Pocket Picks (Android) UK.
• 30 best free Android apps and Top 70 best Android apps (Techradar.com, June 2010)

Specialized

• Best Android Apps in Education
• OpenStreetMap clients (openstreetmap wiki).
• Android apps for scientists (May 2010).