Android is an open-source platform based on the Linux kernel, and is installed onthousands of devices from a wide range of manufacturers. Android exposes your application to all sorts of hardware that you’ll find in modern mobile devices — digital compasses, video cameras, GPS, orientation sensors, and more.
Android’s free development tools make it possible for you to start writing software at little or no cost. When you’re ready to show off your application to the world, you can publish it to Google’s Android Market. Publishing to Android Market incurs a one-off registration fee (US $25 at the time of writing) and, unlike Apple’s App Store which famously reviews each submission, makes your application available for customers to download and buy after a quick review process — unless the application is blatantly illegal.
Here are a few other advantages Android offers you as a developer:
- The Android SDK is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, so you don’t need to pay for new hardware to start writing applications.
- An SDK built on Java. If you’re familiar with the Java programming language, you’re already halfway there.
- By distributing your application on Android Market, it’s available to hundreds of thousands of users instantly. You’re not just limited to one store, because there are alternatives, too. For instance, you can release your application on your own blog. Amazon have recently been rumoured to be preparing their own Android app store also.
- As well as the technical SDK documentation, new resources are being published for Android developers as the platform gains popularity among both users and developers.
Enough with the talk — let’s get started developing for Android!
No comments:
Post a Comment