(Warning: long post, but please take your time to read this!) We use to develop mobile applications since some years at our university. We have started years back with the HP iPaq and some Nokia mobile phones and JavaME (Java is the main language at our University). The problem with the iPaqs was the poor Java support and for the Nokias (3310 or so) the small screen. But we got some applications running. Later we decided to move to the Sharp Zaurus, as a linux powered "open" device. But it turned out that the Java support was not as good as we though, so we started to build new distributions (based on some meta packaging system, do not remember the name any more) with a better Java support and some addition features. But the next problem came with the connectivity. No wifi on board, only with extra cards. Finally we bought some Dell x50v and started to develop in Java for that with the help of different open Java VMs for Windows Mobile. But again this turned out to have poor performance and other problems. So finally we decided to go native, i.e. .net on Windows Mobile. We started to develop C# (almost Java) for these devices and it turned out to work and perform very well. After some experience with WM and .net we finally found the problem with that platform. It is hardly to find free libraries for development in a University environment (e.g. graph libs cost a lot). After three applications and these problems I would like to start a new era here: I personally ow an iPhone (and yes I love it). But as we want our students to participate in this development, it would be the best to stay in the Java world. So the best candidate is Android. So what is the problem with Android, or better say with the G1, which is currently the only hardware available?
Android (G1) Pros: * Open Source platform * Development based on Java & Eclipse * Quickly emerging community * Development on Win/Mac/Linux Cons: * Hardware closed, to direct deployment without dev phone or "jailbreak" * Phone only works with Google account * Phone only runs with a sim card and a data plan * 25$ to register for Android Market as developer Compared to the iPhone it seams to me that the G1 is more closed, even if it is based an open source platform. You need the sim card, you need a data plan, every thing not needed on an iPhone nor on a WM device. What sucks about the iPhone is the new language (Objective-C and Cocoa) and that the SDK is only available for Macs (which we do not have here at the University). Here Android is the only platform that is available for "all" OS. Windows Mobile is also limited to Windows, but you just build your app, package it to a cab file and install it on your phone. You don't need to subscribe somewhere as a developer, you do not have to "break" your phone, you can just do what ever you want. BUT: The UI of WM sucks so much that I really want to change to a UI that you can really use with your finger and not a stylus. Overall I really would love to use Android and the G1 for our next project, but it is really not that easy and open as it looks in the beginning. Any experience with Android development so far? Cheers and sorry for the long post! Adam --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to javaposse@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
