So here we are, another week of developments in the mobile world. This week we are going to have a look at some of the most interesting developments in the world of Android.
First of we will touch on some of the Ports from source of Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.0.1.
This has been one of the biggest developments in the history of Android with the Galaxy Nexus being released, hackers wanted to see who could get a stable port of the OS running on their most loved handset first.
You have Alpha ports running on a number of different handsets, such as the Galaxy S, Galaxy S @, the LG Optimus 3d, the HTC desire HD and the list goes on.
An Alpha Build is exactly that, it is the first set of Roms for a device, and they are usually for testing purposes and for other developers to help with the progress.
The build closest to my heart is the Rom for the Samsung Galaxy S 2, and watching the progress over the last few days has been mesmorising, whe have went through 6 Alpha builds in 48 hours and we are quickly moving on to the 7th Alpha build. The 7th Alpha build is due to bring working calls and SMS to the build, the main things left to do would be get the cameras, data, wifi, and sound working, once we have that we will be looking at a BETA build rather than an ALPHA one. If you look below there is a video of alpha 6 running showing the hidden Easter egg.
You can see how smooth the port is already, and once the build is complete i will defiantly be making the switch.
All this talk of Development brings me on to the next big device running Googles OS albeit a massively modified version.
This Device would be the Kindle Fire, the most hotly anticipated Android tablet there has been. we have posted a couple of blogs outlining the recent developments on the Kindle but there has been that much going on it was well worth a a spot on Development weekly.
Within 24 hours the Kindle Fire had root within 24 hours that was the main development to come from the opening up the Kindle Fire since the Fire was rooted, the first thing that was discussed was the opportunities about custom Roms being developed for the device, and hacks and modifications that may be available. The first thing has actually came fro the rooted tablet was the side loading of the Google Apps and that now includes the Android Market. yes thats right if you have the Kindle Fire you are able to load Googles official market place, which means you are no longer tied down to Amazons own market place.
This is only the beginning of development on the Kindle Fire, there are rumours of a second incarnation of the tablet already, and there is also rumours of a kindle smartphone coming out of the Amazon warehouse. So this is a time to keep your eyes firmly focused on Amazon to see what the developments will be.
The last thing I am going to cover on Development Weekly is a little unknown item usb dongle called Cotton Candy. I was shocked when i saw this device and what it is capable of. Essentially what the Cotton Candy is is a USB dongle with a HDMI port coming out of one side and a USB port coming out of the other.
and what this smart little device comes does is turn any monitor or display with a HDMI port into an Android Device. and thats not it essentially what you have is a pocket computer, inside a memory stick is a dual-core processor, WIFI and Bluetooth connectivity, and there is ever an Micro SD card slot, all in something the size of a lighter!
The company responsible for the USB stick is FXI Technology, FXI have stated that the current prototype runs Android 2.3, Borgar told us that the ARM-based hardware can run Ubuntu Linux currently and future versions should be able to run the ARM version of Windows 8. Future versions of the device will have a USB 3 connector and faster processors.
This should be able to turn any HDTVs, monitor, and computer, into an android running device are just the tip of the iceberg for the Cotton Candy. Borgar said the device will be able to connect to tablets, smartphones, and even set top boxes via USB or Bluetooth. He says that he expects the device to be able to turn even an iPhone or an iPad into a terminal for its environment. Imagine an iPhone running Android!
Borgar plugged the device into his Mac Book pro and within seconds Android was running in a separate window on his computer, and he was even able to transfer files between the USB computer and his Macbook.
this is an amazing development and although it may not replace your PC or mac, it is something that will allow you to get a whole new dimension of computing on the move.
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