Development

Google updated its popular platform version chart this week, giving a current snapshot of the popularity of the various Android releases.

As expected, Gingerbread (Android 2.3x) leads the way with a combined 55.5 percent share of the market, followed by Froyo at 30.4 percent and 2-year-old Eclair at 8.5 percent. Trailing behind are Honeycomb (3.3 percent) and very marginal showings for Donut (version 1.6), Cupcake (version 1.5), and Ice Cream Sandwich (version 4).

The latest chart marks the first time we've seen Ice Cream Sandwich make an impact, even if it is … Read more

After investing a considerable amount of time and effort on the Android 4.0 user interface (UI), Google is taking steps to ensure that it remains a key component of devices.

Writing on the developer blog yesterday, Android Framework engineer Adam Powell outlined the new compatibility standard for the Holo theme first introduced in 3.0 Honeycomb.

Going forward, devices running Ice Cream Sandwich with official access to the Android Market will offer the Holo themes as they were initially created. So in other words, developers will have a standard set of UI elements to work with, ultimately resulting in … Read more

BlackBerry PlayBook owners tired of waiting for RIM to support Android apps can root their devices to gain access to the Android Market.

With Research In Motion's PlayBook recently rooted and capable of being customized, the folks at tech site CrackBerry have published a how-to guide for enterprising users who want to root their own units.

Starting with a rooted PlayBook, users will need the latest version of Cyanogen Google Apps, the FTP client WinSCP, and a few other items. CrackBerry then explains step by step how to tweak your tablet to capture and launch Google's Android Market … Read more

When Asus unveiled its Honeycomb-powered Transformer Prime tablet last November, it stated that Ice Cream Sandwich would be on the tablet by year's end. As owners of the tablet can tell you, that didn't pan out. However, according to its Facebook page, the company will begin pushing the update to Prime owners worldwide, starting January 12.

That's the boring part though, since Asus made no secret of the fact that ICS was coming. More intriguing however, are the other parts of Asus's Facebook post.

Since the release of the Transformer Prime, two potential issues have come … Read more

As promised by HTC CEO and president Peter Chou, all HTC Android devices launched after September 2011 can have their bootloaders unlocked.

The bootloader is a program that controls the startup process for a device. Unlocking the bootloader is a key step in customizing Android to make a phone do things its manufacturer (or carrier) never intended. That's something most people don't want to do, but according to HTC, its customers have been asking for it so much that it sounds like it couldn't ignore them.

Note, this is not for unlocking your SIM lock. It is … Read more

Strap yourselves in. We're about to hit another Android year at full speed.

2012 is breathing down our neck, which means that CES, Mobile World Congress, and even CTIA are fast approaching. In other words, get ready for an onslaught of new Android announcements.

Looking ahead at some of the rumored devices, consumers are in for some seriously powerful smartphones and tablets. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a look back at some of the key trends from this year's products. What was it that made Android so successful in 2011 and what will … Read more

Remember the days of Betamax, turntables, and Zenith TVs with rabbit ears and big honking dials?

Siri has just taken a little trip back to those simpler times of yore with a quaint little hack that turns the voice assistant into an operator reachable via rotary phone (cue the Jim Croce, those of you who remember hearing a voice say "operator" on the other end of the line).

Computer programmer Davis Remmel ripped apart a $2 Bluetooth headset purchased on eBay, fitting its earpiece into the earpiece section of the old phone and the microphone into the mouthpiece. The headset is enabled by dialing "1" on the rotary encoder.

In the video below, Remmel picks up the 20th century handset, dials "1," and delivers the command "Call John Doe." Siri then says, "Calling John Doe's mobile," and proceeds to call the number on Remmel's iPhone 4S, which is connected to the rotary phone. (For more on Remmel's rewiring job, see this detailed account on his blog.) … Read more

Google is serving up Ice Cream Sandwich with a new base version that promises several improvements and bug fixes for the Android operating system.

Detailed in Friday's Android Developers blog, ICS 4.0.3 is expected to roll out to production phones and tablets in the "weeks ahead," according to Google.

As such, the company is advising developers to test their mobile apps with the new flavor. Though it didn't get into specifics, Google is promising incremental improvements in graphics, database, spell-checking, and Bluetooth, among other items.

Developers can also tap into other features with the … Read more

Google has long offered Android developers a number of resources for creating quality applications and games.

Indeed, whether it's the oft-updated platform version chart or a member of the team dropping by the developer blog to share some code or best practices, there's plenty of official information available.

If that wasn't enough, today brings another valuable set of tools for new and seasoned Android developers with a beta program called Android Training. Presented in a wiki-like format, this collection of classes is designed to help developers create compelling apps.

Initially, there are only a dozen courses offered … Read more