Google’s Android SDK

[Anonymous]

I know there are a few mobile game developers lurking around the forum so I was wondering if any of them, or anyone in general has an opinion on Google’s Android SDK?

I know it has a larger potential than just being a gaming platform but I’m sure they’ll be a selling point if it platform takes off!

I’ve been tinkering around with it in my spare time, I think they have a great setup for their docs and tutorials. I’ve not developed anything serious at all, in fact I’ve merely stepped through the example source code. I’m hoping to port my j2me pacman clone (not a very difficult game to build I know, but gotta start somewhere!) to Android soon to be able to do a proper comparison though.

From my own (hobbyist) experience trying to get a MIDlet to run on more than one model of phone is arduous at the best of times. Maybe some of the professional developers here might have a more accurate opinion. So I can see the attractive side of developing for the Open Handset Alliance knowing that there should be a general standard between all the devices. And you have access to almost all of the existing Google APIs too.

That does mean developing solely for Google devices though and it depends on the OHA/Google devices developing a massive user base (probably not such a problem).

I think it kind of sucks though that they’ve developed another flavour of java and not used javaME. It’s another standard in a fairly fractured field. I’m sure the huge prize money is a carrot to get people to forget about any of those sorts of issues.

But who knows it might light a fire under Sun etc to work towards a more unified standard to compete.

Stepping away from development. I wonder when (rather than _if_) a Google Phone appears will they offer free minutes etc to people for letting google scan their texts and maybe even conversations to provide an ad service like they currently do with gmail ?

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

…weight to try enforce some standards across manufactures for Jme as Sun seems to let manufactures support what they want and still allow them to say their phones support jme.[/quote:c1586d98d1]

It does seem like Sun try to please everyone to further the adoption of Java. A "please use our language and stay away from Microsoft" type of thing, aswell as to keep the W.O.R.A flag flapping.

[Author]

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