What is the most preferable software to create Android Application? - IDEs, Libraries, & Programming Tools

What is the most preferable software to develop aplication for androids? Just application for calculation with 3D or 2D graphics and not gaming. Coz i heard unity is good for developing gaming application, but mine is not gaming type.
And if i were to create the application with flash, can i combine with the part develop by unity later on?
Also, if i were to use 3D graphics in the application, what is the best software to create the graphics?
Thank you for any responses because im just a newbie and i have nowhere to seek advice.

Since this is Posted in IDEs, ... I will recommend Android Studio as IDE as it eases development & ADT will eventually become obsolete (if not already). For 3D unity is first choice for Android game devs, but if you just want to have a UI in 3D you can go for Cocos2d-x & LibGDX (if you can accept the render quality) to build yourself a scene for menu.

I saw applications built with Unity. The only advantage they have is they are multi-Platform, that is you write (well, in this case "design" is better) your application once and then it can be compiled with xCode as well as with Android or WP. I don't know details about Unity (and for what I saw I'm pretty sure I never won't LOL) but if you wanna entirely have the max control on your app you must learn Java first, Android then and finally WRITE code. Then you can choose whatever IDE you prefer (personally I'm still using Eclipse but since Android Studio has been greatly improved, I guess I'll shift to it soon).

Related

[OS] Google Chrome

Last night Google announced the Google Chrome open source OS.
This OS will be available for small ARM based devices up to full scale desktop/laptop x86 based devices. Google aims to create a nearly instant on OS with a high reliabilty and the ability to use the applications for Chrome in any (HTML5 Compatible?) browser on any other platform.
ANY WAY... ARM compatibility is nice
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html
Possible for it to run on the xperia?
dadeadman said:
Possible for it to run on the xperia?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody knows. For now, it's just an initial announcement with no further details. We'll have to wait for them to release before we see, but it's basically just another window shell on top of a Linux kernel.
Which is fine with me. If google can release an OS that can be flexible enough for ARM to x86, and it WORKS, I'll be happy. I'd love to see a proper Linux ROM on our HTC devices.. it's a shame to be limited to a haret 'side boot' instead of a native ROM
l3it3r said:
Which is fine with me. If google can release an OS that can be flexible enough for ARM to x86, and it WORKS, I'll be happy. I'd love to see a proper Linux ROM on our HTC devices.. it's a shame to be limited to a haret 'side boot' instead of a native ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering WM devices have a REALLY bad habit of booting quite differently from maker to maker, I wouldn't be holding your breath for anything other than a haret based solution for quite some time...

I am done with Sense

Sense UI is slow on first-generation Android phones, and all the attempts to make it fast only result in a flaky, weird experience.
The framework and everything else is closed-source, what do you expect?
All we can do is extract the APKs and modify images and maybe tweak the AndroidManifest.xml or other xml files. Even if we can extract the bytecode (if that's what it's called for the DalvikVM), it still isn't as open as an AOSP build.
The only reason I flashed Rosie/Sense UI ROMs were to get a nice homescreen (which was slow) with nice widgets and a browser with Flash (that was slow and incompatible but still useful for simple stuff).
I would have fun with the ROM for a while, but when I needed to be productive, like Google something quickly or add a note in AK Notepad, it was painfully slow.
Android 2.2 Froyo is amazing. It has many features, the most important IMO being a reliable JIT compiler for the DalvikVM, and Flash 10.1 coming to the browser OFFICIALLY!
When the source for Android 2.2 is released and Cyanogen makes a release for the G1/Dream, I'm stuck on that until I get a super Android phone with a full QWERTY like the G1
Sense is also UGLY.
As for this flash thing... its not going to work on your phone. Compiled for a different CPU.
Nothing lost there though, flash is terrible trash that the world would be MUCH better off withOUT.
lbcoder said:
Sense is also UGLY.
As for this flash thing... its not going to work on your phone. Compiled for a different CPU.
Nothing lost there though, flash is terrible trash that the world would be MUCH better off withOUT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did Flash murder you in a previous life?
It seems 50% of your posts here are about how Flash is the end of civilization?
Flash is a dreadful battery/CPU hog, and I suspect the 'net, as Apple claim, would be better off without it.
That said, given the propensity of web designers to use nonstandard, bloated, un-necessary flash widgets that break navigation everywhere in their pages, making them utterly useless to those with old machines, accessibility needs/disabilities, etc I guess it's probably better to have it than not. Flash 10.1 under FroYo is only marginally quirky on my Desire. Getting there!
Sense, OTOH, I miss... LauncherPro just isn't as pretty. But I think on older hardware like the G1, I'd agree with the OP. It's not necessary to get the most out of Android and if it's causing slowdowns, it's a bit counter-intuitive to the actual purpose of a mobile phone.
Azurael said:
That said, given the propensity of web designers to use nonstandard, bloated, un-necessary flash widgets that break navigation everywhere in their pages, making them utterly useless to those with old machines, accessibility needs/disabilities, etc I guess it's probably better to have it than not. Flash 10.1 under FroYo is only marginally quirky on my Desire. Getting there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about just not visiting those websites? Most even halfway marginal websites will provide "if (no flash) then show these links instead", of the rest, you can certainly get the information somewhere else, or failing that, you probably don't want it anyway (the developer is obviously retarded...)
The big important thing to note is that the web is changing. There is MUCH MUCH MUCH less flash around than there was 10 years ago. In fact, I can't think of a single site that actually still *requires* it (except maybe a few sites hosting videos of retards doing stupid crap). I can think of a few that have flash ads -- in these cases, NOT having flash dramatically improves your experience.
Different architectures
I remember a while back that there was a bug in Sense on the Hero where the package name (com.google.maps) would be displayed instead of the actual application name (Maps).
HTC acknowledged the problem and fixed it, but that's the problem with Sense; if it were open-source, someone (probably on xda) would release a tiny patch to fix the problem. Like if Google made the same mistake in the default Launcher, it would be fixed by the devs online quickly.
And now about Flash: What!? Wasn't it built for ARM? Or do the N1 and other superphones use a slightly different architecture? This is weird...
Another problem is that there are netbooks and all sorts of smartphones with Android.
Most netbooks will have x86 processors (Intel, AMD) and though most smartphones are expected to use ARM, some might use a different architecture like MIPS, or even x86 in the future.
Normal Android applications that are made with Java are fine, but how about all the apps with native binaries built with the Android NDK?
What Google should do is implement a way to compile the same program to all popular architectures, and keep the different binaries in the APK.
Apple did something similar in Mac OS X when they switched from PowerPC to Intel... application files in Mac OS X are basically a package that holds basic information, icons, and the binaries, which make this file format similar to Android APKs, except that when someone compiles their program for OS X, both PowerPC and Intel binaries are compiled and stored in the application.
If Google does this for Android, there will be no problem with different architectures (like with Flash not being able to run on the G1)
PSP_Hacker said:
I remember a while back that there was a bug in Sense on the Hero where the package name (com.google.maps) would be displayed instead of the actual application name (Maps).
HTC acknowledged the problem and fixed it, but that's the problem with Sense; if it were open-source, someone (probably on xda) would release a tiny patch to fix the problem. Like if Google made the same mistake in the default Launcher, it would be fixed by the devs online quickly.
And now about Flash: What!? Wasn't it built for ARM? Or do the N1 and other superphones use a slightly different architecture? This is weird...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like i686 binaries won't run on an i486 CPU, ARM7 binaries won't run on an ARM5 CPU. There are architectural changes that break compatibility of new binaries on old hardware.
Another problem is that there are netbooks and all sorts of smartphones with Android.
Most netbooks will have x86 processors (Intel, AMD) and though most smartphones are expected to use ARM, some might use a different architecture like MIPS, or even x86 in the future.
Normal Android applications that are made with Java are fine, but how about all the apps with native binaries built with the Android NDK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all native applications are built with the NDK. Flash is a big example -- it has a lot of HAND WRITTEN ASSEMBLY CODE. There is NO automatic way to generate hand written assembly code. Each additional platform you support MUST have its own manually written code.
What Google should do is implement a way to compile the same program to all popular architectures, and keep the different binaries in the APK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/index.html
Might not be a bad idea to read up on the ndk.
The applicable line is "You can also build for both architectures at the same time and have everything stored in the final .apk". Seems that they already thought of this
*** but it isn't applicable to flash since flash is partially hand-written. They could easily include the various binaries within a single APK file, but that won't happen unless they actually build the arm5 binary, which is extremely unlikely.
If Google does this for Android, there will be no problem with different architectures (like with Flash not being able to run on the G1)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For reasons mentioned above, this doesn't help.

Lapdock owners and WebTop users, help needed!

hey guys, i am coming to the general discussion board with something relatively new to me. this week i will be receiving my Atrix back from motorola (dead space on the screen, again) and the LapDock i ordered from amazon (total steal at $85!) now i've never owned a lapdock before but i did use the HDMI hack to use the webtop environment with my phone as a touchpad. i've been mostly on the CM9 scene until now but that is an exponentially far way off. my question is; what ROM do y'all suggest that has LapDock functionality and is your favorite?
Nottachtrix 1.3.1 is great, with full webtop functionality (or webtop2SD) if you please. I have been happy with CM9 builds (AOKP in particular) that have tablet functionality baked in. Also I have been using Ubuntu to Android Installer App on all of the listed builds, and have been relatively happy with that (if using full linux is important to you). However, with the last option, using the VNC client seems to come at the expense of graphical sharpness.
Hey,
I personally suggest Nottachtrix, it is by far the best blur ROM out there.
For the webtop you have 2 choices:
Ubuntu - Webtop2SD
Gentoo - ADB
Their both good. Read up on each of them to see what you like... Sorry I don't have the links right now...
Definitely Nottachtrix.
Here are the 4 Webtop mods available right now.
Full Linux (Debian) Inside Webtop
Eternity Project Gentoo (dated)
Webtop2SD
GenTop2
I am currently on GenTop2 but am also going to give Debian Inside Webtop a go now that the links are back up. There will be upcoming improvements with it also.
tobnddl said:
Nottachtrix 1.3.1 is great, with full webtop functionality (or webtop2SD) if you please. I have been happy with CM9 builds (AOKP in particular) that have tablet functionality baked in. Also I have been using Ubuntu to Android Installer App on all of the listed builds, and have been relatively happy with that (if using full linux is important to you). However, with the last option, using the VNC client seems to come at the expense of graphical sharpness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello I've just order myself an atrix & lapdock... I'm super excited!
I currently have a Xperia play on aokp and definitely can't go back to gingerbread, ics has spoiled me.
I think using chrootLinux/vncing to a server via the tabletui would be the best option for me.
Just hoping you can clarify what you mean by graphical sharpness. -- not contesting your opinion or anything just curious.
+1 on Nottachtrix 1.31 as the best Blur ROM to stay with the WebTop type apps.
Just spent the last 4 hours letting the GenTop2 system install that others have linked to. Takes the place of the Motorola WebTop.
Looks pretty good so far!
thank you guys, this is really helpful! i am more familiar with
Ubuntu than any other distro and i was a user of the Android Ubuntu installer via VNC method, is WebTop2SD any better in terms of speed and size taken up?
Can you use any of those webtop options with CM9?
jiggytom said:
Can you use any of those webtop options with CM9?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, cm9 does not work with any webtop
out of curiousity, anyone who has tried a few of these, which one is the fastest from your experience? I would imagine it would be gentop, what is the second fastest? webtop2sd?
Bluemotion said:
Hello I've just order myself an atrix & lapdock... I'm super excited!
I currently have a Xperia play on aokp and definitely can't go back to gingerbread, ics has spoiled me.
I think using chrootLinux/vncing to a server via the tabletui would be the best option for me.
Just hoping you can clarify what you mean by graphical sharpness. -- not contesting your opinion or anything just curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am far from an expert on this, so bear with me. Essentially what you are doing with the VNC / Ubuntu install solution is logging into a "remote" linux session that happens to be taking place on your phone. The VNC client uses a graphical representation of your screen (a picture essentially) that updates regularly, but introduces a bit of lag to the experience. Further compounding this is the fact that the screen is mirrored from "phone-size" to "lapdock-size" so there is some pixelation introduced. As such, it's not the prettiest solution, but it is very functional for openoffice type tasks.
Oh, one other thing, the Ubuntu on Linux does not require a gigantic reinstall (ala Webtop2SD) when you switch roms. It is very simple, assuming you do not format the drive that holds the system files.
As an aside, if you use the "Ubuntu on Android" installer, I have had bad luck with the VNC client that the dev recommends (mouse problems). After speaking with him, I downloaded Pocketcloud (free from the Play Store), which works much better, though still suffers from the stuff I discussed above.

[Discussion]Will/How ART make an impact on developers

Ichigo said:
So, as you all know Android kitkat 4.4 came out recently. Along with it was ART, a replacement for Dalvik that promises faster and more efficient execution, better battery life, and a more fluid experience. ART stands for Android Runtime, and executes apps different than Dalvik. ART uses AOT to execute apps, which is pre-compiling bytecode into machine language when apps are first installed, turning them into truly native apps. ART still is still experimental currently, but let's discuss our opinions.
I know that when programming games for android, if it uses heavy 3D translations, you'll to use the NDK, coding in C or C++, allowing the app to run natively, and helps maintain frame rate and speed. Because the ART has apps running natively now, will it possibly help maintain framerate and speed better on lower-end devices? I know java is much slower slower than c++, but will running the java coded app natively help at all?
Anyways, share your opinions, ideas, or questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know much about ART, but from what I heard this sounds awesome . I think that it is just crazy not to precompile the code into machine language, sure there is longer install times, but hey, the apps should run much faster.
The thing is that currently it is quite hard to try it out, even on KitKat (which I don't have yet). Would love to make a comparison between the two
Here are some benchmarks by Android Police: http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/1...ormance-wont-blow-away-today-will-get-better/
I hope that they will improve that method. If they do, it will be amazing.
Apps could much faster.
I do, however, like Java. One of the reasons why I prefer Android to Ubuntu Touch (which uses C++).
nikwen said:
Here are some benchmarks by Android Police: http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/1...ormance-wont-blow-away-today-will-get-better/
I hope that they will improve that method. If they do, it will be amazing.
Apps could much faster.
I do, however, like Java. One of the reasons why I prefer Android to Ubuntu Touch (which uses C++).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When KitKat comes to Nexus 4 I'll do some before/after benchmarking on MagicKeyboard (since it is fairly predictable and CPU intensive) - sounds quite promising.
PicomatStudios said:
When KitKat comes to Nexus 4 I'll do some before/after benchmarking on MagicKeyboard (since it is fairly predictable and CPU intensive) - sounds quite promising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kitkat is here on our Nexus 4s.
nikwen said:
Kitkat is here on our Nexus 4s.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aw, yeah... I try to make a rule that wherever possible I use 'standard' build on our test devices, that way I can be sure I'm seeing what our users see
Depending how long it takes I might have a look !
PicomatStudios said:
Aw, yeah... I try to make a rule that wherever possible I use 'standard' build on our test devices, that way I can be sure I'm seeing what our users see
Depending how long it takes I might have a look !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now the official ones are finally here.
nikwen said:
Now the official ones are finally here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK got it finally.
In a not particularly scientific test I tried typing the sentence
'The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.'
into Magic Keyboard 2 (as many other apps as possible stopped, internet off, etc)
After each key press the app runs quite a large number of comparisons/calculations/bitshifts in a loop, in order to score the most likely word (CPU intensive work)
I only ran the test 3 times but there does seem to be an improvement with ART
Average prediction time for each configuration is:
Android 4.3:
20ms
Android 4.4 / Davlik:
19ms
Android 4.4 / ART:
15ms
From previous tests I know that the prediction times are fairly consistent.
Obviously the above is some way short of proof but early signs are good.
i am on android 4.4.4 with art runtime i haven't noticed any performance enactment and also not a single app cashing
Sent from my XT1022 using XDA Free mobile app

Build an hybrid App with Angular2/Ionic2

Hybrid apps have many benefits specifically in terms of platform support, one code for Android, IOS, Windows Phone and more...
There are several framework for building a hybrid app . But the goal of this post is to talk about Angular2 and Ionic2 (how to start a project, experience back ...). If you have experience with Angular Ionic and V1, forget it, there is a huge progress on performance.
http://ionicframework.com/docs/v2/getting-started/installation/
To start the development: see this link.
For IDE, there are several choices:
WebStorm
Atom
Visual Studio Code
Performance side, there are no problems?
The Hybrid App will still slow as a native application. But there is a significant gap between Angular1 and Angular2.
The app in my signature is made with Ionic 2, you will make an idea:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.xoonity.OpenRssReader2015

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