This paper examines an open source mobile phone platform Android. It explains its’ advantages and disadvantages, the basic features and the market strategy. I review the adaptation of this new technology from the view of prospective mobile software developers, customers and manufacturers.

The purpose of this report is to present to the user the new and promising mobile platform based on the Linux operating system and provided by Google. Additionally, I introduce Open Source infrastructure which not only supports development, but also has the potential to become a main business activity in the future.

The Birth of Android
Firstly, I would like to mention a small company Android Inc. based on the software development for mobile phones, which was acquired by Google for unknown amount of money on July 2005. As the experienced team started to work hardly in Google Campus, it was a first serious sign about Google entering mobile phone market.

In 2007, the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) was created to develop open standards for mobile devices. It consisted of 34 grand members, such as Google itself, NVIDIA, Intel, Motorola, TMobile and other mobile operators, handset manufacturers, software and other companies. As OHA stands for open mobile platform, a great race has started between OHA and main competitors Apple, Microsoft, Symbian and others. Microsoft launched Windows Mobile 6.0 version with full updated Office Mobile and other features.

Symbian with over 110 million smartphones released OSv.9.5, and Apple stroked market with iPhone. The entire world was waiting for the response from Google with visionary Gphone, a single mobile device which could compete with iPhone and other mobile phones. OHA came with better solution – Google Android – first truly open mobile phone platform based on Linux, with clear and simple user interface and applications, created in Java.

This strategy, which is about to declare not a single Gphone, but to put Android into existing and new mobiles devices and to make thousands of Gphones, gives mobile operators and device manufacturers significant freedom and flexibility to design products.

As Google Android will be truly released in 2008 with its source code, at this moment Google announced Android SDK together with competition, which provides 10 million dollars in awards for Android developers. This idea seems to be quit clear and logical, in order to speed up and boost Java developers, but actually the contest slowed down the knowledge integration.

The contest has effectively caused developers not to share their code to others. Therefore, I found a lack of answering to questions and other support on Android groups over the internet. Nevertheless, I believe there will be plenty of code available to help inexperienced developers make ideas come to life.

Download A First Look at Google Android

PDF format, 323KB, 28Pages.

Tomas Katysovas
Free University of Bolzano, Internet Technologies 2.

Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4
The Birth of Android ...................................................................................................... 4
Android Features ............................................................................................................. 5
System Architecture ............................................................................................................ 6
Developing Applications .................................................................................................... 8
Application Building Blocks........................................................................................... 8
Code example................................................................................................................ 10
Application Lifecycle.................................................................................................... 14
Security Issues .............................................................................................................. 18
Android and Java ME ....................................................................................................... 19
Similarities .................................................................................................................... 19
“Hello World” example ................................................................................................ 20
Market Research ............................................................................................................... 22
A prospective customer................................................................................................. 22
Speculations with cellular carriers ................................................................................ 23
Manufacturers’ war ....................................................................................................... 24
Mobile Future.................................................................................................................... 25
Mobile Ads.................................................................................................................... 25
Mobile Services ............................................................................................................ 26
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 27
References ......................................................................................................................... 28

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Conclusion
In summary, with all upcoming applications and mobile services Google Android is stepping into the next level of Mobile Internet. Android participates in many of the successful open source projects.

That is, architect the solution for participation and the developers will not only come but will play well together. This is notable contrast with Apple and other companies, where such architecture of participation is clearly belated.

The first Android based official devices may well be launched sometime in the second half of 2008. Obviously, that's an age away when it comes to handset design, and Android may well find itself competing against the forthcoming Nokia touch screen phones and maybe even the iPhone 2. Who knows?

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