App Development - Android Community

Tagged: App Development

Google Releases Tablet App Quality Checklist

By Brittany Hillen
on 9 Oct, 2012

Most apps in the Google Play store are designed for smartphones, and as any Android tablet owner knows, the apps that are available for Android tablets are often less-than-stellar. With the release of the Nexus 7 tablet and rumors of an upcoming Nexus 10, it's no surprise that Google is pushing for higher quality apps for tablets. One such way the company is trying to improve tablet apps is with a newly published checklist aimed at helping developers.

We heard you like apps: AIDE builds Android apps on Android

By Michael Crider
on 6 Mar, 2012

There's a lot of tools out there to help aspiring developers get started on a new Android app, not the least of which is the newly-resurrected App Inventor from MIT. Now would-be app makers have a new option, specially suited to those whose skills or inclination tend towards Java: AIDE. The free app stands for "Android Integrated Design Environment", and is a full-fledged Java IDE contained within an Android app.

ARM Development Studio 5 toolkit launches to public

By Sam Koutroulakis
on 28 Nov, 2011

ARM has released an update to their development toolkit that claims an increase in Java performance by up to four times. Yes, this software is free and DS-5 CE (Community Edition) and some major enhancements from the previous version. The main difference is the including of ARM Streamline Performance Analyzer; this little tool helps developers keep an eye on how efficient their code is as it's executed, what more could a dev ask for?

Honeycomb paid apps increase four-fold, says Google

By Michael Crider
on 5 Oct, 2011

At the Android Developer's Lab in London this morning, Google laid down this gem of a statistic: the number of paid apps being purchased on Honeycomb tablets has increased almost four times over in comparison to other versions of Android. You can see the (rough) growth in the presentation chart posted by Little Fluffy Toys. It claims that Honeycomb users install a much higher number of paid applications than any other section of Android users.

Adobe Offering 200,000 in Cash Prizes to Developers Using AIR

By Cory Gunther
on 13 Jul, 2011

When Adobe AIr started showing up on Android everyone was excited to see what it would bring as far as rich applications and games. We have seen quite a bit but I honestly thought it would see more use. You can read more about Adobe AIR here. It has not had the most support latest and news regarding AIR has been few and far between, but this latest report should get developers rocking on Adobe AIR soon.

AT&T offers in-app local advertising for developers

By James DeRuvo
on 19 Apr, 2011

AT&T is set to release tools for app developers which would allow them to use location based advertising. Up until now, app developers had to rely on national ad campaigns and often, those ads were of little value to users. With the new location based advertising, the in app ads suddenly become more viable to the app user and provider more income since companies tend to pay more for location based ads. It's a huge development which strikes right at the heart of Google's dominance with AdMob.

Android is a developers mess according to survey

By James DeRuvo
on 5 Apr, 2011

According to a recent survey of 250 working Android app developers, the Google OS may be more of a bag of hurt than Google wants developers to believe. The survey, conducted by Baird's William Powers, found that 71% of respondents write apps for Android, while 62% wrote for iOS. The survey also found that device fragmentation on the Android platform is the must frustrating element of writing Apps for Android and represents a HUGE problem. But is that the only issue facing Android developers? Not by a long shot ...

Kyocera Echo needs App Developers

By James DeRuvo
on 21 Mar, 2011

Just looking at the sweet dual screen design of the Kyocera Echo, it's easy to see the potential. More real estate means more capability for apps. And being a dual, split screen can also mean more specific development that needs to be done on Android apps it will use. Kyocera knows it, so they're enacting a program to entice more app developers to create content for the dual screen platform. Developers will have access to the Echo Software Development Kit and other tools which will enable them to optimize their apps for the dual screen platform.

For developers, Android platform looks to be most profitable

By James DeRuvo
on 8 Mar, 2011

Since Android surpassed the iPhone to become the most popular smartphone in the market last year, it was only a matter of time before the Google OS would also become the most popular platform for developers. But not only that, app development on the Android is now the most profitable. To the point that developers are pulling advertising dollars out of iOS based apps and doubling down on the Bot.

Havok Game Tools will make for more Xperia Play games

By James DeRuvo
on 4 Mar, 2011

The Game Developers Conference this week brought some good news for Sony Xperia Play fans as the new Havok Game Tools, optimized for the Xperia Play, was previewed. Game Developers can program to move via the arrow pads or the touchpad, and can interact with a game via the Xperia's touch screen. The Havoc behavior engine allows for smoother character interaction in the game as well. Developers will also be able to perform mesh generation and path-finding with real time playback. The Havok Cloth creates realistic character design with believable, physically based motion to character garments. While Havoc Destruction gives developers complete control of destructible events within the game and lessens rendering testing of those objects through Havoc Physics. This is certainly great news for developers who are already using Havoc to develop more than 270 games in the marketplace. The new tools mean greater detail and realism, richer, more cinematic experiences, and complete integration all the way up to Android Honeycomb. [youtube 3Ju9DzIdC_Q]