MyMobiSafe® Mobile Antivirus next Android App?

MyMobiSafe^® Mobile Antivirus Security Solution
http://www.mymobisafe.com/

I stumbled upon this site today while searching for news about Android.
Could we be seeing the first Mobile Antivirus application for Android?

And could this become the winner of the $10 Million Dollar Prize?

Do you really think there is a need for Mobile Antivirus Applications at the moment? In the future?
I bet as these Phones get more popular and we see more applications we will also be seeing more need for Security for the Mobile Platform.

Only time will tell.

Android running on a real device

Check out the video below it is a Armadillo-500 running an actual Android Application.
Pretty interesting video and I can't wait to see what all of these Developers come up with.

We should have some pretty interesting Applications in the near future!

Artificial Life

Artificial Life, a mobile entertainment and game company announced that they will be making Games and Applications for Android. The company looks pretty interesting so hopefully some cool applications will come out of this.

You can check their site out here:
artificial-life.com

Source: Android Apps

Artificial Life -

Artificial Life -

Artificial Life, a mobile entertainment and game company announced that they will be making Games and Applications for Android.
The company looks pretty interesting so hopefully some cool applications will come out of this.

You can check their site out here:
artificial-life.com

jflubber - Google Code

jflubber - Google Code

jflubber

A simple java GUI tool to record flub points (mistakes) in recordings

Developed for the podcast I am a co-host of. The tool is like a simple stopwatch with the capability of recording any number of flub points - points with mistakes in the recording. It can then save a file which can be loaded directly into audacity as a label track, showing you exactly where the mistakes are to speed up editing.

See the developer.com article Building Java GUIs with Matisse: A Gentle Introduction at http://www.developer.com/java/ent/article.php/3589961 for much more information about the reason for writing jFlubber, and how it was built.

Download the executable Jar file with jflubber in it from the downloads section on the right.

For more help, see DownloadingAndRunning

Android Developers Blog: A Stitch in Time

Android Developers Blog: A Stitch in Time


Background: While developing my first useful (though small) application for Android, which was a port of an existing utility I use when podcasting, I needed a way of updating a clock displayed on the UI at regular intervals, but in a lightweight and CPU efficient way.

Problem: In the original application I used java.util.Timer to update the clock, but that class is not such a good choice on Android. Using a Timer introduces a new thread into the application for a relatively minor reason. Thinking in terms of mobile applications often means re-considering choices that you might make differently for a desktop application with relatively richer resources at its disposal. We would like to find a more efficient way of updating that clock.

The Application: The rest of the story of porting the application will be detailed in future blog entries, but if you are interested in the application in question and the construction of it, you can read about it in a not-so-recent Developer.com article about using Matisse (a GUI builder for Swing). The original application is a Java Swing and SE application. It is like a stopwatch with a lap timer that we use when recording podcasts; when you start the recording, you start the stopwatch. Then for every mistake that someone makes, you hit the flub button. At the end you can save out the bookmarked mistakes which can be loaded into the wonderful Audacity audio editor as a labels track. You can then see where all of the mistakes are in the recording and edit them out.

The article describing it is: http://www.developer.com/java/ent/print.php/3589961

In the original version, the timer code looked like this:

class UpdateTimeTask extends TimerTask {
public void run() {
    long millis = System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime;
    int seconds = (int) (millis / 1000);
    int minutes = seconds / 60;
    seconds     = seconds % 60;

    timeLabel.setText(String.format("%d:%02d", minutes, seconds));
}
}

And in the event listener to start this update, the following Timer() instance is used:

if(startTime == 0L) {
startTime = evt.getWhen();
timer = new Timer();
timer.schedule(new UpdateTimeTask(), 100, 200);
}

In particular, note the 100, 200 parameters. The first parameter means wait 100 ms before running the clock update task the first time. The second means repeat every 200ms after that, until stopped. 200 ms should not be too noticeable if the second resolution happens to fall close to or on the update. If the resolution was a second, you could find the clock sometimes not updating for close to 2 seconds, or possibly skipping a second in the counting, it would look odd).

When I ported the application to use the Android SDKs, this code actually compiled in Eclipse, but failed with a runtime error because the Timer() class was not available at runtime (fortunately, this was easy to figure out from the error messages). On a related note, the String.format method was also not available, so the eventual solution uses a quick hack to format the seconds nicely as you will see.

Fortunately, the role of Timer can be replaced by the android.os.Handler class, with a few tweaks. To set it up from an event listener:

private Handler mHandler = new Handler();

...

OnClickListener mStartListener = new OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View v) {
    if (mStartTime == 0L) {
         mStartTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
         mHandler.removeCallbacks(mUpdateTimeTask);
         mHandler.postDelayed(mUpdateTimeTask, 100);
    }
}
};

A couple of things to take note of here. First, the event doesn't have a .getWhen() method on it, which we handily used to set the start time for the timer. Instead, we grab the System.currentTimeMillis(). Also, the Handler.postDelayed() method only takes one time parameter, it doesn't have a "repeating" field. In this case we are saying to the Handler "call mUpdateTimeTask() after 100ms", a sort of fire and forget one time shot. We also remove any existing callbacks to the handler before adding the new handler, to make absolutely sure we don't get more callback events than we want.

But we want it to repeat, until we tell it to stop. To do this, just put another postDelayed at the tail of the mUpdateTimeTask run() method. Note also that Handler requires an implementation of Runnable, so we change mUpdateTimeTask to implement that rather than extending TimerTask. The new clock updater, with all these changes, looks like this:

private Runnable mUpdateTimeTask = new Runnable() {
public void run() {
final long start = mStartTime;
long millis = SystemClock.uptimeMillis() - start;
int seconds = (int) (millis / 1000);
int minutes = seconds / 60;
seconds = seconds % 60;

if (seconds <>

and can be defined as a class member field.

The if statement is just a way to make sure the label is set to 10:06 instead of 10:6 when the seconds modulo 60 are less than 10 (hopefully String.format() will eventually be available). At the end of the clock update, the task sets up another call to itself from the Handler, but instead of a hand-wavy 200ms before the update, we can schedule it to happen at a particular wall-clock time - the line: start + (((minutes * 60) + seconds + 1) * 1000) does this.

All we need now is a way to stop the timer when the stop button is pressed. Another button listener defined like this:

OnClickListener mStopListener = new OnClickListener() {
public void onClick(View v) {
    mHandler.removeCallbacks(mUpdateTimeTask);
}
};

will make sure that the next callback is removed when the stop button is pressed, thus interrupting the tail iteration.

Handler is actually a better choice than Timer for another reason too. The Handler runs the update code as a part of your main thread, avoiding the overhead of a second thread and also making for easy access to the View hierarchy used for the user interface. Just remember to keep such tasks small and light to avoid slowing down the user experience.

So that's it for the first of what will be a series of Android tips. Hopefully this will save you a little head scratching on what will probably be a fairly common thing to want to do (i.e. make something happen or update at regular intervals in a lightweight way in your application). There is plenty of more material from my experience of porting this very simple application which will be covered in some of the future "tips" articles. There are some other great tips being discussed as well as an opportunity ask questions at the Android Developers Discussion Group.

Android running in a real device

Android is running on Armadillo-500, a tiny CPU module providing a high degree of performance and expandability.
After 10 days of Android launching, we can see the platform running in a real device, what is next? I mean, are we in the same situation as when PC opened its door?
Lots of things have to change because even if you were able to run the platform, making calls is another story... unless a company opens the frequency to perform calls...

Source: Mobile Media Consult

» Google’s big TV plan: Android on set-top boxes? | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

Following Credit Suisse’s $900 price target for Google one nagging question remains: Where–and how–is Google going to generate large TV advertising revenue?

If you recall Credit Suisse analyst Heath Terry slapped a big price target on Google and made some assumptions for 2010. One of them was a base case that Google would have TV advertising revenue of $416 million in 2010, up from nothing today. The bullish case called for $1 billion in TV ad revenue with the bear case being $130 million.

All day, I was wondering how Google would get there. Its deal with Echostar isn’t going to cut it. And TV partners are wary of Google anyway.

However, Tech Crunch’s Erick Schonfeld has a working theory. Google will take its Android software to the set-top box, get a bunch of developers on board and give us the future of television. As to be expected, few are commenting on the record about this plan. And Google is doing its denial without denying routine (it likes these rumors).

Color me skeptical. Here’s why:

Android is unproven. There are high hopes for an Android announcement that so far is a nice press release, a developer kit and a partner roster that is a bit noncommittal about the whole thing. If Android were launched by any company other than Google it would be classified as vaporware already. Before Android makes it into a handset, we’re leaping toward the set-top box.

Set-top boxes are difficult to get into. There are two primary makers of set-top boxes–Cisco and Motorola. Any effort for an open platform has to go through them. And then there’s Microsoft, which has spent billions over the years and is just now getting some traction. Sure, the ability for consumers to buy their own set-top boxes (Googlebox) is a plus, but the set-top box sure is getting crowded. On the bright side, Cisco has Web 2.0 religion and Motorola is an Android partner.

Partners matter. In the land of the set-top box, Google will run into the same problem it has in mobile–entrenched players that tell you what you put on their network. Google can have the best set-top software on the planet, but it needs Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon, AT&T and Cablevision to play along.

Maybe we don’t want our set-top boxes to be all Webified. Schonfeld argues quite well that the set-top box is a computer that doesn’t do much. What if it could? Schonfeld argues that a TV screen polluted with widgets, weather, sports scores and stock quotes could be a better experience. Well, I can have all of that now with Verizon FiOS TV via Microsoft’s widgets. I’ve hit the widget button maybe twice for giggles. TV is a different experience and more often than not I want all the boxes, TVs and technology to disappear in the background. Even the news scroll has become annoying. Some of us just want to watch the game in peace–without better targeted ads, widgets and other clutter.

Android has been in the works for 2 years

Who noticed the article in BusinessWeek online 2 years ago on August 17, 2005, titled: "Google buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal"? I only noticed it when rumours were starting to hit about the coming out of the Gphone (which turned out not to be a Gphone but "Android", an open software platform for mobile devices)

On 5 November 2007 Google announced Android as their open software platform for mobile devices. And it is now clear why they bought the company Android more than 2 years before as described in BusinessWeek in those days. How elegant of Google to name their platform after the company they took over, indicating they leveraged its assets well.

The BusinessWeek article describes the take-over of Android, a 22 month old and quite unknown startup at that time. The company operated under a cloak of secrecy, stating only that it made software for mobile phones.

Source: TelecomTrack

Google Acquires Many Domain Names

All of these domains were transferred to Google name servers in the past week or so. They are also all registered to Google Inc. You’ll see lots of Android domains as well as plenty of other interesting domain names. We will begin with some of the most interesting (in our view) names. The first one makes us wonder (aka pure blogosphere speculation) (-; if an online tax prep service (look out TurboTax and Intuit?) might be a another new service coming from Google? On the other hand, these domains, like many others, might be part of Google’s domain name inventory to make sure others don’t register them.

+++ gtaxes.com (note: Google also has .net and .org registered)
+++ foogleaddon.com
+++ technicage.com
+++ googlesecret.com
+++ logiquate.com
+++ macroslash.com
+++ nolimitdvd.com

+ gbeam.org
+ gbriefcase.org
+ gcentral.info
+ gmeet.net
+ gnoogle.com

+ google-gmail.com
+ google-labs.com
+ google-labs.net
+ google-search.com

+ googleblog.info
+ googlebux.net
+ googlecalendar.info
+ googlecalendar.net
+ googlefinance.com

+ googlefind.net
+ googlegmail.com
+ googlegroups.info
+ googlehelp.info
+ googlehelp.net
+ googlelabs.org
+ googlelocal.org
+ googlephotos.info

+ googleserchengine.com
+ googleshopping.com
+ googlesms.info
+ googlesms.net
+ googletv.info
+ googleus.com
+ googleus.net

+ googlewebapis.net
+ gsearch.info
+ gsend.org
+ gshopping.info
+ gshopping.net
+ gsites.info
+ gsites.net

+ androidalliance.com
+ androidalliance.net
+ androidalliance.org
+ androiddevice.com
+ androiddevice.net
+ androiddevice.org
+ androiddevices.com
+ androiddevices.net
+ androiddevices.org
+ androidfederation.com
+ androidfederation.net
+ androidfederation.org

+ androidhandset.com
+ androidhandset.net
+ androidhandset.org
+ androidhandsets.com
+ androidhandsets.net
+ androidhandsets.org
+ androidmobile.com
+ androidmobile.net
+ androidmobile.org
+ androidphone.com
+ androidphone.net
+ androidphone.org
+ androidphones.com
+ androidphones.net
+ androidphones.org
+ androidplatform.com
+ androidplatform.net
+ androidplatform.org
+ androidsdk.com
+ androidsdk.net
+ androidsdk.org
+ androidsoftware.com
+ androidsoftware.net
+ androidsoftware.org
+ androidtechnology.com
+ androidtechnology.net
+ androidtechnology.org

Source: ResourceShelf

Android in Action

It's been a week since Google released their first cut of the Android SDK and despite Scoble's claims to the contrary, thousands of developers spent last week developing their first Android applications.

Doesn't it make sense to launch the SDK well in advance of any actual phones?

Erstwhile video blogger Scoble is disappointment with Android. It seems this is largely because the launch "videos were boring". Robert? Dude? Who gives a shit about the videos? Developers don't want videos, they want CODE. Code, samples, and a well documented API. I still haven't watched the videos, I was too busy using the SDK to spend time looking at the pretty moving pictures. Apparently the shiny lights distracted Scoble as he screeches "[I] DO NOT TRUST THINGS THAT THEY WON’T SHOW ME WORKING". Android works. I've seen it, I've used it. They announced a software stack not hardware, and the software stack is available right now.

True, there are no phones yet, but Android is about development tools for 3rd party developers, so doesn't it make sense to launch the SDK well in advance of any actual phones? Google aren't going to out Apple the iPhone but they may just out Microsoft Windows Mobile.

You can bet that there's more than one Android project to duplicate the iPhone interface in excruciating detail.

There's been some complaints about the Android UI. It's true, the emulator isn't groundbreaking. It doesn't have to. It exists solely to provide the functionality developers need to write apps. How many projects do you think are right now in the process of reskining that bad-boy? The iPhone interface is as inevitable as this MS Messenger skin. The shipping UI is irrelevant, it's the flexibility of the SDK to create a new UI that's important.

Despite Scoble not knowing "...a single developer who has had his/her hands on Android" there are more than 4,500 members on the Android developer forums and more than 4,000 messages. Even if only 1% of them come up with a useful mobile application that's still about 30 more useful mobile applications than I've ever come across for Symbian.

The Android phone won't have the iPhone's consumer appeal. It's very true, but it's also entirely beside the point.

Read enough articles and you'd think that if Google doesn't immediately grab 30% of the mobile market at launch they Fail. That's short term thinking. Developers will write applications for Android phones because they literally can't write them for other platforms. One will get you ten that the iPhone SDK won't have nearly the level of phone access that Android provides.

Eventually people will be buying Android phones because the applications they *need* only run on Android phones. Don't believe me? Do you think people run Windows for the pleasure of it? Worst case scenario? Android forces people like Apple and Symbian to offer the same SDK access in order to keep their market. I'll take that and still call Android a net win.

Google's strategy seems to be 'make it open' -- with 'make it popular' a distant second.

People probably won't be lining up around the block on the release day for the first Android mobile but just like Google search and just like GMail, Android is going to change the way we think of mobile phones.

What made the PC so popular? Why has the web taken off? Because *anyone* with the inclination could bring their vision to life at minimal cost. If you've ever tried programming for a mobile phone you'll know it's expensive and difficult -- that's why there's so few *good* mobile phone applications, and very few for free. The Android platform is going to get thousands of developers playing around with new applications for mobiles, in the same way early IBM compatible PCs got thousands of electronics hobbyists interested in programming computers.

Eventually the availability of popular apps on Android phones is going to encourage more phone makers to release Android versions and networks to release Android phones. It costs them nothing in licensing.

People love iPhones, companies love options.

I don't run Windows because I like it, I run it because 75% of the applications I use every day only run under Windows; plus I can write powerful software for myself really easily.

Corporations will start buying Android phones for the same reason almost every company that's not a graphic design house runs Windows -- it's a more universal development environment with deeper access to the underlying hardware. I work for an investment bank, they'd never dream of writing corporate software for the iPhone; do you think the 300 Java developers here might be able create something useful with Android?

Source: The Radioactive Yak

PC World - Google, Sun May Clash Over Android's Use of Java

Google could be heading for a showdown with Sun over the way Android, Google's new mobile phone software platform, handles Java.

Instead of using the standards-based Java Micro Edition (JME) as an engine to run Java applications, Google wrote its own virtual machine for Android, calling it Dalvik. There are technical advantages and disadvantages to using Dalvik, developers say, but technology may not have been the driver for Google.

Google most likely built Dalvik as a way to get around licensing issues with Sun that would have come with using JME, said Stefano Mazzocchi, a developer and board member at Apache Labs.

Phone makers that incorporate JME into their phones must license the technology from Sun if they intend to make any modifications to it, Mazzocchi said. A phone maker could freely use JME under an open source license if it shares innovations to the software with the community, but most large handset makers are reluctant to do that, he said.

Rather than require phone makers to license JME as part of Android, Mazzocchi said, Google built its own virtual machine. Dalvik converts Java bytecodes into Dalvik bytecodes.

"So Google can say Dalvik is not a Java platform," said Hari Gottipatti, a mobile developer who also has been examining the issue.

Google declined to comment on Dalvik.

"I believe Sun didn't see this coming," Mazzocchi said. "I think this was a very smart and clever move."

Still, Google could run into trouble. If Google used any of Sun's intellectual property to build Dalvik, Sun could sue Google for patent infringement, Mazzocchi said. "I'd be very curious to see what Sun would do," he said. That's because Sun is a staunch advocate for open source, so it would hardly appease the open source community to sue Google over an open source software stack.

However, Google's move threatens Sun's business strategy, Mazzocchi said. He believes that Sun sees a bright future in the mobile market and hopes to earn revenue off the use of the Java virtual machine by phone makers. Google's plan diminishes that opportunity for Sun.

While Sun declined to comment directly for this story, it pointed to some public statements from company executives. Jonathan Schwartz, president and CEO of Sun, wrote a blog post congratulating Google on the day of Android's launch. Notably, he refers to Android as a "Java/Linux" platform. By contrast, Google carefully appears to avoid calling Android a Java platform. Google describes the Android software development kit as a set of tools that lets developers create applications using Java.

Sun also shared statements that Rich Green, executive vice president of software at Sun, made during Oracle Open World this week about Android. "We're reaching out to Google and are anticipating they will be reaching out to us to ensure the software and APIs will be compatible--so deployment on a wide variety of platforms will be possible," he said.

Green also said that Sun wants to work with Google to prevent creating a fractured mobile development environment.

That's a concern for other mobile developers like Gottipatti. The mobile environment is already fractured. Even with JME, he has to alter his applications for different phones. "But in that case as a developer I'm porting once and maybe tweaking for different phones," he said. "But with this you'll need to develop a separate application that's not standard. Unless Android becomes main stream and kills J2ME ... why should I develop applications that are not standard which I'm not sure about because I haven't seen any commercial handsets yet?"

Gottipatti believes that the technical differences in Dalvik were the main driver for Google, not the licensing issue. The license fee that handset makers must pay for JME is very nominal, he said. He thinks that if Google asked, Sun would have included JME in Android and waived the licensing fee.

AT&T talks with Google about joining wireless software group

AT&T eyes teaming up

Bloomberg News

Article Launched: 11/17/2007 01:41:05 AM PST

AT&T has talked with Google about joining its mobile-phone software alliance. The phone company is "analyzing the situation" and may use Google's software for phones, Ralph de la Vega, chief executive officer of the wireless unit, said in an interview Friday. He refused to give details of discussions and said he hasn't personally met with Mountain View-based Google. The search-engine giant announced Nov. 5 that it would work with 33 companies to develop software for mobile phones. Wireless carriers Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA joined the alliance, looking for features such as local shopping searches that could help them lure new customers.

This could become interesting. Direct competition to the iPhone?

AT&T eyes teaming up with Google

AT&T has talked with Google about joining its mobile-phone software alliance. The phone company is "analyzing the situation" and may use Google's software for phones, Ralph de la Vega, chief executive officer of the wireless unit, said in an interview Friday. He refused to give details of discussions and said he hasn't personally met with Mountain View-based Google. The search-engine giant announced Nov. 5 that it would work with 33 companies to develop software for mobile phones. Wireless carriers Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA joined the alliance, looking for features such as local shopping searches that could help them lure new customers.

Source: SilliconValley

Android Forum

Discuss the OS at our new forum.

First Google Android Apps now available for download!

Below are the first ever available Android apps from Google. You can download and run these on the Android emulator. Enjoy!

ApiDemos.apk
HelloActivity.apk
Lunar Lander.apk
Notepad.apk
SkeletonApp.apk
Snake.apk

For those unsure how to do this, a tutorial will be posted shortly.

Software tools for Google Android

Google released a software development kit for its Android mobile-phone software on Monday. This shot shows what programming looks like in the open-source Eclipse programming tool project, including an emulator that lets coders get started even if they don't have a phone prototype handy.

Credit: Google

The Android software developer kit includes an interface to the Google Maps service. Pictured here are driving directions shown in a translucent window above a map.

Credit: Google

This shot shows the "home screen" running in the emulator with various menu options below. The user interface look and feel shown in the emulator is a "placeholder" that will change by the time Android phones ship in the second half of 2008, Google said.

Credit: Google

This emulator screenshot shows applications available on an Android phone. Google is offering $10 million in contest prizes to encourage programmers to build new software for the phones.

Credit: Google

Google Android Emulator Demo

Below is a screencast of the gPhone emulator.

Android for European Mobile Developers

Dave Burke, an engineering manager within Google’s mobile team, stood up today at the Future of Mobile conference in London to talk about Android and the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), the new open mobile platform initiative from Google. This is the the first conference presentation in Europe on the subject since Google’s announcement on November 5th, and was live blogged by TechCrunch UK.

But if you were expecting much new information on all this you would probably have been disappointed. Burke introduce the OHA, outlined how it has 30+ industry leaders on board and how there is no gPhone, just a phone built by partners using the Android platform - this we already know. There was a run-down of what the platform will be capable of and a reminder that the SDK is a only a few days old and that we will probably not see handsets until the second half of next year when the full open source platform will be released.

He also did a fairly impressive demonstration of coding an application (in this case a mobile browser).

Burke did say: “We’re really serious. We want to see serious innovation. We want operators and application developers to spend less time on little silos and more time building great stuff.” At the end he added an advert: “we’re hiring in Europe”.

During Q&A he said he hadn’t “heard” if Android will support Flash Lite, but he did say the Webkit would support Netscape style plugins.

How come Google is only releasing the full source code when the handsets hit the market next year? He said Google wanted to wait until it really worked on handsets before releasing the code.

What about the difference with the OpenMoko project, an open source mobile platform? “The difference with Moko is this [Android] is real,” he said “We have a lot of momentum with key partners. We are not talking about specifications, we’re just building it and trying to get support.”

One questioner asked if Google would be subject to anti-trust allegations given that a lot of Google applications will come default with the handsets, but Burke gave the impression that this would be unlikely as handset makers could “swap out applications.” We’ll see I guess.

So what’s the upshot of all this? In terms of content perhaps not a great deal. If one were to be cynical, one would say that this was mainly about a Google guy appearing in London (which has a big mobile community) at a conference aimed at mobile developers, and was in hiring mode…

Source: TechCrunch

What is Android?

What is Android?

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications. This early look at the Android SDK provides the tools and APIs necessary to begin developing applications on the Android platform using the Java programming language.

Features

• Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
• Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
• Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
• Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
• SQLite for structured data storage
• Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
• GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
• Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
• Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
• Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE

Android Architecture

The following diagram shows the major components of the Android operating system. Each section is described in more detail below.

Applications

Android will ship with a set of core applications including an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts, and others. All applications are written using the Java programming language.

Application Framework

Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities (subject to security constraints enforced by the framework). This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user.

Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems, including:

• A rich and extensible set of Views that can be used to build an application, including lists, grids, text boxes, buttons, and even an embeddable web browser
• Content Providers that enable applications to access data from other applications (such as Contacts), or to share their own data
• A Resource Manager, providing access to non-code resources such as localized strings, graphics, and layout files
• A Notification Manager that enables all applications to display custom alerts in the status bar
• An Activity Manager that manages the lifecycle of applications and provides a common navigation backstack

For more details and a walkthrough of an application, see Writing an Android Application.

Libraries

Android includes a set of C/C++ libraries used by various components of the Android system. These capabilities are exposed to developers through the Android application framework. Some of the core libraries are listed below:

• System C library - a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library (libc), tuned for embedded Linux-based devices
• Media Libraries - based on PacketVideo's OpenCORE; the libraries support playback and recording of many popular audio and video formats, as well as static image files, including MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG
• Surface Manager - manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications
• LibWebCore - a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view
• SGL - the underlying 2D graphics engine
• 3D libraries - an implementation based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs; the libraries use either hardware 3D acceleration (where available) or the included, highly optimized 3D software rasterizer
• FreeType - bitmap and vector font rendering
• SQLite - a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications

Android Runtime

Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language.

Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.

The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionality such as threading and low-level memory management.

Linux Kernel

Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack.

Android Emulator

The Android SDK includes a mobile device emulator — a virtual device that runs on your computer. The emulator lets you prototype, develop, and test Android applications without using a physical device.

The Android emulator mimics all of the typical functions and behaviors of a mobile device, except that it can not receive or place phone calls. As shown at right, the emulator provides a variety of navigation and control keys, which you can "press" using your mouse or keyboard to generate events for your application. It also provides a screen in which your application is displayed, together with any other Android applications running.

To help you model and test your application, the emulator lets your application use the services of the Android platform to invoke other applications, access the network, play audio and video, store and retrieve data, notify the user, and render graphical transitions and themes.

The emulator also includes a variety of debug capabilities, such as a console from which you can log kernel output, simulate application interrupts (such as arriving SMS messages or phone calls), and simulate latency effects and dropouts on the data channel.

Source: Google

Dalvik VM (Virtual Machine)

The development process is a standard one for Java developers: Java code is compiled into .JAR and .CLASS files. Google built a custom virtual machine to run these programs; it is called DALVIK (after one engineer's favorite location in Iceland.) The DALVIK VM is designed especially for Android to run on embedded systems and work well in low power situations; it's also tuned to the CPU attributes. The DALVIK VM creates a special file format (.DEX) that is created through build time post processing. The DEX files can be downloaded onto the mobile handsets and run.

Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.

The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionality such as threading and low-level memory management.

Source: Open Handset Alliance, OnLamp

Android Applications

With Google's $10 million mobile application contest, there could be thousands of Android applications on the market before the first Android-powered phone ships next year. I wouldn't even be surprised if some industrious hackers start releasing existing cell phones hacked with Android, and not the factory installed OS. Perhaps some hackers will even try to install Android on an iPhone. The possibilities are nearly limitless.

Source: InformationWeek

$10 million on the table for Android apps

Understanding that developers need to be bribed to create applications for a new mobile platform, Google has put up $10m in prizes for the best Android apps.

The Android Developer Challenge comes in two parts: the first runs until March 2008 and awards $25K apiece to the best 50 applications. The second leg kicks off only when some Android handsets available - which should be some time in the second half of 2008. This will see ten winners walking away with $257,000 with ten runners-up getting $100,000.

Putting up prizes to drive mobile development is nothing new, and while the Android Developer Challenge might offer more money, it comes without the promise of marketing and licensing assistance that normally accompanies such promotions (though the value of that varies widely).

Android is, in theory, the child of the newly-formed Open Handset Alliance, but Google is hosting the SDK (software developer's kit) and Google is putting up the money.

The competition comes as the Android SDK is also launched, so developers can download and start coding (using an emulated device) immediately.

Source: TheRegister

Android Developers Blog: This is the droid you're looking for

Android Developers Blog: This is the droid you're looking for

Android Videos

Sergey Brin and Steve Horowitz discuss the availability of the SDK, that it will be open source in the future, and demo some applications.



Three part overview of the Android architecture and APIs






A first hand look at building an Android application





Open

Android allows you to access core mobile device functionality through standard API calls.

All applications are equal

Android does not differentiate between the phone's basic and third-party applications -- even the dialer or home screen can be replaced.

Breaking down boundaries

Combine information from the web with data on the phone -- such as contacts or geographic location -- to create new user experiences.

Fast & easy development

The SDK contains what you need to build and run Android applications, including a true device emulator and advanced debugging tools.

Download the Android SDK - Android

Download the Android SDK - Android

Android SDK is now open to Developers

Open Handset Alliance

Developers

Learn more about the Android Platform.

Download the early look SDK.

Participate in the Android Developer Challenge, which will give away $10 million to developers who build apps on the platform. Learn more

Win $10 Million Dollars!!!!

Android Software Development Kit is now available.

Download it HERE.

Features

* Application framework enabling reuse and replacement of components
* Dalvik virtual machine optimized for mobile devices
* Integrated browser based on the open source WebKit engine
* Optimized graphics powered by a custom 2D graphics library; 3D graphics based on the OpenGL ES 1.0 specification (hardware acceleration optional)
* SQLite for structured data storage
* Media support for common audio, video, and still image formats (MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF)
* GSM Telephony (hardware dependent)
* Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G, and WiFi (hardware dependent)
* Camera, GPS, compass, and accelerometer (hardware dependent)
* Rich development environment including a device emulator, tools for debugging, memory and performance profiling, and a plugin for the Eclipse IDE

Android Architecture

The following diagram shows the major components of the Android operating system. Each section is described in more detail below.

Android System Architecture

Applications

Android will ship with a set of core applications including an email client, SMS program, calendar, maps, browser, contacts, and others. All applications are written using the Java programming language.

Application Framework

Developers have full access to the same framework APIs used by the core applications. The application architecture is designed to simplify the reuse of components; any application can publish its capabilities and any other application may then make use of those capabilities (subject to security constraints enforced by the framework). This same mechanism allows components to be replaced by the user.

Underlying all applications is a set of services and systems, including:

* A rich and extensible set of Views that can be used to build an application, including lists, grids, text boxes, buttons, and even an embeddable web browser
* Content Providers that enable applications to access data from other applications (such as Contacts), or to share their own data
* A Resource Manager, providing access to non-code resources such as localized strings, graphics, and layout files
* A Notification Manager that enables all applications to display custom alerts in the status bar
* An Activity Manager that manages the lifecycle of applications and provides a common navigation backstack

For more details and a walkthrough of an application, see Writing an Android Application.

Libraries

Android includes a set of C/C++ libraries used by various components of the Android system. These capabilities are exposed to developers through the Android application framework. Some of the core libraries are listed below:

* System C library - a BSD-derived implementation of the standard C system library (libc), tuned for embedded Linux-based devices
* Media Libraries - based on PacketVideo's OpenCORE; the libraries support playback and recording of many popular audio and video formats, as well as static image files, including MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG
* Surface Manager - manages access to the display subsystem and seamlessly composites 2D and 3D graphic layers from multiple applications
* LibWebCore - a modern web browser engine which powers both the Android browser and an embeddable web view
* SGL - the underlying 2D graphics engine
* 3D libraries - an implementation based on OpenGL ES 1.0 APIs; the libraries use either hardware 3D acceleration (where available) or the included, highly optimized 3D software rasterizer
* FreeType - bitmap and vector font rendering
* SQLite - a powerful and lightweight relational database engine available to all applications

Android Runtime

Android includes a set of core libraries that provides most of the functionality available in the core libraries of the Java programming language.

Every Android application runs in its own process, with its own instance of the Dalvik virtual machine. Dalvik has been written so that a device can run multiple VMs efficiently. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format which is optimized for minimal memory footprint. The VM is register-based, and runs classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into the .dex format by the included "dx" tool.

The Dalvik VM relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionality such as threading and low-level memory management.

Linux Kernel

Android relies on Linux version 2.6 for core system services such as security, memory management, process management, network stack, and driver model. The kernel also acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the rest of the software stack.

Source: Open Handset Alliance

Checking in with the pundits on Android

It already seems like an eternity ago, but Google's big Open Handset Alliance / Android announcement was arguably the biggest news of the week, and it inspired a number of tech pundits and bloggers to weigh in -- and Steve Ballmer to talk some major smack. Since no one really knows how any of this is going to play out, we thought we'd round up some of the more interesting viewpoints for easy reference -- and maybe some easy laughs -- when we get our hands on the first "GPhone" in late 2008.

We gotta start with John Dvorak, who cut straight to the point and said "The Google phone is doomed." Additional money quotes include "Google is actually not a charismatic company that can make this new platform happen in a big way," and "When I see a bunch of joiners jumping on some unknown, unreleased unfinished pipe dream, I actually laugh." He even roped in the iPhone, calling it more of a "photo album than a phone." Actually, Dvorak's whole column is a great read even if just to experience the man's naked anger towards every phone ever made.

Not to be outdone at the contrarian game, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer came out swinging as well, saying "Their efforts are just some words on paper right now." Actually, he does have a point there -- although Google and HTC may have been developing that "Dream" prototype, the real news will come in late 2008 when Android devices start shipping. How does that compare to WinMo, Steve? "They have a press release, we have many, many millions of customers, great software, many hardware devices and they're welcome in our world."

Other media members seemed just as skeptical, if not as openly hostile: Robert Scoble was pumped about the open source angle, but wanted to know how Android was going to integrate with his car, saying that Microsoft's Sync was way ahead in that department. Om Malik started out calling Android "a massive PR move" and started asking why all the OHA partners seemed to be hedging their bets -- specifically HTC, which is a huge WinMo shop but also a big part of OHA.

Way on the other side of things is the always-controversial Rob Enderle, who called the smartphone market a "horserace" with Google in possession of the fastest horse: "Unless someone else figures out how to do this as well or better, Google ends up as one of the most powerful companies ever." That's a lot of assumptions, but Enderle doesn't really do it any other way.

Of course, it's lonely at the top, and apart from Enderle and Google and the OHA partners themselves, there's doesn't seem to be a lot of faith that Android will deliver. The going consensus seems to be optimistic hope tempered by a long history with committee-based projects that seem to die on the vine -- as Steven Frank put it, "A 34-company committee couldn't create a successful ham sandwich, much less a mobile application suite." Ouch.

We'd be remiss if we didn't include our own take, which, as usual, took the form of an open plea to Palm to save itself anyway it can -- which it gently ignored. Apart from that, we definitely got the press release vibe from the whole thing -- and we really, really want to see a device soon, even if just in prototype form. It seems like it'll be a long year of speculation until then.

Source: Engadget

Rumor: WhatsOpen.com to release first Android App

Google's Android SDK, the company’s new mobile platform, isn't due for release until later this month, but Valleywag has some leaked screenshots of a site that could end up offering the first Android app. The rumor is that these shots are from WhatsOpen.com, a startup that mashes geodata with store operating hours to tell you, as the name implies, what's open near you.

There is of course no guarantee that these are real, but Valleywag’s source claims that, along with the screens of the soon-to-launch site, there’s an Android-ready app to go along with it.

At first glance the results are a bit underwhelming, but having wasted half an hour yesterday waiting for the local DMV office to re-open after its lunch break, I can personally attest to the potential usefulness of a service like WhatsOpen.com (assuming of course that Valleywag’s source is correct about what it is).

Hopefully, since a fully-functional Android-based phone is still a considerable way off, WhatsOpen will at least unveil the site sometime soon.

Source: Wired

Android SDK

An early preview of Google's Android SDK will be available to download on Monday, November 12, 2007. Google has been very secretive about the details of Android so it will be interesting to see if this is something that could really make a serious impact on the mobile market.

Rumor: First Android App To Come From WhatsOpen.com?

Here are some leaked Screen's of the First App from WhatsOpen.com for Android.

Looks Interesting. More info as soon as it's available.

Google 'Dream' Phone by HTC

Google likes software, particularly the kind that puts ads on Web pages, making Google rich. The realities of a phone business--running a supply chain, keeping inventory and managing distribution--were never something Google wanted from its phone initiative. But it has built about five prototype phones based on the Open Handset Alliance software kit that it has used to demonstrate what an open-source phone could do--and to woo companies to join its team.



The phone, code-named "Dream" inside Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ), looks somewhat like Apple's (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) iPhone: It is thin, about 3 inches wide and 5 inches long, and features a touch-sensitive, rectangular screen. Unlike the iPhone, the screen is also time-sensitive: Hold down your finger longer, and the area you're controlling expands. The bottom end of the handset, near the navigational controls, is slightly beveled so it nestles in the palm. The screen also swivels to one side, revealing a full keyboard beneath. (The screen display changes from a vertical portrait mode to a horizontal display when someone uses the keyboard.)

The Dream design makes the core functions--e-mail, text documents and YouTube--readily available by putting icons that open those applications along the top of the screen. In its guts, the phone runs a virtual machine so that applications, like the browser, can launch once during a session, then reside in the background. That way, if someone sends you, say, a YouTube video link, you can run it immediately, without restarting the browser. The browser also downloads large files in stages to cut the time it seems to take to bring them onto the phone.

Taiwan's HTC is already considering manufacturing a commercial version of Dream, which Chief Executive Peter Chou says could be available as early as the second half of 2008. "We've been working on [Open Handset Alliance] designs for almost two years," he says. "This is the best one we've seen." ( See list of the alliance members.)

He would not comment on price or which service provider would offer the phone. T-Mobile, however, is scheduled to play a large role at Monday's announcement.

Other phone designs, said Chou, might include "sizes from small to large, personal models and phones for business productivity. This is about extending the portfolio to make it a better consumer experience--one size does not fit all."

"There are twice as many phones as there are Internet users in the world," says Google's Andy Rubin, who led the Open Handset Alliance initiative. "This platform is a means of correcting this." An added benefit, he suggests, is that the software can be used in any other type of mobile device, such as wireless-enabled cars.

Google "wants to deliver the best platform they can to get click-throughs" on the Internet, says Sanjay Jha, Qualcomm's (nasdaq: QCOM - news - people ) chief operating officer and head of its chip-set division. For its part, Qualcomm is turning over to the open-source community "some low-level device drivers" that will allow Google's Linux platform to work with Qualcomm's air interface chips.

Once the Open Handset Alliance software kit is made openly available--probably sometime in the second half of 2008 when the first OHA-based handset ships--Google will become a hub for future OHA phone developments, including changes to the operating system or browser, or even the applications people are building for the phone.

"Google is committed to keeping it updated--they will continue to invest resources," Jha says. "The problem with open source for phones has been who is behind it. Microsoft backs development of Windows Mobile. Nokia backs their phone. Suddenly, someone is backing open-source mobile Linux with a big checkbook."

That hardly means the end for service providers, however, says Qualcomm's Jha. "We'll work with carriers and developers too, write code for our chips. Every carrier will still have their own needs."

Source: Forbes

What is Google's Android Mobile OS?

Android™ will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, we will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications.

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users will be able 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.

Breaking down application boundaries
Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. 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 -- to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer could 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.

Fast & easy application development
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 allow 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.

Source: Android

Wrap up of today's Android and OHA news

The details on Google's gPhone Open Handset Alliance are coming to light. Here's what we know:
•They're hoping to make a better phone, ultimately. (And sell a ton of ads and services, of course, along the way.)
•Android, an open system for handset dev, is the first joint project and core product of the alliance.
•There are 34 members of the group, including NVIDIA, Intel, Texas Instruments, Synaptics (haptics!), Marvell, Qualcomm (chips), Motorola, Samsung, TMO, Sprint, LG, HTC, KDDI and DOCOMO from Japan and China Mobile Comm. Corp.. Basically, a lot of companies sick of Windows Mobile Slop and other closed up phone systems like the iPhone.
•Who's missing is interesting: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry/RIM, Apple, Verizon, and AT&T. Oh, did I forget to mention Microsoft?
•Handsets coming in 2008, second half.
•Nov 12th, the Android early look SDK drops.
•Android built on Linux, made avail as open source via the Apache v2 License.
•Companies can dev custom functionality to Android without contributing the source code back to the community.
• HTC's first prototype is the dream. It's the first set of hardware details we've heard of.
•Chen's rounded up Gphone details from a couple of mainstream publications. There's nothing you haven't read above, but a few more quotes.
•Couple of Videos on the Android. One by devs, one by kids.

I'll update this post as more comes. Just got off a conference call, actually. No new details. This is the basic outline of what we have for now.

Source: Gizmodo

Google announces Android, but not G Phone

Google just officially announced the Open Handset Alliance to create an open platform (to be called Android) for a Linux phone that can run mobile Google apps and others. The 34 partners include T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, NTT Docomo, China Mobile, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, Qualcomm, Intel, and Google itself. No mention of Verizon, AT&T, Vodafone, or Nokia (which is pushing its own Ovi development platform). Here is the press release. Writes Andy Rubin, the man behind the Google Phone. :

Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, we’re not announcing a Gphone. However, we think what we are announcing — the Open Handset Alliance and Android — is more significant and ambitious than a single phone. In fact, through the joint efforts of the members of the Open Handset Alliance, we hope Android will be the foundation for many new phones and will create an entirely new mobile experience for users, with new applications and new capabilities we can’t imagine today

Android is the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. It includes an operating system, user-interface and applications — all of the software to run a mobile phone, but without the proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation.

Reports started trickling out last week that Google is ready to announce its Gphone, or rather Gphones. It is more a reference design, than a single phone. Android-based phones will start to come out on the market in the latter half of 2008 (from HTC at minimum). One mobile startup CEO I know says he was contacted on Friday by Google and given the final go-ahead to port his app onto Android, which his company has not even started to work on yet. The software development kit will be available on November 12. Today’s announcement is just that. There is nothing concrete here in terms of products or services, but going mobile represents a major growth opportunity for Google, which wants to bring the Internet (along with search and contextual ads) to your phone.

John Biggs at CrunchGear is liveblogging the conference call, and he is also streaming the audio

Here are my notes from the call:

Google CEO Eric Schmidt notes there are 3 billion mobile users. He says:

“We want to create a whole new experience for mobile users.”

“This will be the first fully-integrated software stack, including an operating system and middleware, being made available under the most liberal open-source license ever given to mobile operators [and handset makers].”

“This is not an announcement of a Gphone. We hope thousands of different phones will be powered by Android. This will make possible all sorts of applications that have never been made available on a mobile device.”

He think s a”lack of a collaborative effort” is what has been keeping back the mobile Web. Android will help developers reduce complexities and costs across different mobile devices.

“Mobile software complexity and cost is increasing, but mobile users want the same apps as they have on the Internet. Android will be able to deliver on this.”

Sergey Brin: “As I look at it I reflect, ten years ago I was sitting at a graduate student cubicle. We were able to build incredible things,. There was a set of tools that allowed us to do that. It was all open technologies. It was based on Linux, GNU, Apache. All those pieces and many more allowed us to do great things and distribute it to the world. That is what we are doing today, to allow people to innovate on today’s mobile devices. Today’s mobile devices are more powerful than those computers I was working on just ten years ago. I cannot wait to see what today’s innovators will build.”

No ad-supported phones, says Andy Rubin in Q&A: “Part of this Android solution is a very robust HTML Web browser, so there is really no difference between browsing on a phone [and on a PC]. Contrary to speculation, you won’t see a completely ad-driven phone on this platform for some time.” But he confirms that this plays into Google’s overall advertising strategy by bringing a more fully functioning Web browser to the handset. Notes that Android will require at minimum the equivalent of a 200 MHz ARM 9 processor. The platform is open source, and that will be its competitive advantage over other mobile platforms.

Schmidt: “The best model is to be open. that is what the Internet has taught us. The test of course is whether the applications and developers emerge. The reason we are announcing now is to make sure developers have time to make available applications that have never been available before but are common on Macs and PCs.”

And not that he is announcing anything, but: “If you were to build Gphone, you would build it on this platform.”

Qs about ability of carriers to lock down devices. Rubin: “When you free something into the open it is up to the industry to do something with it.” (i.e., it is not Google’s problem).

Q: “So if the industry wanted to create completely locked down devices, that would be possible?”

And Rubin: “Yes.”

Schmidt: “While that is possible, it is highly unlikely.” Uh-huh, what planet does he live on?

Q: Any overlap with OpenSocial?

Schmidt: “Google announces products whenever they are ready, and the teams are different. OpenSocial will be a framework that will run extremely well on Android for all the obvious reasons. Developers building interesting social apps will have the benefit of mobility as Android becomes widespread.”

Source: TechCrunch

Gphone: Everything We Know About the gPhone, Android, and Open Handset Alliance

Gphone: Everything We Know About the gPhone, Android, and Open Handset Alliance

The details on Google's gPhone Open Handset Alliance are coming to light. Here's what we know:
•They're hoping to make a better phone, ultimately. (And sell a ton of ads and services, of course, along the way.)
•Android, an open system for handset dev, is the first joint project and core product of the alliance.
•There are 34 members of the group, including NVIDIA, Intel, Texas Instruments, Synaptics (haptics!), Marvell, Qualcomm (chips), Motorola, Samsung, TMO, Sprint, LG, HTC, KDDI and DOCOMO from Japan and China Mobile Comm. Corp.. Basically, a lot of companies sick of Windows Mobile Slop and other closed up phone systems like the iPhone.
•Who's missing is interesting: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Blackberry/RIM, Apple, Verizon, and AT&T. Oh, did I forget to mention Microsoft?
•Handsets coming in 2008, second half.
•Nov 12th, the Android early look SDK drops.
•Android built on Linux, made avail as open source via the Apache v2 License.
•Companies can dev custom functionality to Android without contributing the source code back to the community.
• HTC's first prototype is the dream. It's the first set of hardware details we've heard of.
•Chen's rounded up Gphone details from a couple of mainstream publications. There's nothing you haven't read above, but a few more quotes.
•Couple of Videos on the Android. One by devs, one by kids.

I'll update this post as more comes. Just got off a conference call, actually. No new details. This is the basic outline of what we have for now.

Android Apps

Here, at AndroidApps.org, you will find all the latest Android apps & info on Google's newly released mobile OS.

Open Handset Alliance FAQ

FAQ

What is the Open Handset Alliance™?
The Open Handset Alliance is a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together we have developed Android™, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform. We are committed to commercially deploy handsets and services using the Android Platform in the second half of 2008.

What types of companies are in the Open Handset Alliance?
All parts of the mobile ecosystem are represented in the Alliance. Members include mobile operators, handset manufacturers, semiconductor companies, software companies, and commercialization companies. The current list of members can be found here.

What have members of the Alliance committed to?
All members of the Alliance have committed to making the initial version of the platform a commercial success. Some companies have contributed significant intellectual property to the Alliance that will be released under the Apache v2 Open Source license. Others are working to make sure their chipsets support the platform. Handset manufacturers and mobile operators are working to develop handsets based on the platform. Commercialization partners are working with the industry to support the platform via a professional services model.

Why is an open platform good for consumers?
Consumers will see cheaper and more innovative mobile devices and services, which will inevitably feature more engaging, easier-to-use interfaces -- as well as a rich portfolio of applications.

Why is an open platform good for mobile operators?
The overall cost of handsets will be lower and mobile operators will have complete flexibility to customize and differentiate their product lines. Furthermore, they will see much more rapid innovation in handsets and in services.

Why is an open platform good for handset manufacturers?
Handset manufacturers will benefit from lower software BOM (bill of material) costs and faster time-to-market for handsets. In addition, they will have greater flexibility to customize and differentiate their product offerings.

Why is an open platform good for semiconductor companies?
As cellphone-on-a-chip becomes closer to reality, semiconductor companies will need access to more sophisticated software that takes advantage of the enhanced features of these solutions. The processors of tomorrow will be multi-core and have access to shared peripherals such as 3D graphics, signal processor cores and dedicated blocks for multi media acceleration, etc. Without support for these peripherals in the platform, semiconductor companies have no clear way to give 3rd party developers access to this enhanced functionality. An open platform helps semiconductor companies add support for their newest products in a timely manner.

Why is an open platform good for software companies?
An open platform allows for simplified integration of software components into a complete mobile platform, and the lower acquisition cost of the mobile platform will increase the ability of handset manufacturers to invest in high value and differentiated software components.

Why is an open platform good for developers?
Developers will be able innovate rapidly because they will have comprehensive API access to handset capabilities that are web-ready. They will experience increased productivity because they will have comprehensive and easy-to-use developer tools. And because open source offers a deeper understanding of the underlying mobile platform, they can better optimize their applications. Finally, the distribution and commercialization of mobile apps will be less expensive and easier.

Who can join the Open Handset Alliance?
The Open Handset Alliance brings together companies in the mobile ecosystem that each contribute to the effort in various ways. We welcome companies willing to make serious and ongoing contributions to openness in the mobile world.

Who do we contact to learn about joining the Open Handset Alliance?
Email us at info@openhandsetalliance.com

Open Handset Alliance

Open Handset Alliance: "What would it take to build a better mobile phone? A commitment to openness, a shared vision for the future, and concrete plans to make the vision a reality. Welcome to the Open Handset Alliance™, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together we have developed Android™, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform. We are committed to commercially deploy handsets and services using the Android Platform in the second half of 2008. An early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) will be available on November 12th."

Live coverage of Google's Android Gphone mobile OS announcement - Engadget

Live coverage of Google's Android Gphone mobile OS announcement - Engadget

Official Google Blog: Where's my Gphone?

Official Google Blog: Where's my Gphone?

About Android™

Android™ will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, we will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications.

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users will be able 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.

Breaking down application boundaries
Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. 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 -- to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer could 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.

Fast & easy application development
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 allow 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.