The year 2011 is almost here and with that, we have an ushering in of blazing fast new smartphones running dual-core processors and advanced graphics chips to connect you to the world you live in. This year's thread is going to be themed after the saying "Everyone, everywhere!" in which the Android phones will be broken down into regions, continents or countries. The goal here isn't to exclude anyone but to have a feeling of being connected in the Android phone world. This thread also is merging the software and hardware thread into one while having customizations (custom ROMs, rooting, skins etc.) having a separate thread. Enjoy and let's have Android start 2011 with a bang!
What is Android?
Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It was built to be truly open. For example, an application can call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that was designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.
All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users are able to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone's homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos.
Breaking down application boundaries
Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. For example, a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual's mobile phone -- such as the user's contacts, calendar, or geographic location -- to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer can build an application that enables users to view the location of their friends and be alerted when they are in the vicinity giving them a chance to connect.
Fast & easy application development
Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.
Since Android phones change about every 2-4 weeks, an outline of the current phones list seems a little redundant on GAF since there is a lot more info out there that can be put into this post. Instead, I've decided to have a "Showcase" phone. With that, there is also a map and regions listed below. By clicking on the carrier in your region, it should take you to the Android store with available phones. *note: this is heavily under construction and if you would like to contribute from your region, please send me a PM to learn how to help!
The Showcase phone for December 2010 is:
Samsung Nexus S
The world stage
*coming soon!!*
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Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) coming in March!? Engadget | BGR
Android Resources on NeoGAF:
- Android Customizations thread
Wanna show of your latest customization? Have questions on rooting or custom ROMs? This thread is the "official" partner thread of the Android 2011 thread on NeoGAF.
- Android Software Thread 2010 Edition
Archive thread for talking about apps, updates, rooting and more are covered and discussed in-depth in this thread for the Android operating system.
- Android Hardware Thread 2010 Edition
Archive thread for Android hardware announcements and speculation, for all devices and all carriers.
- Android Hardware Thread 2009 Edition
Archive thread for Android hardware announcements and speculation, for all devices and all carriers.
- Android Development Thread - Open Development Ftw
The official thread of programming apps and games for Android using Java and the free, open-source Android SDK.
F.A.Q.'s (*always being updated!*)
- Q: Why isn't there an "official" software thread for 2011?
- A: The reason that we have collectively decided against that is because it was a burden to have to jump back and forth between two threads. This way, all things Android (be it hardware or software) can be discussed here.
- Q: Will this thread be the same thread to talk about upcoming tablets?
- A: That is still up in the air. Right now tablet talk (featuring honeycomb or later) is fine in this thread but it may branch off into a separate thread at a later time. Obviously if the consensus is to keep everything in one thread, we shall do so.
- Q: So I'm new to Android and I love NeoGAF, is there a better way to browse the forum on my new Android phone?
- A: YES!! Simply go to this site: http://secondapps.com/neogaf Make sure you bookmark it or make it a shortcut on your browser or homescreen for easy access to NeoGAF!
- Q: I would like to help out with the thread, what can I do?
- A: Great!! Quickest way to get involved is to post up the latest news in this thread and/or programs that you love. Beyond that, if you want to get more involved, shoot me a PM with what you're offering and we'll go from there!
Shout outs to: RJNavarrete for the header graphics and any other graphics that look awesome in which will probably be designed by him, Andrex for the previous threads,
hang in there buddy!! We'll see you soon!
