Map app looking for suggestions and/or some help - Android Software Development

Basically for my final project were working with an external company that want stuff done for free or very close, this includes an android app.
The app I'm going to try to make will be private for the company to give out locations using google maps and gps/geolocation.
The app will be distributed through the site we are developing to certain users and not featured on the marketplace due to privacy issues.
Problem is I've never developed for android or any mobile platforms and have an extremely basic knowledge of Java but i mainly develop for web and windows using c# so naturally I have a few questions for people with experience in android development.
And it will be compatible from android 2.0 onwards
1. Is it possible to have the app powered by google maps?
2. Any suggestions of how one user will be able to upload gps coordinates to this app?
3. Rough idea of how long it would take e.g. few hours, few days, few months?
4. Overall is it possible, any problems I might run into?
5 Any Advice, tips,or better suggestions?
Thanks a lot for reading this far, any answers or help would be greatly appreciated.

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[REQ] app to fetch data from web site

Hello, XDA-Developers!
Basics: I'm looking for someone who can develop an Android app. It needs to be a simple application to fetch pages from a web site from a phone-friendly interface. It's intended to be a companion to the web site to enable easier access.
Background: I run a gaming website, gameshard.net. We're doing ok, and in order to reach out to new users and make it easier for users to access the site, I want to develop an Android app. But I have no android development knowledge at all. So I'm looking for help!
The Specifics: The GameShard.net app should be a simple, clean app designed to let users access information on the website through a touch-friendly interface. Specifically, users should be able to access the latest news, our library of reviews, features, and their profile (and inbox) from the device. The closest similar example I can think of for reference is the Eurogamer app for iOS. The app will be free, so incorporating adverts in a non-intrusive way would be welcome.
I leave it to the developer to decide what the easiest way to do this would be. It might be that the app could be a simple launcher for a custom iOS version of the website, or perhaps it would be better to fetch the data in a different way- I'm open to your ideas! And I'm willing to pay for your time, of course.
So, thats my pitch! Please let me know if you have any questions, and if you're interested in working on this send me a message.

[Q] Car Kit Tester App

Hi all,
i am working for a german car manufacturer as test lead for telephone car kits.
I often have problems with testers reporting not enough data for network related problems/errors.
My idea is to supply them with any Android device with a little application recording the track they were driving and as additional info also gives me relevant data of the mobile cells they were booked in during the testdrive.
Recording the track data is the easy part with apps like "My Tracks".
There is also an app called "Antennas" in the market which give me basic cell infos.
Problem is I only need the cell data from cells in which i was registered, i dont need tons of data from neighbouring cells etc...
Since some very experienced devs are around here i'd like to ask how much effort it would be to develop such an app which i.e. generates a *kml file which i can overlay ontop of my track information (i.e. sets a flag everytime i change to a new mobile cell on my way with its relevant data (Cell-ID, network type, fieldstrength etc...))?
Or does anyone knows an app which already does this?
Sorry for my english
effort
prototype could be done fast (several days). but it will take you way more effort to create a stable app which runs on all android devices. does your department already have some experience in android development? some experience in java/eclipse/embedded programming would help a lot.
-didi
We have no one with particular android experience, but we have several ppl with much eclipse/java knowledge and experience.
I'll just ask them, they have to try it in their free time lol, because this app development is not covered by my project and far from official

[Q] Masters Project question(s)

Hey guys/gals, the folks over at android forums sent me to bug you guys about my endeavor, so if i am annoying, blame them . Also loved the registration video and there were no results of forum posts when it came to robotics.
"Just picked up my new Acer A500 yesterday and have been playing with it just a little bit. It has the unupdated 3.1 OS (honeycomb I THINK). So i have a few questions but first let me explain my purpose for the tab and my background.
My purpose for the tablet is for my Masters project, to interface it to a IOIO (pronounced YOYO) controller board in for motor and senor control. The IOIO is an android driven device hence an android tab. Also the tab is going to the the brains and face of a telepressence robot i am building. My background in mobile devices is windows mobile (forget the version) which i did not mod very much and my IPHONE 3GS which i have jailbroken and modded for my amusement. I also have a background in C# and VHDL but not so much in mobile application development (which i suspect should not be too difficult to pick up)
Now on to some questions. I plan to root this just to have root access but is there any other benefit such as an underground app store. My favorite is book access such as stanza. Can i host a web server on the tab or will i have to remote into it using some other utility? And i thought i had another question but i think that will do for now. Anyways thanks for any help and i look forward to future interaction."
SD
Regarding root, some apps need it. For instance, the advanced features of Titanium Backup or AdFree. As for setting a server, I am using File Expert, a file manager with some cool options (including root access) that also allows http and ftp sharing of files to and from the tablet. I am sure there are other apps with similar functionality.
superdave14 said:
I plan to root this just to have root access but is there any other benefit such as an underground app store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't expect anyone to answer that with a link, right? You can install whatever apk you want with or without root on your own risk. The benefits of rooting have nothing to do with stealing of applications. You simply get r/w access to the filesystem.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
No need for an "underground" app store. You can use the regular Google Market, Amazon App Store, AppBrain, and GetJar to acquire and install applications.
If you are writing one yourself, then merely compile it and package it appropriate for the Android OS and you can install it without a market as long as you enable "Unknown Sources (Allow installation of non-Market applications)".
Thanks, I have never used the android device before so i was not sure of the actual restrictions the OS has as far as modifications compared to the Iphone, which is what i'm use to. If i offended anyone as far as the thinking i'm looking for free apps, i apologize. I'm more interested in direct access to the accelerometer, 6 axis gyroscope, and compass for instant feedback for my robot navigation system, as well as setting up either web server or remote capabilities to motors and functions through the device. It's all about what type of control and feedback i can gain from root versus not rooting. As well as tethering my iphone to it for greater bandwidth range, when WIFI is not available or weak.
Again any info regarding this type of information would be great.
superdave14 said:
Thanks, I have never used the android device before so i was not sure of the actual restrictions the OS has as far as modifications compared to the Iphone, which is what i'm use to. If i offended anyone as far as the thinking i'm looking for free apps, i apologize. I'm more interested in direct access to the accelerometer, 6 axis gyroscope, and compass for instant feedback for my robot navigation system, as well as setting up either web server or remote capabilities to motors and functions through the device. It's all about what type of control and feedback i can gain from root versus not rooting. As well as tethering my iphone to it for greater bandwidth range, when WIFI is not available or weak.
Again any info regarding this type of information would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a look at the sdk. You don't need root for the things you intend to use your tab for. Root is needed if you need to modify the filesystem and you don't. You aren't helping yourself with thinking in the ios box. Android is much more open and thus much more friendly to the developers. All google apps are created using the same sdk that's available to us all, so if they can do anything, we can do it too (or at least we have the means to do it). There are some good examples in the sdk too, that can really help you to understand the means of reading sensor data. If I remember correctly, you had some C/C++ background, so it might help you to look as the ndk too.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Android is much more open that the iOS, if you have a basic linux background, you can apply it here too. Rooting allows you to edit the filesystem, the equivalent of being able to write to the c:\windows and c:\program files folders. Occasionally, you may need it, but for most applications, you don't. The SDK is pretty powerful and its tutorials are quite comprehensive, with a little studying, you should be able to write an app that extracts the information you want. In general, Android app development is quite open and flexible.
As for the underground app store, there are many free apps in Google Market. Angry Birds and AdFree for instance (this is just to show that not just second rate developers offer free apps). Also, Amazon has a marketplace and they occasionally have offers for free or very discounted apps. In general, if you need an app, there is probably a free version that is supported by ads, or a lite version you can try before buying the full thing.
Just buy the Iconia tablet already.Erica promises you will love it..
Giggles.

How to: easily integrate different services into your application!

Hey guys,
I want to explain you how you can integrate different services like Facebook, Dropbox or Slack into your application.
Why is this important?
In the kind of ever evolving market place that we are now in, it is more important than ever that your application can rapidly add new features. You don't have to invent the wheel again, there are thousands of great software solutions out there. All you have to do is to leverage those software and integrate them into your application. By doing so you can provide your users a more pleasant user experience and make your application stand out from others.
What is the problem?
Integrating different services also means to deal with all the different APIs since all the services are using their own API which are very often complex and you will need a lot of time to become familiar with all of them. This means you lose time which you could spent on focusing on your core application.
How to solve this issue?
A very simple solution is to use the CloudRail SDK. CloudRail is a completely free developer tool which allows you to combine all the different APIs including all the features you want to only one universal java or android API in only a few steps. By making the process of adding any new integration quick, simple, and easy, you can start ignoring all of the busy work and get on with making simply great applications.
I would love it if you did check it out and let me know any feedback, good or bad!

Best libraries/practices for native/cross-platform apps with DB backend

Hi, .
I am trying to figure out the best approach for an upcoming big project. Except doing small projects for Android (no web backend), most of my experience is with java, C++, and drupal programming.
The app I am looking at involves storing location for each user and a bunch of user data.
The app then needs to visualise/sort based on the nearby users on the map.
I've been reading up on current mobile technologies, which brought me to phonegap and drupalgap, although I am slightly afraid of being overly complex, and the delay of js rendering.
So I am also considering using a simpler restful service for login and user data storage (any recommendations? Do I build this myself?) and just building 2 native apps that communicate with this.
Drupalgap seems overly complicated to me and doesn't offer a good UI (would I use intelliJ and then just build a simple site in Drupal that is being rendered?). Or using the rest full services by hand (without phonegap) to do it native, as described at varunity.github.io/Drupal-Services-Android-App. Maybe there are libraries for this?
Sorry for the many questions, I just want to save myself time and do it right from the beginning. I am still very much in the process of reading up on existing libraries.
Thanks,
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