The Android platform has taken a significant amount of market share and, by some measures, has overtaken the iPhone as the dominant smartphone worldwide. While the expansion of the iPhone’s carrier base may win back some of the market for Apple, there’s no question that Android is here to stay, and any developer wanting a serious foothold in the market should build for this platform.
The Software Development Kit, available through Google, provides application developers with a rich set of tools for building applications, including the operating system, middleware, and various development tools. The SDK also includes all the necessary APIs to get started with Android software development right away. Because Android is an open platform, developers have many more options available to them, and potentially a very large market. The Android platform is truly one of a kind. In addition to being an open source mobile platform, its support for Java is attractive to many developers.
The SDK itself includes several core apps, which make Android software development a breeze. In addition to sample code clips, the SDK comes with debugging tools and a phone emulator, and various business and utility functions and features. The inclusion of this rich set of tools not only gives the developer more options and an easy path to development, but also lays the groundwork for a richer end-user experience. Because the developer has these tools at their disposal, the end result will be a more feature-rich software program that is easier to use.
And on the developer side, the developers themselves will enjoy more control over the features of the final product. And finally, once the app is complete, developers can easily distribute apps through the open source platform. And of course, the rich feature set means the end product is always easy to use, something mobile app users always appreciate.
Some of the advantages of the Android software development platform include the availability of data storage with SQLite, P2P communication with Google Talk, and the ability to publish an application for export and signing. It can be integrated with a touchscreen, GPS, and a video camera, and includes a comprehensive library of 2D and 3D graphics, as well as Bluetooth and WiFi support.
Android easily meets the challenges facing app developers as well as the demands of savvy consumers. Through this platform, developers can create any type of custom application, either for distribution and sale to the general public or for a specific client.